Grocery Bakfiets

Already having a long list of "least favorite household jobs" (emptying the dishwasher/dish drying rack, folding laundry/putting clothes away, taking the recycling out, cleaning out the fridge , etc. ), over the past couple months I had begun to loathe grocery shopping as well. I struggled with deciding when to go: while all three kids were at school? Using up some of my precious free time? Or when just Zeben was home? Using up one of my two mornings a week of Zeben indulgence? Or on the weekend, when the whole family could otherwise be having fun together? No time was the right time, and more often then not, I found myself heading to the grocery store after the kids were in bed at night. When many shelves were nearly empty and all of the baked goods were sold. Not so much fun.

But, over the past couple weeks, I've revived my love of grocery shopping (and it really was a love when Luke and Jaz were tiny since it was one of the only places I could take them to escape our house that first winter) by bakfietsing my way to the store. I'm not sure why it makes such a difference. Maybe because I feel less guilty about using up one of my Zeben mornings if he's at least spending a good chunk of time outside (rather than strapped in his car seat), pointing out each and every one (of the dozens) of robins we bike past. Or maybe it's because it can become a family activity on the weekends, with Jaz biking alongside me all by himself (and then convincing me to buy things that I wouldn't otherwise buy once we're in the store). Or maybe it's just that there's something satisfying about biking my groceries home afterward, with them all cozied up in the bakfiets, looking loved and yummy.


The only dilemma in this otherwise rosy scenario is that the (relatively new) food co-op is in a decidedly un-bike-friendly location, especially in relation to our current home. I likely will get brave enough to try it one of these days (maybe minus any kids on board), but until then I must choose between biking to Whole Foods (2 miles away, directly on the bike path) or driving to the Co-op. Sigh.

I am impressed by how many bags of groceries Bakfietsy Rose can hold and keep safe (in the week before Oestar, I once had 4 dozen eggs in the bak and didn't crack a single one despite a very bumpy tree-root damaged section of the bike path). I am once again glad for the extra seat on the back rack. Zeb would be able to squeeze in with the food up front if necessary, but putting him behind me is much easier (and safer, for the food!).

Next challenge for reducing carbon footprint of groceries: Stop Buying Bananas (so hard to resist since they're one of maybe 3 foods that all 3 kids are nearly always happy to eat)!