From the category archives:

Problems and issues

We Love Our New-and-Improved Tiny Condo: Part I

by Angela 08.29.2011
Renovations to the porch of our tiny house

My wife and I live in 650 square feet with two kids and we love it. We’ve written about our small home before, a tiny condo in North Cambridge, Massachusetts. We live in a neighborhood full of small houses and condos — the average home or condo around here is about 1,000 square feet. But [...]

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Seeking test rides — Zigo Leader, Madsen, Nihola, Sun Atlas Cargo

by Dorea 08.10.2011

We’re considering adding a bike to our fleet (more details on why will follow, presumably when we figure out what we’ll get, if anything), but alas, Cambridge is not Portland, and rustling up test rides of family and cargo bikes is quite a challenge. If you live in the Cambridge/Boston area and have a Madsen, [...]

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Accidents happen.

by Dorea 07.27.2011

I was in a minor bike accident with the kids last week. We’re all OK now. We’re even all back up on the bike. But it was really scary. And it was 100% my fault. At the end of a long week on my own with the kids (Angela was away teaching at a math [...]

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CFWK “rules” for strollers on transit

by Dorea 06.20.2011

In case you haven’t heard (this is old news), according to a report in the globe several weeks ago, the T will NOT be moving forward with a ban on open strollers at this time. Many thanks to the folks who let the T know this proposed ban goes too far, several of whom attended an [...]

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Oh, and we’re queer too (Blogging for LGBT families day)

by Dorea 06.02.2011
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Every year, I intend to participate in Blogging for LGBT Families Day, and every year, I forget. This year, I remembered one day late, so I’m counting this as good enough and going with it. Now, Angela and I are a bit stumped about what we have to blog about LGBT families here at Carfree [...]

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Winter Toddler Transport

by Dorea 03.10.2011
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Winter, especially the kind of winter we had around here (in January anyway) can pose some problems for the carfree family. It comes with obvious perks, like not having to find parking or dig out a car, but it can be a little tricky to get out and about with small kids, particularly at certain ages. [...]

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Parking Permits for the Carfree

by Angela 02.23.2011
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Like many other Cambridge residents, we recently had to renew our parking permit. Yes, we get a parking permit, but it’s a temporary pass which we let visitors use, since our condo has only residential street parking available. This year the rates went up to $20, which is no problem. I’m happy to pay for [...]

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Actually, we can’t afford a car

by Dorea 02.02.2011

We actively choose to live our lives without a car.  When our truck died, way back in 2004, we probably could have found enough money to get another one if we’d really wanted to.  We wouldn’t have been happy about it, but we could have done it.  Really though, we were just happy to see [...]

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Carseats for the Carfree: Travel Vest vs. Backless Booster

by Dorea 01.25.2011
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A while back, we said we’d be picking up the Ride Safer Travel Vest (about $120 — careful, that link has really annoying music) for H and promised to report back. We got it, and then it sat around not getting used for a long time (nine months or so). Hence, no report.  But finally, [...]

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Being Carfree Means Being More Visible

by Angela 09.02.2010
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Americans spend an average of 15 hours a week in a car, at least according to this Arbitron study. That’s like two hours a day! Here at Carfree with Kids, we don’t spend any average time in a car — time in a car for us is always weird and usually involves crying children. But [...]

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