A Foot in Both Worlds

As our time back on land comes to a close (how did two months go by that fast?) I am constantly asked the question, "Aren't you *so* glad to leave and go back?" It's hard to answer that because - for the last four years or so - Scott and I have remained, more or less, tethered to land. After a year and a half of solo cruising, we came home to have Isla and moved to Florida for six months after that to refit our boat. We then set sail only to return home a little over a year later to give birth to our (surprise!) twins. Two infants at once, as you can probably imagine, was a real game changer and we lived with my parents for a year while we adjusted to live as an insta-family of five. We were, for all intents and purposes, land-lubbers and, for us, it was the only way to be during that (incredibly difficult) season of our lives. We then began the process of buying a business on Tortola which dictated that we move off island for six months while the deal went through, and from now forward, as official "expats", we plan to come back for visits at least once a year to see family and friends and "get off the rock", as it were.

Land life is simply part of our life, and we are grateful for it.

So am I glad to leave? No. This visit has been amazing. Scott and I got away - alone, together - for the first time in four years to attend one of my best friend's weddings in Santa Barbara where (cough cough) Gweneth Paltrow (among others!!) was a fellow guest (my friend is a very successful Hollywood writer and, no, I did not meet her but could have touched her a couple times!), Scott got to spend some quality time with his brother on a motorcycle trip riding "the tail of the dragon" in Tennessee, we spent a positively beautiful week in Northern Michigan with most of Scott's family, the girls and I had countless playdates with wonderful neighborhood kids and kindred spirit mom friends, we got to see all of my immediate family and their families'...there were bonfires, play parks, museum visits and sleepovers...dinners out, talks over wine and spirit-lifting hang-outs with old friends...the list goes on. It was wonderful and went by too fast, and it's precisely why we keep coming back - because there is so very much here for us.

So, no, I'm not "glad" to leave ( though I am happy to be escaping winter!) - it is, in fact, a bit sad. We have a wonderful life up here filled with family, friends and - oh man - the general convenience of the 'burbs cannot be beat. But are we happy to go back to our little boat and little island? You betcha.

***

You see, by having one foot in both worlds, we are offered a unique perspective and one that helps us to appreciate the other world. I've always been one to caution the notion that there is any one single way to live that is better than another (i.e. land life vs. island life vs. cruising) because the fact of the matter is this: it's completely subjective and while many people love the above lifestyles, just as many do not. My best friend in the whole wide world came to visit us last season and one night, as we were sipping rum cocktails gazing out as the sun set over the water she said, "Britt...I totally get why you live here. This place is amazing and it is so totally you. You are clearly in your element. But me? No. This wouldn't work for me." It was not an insult and I was in no way offended.  I completely agreed with her because a) I know her better than I know anybody and, no, it is definitely not her jam and b) I know that our slightly alternative lifestyle is not a one size fits all kind of existence.

On the flip side, how she feels about island/live-aboard life is precisely how I feel about a more traditional, suburban/city life. I appreciate the convenience, the plethora of things to do, the accessibility to great restaurants and shows and of course the proximity to friends and family...but for now, it's just not for us.

And yet, we have an amazing thing up here. We have my family here and Scott's family just day's drive over in Michigan (seriously, the most underrated state in the lower 50 in my opinion. So. Damn. Beautiful.) and we get to spend time with them when we visit, exploring the woods, the shores of fresh water lakes, and - in general - living our days outside in the fresh air. Our girls have a slew of aunts and uncles who adore them and cousins on both sides whom they consider their best friends - these kinds of bonds are the very reason we keep a tether to shore. I have an incredible group of friends - some of whom I have known since I was five - who, despite our distance and once-a-year visits, are truly some of the most incredible people in the world and fill my life, heart and soul with love and joy...My girls adore their grandparents, they love our neighbors, and the relationships they have with these people are important to us. It's a pleasure to be here, not a burden.

We have the same level of appreciation, however, for our little island life. While the roots we have planted are new, we have begun to develop a great and very fulfilling existence. Our business is thriving and exciting to us. We absolutely love our "neighborhood" and cross-cultural community at Nanny Cay, the seeds for great friendships have been planted and are being sowed, the girls thrive like the wild little (often naked) bush children they are and I really love the slower and simpler pace of day to day living. Everything feels a little less rushed, everyone has a little more time and I like that. Our choices for everything from what to do to what to eat are most definitely limited compared to what is available up here, but what we do get is constant and close access to jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring natural beauty day in and day out and that, to me, is priceless. The water, specifically, is truly a salve to my soul and, man, I'm excited to get back and dip my toes into it. I need it..

***

There are also some very exciting changes on the horizon that if you follow our >>Facebook Page<< you already know... Scott was only back for a short while during this trip (we kept our business running year round this year) but his visit allowed us a quick trip to the East Coast to do some boat shopping. Yep, you read that correctly: boat shopping. Scott and I had a sort of "come to Jesus" type talk and decided that we needed a bigger boat sooner than later. Long story short: I am more than excited to announce that we are under contract with a 48 foot three cabin cutter-rigged monohull (more details soon, I promise!) and the boat goes to survey the day after the girls and I return to Tortola. To say we are excited about this new development is a massive understatement, but - like I said - the hows and why's of all this require a whole separate blog post and, until the boat passes survey (which it should) we aren't counting any chickens. Patience, please.

Another amazing change we will be coming back to is the fact that all three girls will attend a little pre-school three half-days a week. While I have been home with all of them as their major care-taker 24/7 for the last four and a half years, the time has come to give myself a little break - not to mention the fact the girls are literally begging me to send them to school. Again, there is a whole post here and I'll delve more into why we made this decision a little later. Suffice it to say, we did a lot of research, talked to a lot of people and decided that at this juncture of our lives - this will be best for everybody. We are all super stoked.

This trip home has been a fantastic "factory reset" - and while we are sad to say "goodbye" - there is so much to look forward to. While having a "foot in both worlds" might, to some, seem non-committal or even limiting, to us it feels like a huge gift and makes life a little sweeter.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have packing to do and lists to make! We are island bound in t-minus three days!

(and here is where I barrage you with a completely random assortment of photos of our visit! I tried as best I could to cut down from the 2K I took, but it was not easy!)

To all our friends and family who made this visit so great, we thank you! To those of you who we adore with all our hearts yet could not see this time around, we are sorry and we'll catch you next time! xoxo

There is Beauty in the Ordinary when You Carry it Within

As I prepare our girls for our move back to Tortola, my mind a frenetic ticker tape of thoughts, reminders, to-do's and lists, I also find myself reflecting on our time home and thinking of all the things I will miss. There seems to be this overriding thought in the cruising community that land life is sub-par in many ways; that it's predictable, mundane, lacks 'adventure'...etc. I've probably been guilty of perpetuating this idea as well and I'm sorry for that. I've even heard some cruisers say they'd "rather die than move back ashore", which strikes me as a tad dramatic. As someone who has had the luxury of being able to keep one foot in both worlds, I have a unique perspective and have learned that there is, indeed, beauty in both if you chose to see it that way.

Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to get back to our boat, it is what I prefer. I love living a 'life less ordinary' in a sailboat on the ocean and living in the sunshine amongst other cultures where the pace of life is slower. But I also understand that it's not the only way. I know for a fact some people couldn't be paid to live on a boat like we do, that many people really enjoy their 'ordinary' lives and the communities around them, and that many landlubbers might go positively mad living on 'island time'. A friend came over the other day and was so excited for us to head back to the boat. "It's great what you're doing!" she said. "It's such a better life!" she exclaimed. "You'll be so much happier!" she continued. It was obvious she had romanticized living aboard and, being the kind of person I am, I had to stop her and remind her that our life on the boat is far from perfect. "Oh, I know" she started, "But don't you think people here are just so...miserable?"

I didn't want to squash her obvious excitement or be rude, but I also had to be honest. "No" I answered. "I don't."

Because what I have learned after spending this past summer home is that 'ordinary' life is beautiful too. Sure, the scenery might not be as dynamic as that of a tropical paradise, but true beauty is so much more than a visual. It's making connections with like-minded moms who I meet during swim lessons, at the park, or in the library. It's seeing the excitement on our kids' faces as our neighborhood "big girls" come over, load our littles into the wagon, and take them all to the park trailed by giggles. It's old friends who, when they hear your kids don't have winter clothes, get together and collect some for you. It's packing a cooler of beer for an afternoon beach outing with family. It's spontaneous drinks with neighbors during a power outage. It's getting together with old girl friends and gabbing about life over wine and dinner. It's play dates with cousins who turn into best buddies. It's backyard bonfires with close friends and s'mores. It's rigging up a tire swing from the old black walnut tree. It's having a slumber party with your best friend of almost thirty years and laughing and crying about the craziness of life. It's a walk in a forest preserve to see the fall colors. It's skipping stones onto Lake Michigan. It's grandma and grandpa showing up every morning for coffee and playtime. It's the holiday traditions, village tree-lightings, toddler reading groups, summer concerts, and the birth of your dear friend's baby. It's about family and friends and fun and love. 

Right now, our life is taking us to the islands very much by choice. I do prefer to live somewhere warm and visually spectacular. I do prefer to avoid a Chicago winter at all costs. I do prefer to live on a boat as opposed to in a house. Believe me, there are absolutely elements of a suburban land life that are not for me, but there are elements of the island-hopping cruising lifestyle that aren't great as well. We make the beds we lie in and everything is a trade off. Community, friends, proximity to nature and honest relationships...these are the things that really matter to me, and as long as I can find them - I know I will be happy wherever I roam.

One things for sure, I will always, always enjoy coming home.

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Road-Tripping with Three Toddlers: Tips for Avoiding Highway Robbery

To say I was 'anxious' about our first six hour + road trip of this season with our three girls (ages three and eighteen months) would be a huge understatement. While traveling with our children is par for the course with our semi-nomadic lifestyle, most of our traveling is done in our home (aka our boat) meaning moving from point A to point B is relatively easy (barring no mechanical breakdowns or bitch slaps from Mother Nature.) Traveling by car? This is not something we are used to. The first time we pulled it off without me having to pop a Xanax and/or tuck-n-roll out of the vehicle I chalked it up to luck, but after three more successful six hour road trips (complete with major buzz killers like flat tires, traffic jams, and Ark-inducing downpours) I think it might mean we are doing something right. Maybe.

Before I go on, you need to know a few key pieces of information: we drive in a (borrowed) SUV with only one row for the girls, meaning they are jammed in the back seat like sardines. We also do not have the luxury of any sort of portable (or built-in) DVD players, and - while we have been blessed in many, many ways - we were not blessed with good car sleepers. To add insult to injury, our girls despise their car seats (what kid doesn't?)...so we weren't dealing with the greatest of odds going into our travels.  Knowing this, I prepared for the worst and spent many a night laying awake dreading these car trips. I did a lot of worrying beforehand and this list is for fellow mom's and dad's embarking on similar trips in the hopes that I can alleviate some of that stress for you. I hope it helps another family hit the road because, for us, it was so worth it...

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL ROAD TRIPPING WITH TODDLERS:

#1. Relax on the Rules. When we are road tripping, keeping the peace is our number one priority. I cannot tell you the hell that is being enclosed in a car on a highway with three screaming kids. We now do everything in our power to avoid this. Don't get me wrong, toddler anarchy does not ensue in the car, but our strict rules on sugar consumption, constant snacking, and watching electronics do not apply when road tripping. For example, I'm a total 'neat freak' in our home, but that flies out the window when road tripping. If playing the iPad longer than usual keeps Isla happy and quiet, then the iPad she shall play. If sugary snacks (I'm talking yogurt melts, not Twizzlers) are what keep Haven from having an epic meltdown, then sugary snacks she shall get. If a cheap, blinking and beeping toy keeps Mira from screeching in her highest Mariah-Carey octave, then that toy she shall have.  Keep. The. Peace.

#2. Organization is key. My list-making has become something of a joke around here, but being organized makes what can be a very hectic day less hectic. That means prepping for the trip in advance (buying the snacks, selecting the toys, deciding what needs to come and what doesn't...etc). We pack up our clothes, tick items off our list, and try to have the car packed the night before. I load up our SailorBags backpack /diaper bag with everything I might need handy (diapers, wipes, spare clothes for each girl, Tylenol, and snacks) and keep it with me the front seat for easy access. Traveling with three little kids can be stressful so doing whatever you can to alleviate the stress ahead of time is worth it. Tip: I make a list with categories for myself, the kids, the diaper bag, baby gear, medicines, last-minute packing reminders, electronics and car entertainment so we don't miss anything important.

This list is one of about 100 that I have on file. Crazy, I know. This simple template is built into Mac's version of Word

#2. Dramamine is your friend. Yes, I realize this is probably a little controversial because I am basically saying "drug your child" but, hey, if you have ever been in a car with three crying, screaming, and very unhappy toddlers then you know you would do just about anything to avoid it. People have suggested Benadryl to me but I've heard it can have the opposite effect on some children and I don't want to play those odds while contained in a car for six or seven hours. I do, however, have experience with Dramamine and know that it makes my girls drowsy. As I mentioned, none of our girls are good car sleepers and sleep is your friend. Before departure, I give the twins 1/2 dose of children's dramamine and Isla a full dose (one pill). This guarantees at least an hour and a half of sleep once we hit the highway and when the girls wake up semi well-rested, they are 1000% more pleasant for the rest of the trip. Note: Children's dramamine is not recommended for kids under the age of two. I used it at my own discretion and you should do your own research. I am NOT a doctor!

This moment is brought to you by Dramamine.

#3. Try to time the trip around naps and/or sleep. As I mentioned, car sleep is your friend. Many people suggest driving overnight to reach a destination of over five hours or more so the kids sleep the whole time, and this is a great option for those who can swing it. Unfortunately, Scott fell asleep at the wheel as a teen and got in a horrible car-wreck so he understandably is against overnight driving. What we do instead is try to schedule our departure right before nap time. We eat lunch at home around 11am, I dose them with Dramamine right after, and we hit the road by noon. The girls usually are asleep within thirty minutes and we have anywhere from 1.5-2 hours of blissful quiet. We also try to time our trips so that only one "sleep" is interrupted, thus leaving before nap so that we can arrive at our destination in time for dinner and bedtime in a proper bed. Once, we woke the girls at 3am to arrive by noon and despite the fact that the girls did not sleep at all in the car (this was before the Dramamine lightbulb went off for me), it was a good trip and they fell right back into schedule upon arrival with zero issue.

#4. Make them comfy. "Comfy" is a relative term here. Car seats suck. They are constrictive, awkward, and a (very) necessary evil. We do what we can to make our girls comfortable in the car. We travel in light jammies and take our shoes off. While we usually don't let the twins use their paci's for any time other than sleep, for road trips they can have them all day (see #1.) We also bring their "lovies" and blankies for them to snuggle. Note: YOUR comfort will 100% be compromised as a result of trying to keep your kids comfy (hashtag 'parenting'). The person in the passenger seat will need a chiropractor by the end of the trip from having to twist and turn and retrieve and pass and wipe and give... All. Day. Long. But the peace will be worth the neck and back ache, trust me.

#5. Have dedicated "car entertainment." Before our first road trip, I went to Target and got a few super cheap toys and dollar books to have in the car. Knowing that we had three girls and knowing that the attention span for each toy was about twenty to thirty minutes, I got six toys to rotate between them. This worked well. They made noise and beeped and flashed lights and all that stuff that I tend to avoid in our kid's toys, but they did the trick. The best part? Each one was equally appealing so there were very few jealousy "I want that one!" issues. It was all "Yeah! Something new!" The toys now stay in a bin in the car, only to be used when in the road so they don't lose their luster. Also, the iPad is a lifesaver for the three and older set. Isla is a piece of cake to travel with because she can easily entertain herself with it. Tip: Try to stagger the introduction of new toys to once an hour, that way you don't crash and burn with the "newness" too early. Always have something left in your "bag of tricks"!

Our "car toys". A small shoe bin of dollar store toys and a small backpack of dollar store books.

These are the toys. They make noise and light up and are, for all intents and purposes, crap...but they do the trick.

Dollar store books and the Melissa & Doug Water WOW Kit.

#6. Snacks, snacks, and more snacks. When the toys no longer cut it, it's time to bring out the snacks. We load up on snacks for a road trip like preppers load up on freeze-dried food for the Apocalypse. It's better to have too much than not enough and the key is in variety. Each of our girls has a snack catcher that I fill with finger foods like cheerios, raisins, popcorn, and goldfish (I refill and rotate as needed). I also bring things that are easy for the girls to eat with their hands, such as: graham crackers, animal crackers, cheese sticks, bananas and yogurt pouches. Grapes, apple slices, and oranges are also great. My piece de resistance, however, are the sugary "organic" yogurt melts that you can find at any grocery store. Sure, they are more like candy than a healthy snack (remember, normal rules do not apply for road trips! The goal is to do anything you can to stave off mayhem!) and I bring no fewer than five bags of these things (they'll go through a whole bag in ten minutes). I try to save these as long as possible for when meltdowns are imminent. Tip: Save the good snacks for when you need them the most!

A small sampling of the types of snacks we load up on.

#7. Include a well-timed pit-stop. We stop only once for a six hour trip and drive as long as possible before taking a break. Psychologically, it feels better to stop after 3.5 hours and say, "Phew...only 2.5 more hours to go!" While Isla is potty trained, we put her in a pull up for the car trip, just in case. But even if a potty break isn't necessary, it's nice to stop for a ten to fifteen minute break and let the kids stretch their legs, change diapers, and get a cup of coffee for mom and dad. For most of our trips, we stopped at rest areas that had green space. But on our last drive home, it was pouring rain so we let the kids run free in a grocery store. They loved it (and the fruit samples in the fresh market department!). Tip: Your kids will NOT want to get back in their car seats after this break. We bribe. Here is a good opportunity to use the "good" snacks. See "yogurt melts" above.

This particular stop was a good one, these were outside the grocery store they ran around in.

#8. When all else fails, distract. Scott and I have become master toddler distractors. Music is a good one, and our girls are big Taylor Swift fans. Busting out a little "shake it off" will have them car dancing in no time. Other good distractions are simply excitedly talking about what is going on outside, "Look!! A red car!! Oh. My. Gosh! A RED CAR! Yeeeessssss!" and asking the kids to look for things like bears, giraffes, hippos and deer (I know, we're evil). Scott's claim to fame is opening and shutting the back windows and/or the skylight. That, too, will usually stop them in their tracks for a bit. Tip: When we are getting super desperate with the twins, our final "Hail Mary" is to give them our iPhones (which have LifeProof cases on them). We don't do it a lot and haven't had to resort to handing them over in a long time, but in dire straights, they do the trick.

#9. Xanax, for you, to 'take the edge off' I kid, I kid! .... (Hushed tone) But, really, do you have a script for Xanax? You *might* want to bring it just in case.

Carseat tip: If you, like us, don't have a minivan and need to fit three kids across one back seat, the Diono Radian Convertible Car Seat is a great option and will fit three in one row! (We use two bucket seats right now for the twins, and one Radian for Isla but as time goes on, we will have three Radians as a minivan is not in our future right now!)

What are your tried and true tips and tricks for road-tripping with toddlers? Please feel free to share in the comments!

Some Press and a Video

Things have been plodding along up here. As I've written before, this break has been a nice change and we're grateful for the opportunity to be here. While it might not be a 'vacation' per se, it has provided us with enough downtime to get some work done. Scott has gotten a temporary gig as a captain for Chicago Sailboat Charters which is great experience, and I've been working on solidifying a few freelance writing jobs to temper my growing bikini addiction. I'm also s l o w l y chipping away at the mountain of email I have accumulated over the last twelve months of "acute inbox negligence". We're getting our ducks in a row for our return to Tortola (which will be in early October), I'm gearing up for a blog re-design and - shocker - there are still not enough hours in the day.

Since this visit, we've also enjoyed a little press here and there. All this news and media has been shared on our Facebook Page, but I know there are quite a lot of you who don't partake in social media, so to those of you for whom all this is "old news", sorry! The Daily Mail picked up our Bored Panda article, and then we had a story run about us in the Chicago Tribune. The aftermath has been...interesting. Aside from no fewer than ten pitches for a reality television show from various producers and production companies (no, we are not entertaining any such thing...see below re: video), an audition for a television commercial (that, we would do!),  and the Tribune article getting re-printed in papers across the country (hello new friends!), we've had a couple people stop us when we are out and about and say, "Wait a minute? Are you that family we read about in the paper that lives on a sailboat?" While I know that our lifestyle and what we have done thus far is hardly trailblazing when compared to the exploits of many of our fellow cruisers, I have to remember it is out of the ordinary in these parts. To have a little light shine on us in terms of attention has been nice, even if there are others who are far more adventurous (and possibly more deserving.) Note: two blogs of families currently inspiring and blowing my mind in equal parts are Salty Kisses and Anasazi Girl.

In addition to the press, we're going to be on TV! We had the great honor to be featured in a short video clip by our friends Paul and Sheryl Shard of the Distant Shores television show for their upcoming television episode on Cruising with Children. Interestingly enough, this also happens to coincide with the release of the much anticipated book Voyaging With Kids - A Guide to Family Life Afloat which promises to be the definitive manual on cruising as a family and is - in part -written by my good (bloggy) friend, Behan, of the excellent site Sailing Totem. If you get a copy, make sure to look for Isla in there as I believe they used (with permission of course) a couple of our photos.

Paul and Sheryl filmed this segment back in April (I think it was April?) when we were in Virgin Gorda. Check out the edited piece below. I really wish I would have thrown on some makeup or done my hair (face palm), but - hey - there's a reason I'm a Blogger and not a Vlogger. I was ridiculously nervous at the (very likely) prospect of sounding like an idiot and, in hindsight, there is so much more I could have said but I think it makes for an okay couple of minutes. Plus, you can hear my "real" voice and not just my "writing" voice which I am told is something that is surprising to people: "You have a Chicago accent!" "You don't sound like a cheerleader!" (double wince) and you can see, that - yes - Scott really does look like he belongs in Hollywood (swoon). If you are interested in purchasing any of the Distant Shores videos, they'll certainly whet your whistle as to what the cruising life entails. Enjoy!

Note: when I posted a link to the Chicago Tribune article (headline photo) many people commented "where is Scott?" Sadly, the paper chose that Scott-less photo out of the twenty-something I sent them. Also, we have hardly any (if any?) photos of the five of us sailing together. To remedy this in the future, I went against the urging of every single cell in my body and bought a selfie stick. I know. I kind of want to shoot me, too. But at least we can have a few more family photos, right?

Land Life vs. Boat Life: What is Easier with Kids?

"Are you finding it easier to be on land with the kids?" This is the #1 question we have been getting since being back on land for our hurricane season hiatus, and - shocking as this may be - it's not as simple an answer as one might think.

The obvious assumption is that, yes, life on land is so much easier. And in many ways it is. We have a nice house to spread out in, with all the amenities (from a stand-up shower to dishwasher) that we typically do without. We have the use of a car to take us from place to place with ease. And who can forget the abundance of babysitters around?! We can take a quick stroll down the street and roam the aisles of a well-stocked grocery store, we have no fewer than eight playgrounds within a mile of where we live, and, in general, everything - from showering to shopping - is much more convenient.

But is it easier? Not really.

I realize that this "epiphany" is largely due to the fact that our children are so young, and having three kids aged three and under is difficult in any scenario: land, sea or grocery store. When I first read that having a toddler and twins was the "Decathlon of Parenting" I laughed (and then cried. Hard.) But it's true. This is a full-on contact sport and requires Olympic-style energy (and strategy), for sure.

"Who knew living on land was so much work!" Scott lamented as we loaded the girls into our (borrowed) car to take them to the neighborhood pool. And while at first I thought he was joking, the look on his face told me he was serious. I laughed because it's true and it's something I had been ruminating on since our arrival back here. The simple fact of the matter is this: we have three little kids and even the menial things (like meals) are a lot of work. Schlepping those three toddlers from play dates to pools - between nap times and meal times no less - is, for lack of a better word, exhausting. It's always a production to get from A to B - and we travel pretty light for a family of five.

Being on land, we are suddenly faced with options. There are so many things to do here; splash parks, museums, kid gyms, pools, libraries... and while the litany of choices is a nice change of pace from our typical "beach or hike?" options, we still need to cart three small children and associated gear (i.e. snacks, diapers, a tumbler of wine for mama...etc.) to get there. While in theory all these extra ways to kill time seem so appealing, I am learning that life with toddlers doesn't necessarily get any easier with more options of things to do. Packing up three toddlers is not unlike herding cats, and more often than not I turn down invitations for playdates and such because it's just not worth the stress and rigamarole to get there. Our girls are just as happy taking a short walk to the neighborhood park as they are going to the zoo in the city. When left to my own devices (Scott is more ambitious than I when it comes to outings) I opt for the easy "lets just hop in the stroller and go around the block to the park" route. Go ahead and call me lazy. Guilty as charged.

Then there is the house...while living in a house is SO very nice on so many levels, it's also a lot more work to chase around three little ones in. First of all, there is the issue of tidying up. Long-time followers of this blog know that I am something of a "neat freak" (Scott calls it OCD but it's not that bad!) and let me tell you, cleaning a 44 foot boat is WAY easier (and quicker!) than cleaning a three bedroom house. There are infinite nooks and crannies for small toys to get lost (under beds and couches, behind dressers and drawers) and, in general, more 'stuff' to get into and mess up. A deep cleaning of our boat takes all of an hour, a deep cleaning of this house...well, I have no idea because I haven't had the time for it. Lesson here: more room is not always better, it's just more to mess up and get lost in.

Then their is the issue of toddler management. Added space means more places for the twins to get into trouble. The inside of a boat is more or less baby-proof with self-locking cupboards and everything being attached to the hull, not to mention the girls are never more than fifteen feet from my person. Our monkey twins are not only running in different directions these days (yes, running!), but constantly pulling chairs over themselves, climbing onto table tops and barreling from room to room while grabbing everything off the shelves. I've taken to closing every door in this one story open-concept house just so I can keep track of them and try to maintain some order. Even still, they're constantly rifling through drawers and getting into cupboards. They absolutely love to pull open the dishwasher (why aren't there locks on those things?) and more than once I've found one of the twins yielding a very sharp knife that they proudly pulled out of it. I finally understand why there's an entire industry dedicated to making sure babies don't die in their baby proofing homes. Again, more stuff equals more trouble for kids to get into.

So...being on land - for us - is definitely not easier, just...different.

When we go back to our boat, however, our girls will be a bit older and there will undoubtedly be another period of adjustment, frustration and difficulty as we find our footing again. Children grow quickly and we as parents have to change tacks constantly to stay ahead of the game. "If you don't bend, you break" is something Scott once told me that always echoes in my head (and, sadly, I don't always heed.) Parenthood - like childhood - is an ongoing evolution. Just when you've 'mastered' the art of dining out with your three little ones, they start walking and no longer want to sit still. Once you think you have baby-proofed your yard enough to kick back and relax, they learn to summit the fence. Just when you think you can take a shower while the kids play on the floor, they discover the craft drawer and decide to finger paint on the walls. Which brings me to another similarity between parenting and cruising: the second you think you've got it "figured out", life reminds you that you haven't. Sigh. Kids and boats are endless lessons in humility.

So while I do long for a tropical beach day with our girls and while I do complain about the production that is taking them in and out of the car, and while I do turn down 90% of the invitations we are given due to logistics - I also see the tremendous benefits our land-based hiatus has given us. We've been gifted with a back yard with a killer swing, room to run and play without the threat of drowning, friends at every corner, and - most important - proximity to family. It doesn't get much better than that.

So, while land life might not be the "vacation" we thought it might be, it's a welcome change. And one that we no doubt will miss tremendously head back down south. It might not be 'easier', but it comes with a lot of great perks.

Found this classic in someone's garbage. The fights over who's in the driver's seat are epic.

Our wooded back yard is FULL of interesting creatures for the girls to find. This here is a cicada. They love them.

Another perk of land life? Bath time!

Spending time with our land-based friends is another major perk.

As is spending time with my best girlfriends...some of whom have been my best friends since second grade!

Our preferred mode of transportation around here, the Valco Baby Tri-Mode Twin Stroller with "joey seat". It's a beast, but does the job of carting around three kids! (and here we squeezed in a fourth!)

When Worlds Collide: A Lesson in Perfect Timing

When Scott and I ventured "Up North" towards the mitten tip of Michigan, we had no other plans than to spend some quality time with his family. I mean, what else could we need? We weren't expecting to meet up with other friends, or swap stories with fellow bloggers and we certainly had no inclination to meet up with any members of my (Illinois-based) family during our trip. Fate, however, had other plans. Turns out, serendipity hitched a ride in our trunk on the way up.

Let me first apologize for the rambling nature of this post. I could very easily flush this out into at least three different posts. I would love so much to delve more into the subjects of Northern Michigan, the magic of serendipity, insta-bonds with fellow sister-bloggers and epiphanies had on the water's edge; but sadly, I don't have the time for that these days. This one rambling and rather disjointed post will have to do.

I digress...

Northern Michigan is amazing. There's really no other way to put it; it is natural beauty at it's best. The perfect combination of glistening fresh water lakes, sloping ridge lines, and lush woodland vegetation instantly win any visitor over. There's so much to do from boating to biking, from beaching to kayaking...you can easily fill and entire summer indulging in outdoor activities, visiting quaint harbor towns and taking in various points of interest. We love it. It's as simple as that. And the fact that we have family that lives smack dab in the heart of it all is pretty sweet. It's our home away from our home away from home. Wherever that is.

We were soaking it all in, thoroughly enjoying our time with Scott's family when I got a text from my cousin, Ben, telling me that he would soon be arriving in Elk Rapids with his wife and dog on their Grand Banks trawler. He wanted to know a) would we still be in the vicinity and b) could we meet up? The answer to both was a resounding YES. This was crazy on two levels: 1) What are the odds of randomly being within a half hour from my cousin who was on a shake down trip before he and his wife leave on their epic Great Loop journey? And 2) What are the odds of our schedules lining up and that they'd chose the very harbor (of which there are many!) where we happened to pick up our very first boat, Rasmus, almost six years earlier?

And that's not all serendipity had in store.

Earlier in the week we randomly ran into some of our best friends and their two adorable kids for a full day of on-the-water fun. We knew they would be "up north" for a bit on their family vacation, but we made no plans to get together and see one another. Imagine our surprise when we found out they were staying at the resort right next to Scott's mom's place, not even a ten minute walk away?

And the wonderful run-in's continued from there...

You might remember a while ago when I interviewed the awesome duo from KatieandJessieonaboat.com? Well, as it turns out, Jessie now lives not thirty minutes from Scott's mom, and she was keen on a meet-up as well. I was pretty sure we'd hit it off; I've dabbled in her blog for a while and not only his her writing stellar, but she and I seem to share a brain on many levels. We'd emailed back and forth a bunch since our interview, and I was so excited to finally meet her in person. Coordinating, however, was looking grim since she was working just about every evening and our days were pretty packed-up with kiddos and family. As it turns out, mother nature intervened with an epic Armegeddon-style storm that wreaked havoc on Northern Michigan, leaving thousands without power for days. The restaurant where Katie works was once such place. "I have the next few days off work!" she wrote me, "Let's meet up for dinner!"

And so we did. And it was wonderful.

The night was a blast; we drank, ate, laughed, told stories, and drank some more. Our world's collided in the best and most serendipitous of ways, and it was awesome.

As if that wasn't enough, on the drive home, my best friend texted that she and her family were in Holland, MI (which happens to be right on the way back to Chicago) and would we like to meet for a pit stop lunch? Despite wanting to get home as fast as possible (traveling in a car with three toddlers is like playing a game of catch with a grenade), we erred on the side of spontaneity and decided "what the hell". Lunch turned into an afternoon play date at the very same boat yard where we began our first shake down cruise as a family of five which then turned into another night spent at her family's wonderful lake house. The very same lake house I used to go to with her nearly every summer from age seven on. Vacation: extendo. Again, odds that our schedules would coincide like that? Who knows. But we took the detour and were better for it.

Being in Michigan - the family time, the serendipitous run-in's and everything in between - was utterly soul-lifting. Spending so much time outside, in nature, on and in the water with our girls completely drove home the fact that no matter where we 'settle down' it must be somewhere where we can get our toes wet in our very own back yard. Not 'near' or 'by' the water, but on the water...for us there is no other way. It's very obviously a reason why I love living on a boat so much, this direct proximity to water. It's effect on me is visceral. It is truly the elixir of life, and being able to gaze at it, swim in it, and play around it daily is a priority.

A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature. ~Henry David Thoreau

They don't call it "Pure Michigan" for nothing, that's for certain.

Having our kids spend time with their beloved cousins was probably the best part of the trip.

Random run in with awesome friends? Bonus!

Water and sand, two of the world's best (and cheapest!) children's toys1

Our babies are right at home on the beach on the water. Add sand, water and sun for hours of entertainment.

We did a LOT of pontoon boating. Mira loved it.

Isla teaching Mira the finer points of sidewalk chalking, namely - not eating it.

We brought out Scotts' family's old CL16 and Scott was in HEAVEN. This little boat is SO fun.

Here's a (grainy and low quality) photo of that crazy storm. 90 mph winds, hail and general havok was wreaked.

This is Jessie. My soul-sista from another mister. Love her.

My cousin Ben and Jessie. "Look what I got for the trip, Britt!" he tell's me, "An old squeezebox!!" Hilarious and Awesome.

Loopers and Cruisers UNITE!

Boating down the river.

The water everywhere was calf-deep, natures perfect baby pool

On a mission, as usual.

Pure joy.

A rare picture of me and our three girls. It's impossible to love this much I think.

Our little beach babies. Nothing makes me happier than to see them playing together.

A final sunset with my bestest friend on the planet. Perfection in every way.