Back on the bike

Team clutterpunk are back on the bike!

Well, most of them are IN the bike. Can you believe there are three kidlets in there?

I stopped riding in February when I hit the seven-months-pregnant mark. We were asked to car-sit for a friend for 5 months, which was a wonderfully-timed provision: we had been discussing hiring a car for a few months to ease our transition to five, to make sure I could get to hospital quickly during a blink-and-you'll-miss-it type labour and to give me a bit of postnatal recovery time. We gratefully accepted the car and sent Hudson to be bike-sat by a local family who were keen to try him out.

So in these last months we've had time to test out whether it's time for us to buy a car. 

The answer? Not yet! 

We appreciated many things about driving again, particularly the ability to be more spontaneous about visiting people and places further afield. But there was so much NOT to love, beyond the obvious environmental issues. The stress of getting three kids in and out of a small car; the parking difficulties and time-limits; the car-sick-prone child; the money-haemorrhaging. We've decided to opt for the mild inconvenience of having to plan ahead with public transport or car hire for a few more years, while the kids are still small and life continues to be slow and locally-oriented.

Anyway, Hudson is home! And set up for riding.

Here's how it works: the two boys on the bench seat, and the baby in a car seat which we've fixed securely in the front section.

Everyone is snug-as-a-bug. Susannah seems comfortable enough in her car seat and it certainly provides a good amount of restraint and shock-absorption. 

I love being able to put one kid at a time in the bike and leave them there while I fetch other things. I love that I can park right next to our front door in bad weather. I love parking right next to kindergarten, or church, or a friend's house, rather than three road-crossings away. I love that I can pull up outside the bakery and duck in while 'leaving the kids in the car' without breaking the law. I love being able to stop quickly and comfort the baby, break up a fight or fetch a dropped book. I love the Melbourne mizzle on my face and the bracing air while my kids are toasty and dry under the prairie hood. I love hearing the boys chatting and singing and calling out to passers-by.

I love being back on the bike.

Beating the backyard blues.

We don't have a backyard. And I'm beginning to notice.

Now, first I need to qualify a few things. This is NOT a 'poor me' post. My family and I choose to live where we do, in a flat in an inner-city suburb. There are other potential scenarios and options available to us, but when we examined our priorities after the birth of our first son a few years ago, we opted for proximity to support networks, friends, work and facilities over 'space'. It's absolutely been the best decision. And in worldwide terms, it's quite normal not to have your own backyard, let alone more than one or two rooms to your dwelling. 

Because I know this to be true, part of me really wants to stick at this two-bedroom, no-backyard thing forever, just to prove that it's possible, even preferable, and of course the most sustainable option. Kids growing bigger? Stunt their growth! Another baby? It can sleep in the bath! Visitors? They can have our bed, we'll sleep on the dining table. Oh that's right... we don't have a dining table. Top-and-tail, anyone?

But reality has a way of interrupting my idealism with plenty of 'yeah buts', mostly in the form of two rambunctious children. My kids don't know what they are missing...  but I can see that they thrive in the great outdoors. We have so many parks and facilities nearby... but it would be great if sometimes I could chuck them out of the house and let them play free-range in the dirt without constant supervision. We can buy lovely fresh local produce just up the street... but perhaps my food-phobic William would try something new if he helped to grow it himself. 

Revving up the Christiania on a sunny Winter's day

Anyway, while these issues are up for debate at chez clutterpunk, we're getting on with the business of  having a Claytons* backyard. I have a loose deal with myself that we have to get out at least twice a day, rain or shine. 

Mostly, we visit local parks, walk to the fruit shop or post office, or head to the train station (and sometimes even catch a train for fun!). When it's cold and rainy this requires some preparation:

The $15 waterproof overalls from Aussie Disposals, while outside my ethical clothing pledge, have been a real hit this winter.

We also spend a fair bit of time befriending unsuspecting people with backyards and taking them over. On Monday and Wednesday mornings we often drop in on friends in the area, and in the late afternoon, we have a bit of a rhythm going with a new family nearby, in which we come and tear up their turf in exchange for, um, company? 

And late afternoon on Tuesdays and Thursdays, you can find us giving the next-door-neighbours' trampoline a workout. I've recently struck a little deal with the lovely, intrepid single-mother-of-three-primary-schoolers next door. She heads out for a run while I let my kids fight hers for the best trampoline-related injuries.

In all of this, one thing is for certain. If I'd never gone without a backyard, I know I wouldn't know how to appreciate one. If and when we do have the privilege, I promise you, it will be cherished.

And now I'm curious. Do YOU have a backyard? Is it big or small? Do you wish you had more or less? Do you use it or neglect it? Do you think owning or renting makes a difference to how you use your outdoor space? 


And most importantly... do you have a trampoline and are you home on Friday?


*Aussie slang for a poor substitute or imitation

Dressing my kids up like freaks is AWESOME!!!!!

Karen from Urban Craft is one hip craftster. She likes to poke her tongue out at lots of things and make funny felty craft while she's at it. She's also totally on top of kiddy programming trends. And she's generous. She sent these shirts over for the boys.

What, you don't know who these creatures are? Muno and Brobee from Yo Gabba Gabba! It's retro, it's disco, it's education-via-beatboxing. Have you been hiding under a ROCK people?! Or just watching highbrow kiddy television like, um, err, that one with the books and real people in it?

 

Suffice to say that these t shirts have gone down an absolute treat. The 3-year-old, whose preference right now is for nudity at all times, demanded to wear his as soon as the parcel was opened, and has barely taken it off since. The 1-year-old said 'car', which in his special dialect denotes approval.

Karen, you're so hot right now in the clutterpunk household. You've almost made my children feel like normal toddlers, a feeling they are mostly robbed of whilst I parade them around the inner city in our Christiania bike. Thanks for bringing a sense of normalcy (even if it is flourescent, 70s, alien-creature normalcy) to my little brood.

My creative space...

Sitting outside next to Hudson our Christiania bike, waiting for the little Pudding to wake from his nap, looking at this pattern and wondering where on earth to start. In line with my Wardrobe Refashion pledge, and inspired by the efforts of Jenaveve of August Street and Bek of Red Chocolate, I'm going to make me a skirt from scratch. Using a pattern, even. Well, we'll see how far I get with that...

Other creative spaces via kootoyoo.

PS if you're interested in winning yourself a little something, pop down here and enter my no-strings-attached, just-for-the-heck-of-it Wintry Giveaway. There's a scarf and two Swineys up for grabs...

Introducing Hudson

Meet our new friend, Hudson.

Hudson is a big, cheerful fella. He may appear slightly awkward, perhaps a little goofy, but he's a good sort. Definitely not the fastest kid on the block, but what he lacks in speed he makes up for in strength.

It's a rare soul who will tolerate two little boys clambering all over them for endless hours. Or concede to exceedingly lengthy 'horsey rides'. But Hudson is a patient soul, not to mention extremely child-proof.

Hudson may have a large girth, but he eats very little. Particularly when compared to his petrol-guzzling cousins.

Hudson has come to live with our family for an indefinite period. We love him. He's enabling us to live a car-free existence.

If you'd like to meet some of Hudson's immediate family, check them out over here and here!