"Learning how to learn is life's most important skill."

While I sat writing about Opeie losing his first tooth, I was thinking about how amazing it is becoming a parent and being there to experience all of their awesome milestones. Opeie's first words, steps, the first time I heard "I love you daddy", are all so special to me. I realised though, that although I've written about many of these over the years, I did miss a recent one out.

Opeie had never been interested in learning to ride his bike, Micro Scooters had pretty much dominated wheeled transportation for him and although there had been a BMX sitting in the shed, it was just there collecting dust. Two weeks before his 6th birthday though, he told me that he wanted to learn to ride his bike and he wanted to do it as a 5-year-old. It kind of came out of nowhere and the way he worded it really made me chuckle, but I loved the way he had set himself a challenge and was determined to learn this new skill. The bike came straight out and while all the kids were at school and our street was quiet we got on with it (I love the freedom of homeschooling). 

Seth had learned to ride his bike late on after a huge confidence knock when he ended up with a fractured arm but when he was 8 he decided to have a go and with a little patience, we got him riding within 2 hours which was a huge confidence boost for him. Knowing that this was how Seth did it was all the motivation that Opeie needed to get this new skill under his belt.

Day one was 1hr of trying to balance while I held him up, with tears from pure frustration but he was adamant that he could do it. Day two was a more confident half an hour of me holding him while he pedaled around and day three's hour and a half session completely took me by surprise when he held himself upright withing the first 5 minutes and I just let him go. Kids are AMAZING! I wish I could pick things up as quick as they do.

So our happy little 5-year-old had reached his goal in a few hours which was amazing. What I love most about all these new skills is the confidence that comes with it. To some people, these things may seem insignificant but I see the value in every little thing the boys pick up as they are developing. The more of these skills they acquire the more they realise, that anything is possible if they put their mind to it.

"You’ve got to take life and ride it till the wheels fall off"

Seth has had the BMX buzz back over this easter holiday. After finding a dumped bike at the start of the holiday and spending an afternoon taking it apart and cleaning up the usable parts, I sold some unwanted things to fund new parts and the excitement of the new project was all the motivation Seth needed to continue our original project that we started last year. Seth has been doing odd jobs around the house and even wrote me a blog post a couple of weeks ago to make some extra cash for his creative ventures. This week all the new red parts came for the dumped BMX and Seth ordered a seat, brakes and calipers for his own bike that he has been building himself.

Having these projects on the go has been great and we've sat in the garden chatting and having fun while he learns his way around his new bike.

On Friday when he got home his new seat was waiting for him and he couldn't wait to get it on so that he could give his new wheels a test ride. The bike looks so nice but what really did it for me was the huge proud smile on his face knowing that he has built that bike himself. All we need now are the brakes which should be here very soon, then he's good to go.

Hi! its Seth, This bike has turned out great, I feel so proud of myself. I am looking forward to a cycle with Pauly. This was really fun!!!!!

As for our found BMX... Well, Seth put that together too and it looks amazing. We had a slight issue with the chain which neither of us could work out, but after a good night sleep we had another look in the morning and worked it out together, real team work. The boys informed me that day that the new 'Spider-man bike' as we have named it is for me as the boys want me to go on some Goonies style adventures with them. Don't mind if I do!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love being a dad!!!

My greatest project, the one that is always ongoing, is my family.

There are so many amazing ways you can entertain and educate your children and I like to think that I'm pretty good with plucking fun activities out of the sky and embracing any crazy idea the boys come up with. It's important to motivate their creative side and I've found that having a couple of projects on the go is great for spending quality time together, It's great Father/Son bonding. We started building Seth a BMX last summer which has been great for teaching Seth the ins and outs of owning a bike. It's great riding about and having fun but it's just as fun to get to know how the parts work. Things went a little quiet on the build over the winter but with only a seat and brake levers and calipers to buy Seth is eager to earn some extra cash doing odd jobs around the house to pay for his parts. We try our best to teach them that you don't always get things just for being awesome kids, sometimes you have to earn the things that you want, it's an important lesson to teach early.

While we were out on an adventure last week we walked past a house and there was a BMX at the end of the drive. We were unsure whether it belonged to someone of whether it had been left there as scrap. Later on that day I drove past the house on my way to somewhere and it was still sitting there which sparked more interest. That night I went out on one of my scoots and on the way home I thought 'I wonder if it's still there?', so I took a detour and sure enough it was still sitting there. I had a quick look at the wheels and realised that it flat tyres and banged up wheels, it must have been left as scrap. So I picked it up, held it on to the scooter handle bars and carried it home (which wasn't the easiest thing to do).

As it was so dark I didn't really get to look at it properly but the following morning I went straight into the back garden to check out our find. It turned out to be an old school Diamond back and although there was minor rust and paint chipping, the frame was in pretty good condition. Seth was over the moon when he saw it and that afternoon we spent a few hours in the garden taking it apart and cleaning up the parts worth keeping. It was great to see the skills I had taught Seth being used. He used the rivet extractor to take off the chain and took the tyres off of the wheels to check for punctures. We also managed to sell a few things that we found in the shed that day to fund the project and buy new parts that we need, which was great.

We should have everything we need this week to start rebuilding the bike and I am really looking forward to getting stuck in with him. It's always great to see the end product of anything we create together but for me (and I am quite sure the boys feel the same), It is far more about the quality time spent together.

"Durability is part of what makes a great athlete."

With the Rio Olympic Games just around the corner it was no surprise when we found out that Nintendo had released the next instalment of Mario and Sonics friendly yet competitive take on all of the Olympic Games. Shockingly we've not played any of the previous title so the boys were eager to give the game a try. I had a vision of the game playing out like Linford Christies decathlon, a proper button bashing sports game from back in the 80's but we've come a long way since then in the gaming world.

Mario and sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games boasts an impressive 17 events for starters. As soon as we saw the BMX event had been included we were hooked. What I love about Nintendo over any other games company is the family gaming experience. The bulk of their games are none aggressive and family friendly. Mario and sonic is no different, a competitive and exciting button bashing bonanza.

 You can compete in any of the events against your friends and family but the game also gives you the option of team games where you can join forces in events like football, beach volleyball and rugby sevens (which is one of my personal favourites). 

I was really disappointed to see that the motion controls that the Wii is so famous for had been dropped but as we played through the games I found it was actually a positive. Instead of waving your arms about the game has taken us back to well timed button tapping with events like BMX and swimming. It took the boys a while to realise that you can't just repeatedly bash the buttons, and that it is all in the timing.

As with any games from the Mario or sonic range it's great to play as your favourite characters from an impressive back catalogue. This latest instalment has over 30 playable characters (some of which become available as you play the events) and you can also play as your Mii which with many of Nintendos own titles is a great touch. 

Mario and sonic at the Rio Olympic Games is going to be huge family summer event, which is exactly what I love when it comes to gaming.

“Riding bicycles will not only benefit the individual doing it, but the world at large.”

I am loving this bike building with Seth at the moment, the pedals we ordered arrived yesterday and the look on his face when he opened the package was priceless. Seeing the boys get excited about things they are creating is really moreish. His new bike (for when he's that little bit taller) is really starting to come together now and it's making me want to build one for myself.

Since starting the build Seth mentioned that he would love his own tools for tinkering with his bike so he was really chuffed when we received a package from Rex London after being included in their 12 dynamite daddy blogs. that included a bike multi-tool and a puncture repair kit. It is always lovely to hear what people have to say about the blog and I'm touched to come in their top 12. Thanks to the great package all Seth needs now is his own mini tool box.

Again Seth did a great job of attaching the pedals himself and they look great. We've also now ordered brake pads and some skyway handlebar grip's to go with his swanky wheels. All that's left on Seth's BMX list is brake levers, calipers and a saddle and then we can concentrate on designing decals, which I think he is excited about the most.

We had talked about replacing the brake cables with something a little more colourful, but then Seth came up with the idea of making use of the remaining patterned duck tape from our Pedalflow. While he played with his friends outside a few days ago I sat in the garden and wrapped his cables, it was a really nice touch and a great idea by Seth.

This bike is all Seth and I'm really proud of how interested he has been during this build so far. It's important to have hobbies and as I've said many times before it's great to have a couple of projects on the go with your kids. These are experiences that they will remember forever.

"The secret of life? Just enjoy the ride."

The weather in Shropshire this week has been all over the place, with strong winds, torrential rain, hail, snow, and the occasional bright sunshine breaking through. We've not really known what to do with ourselves. Today was one of those days, so... me and Seth decided to continue building our bike. 

After some good behaviour and him clearing out some unwanted toys to make some money for parts, myself and Mrs. M decided to put the rest towards the wheels he had his eye on and surprised him with them. So that afternoon we put some sheets down in his room and started to assemble the bike with the parts that we had.

Seth attached the wheels and we put the crank back after taking it all apart to clean up. It's great doing this kind of thing with Seth as he asks lots of questions about what the use is for each part. He is clearly getting a lot out of building his bike from scratch and I'm really loving the father/son bonding. I do a lot with Opeie throughout the week so this has become mine and Seth's special thing.

After sorting the crank out, Seth fitted his stripy chain that he had sat and made himself and he was looking pretty pleased with what he had achieved. I loved doing things like this when I was younger and having that pride in what you are doing is really important. The plan was to use the 2 left over pedals from the custom Pedalflow job I had recently done but it didn't cross my mind to check the thread size on the pedals and they were, unfortunately, the wrong size. Seth was a little disappointed (I've ordered some more though so he will have those this weekend to tinker with, shhh!).

 
Seth's BMX is really starting to come together which is great but more importantly Seth is really getting to know the ins and outs of his bike and how everything works which if you really enjoy riding, is a great thing to know.

"It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project."

After opening my presents one Christmas as a child (I think I was around 8) I was lead into the kitchen where there was a shiny new blue BMX waiting for me and it looked glorious. It was the 80's so it came with those foam padded frame pads, which to me at the time were cutting edge. After I had added some spokey dokeys and some Cornelius the rooster-shaped reflectors from the Kelloggs cornflakes it was well on its way to becoming a traffic stopper.

I never really grew out of owning a BMX and although I never chose to aim towards becoming a pro biker, as an adult I went on some pretty awesome (mainly alcohol fuelled) adventures all over the place with friends. Not being a driver at the time, my BMX served as a way of getting me all over, as well as to and from work. Tinkering was always a big thing for me with bikes, I loved to buy a bike, take it apart, pick a colour scheme and completely glam it up, much like my recent scooter customizing.

The boys have really picked up on this and are always so interested In the things that kept me entertained growing up. Taking apart a bike and rebuilding it has always been of real interest to Seth and he loves listening to me talking about the fun I used to have. I love how the boys seem to want to relive my own childhood and I get a huge kick out of introducing them to these things too. At the end of the summer last year, I was putting Seth to bed one evening and we were chatting about this and that as we do every night. We got back onto the BMX conversation and I mentioned that if he could clear his room of all the things he no longer played with, we could make some cash to start our own build for when he grows out of his current BMX.

As excited as he was at that idea, the weather inevitably started to get grim, his own bike seemed to get asked for less and less and then the subject wasn't brought up again until recently. Seth has now started clearing his room of untouched toys and games (which saves me the job) and after selling a couple of games last week I went mooching on eBay and spotted a great looking GT BMX for sale and managed to win it for the starting price as it finished one afternoon midweek.

So our planned summer build has now started early and the boys have been busy helping me to take the bike apart and move the unwanted decals etc. Opeie has been a great help with cleaning the frame and as always is loving being one of the lads...

And Seth has been learning how to use a Rivet extractor to combine different coloured chains. He has also been researching various parts online and has got his eye on a nice set of Skyway mag wheels so is desperately on the hunt for ways to make some money to fund that, which is also great as it is teaching him the value of things and what he needs to do to reach his targets.

 

I think it is really important to have a project or two on the go with your children. This is going to be great for some quality father/son time and I'm really looking forward to that proud look that they will have on their faces when they see what we can achieve together. Watch this space.

"If you worried about falling off the bike, you'd never get on."

There's been excitement in the house over the last few days as the boys have new bikes, well Seth has a new bike and Opeie has a bike that's practically brand new and has been sitting in our shed since he was born as Seth never used it. I always loved tinkering with bikes when i was younger and im looking forward to the boys getting a bit older so i can start hunting for parts and build them their own custom bikes. Seth has been talking about wanting a BMX for quite some time so as the weather looks like its starting to get a little better (i hope i haven't just jinxed that) i started looking and found a nice little fixer upper for a mere £25. It was a little dirty and the decals were really naff but with a little elbow grease and Mrs M's magic 'goo gone' that we brought back from America we soon had the bike looking quite grown up.

I will at some point get him some more fitting decals or may even have some made for him but in the mean time i decided to have a look online for some fun low cost accessories so its a bit more Seth. I really don't like Mcdonalds, the food tastes awful and i have read more than enough reports and watched countless videos to know that there is a ridiculous amount of rubbish in the food, but while searching eBay for bike accessories i stumbled upon someone selling some happy meal toys from back in 1996 and although it pained me to spend money on a Mcdonalds product it was for Seth and i knew he would love them...

When i showed Mrs M what i had found she told me that her and Auntie Lotty had them on their bikes when they were younger. There's a batman mirror, Joker horn, storage case and a batmobile where the front comes off and its actually a bike bottle, genius! Well they arrived today along with Seth's stabilisers so when he gets home tomorrow I'm sure we'll be hitting the roads. He's going to be so excited when he see's his new bike and hopefully this summer the stabilisers will come off and replaced for the stunt pegs so i can stand on the back.







I decided not to post this until Seth got home as i wanted a picture of him riding it. Seth was so excited when he got home and saw his bike waiting for him in his room. We loaded the bike in to the car and headed up the road to the lake so that Seth could give it a test drive. Opeie is slightly to short for his balance bike making him unstable which was a shame but he was just happy getting to feed the ducks while we were there. I asked Seth what he thought of his new bike... to which he replied "i feel like one of the goonies!" Thats my boy.