This is how we roll

I vowed not to be one of those mothers who enroll their children is countless organized activities, only to become just that sort of mother.

The only criteria I have is that the activity must be very close to our house, or on a bus route. But my town's park and rec department's community center is about a block away, which houses my daughter's preschool and (soon) her dance class. Her swimming class is just a mere half block further, so you can see I have a surprising amount of options.

And I know that some parents think I'm cuckoo by dragging my kids around on a bike, sometimes in pretty crappy weather. The other day, we walked home in torrential downpours with just some rain boots and umbrellas. My neighbor didn't just think I was crazy, he told me so.

But on a bike, I can get in/get out much quicker than in a car. A round trip might take just three or four minutes. And getting outside, even in bad weather, expends a lot of kid energy that keeps the girls from re-carpeting the house with plastic toys.

With gas prices jumping about 15 cents in two days, it might be cuckoo. But feels pretty sane to me.

Now I realize not everybody has the option of living two blocks from activity central, but our central location coupled with non-car transportation means some days when my husband takes the bus, which is becoming more and more frequent, we don't even move the car from the driveway.

Another way to think about it is to contemplate a commute. If I worked in Peoria, I'd spend close to $2,000 a year just driving to and from work, without any pit stops. Did I mention cuckoo?