Tuesday I picked the kids up after worn and we got in the cargo bike to bike the three or so miles to pick up our blueberries. We had ordered 10 pounds through our food buying club and they were at the house of one of the other members. When I got there, the member's mom was visiting and seeing my two kiddos, offered to help. I got the blueberries and the. She asked me if I'd biked there (I guess the three helmets gave us away). I said yes and she came to see the bike. She wanted to see how they loaded up in there, cargo and all. It is always intriguing to me the reactions and curiosity some have. I think it's just beyond what people think of, especially with two relatively small children.

Today was a beautiful summer Portland day. I take my eldest to school in the morning, then bike to work, and do the same on the return most days. I figure it is about 5 miles each way every day. Today I did the same. Yet on top of it, I had two meetings to get to. I work on the east side, not far from downtown. If I'd had a car, I probably would have hopped in it, but since I didn't, I decided to walk to my first meeting. It was only about a 15 minute walk at most and the morning air was nice and crisp. I returned to the office the same way, enjoying my time in the sun. I then decided to take the things I needed to review for my next meeting with me to get some food. Since I was biking and not driving, it was easy to stop at one of my favorite downtown lunch spots and sit in the sun for awhile. Then I hopped back on and rode to my next meeting in NW. I'd forgotten a water bottle as my commute is pretty short, but they offered me some water to rehydrate. We finished up a little after four. Since I usually leave the office at 4:30 and didn't really have a break all day, I decided to head straight to my sons school to pick him up. He was ready to hop on the bike and get home to get his own bike.

He just learned to ride a pedal bike a few weeks ago. He biked to dinner on his own tonight as I walked alongside carrying the baby in the wrap. I took this photo of him looking so happy and having a blast! I love that he enjoys riding as much as I do, and can't seem to get enough of it!

Today we went to SE 90th and Stark to see a children's play, "Jack and the Beanstalk." It was a bit far to bike for us, so we decided to bus instead. It was about a 45 minute bus ride each way, but we didn't have to switch, which was nice. We went with some friends and the older kids (all verging on four) helped me out with the stroller. We even got to do some off roading as we wandered through the neighborhood to avoid walking along stark.

In planning the trip, I debated what stroller to take. I have a baby jogger city mini. It's great in that it is super easy to fold and fairly lightweight, but a bit bulky on the bus. A friend has a regular umbrella stroller I could borrow, but no canopy for the 85 degree day we are expecting and no basket. So I opted for the forgotten stroller in the basement that belongs to nobody. As you can see, has a canopy, a small basket, was lightweight and fairly easy to fold. I might adopt it for our bus outings!

The 45 minute bus ride was a little long for the kiddos. On the way there we ate lunch carefully. X was happy and occupied. R was tired and restless, really needing a nap, but couldn't relax enough to fall asleep. He finally passed out on the 8 block walk after we got off. Coming home, the older kids played with the hot wheels I rarely go anywhere without. R was a handful again, but we made it home at last with minimal crying... Thanks to our friend E who was happy to play pass the baby with me!

Lesson for today: "Always bring wipes/sanitizer... You never know when that thing that looks interesting, like a lumpy rock, by the bus stop just might be dried dog poo instead:/"

So with the accident, my insurance company is replacing my two current car seats. I am debating what to replace them with. I currently have a (new to me) Sunshine, which is now Diono and  Chicco Keyfit 30. The Chicco has been fabulous, but my youngest will be outgrowing it very soon, so I need to upgrade him anyway. Now that I am going car-free, I need to buy car seats with the following criteria:
1. Safety of course, but I feel any car seat on the market today is probably plenty safe.
2. Easy to carry - since I may be carrying two car seats with two kids in tow at least to whatever car we are getting into from our second story unit. Or possibly even a few blocks to the nearest Zipcar or Getaround rental, or even on the Max to the train station.
3. Preferably light weight to help with that ease of carrying.
4. Compact - to be able to sometimes fit three across the back seat of the often smaller vehicles my friends tend to have. (Three seats as I am planning to still go places with my housemate's daughter in tow as well as my two). So it needs to be narrow and when rear facing, compact enough to be able to sit an adult in the front seat adequately.

What are your recommendations? Here's what I'm finding. Am I missing anything?

Safety 1st Go Hybrid Safety Booster
I'm considering this for my older child. He is almost 4, and over 30 lbs. This starts at just 22lbs, so he isn't at the low end and it grows to 100 lbs with a removable back. The two best things are:
1. It is only 11 lbs!!
2. It comes with a backpack bag!
3. It is 17" wide (which seems to be the most narrow options for anything).

Seems like it's a winner. Anything I'm missing?

Finding a convertible car seat is a more challenging proposition.

Diono Radians - There are 3 models. This is the RXT. There are also R120 and R100 brands. They come with a shoulder strap and optional backpack strap, and they fold, so they can be stored compactly. They are narrow at only 17". I'm considering one of these as an option for my youngest.
Questions:
1. Are they snug-enough feeling... they look more like a booster. How comfortable will it be for sleeping in?
2. They are 26 and 23 pounds. OMG, seriously! The Sunshine one I have now is super heavy. I know it has a backpack strap, but still. Is it worth it? Does the backpack and folding capability really make it that much better?
3. When rear facing and reclined, can an adult still fit in the front seat comfortably. Most cars here I'd borrow are Prius' or similar vehicles. Would that work?
4. Is the side impact feature of the RXT work the added three pounds and 3" in folded depth? Does it really make a difference in its safety rating? Or is it just one more thing to adjust and make sure you have it right.
5. How easy is it to get in/out of vehicles?

Combi Coccoro
This too is 17" wide. However, it only goes to 40 lbs. Given that my children seem to be on the small side, it may not be an issue as he can graduate to his brother's 5-point-harness booster about the time his brother is ready for a regular smaller booster without a back probably. I can't find what the height limit is though. From pictures, it appears to fit rear facing rather well in small cars. Plus it is only 11 pounds! It doesn't have an easy carry option, but at less than half the weight of the Diono, maybe that's worth it? Anyone have experience with this? Will it really fit him until 3 or 4?
Here are a couple good blogs about it:
http://carseatblog.com/2285/combi-coccoro-review-small-cars-and-three-across/
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/taxis/using_taxis_2.html#convertible

I think I'm leaning towards this one over the Radian due to weight. What do you think? What's your experience?

I will come back later to report my decision and experience once I try them out. I'd love to hear your comments in the mean-time!

Today I set out for breakfast and grocery shopping with my two children (R, 1; X, 3.9) and my housemate's daughter (A, 5). I loaded the kids in the cargo bike. Got all three helmets on, the 1 and 5 year-old buckled in the bench seat and my 3.9-year old seated safely in front. I had the grocery bags tucked in and we were ready to go. I was pretty proud of myself and my kids. Everyone was in a pretty good mood and getting hungry. We made it to New Seasons, parked the bike and got everyone out. As I was removing their helmets, I noticed, I had nothing on my own head. Oops.. FAIL NUMBER 1. Next time, remember my own helmet as well as the children's. We completed our breakfast and shopping and then the puzzle of how to fit 3 grocery bags into the bike with the 3 kids. One bag was only about half full, so that got tucked under the bench seat. I had R & A squish together a bit and got one bag on the bench seat next to them. Then I sat one bag next to X in the cargo part. SUCCESS! Next time, I think I"ll bring my paniers with just in case I need that extra space. Or, consider getting a rear seat so that I can put one kid in back and leave the cargo area for stuff. I then pedaled home to the sound of the kids shouting "faster, faster" in glee. Not a bad morning!

After lunch, we decided to head to the park. While it's only about a half mile away, we had added 2 more children to the pack and one more adult (children were 5 months and 8 years). A is not into walking very far, but luckily X just learned to ride his pedal bike in the last month and is getting quite confident! So we took A & R in the double stroller, mostly pushed by the 8-yr-old. And then another stroller for the baby. Between the 2 adults, we safely walked the 1/2 mile. I acted as crossing guard at the intersections. We kept the bike in front (and he was quite good I must say at stopping well ahead of the corner and waiting for us to catch up), then the stroller pushed by the 8-yr-old, rounded up by the other adult and baby. I'm sure we were quite a scene to see at each intersection... there are 2 decent ones on the way there, one stop sign and one stop light.

Lessons learned for the day:
1. Always remember my helmet as well as the children's
2. Remember to snap photos if I'm going to do this blog thing! ... next time I promise some good photos:)

On Monday I got a call at work that my car had been in an accident. Everyone was okay, but the car didn't fair quite as well. A day later, my insurance company deemed it "totaled" and I have since decided to use this as an opportunity to go car free. I have 2 young boys, 14 months and nearly 4. I was car free just after I entered single life, 2 months pregnant with a toddler in tow. It lasted about 5 months, until I was put on partial bed rest and not allowed to even walk to the bus stop. That's when I broke down and bought a car. Since then, I have flirted with this idea off and on, but wasn't sure how to make the leap back to living without a car.

Now, I have a few things going for me already. I live in a community of wonderful and supportive people. My biggest hesitation has been "how do I lug 2 children and 2 car-seats to get to a rental car when I do need one?" I'm hopeful I will be able to have others help by watching my children when I go to pick it up when needed.

The other thing is, I already have a cargo bike and a regular bike with front and rear seats mounted on it. So this is my starting point. I also live in Portland, fairly close in with 2 frequently service bus stops nearby and 8 blocks to the MAX (light rail).

My Challenge: I am challenging myself to live car-free for one year. If I make it to July 1st next year, I will reward myself with a trip to Europe... likely Denmark to experience a truly bike-friendly (and community friendly) place.
I invite you to follow me, share your experiences and advice and help me as I learn how to live car free and single.