Cycling In The Cities: Where's My Mary Poppins?

Finding childcare is stressful enough. Doing so while considering that I'll need to be able to get there easily on a bike, is a whole new ball of crazy. Part of my plan to live a smaller more meaningful life involved moving to a south Minneapolis community where people still support the community school. This fall my son will enter first grade at the school just two blocks away. They have after-school care and an all-day preschool program for my 4-year-old. Sweet! Or so I thought. I've been a little crazy lately and was late to register the boys for preschool and after-care. I found out yesterday they are on a waiting list. So I have three weeks to find two separate care facilities for two boys in different phases of need… and it must be close enough to my house and work -- and their father's house and work. Suuuuuure. That should be easy. %^&**$!

My poorly laid plans of biking home at the end of each day and walking two blocks to school to pick up my children are out the window. Now there will likely be short, 1-mile round trip drives from my house to the daycares to get my children in the winter. But this fall, I hope to do a few daycare commutes with the Burley. A kid would have to think it's cool to see their mom pull up on a bike, right? If there's one thing I've learned about being a bike commuter so far -- it's a heck of a lot easier than being a parent.

Angela Keegan Benson is the Assistant News Director at WCCO-TV and a mother of two. On August 1, 2011 she began her quest to live one full year as a bike commuter. Follow along as she figures out how to mesh the cycling culture with the demands of parenthood and an affinity for 4-inch heels. And yes, she's committed to sticking it out through February storms. For more Cycling In The Cities, follow @Angela_Keegan on Twitter.