Bike Bell

Yesterday, my three year old opened a back to school gift which included a bike bell.  He LOVES riding his bike right now and yells, "DING DING" while he is on a bike ride, so I thought he could use a new bell!  He was very excited about it!

Today, we found the book Dora Rides to Bike Park on the bookshelf and he had such a great time ringing the bike bell while we were reading.  It is still pretty difficult for him to ride his bike AND ring the bell at the same time so this book is perfect!

In this book, Dora rides her bike to the park, but needs to pick up her friends on the way.  Of course, Swiper gets in her way on the way there, but my son had fun telling Swiper, "No swiping!"  When they get to the park they are just in time for a big bike race.

My kids have never been Dora or Diego fans, but we do have a few books that they have picked up along the way.  The bike bell definitely made this book appealing for my little guy!

Bike Riding

Today we were lucky to have a friend stop by!  Most of the times that we see her, she is riding her bike.  Today her bike riding made quite an impression on my three year old.  When it was time for his friend to leave my three year old was determined to go for a bike ride of his own.   We fit in two walks before bedtime so that he could get some bike riding into his day!  He is learning that a little practice can make big improvements!  I am sure we will be taking another walk tomorrow morning!

Before going to bed we read one of his old favorites, Caillou: Training Wheels by Sarah Margaret Johanson.  Caillou is a favorite TV show in this house, so it is no surprise that my three year old loves reading books about his favorite four year old!

In Caillou: Training Wheels, Caillou's older friend, Sarah, can ride her bike without training wheels.  After a bike ride with Sarah, he is ready to take his training wheels off.  He soon learns that it is very difficult to ride without training wheels and decides to wait a little bit longer before he takes them off again.

I usually don't enjoy books based on TV shows, but this book is great because it helps my three year old understand that there are somethings that his older brother is able to do that he is going to have to wait to do.  It also reminds us that there are things my three year old can do that my six year old can't.  They are brothers, but they are learning to have their own identity and are enjoying every second of it!

Ice Cream and a Bike Ride

We were finally able to celebrate our "Do Something Hard Challenge" by Frugal Fun For Boys that we completed a couple of weeks ago.  To read all about it, check out The Little Bike Rider That Could.

Our plan was to celebrate the completion of our challenge with a bike ride to get ice cream.  It has been so hot that the reward hasn't sounded that appealing, but last night was the perfect night for it.  My six year old rode his bike there and back and didn't complain!  I am so proud of him.  My three year old even walked the whole way.  It was a fun night with some sweet treats!

Success is sweet!

Happy Kiddos!

What is summer without a messy popsicle face?

The ride home included a hill.  He was all smiles!

After last night's celebration, we read Let's Ride Bikes! to go along with our "Do Something Hard" Challenge! Let's Ride Bikes! is a non-fiction book by Carol K. Lindeen.  This book is from the same series as Let's Swim! This is a great series for new readers because of the large photographs, facts, labeled pictures, short sentences, and large print.  My six year old son and I read this together with my three year old and talked about bikes and bike safety while we read.

I don't know when my six year old will be ready to ride without training wheels, but the thought of it makes me very nervous so for now, we will stick with what is working!

The Little Bike Rider That Could

I was so excited to be invited to take  the "Do Something Hard" Challenge at Frugal Fun For Boys!  This challenge was to encourage children to try something difficult for the week and see how much they improve through a little hard work and dedication.  I knew right away what I wanted my six year old to work on...riding his bike!

I enjoy walks with my kids, especially when everyone has woken up early.  These walks would be very relaxing and peaceful if it wasn't for the complaining and whining about how difficult it is to ride a bike.  Enter the "Do Something Hard" challenge...

The Challenge
Ride Bike Around the Block
Once a Day For 6 Days
Earn $1.00 for each day the task is completed.

Day One

My little guy was eager to start.  He rode his bike the whole time without complaining once.  He rode a little bit ahead of us, testing his independence.  We even had him sign a contract so he could keep track of all of the days he stuck with the bike ride!

Day Two

Today our walk/bike ride was a bit slower, which was to be expected.  We spent the day at the arboretum and swimming lessons so we were all exhausted.  My six year old did better than my three year old during the walk...thank goodness!  My three year old's foot got run over by the stroller while he was eating a cookie.  Baby Girl doesn't seem to mind though.

Day Three

We went for an early bike ride in soccer clothes!  He is already gaining confidence.

Day Four

Today my son rode much faster and is getting better at riding over the bumps without getting nervous!

Day Five

The boys took a bike ride in very hot and humid weather.  Although, I have never been to a rainforest, I would guess that it feels similar to the weather we had after the storm!  I'm glad I got to stay home for this one.  We didn't get a picture of the ride, but here they are playing outside in the HOT rain!

Day Six

The last day!  My son took an early bike ride while we walked along with him. No more complaining, so our walks are MUCH more relaxing!

After our walk this morning, I asked him what he learned from riding his bike every day.  He said "It is fun and easier."  I am so glad that he learned something from our challenge!  I even learned something!

My challenge was to
Exercise for 30 minutes
Once a Day for 6 Days

I ran for 4 days and did yoga for two days.  It was a REAL challenge for me to fit in 30 minutes of exercise for myself.  It used to be so easy, but it was a good reminder that I need to schedule in the time to workout and I also need the support of family and friends to make sure that I get it done.  Lesson learned!  I hope that I stick with my workouts and my son sticks with his bike riding.  Maybe the training wheels will come off soon!

This weekend we are celebrating the completion of our challenges with a family bike ride to get some ice cream.  My son is very excited and this will be his longest bike ride this summer!  I will have to add a picture when we are done celebrating.

Now on to the book that we read to celebrate the end of the "Do Something Hard" Challenge.

I Knew You Could is a great book to celebrate any kind of achievement!  My son received this book from his teacher on the last day of kindergarten.  The Little Engine That Could is one of our favorites and this book features the same little blue engine so we knew we would love it.  The book describes all of the different choices you will make and lessons you will learn as you travel along the tracks of life.  I love the last few sentences of the book, "Just trust in yourself, and you'll climb every hill.  Say, 'I think I can!' and you know what?  You will!"

Check out the other "Do Something Hard" Challenges from other bloggers here.   Thank you Frugal Fun for Boys for giving us something to work at this week!

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