'A project keeps the wheels of creativity spinning'

Day 72:

After talking about going out on bike adventures it was clear we needed to get everyone on board with our plans, so today we went and picked up a bike for the female member of our posse. Both Opeie and myself ended up a touch jealous of said bike (especially after I had sold my custom pink one when Opeie entered the world). Im sensing our future bike adventures may have just taken a more retro path, watch this space, I feel a project coming.

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing"

Recently, while going through a huge folder of photos I realised that there was an ongoing theme throughout the photos from the last 3 years. LEGO was obviously a big one but it occurred to me, just how much of an impact Micro Scooters have had on us as a family. It's amazing to think that these awesome wheels have become such a big part of our day to day outdoor fun. As I scrolled through the pictures it was lovely to see Opeie on his old Mini Micro and although Seth isn't on as many of our Scooting adventures it was great to see some older pictures of him on his scooter with a big smile on his face. 

The sun is out again now and hopefully that is pretty much the end of all of the wet weather we have had here in Shropshire. The scooters have definitely been out a lot more over the last week or so and with the easter holidays here I thought I'd put some of my favourite Micro Adventure images together for a little scooting inspiration to get you all out and about over the holiday. 

Happy scooting ya'll.

A library is the delivery room for the birth of ideas, a place where history comes to life."

This sunshine has been glorious! I am loving every minute of it. Hot, sunny weather will always mean that wheels will be hitting the pavement and that's just what we have been doing. Today started off with an early reading session from Opeie, I can't believe at 5 just how good his reading is. It just goes to show that one to one teaching and lots of patience really does have a huge impact. The heavy reading session brought to light the fact that we had exhausted all of our library books and needed a top up. With the sun blasting out we got our beloved Micro scooters out and hit the road in search of literature.

(For the record we did stick to the speed limit, we may be rebellious home schoolers but safety first around schools people!)

I honestly don't know what we would do now without our scooters, they have become a permanent fixture in our daily fun and without them outdoor adventures would seem a little watered down. They are an amazing addition to pretty much everything we do outdoors. Mid-week afternoon library visits mean quiet reading for us as most chidren are at school, and because we know a few of the librarians in there now they don't mind if Opeie scoots over to the children's section. This is where we split up, Opeie makes a pile of books for me to read to him, while I hit the 'ready to read' section for fun books perfect for his reading level. I was excited to find 'the magic scooter' and have added that to Opeies pile for the coming weks. I think we both feel like our scooter is a magic scooter.

After an hour of reading, it was back to the streets weaving in and out of all those people that don't have wheels. We did have to scoot around some mobility scooters, elderly shopping trollies and pushchairs though before heading out of the town and back home. Adding wheels to your family adventures really adds to the excitement and Micro Scooters are continuing to pave the way for our father/son bonding and the boys development. GO TEAM SCOOT!

"It says 'Maxi'! Which is french for 'Big Boy'!"

 (Oh and apparently it was imperative that he wore a lab coat!!)

"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child."

After all of the excitement of the Christmas holiday it has been a smooth transition back in to our weekly routine of adventuring for me and Opeie and school runs and making sure Seth has everything he needs. Going back to school wasn't all doom and gloom for Seth though as  it gave us the chance to get back in to meeting him from school on our Micro scooters and adventuring around the local lake. We don't live anywhere near the school so we can't scoot home. Instead me and Opeie park the car a distance away and pack Seth's folded scooter into my backpack and tie the zips together to hold it in place (stylish).

Last week me and Opeie scooted to the school and could see Seth in his classroom getting ready to come out. When Seth got to he said that his friends had said "woah! is that your step dad? his scooter is awesome!". I maybe the cool scooting step dad now but it will soon be the embarrassing scooting step dad during his teenage years I expect, so I'll lap up all the cool points I can get now haha.

After a day of school, the scooters are great for taking in all the things outdoors, talking about the weather, the animals we can see and planning all the things we are going to be doing throughout the week, Scooting is perfect father/Son bonding time. It is also great for burning off that excess energy and giving Seth a chance to let out his crazy side.

Happy scooting ya'll.

 

"The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value."

I had every intention to write a '10 top toys for Christmas' post. Its a popular thing with bloggers and a great way to promote some of the great products you have reviewed throughout the year. I could have easily picked 10 great products from 2015 but every time I thought about it, I was brought back to the product that has made me the happiest this year and last. So instead I decided to fully embrace that and write a top 10 reasons for buying a Micro Scooter this Christmas.

1. (and probably the most important for me) Owning a Micro scooter myself as well as the children has added an extra level to the relationship and bond I have with the boys. We can whizz around at the park together or Fill a back pack up with awesome gear and go adventuring. Getting about on scooters is far more personal and interactive than driving somewhere with them in the back. Scooting gives me fun quality play time with the people I love the most.

2. We spend a lot of time travelling around in the car. So its always nice to have days where we do things by scooter. Its amazing how far you can actually get on two small wheels and it is a great lesson for the boys in lessening our carbon footprint. The scooters have also given us the chance to see places from a different perspective, which was amazing earlier in the year when me and Opeie spent 4 days travelling around London by scooter together.

3. When Seth talks to me about school he is always telling me how much games consoles monopolise their play time and how many of the children spend their weekends sitting in front of a screen. Although Seth and Opeie love gaming they play in moderation and they know how important it is to be outdoors doing things. Scooting is awesome exercise, so even if the boys have a day in the house because we haven't go much on, we always try and get in some scooting to get the heart pumping faster.

4. Scooting has given both of boys a huge boost in independence. With Seth it was a way of getting around quicker because of his muscle condition and for Opeie when he first started it made him feel like he was part of the gang, speeding around with the big boys.

5. Although bikes are great, they are huge and take up so much space in the car. Micro scooters collapse and the handle bars can also be folded down taking up minimal space in the boot. We have four scooters in our boot at all times and there is still more than enough room for helmets and shopping. It is great knowing that wherever we end up during the weekends the scooters are there with us if there is somewhere safe to scoot.

6. If the scooters themselves aren't exciting enough for you (we know they are!) there is also a huge amount of accessories to chose from to add even more glamour in to your scooting experience, Helmets, Poncho's and lighting all help to make an even safer, more stylish and fun addition to your scooting adventures.

 7. The quality and design of these is one of the big attractions for me. They feel safe and sturdy and it is clear that a lot of thought has gone in to creating these amazing scooters. The way they fold down is great and the smoothness of the ride on the suspension scooter, the flex and the flex deluxe really makes for a more comfortable scoot. Also that v shape on the mini Micro is perfect for transporting if you are scooting with the children and little legs get tired.

8. From a parent scooter enthusiast's point of view, owning a Micro Scooter makes me feel like a kid again. I love being right in the middle of the action with the boys and when we have visitors over we nearly always get them out on the scooters with us. Our friend Jess visited us this weekend and we all went out scooting (despite the cold weather and crazy wind). We now have scooter buddies over at Another last story and even the boys grandparents have been out with us too.

9. One of the things that I have always loved about Micro Scooters is they are a company that makes products that grow with your children. From the Mini2Go for nursery children all the way up to the great selection of adults scooters. They are covered making sure they can have 2 or three wheels under their feet all the way through their development and when they have reached the peak of their growing years and move in to adult hood there is a great selection for us big kids to continue playing with our own little ones.

10. The scooters have given me a great diversion for Opeie when it comes to his home schooling. Occasionally hes just not in the mood for writing and numbers and on these days he can get a little frustrated if he makes mistakes. My answer is always 'shall we go out on the scooters for a bit'. Scooting seems to really clear his head and relax a little which has been really great for us having a productive day.

Amazing right! It'll probably blow your mind that they also make an electric scooter and a pedal version which both look very interesting.

 I could go on about the impact Micro-Scooters has had on us as a family, its a product I am really passionate about and something I want other parents to experience. Whats better than buying a gift that you can get out on and use together!

Merry Christmas Scooterers (I'm making it my mission to make that a word).

“Work, love and play are the great balance wheels of man's being”

It was lovely to hear Mrs M last week say "shall we go scooting?", she's been out with us a few times over the last few years but it always felt like it was solely for the boys benefit, which is fine as it just makes it even more clear what an awesome mom she is. This time though was different, this time it seemed that she was looking forward to getting some wheels under her feet. Since donating our black Micro to Emma at Another last story and with Mrs M's new found interest in scooting we were two wheels down on our family scooting adventure. It was time to include a new set of wheels into our family dynamic.

*I'd just like to point out that every time I visit the Micro scooters store there seems to be another cool new scooter to look at. Opeie just spotted the new Micro Sprite Scooter - Tea Owl and let out an excited shriek! The new patterned decks range are amazing.

Anyway back to our family scoot dilemma, When Mrs M's new set of wheels arrived it was time to hit the streets in search of adventure. The new Micro flex deluxe in Berry is lush, when Seth had chosen his pink Micro flex a while back I was a little jealous as there were no pink adult scooters like it. While we were out scooting a lady stopped us and commented on how lovely the colour of this scooter is, its a real attention grabber. The wide fibreglass deck gives the flex deluxe a springy smooth feel much like the suspension scooter. I'm definitely more of a fan of micro's larger wheeled scooters although I did spot someone riding a monster kick board recently and it certainly did make me double take and wonder what they were like to ride.

  The Micro Flex deluxe is available in Berry, Matt Black and Blue.

The new addition to our family scooter had us looking at all of the scooters available on the site, I'm so intrigued by the Pedalflow and Ive never seen one about, I'd love to give one a try. Mrs M is fascinated by the Micro luggage scooter and due to Seth struggling on his scooter recently because of his muscles he would love to try the emicro (I'd secretly love to whizz around on that too, shhhh...).

With Christmas around the corner, any of the Micro scooters range would be an amazing present. Whether you are out playing with the kids or saving the environment by lessening your carbon footprint I think everyone should own a micro scooter. It has had a huge impact on me as a dad and it gives me a great reason sometimes to leave the car on the drive.