Top Ten Tuesdays: Ten Great (Toddler) Toys for Space Conscious Parents

I'm going to be captain obvious here when I say that raising small kids on a sailboat takes a bit more effort than on land. It's not necessarily 'harder' (different, yes) but it does take a little more forethought, planning and innovation. Storage, particularly toy storage, is one amenity most boats lack. We don't have basements, closets or toy rooms which means we boat parents need to be very thoughtful about what sort of toys will give us the most "bang for our buck" while simultaneously taking up very little space.

While I am very much of the "less is more" mindset for children's toys (our girls have more fun playing with pots and pans than almost anything!), I don't want to deprive our girls of toys completely and I put a lot of thought and research into exactly what toys I brought aboard. After five months of use, these ten really shine as fantastic toys that not only stimulate creative play and hold up to toddler (and baby) abuse, but take up little room and store very easily. Most of our toys are kept in their own sub "bins" and we bring out one "bin" at a time to keep the toy mayhem (read: mess) at a minimum and stay organized.

1. Safari Ltd Miniature TOOB Sets - These are my favorite. We have about five different tubes of these and store them all in a small bin. The animals are small, so probably not great for babies (though we let our babies play with them), but they have entertained our girls for hours. Thanks to these toys, Isla can now easily identify various reef fish and even an armadillo. Great learning tools and great for independent play.
2. Melissa & Doug Water Wow Paint Kit - markers are messy and Isla has never been a fan of crayons. These Water Wows are amazing. They each have five pages (or 'scenes') and come with a pen that you fill with water. Once the water touches the pages, the color shows up. Once it's dry, it's good to go again, and again, and again. Great for taking out to restaurants or road trips where crayons and markers aren't always the best option. We're actually fans of pretty much all Melissa & Doug Toys for our girls.
3. Matchbox Cars and Airplanes - Like the zoob tube animals, these are small and fun. We have about twenty of them that stay in their own special bin and the girls love to dump them out and play. They "drive" the cars and "fly" the planes all over the boat.
4. Large Lego Set - we were gifted a cheap set of Duplo-style legos that have their own container. Again, a simple toy that promotes thinking skills and creativity. Seriously cannot go wrong with legos in my opinion. Hours of fun. Looking forward to when the girls are older and we can get some more complex sets!
5. Magna-Tiles - another winner in my book. These are different shaped tiles with magnets built in that you can connect together and build with. I hemmed and hawed on whether or not to get these because they are not cheap, but in the end, I did and I'm so glad for it. With a tag line like "where math, science, and creativity meet" I figured they'd be worth it. They're a little too complex for the babies (though they love to make them "stick" together) but Isla loves to build complex structures and "homes" for her mini animals (see #1). She'll sit and entertain herself for up to an hour with these tiles and we love to build different structures with her. What's best? They store practically flat in their own bin.
6. I Can Read! Paperback Book Box Sets - there is no such thing as too many books in my opinion. As an avid reader and lover of books, I want to instill the same love of the written word  in my children.We have a bunch of these box sets which are great, as well as The 20th-Century Children's Book Treasury: Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud which has about fifty books in one. We prefer paperback to hardcover because they are much easier to store and lighter to carry. Our girls love their books and it's not unusual for all three girls to sit and "read" for long chunks of time together (even though none of them can actually 'read' yet). We also love all books by Julia Donaldson , Kevin Henkes, and the Berenstain Bears series.
7. Preschool Color & Activity Books - These toddler "work books" by Roger Priddy are great. Super colorful, fun, and full of stickers - what toddler wouldn't love them? When the twins are napping, Isla and I will sit together for an hour or so coloring pages, working on puzzles and putting stickers in the right places to fill out scenes. It's a great brain boosting - and bonding - activity for us. We have several on board and they provide lots of opportunity to learn.
8. Beach Sand Toys - our girls go to the beach at least once a day (sometimes twice) and while they really can entertain themselves pretty well with the sand, surf and swimming, having some shovels, pails and cups to play with is fun. Our friends on s/v Necesse have a little plastic tea set and the girls love to make "tea" and "cupcakes" at the beach and serve it to us mama's. We keep these toys on our aft deck in a mesh beach bag so that we bring minimal sand on the boat. I suggest not spending too much on these because they don't last long with the combination of daily use and harsh UV rays.
9. Musical Instruments Set - What child doesn't love making a good, loud ruckus?! Our girls love their "band in a box" and it's frequently the toy they are reaching for when digging through their play area. We've added a few more instruments (an egg shaker, some more maracas...etc) and they love to make "music". Don't go calling us the "Partridge Family" just yet, but we have high hopes.
10. iPad - I'm loathe to admit it, but we really love the iPad on our boat and, let's face it, whether we like it or not it's the world we live in today (did you know they give iPad's to high schoolers now where all their classwork is?!) It's a special treat and not something Isla plays with every day, but there really are some great educational toddler apps that keep Isla happily playing (and learning) when we are having "quiet time" on the boat or if the boat needs both mine and Scott's attention. We use this protective toddler case and a few of our favorite educational apps are: Tozzle (great puzzles that entertain and teach), Endless ABC/Endless Reader (teaches letters, definitions of new words and spelling in a super fun way), Tangrams (mind puzzles where kids make interesting patterns out of simple shapes) and Phonics Farm (many games to help learn kids identify words, sounds and develop skills for early reading).

Of course we also have a hefty craft cabinet and our girls love to play "dress up" and "kitchen" with whatever is lying around on the boat. But these ten toys have earned their space on our boat. What are you favorite toys and apps for kids in small spaces? We're always interested in learning more! Share in the comments.

What parent can't sing praise about legos? They are great. 

I have a LOT of pictures of this reading scenario. Never to early to foster a love of books. Even if they are reading them upside down ;)

Cars and planes are two of her favorite things.

This is where 98% of their toys are kept. Not that big of a space!

These small animals provide a ton of entertainment, and there are plenty to go around so battles over who's is who's are less

Magna tiles are brilliant.

This is our "imgaginets" game, not on the list - but similar to the magna tiles. Lots of fun.

Water wows have provided us with HOURS of entertainment.

Parenthood and Cruising: Two of The Hardest Jobs You'll Ever Love

We got away from the marina for a solid two days. That's something.

But, alas, we find ourselves back here at Nanny Cay.  Except this time, instead of greeting visitors, we are waiting on marine mechanics to help diagnose why our generator went on the fritz.

So back to "work" we go.

"I am literally fixing something every day," Scott lamented over coffee this morning, "Every. Single. Day," he punctuated. And it's true, he is. Cruising really and truly is fixing your boat in exotic locations. Sometimes the fixes are simple and more of the preventative nature, like re-sealing a slightly leaky porthole or stitching a torn sail ... other times it's more serious, like the ceasing of a major mechanical system or breakdown of something structural. These things usually require much more time and effort (which is usually synonymous with money) like the attention of a professional, time at a marina, and/or a special part flown in. These are the issues many cruisers lament. Our current conundrum is one such issue. <sigh>

For many "self-sufficient" sailboats, a generator is something of a luxury, these boats have enough solar and/or wind power to keep their batteries topped up and usually have minimal power demands to begin with. We are not that boat. We are what I like to call "cozy cruisers." Our boat is more than a vessel made to take us places, it's also our home and, as such, we like certain amenities. We enjoy our three speed fans, we prefer our water to be pressurized (and warm if we feel so inclined!), we enjoy having ice and cold drinks, we have gadgets (both personal and boat-y) that need to be charged pretty regularly, and we LOVE fresh water. Lots of it. While we have a nice little solar set up that can usually keep our batteries topped up at anchor when the sun shines unobstructed, we will almost inevitably fall behind after two or three days.  Which is when we make water. We run our generator to make precious H2O for two or three hours after which we have full water tanks, charged up appliances, and boat batteries that are fully loaded. It's a nice system that works really well for us.

Until our generator craps out, of course. Then we are kind of screwed.

Which is why we are back at the marina where I can take the girls to the beach or on a walk so Scott can work on the boat, something that is almost impossible with three little ones aboard.

Let me tell you, chasing around three small children is exhausting. My day is a blur of diaper changes, meal preparation, nursing sessions, playtime, tear wiping, hazard removal, snack-plying, soothing and near-constant tidying up. I almost never stop moving. Like any full-time, stay at home mom I have very few precious minutes to myself. When the babies sleep, I am usually cleaning, doing laundry or running an errand. If I am lucky, I have an hour or two every few days of computer time in which to blog. Don't get me wrong, I know that I am beyond blessed. Being a mom is the greatest thing in the world to me and I love it more than anything (for real) - but holy crap, it's a lot of work.

And this is where cruising and parenting are very similar: they truly are two of the hardest "jobs" you will ever love. And despite the fact that both come with more stress and responsibility than any "paying" job ever will, you will not, in fact, get paid for raising humans or keeping a sailboat afloat. Wah wah.

So how, exactly, are cruising and parenting similar you ask?

The Daily Grind
With cruising and parenting every day is, indeed, an adventure, but both require a pretty rigorous daily grind of SOP's and routines. And, believe me, it can be a grind. Both are incredibly challenging, exhausting, frustrating and sometimes you will question what the hell you are doing. Though there are a million books, blogs, and articles on the subjects - neither come with a manual and much of the information you find out there is either bogus, a matter of personal opinion or contradictory. There is no "one size fits all" approach to cruising and parenting, and we all must do what works best for our boats, situations and families.

Lack of Control
With both cruising and parenting, there is an almost complete lack of control; kids are not robots who can be programmed despite our best efforts (oh how lovely it would be to hit the "sleep through the night", "stop tantruming", or "do as you're told" buttons!) and, as cruisers, our lives are often dictated by mother nature and/or our boats (and their finicky systems!) despite our personal wishes. For a major "type A" person like myself, this one is a hard one to deal with.

Responsibility
Raising children and living on a cruising sailboat require a tremendous amount of responsibility. As cruisers we have to be riggers, plumbers, electricians and mechanics to keep our boats running. As parents, we must be teachers, role models, disciplinarians and supporters. Our kids' health, happiness and safety falls entirely on our shoulders. We all hope to screw up as little as possible - even though screwing up is inevitable and par for the course in both parenting and cruising. The primary goals are to keep the kids alive, raise good, happy people and keep the boat afloat and working smoothly. Pretty tall orders.

The Hours
Boats and babies will demand your attention 24/7. Both will wake you up in the middle of the night on a regular basis. Children, like boats, require a tremendous amount of attention and TLC to keep in good order. If neglected, you will pay dearly in either a mini Spencer Pratt or a derelict boat - both of which have the potential to be the bane of your existence. We do everything in our power to avoid such outcomes, and to avoid these outcomes, you've got to put in the hours. These are jobs that you can never step away from. There is no break room out here.

Extremes
Like parenting, cruising is a life of extremes where a day can go from hunky-dory to "oh $*@*" in a matter of seconds. One minute you are a boss mom with three well behaved little ones at the park, the next your toddler is pitching a fit because she's mad at the wind while one twin is wandering into the street and the other is eating a cigarette butt. One minute you are a boss sailor enjoying a lovely beam reach, the next minute you blow a halyard, your autopilot craps out and all hell breaks loose. Zero to utter mayhem in the blink of an eye. For real.

The Stress
Living in tight quarters is stressful. Approaching storms are stressful. Dragging anchor in the middle of the night is stressful. Rough passages are stressful. Breaking stuff is stressful. Having sick kids is stressful. Dealing with tantrums is stressful. Three children running in different directions is stressful. Having to chose which crying infant to pick up first is stressful. You will worry incessantly about your kids getting hurt, bullied or worse. You worry regularly about your boat being holed by a floating object or catching fire. The anxiety of what could happen is ever present and must be kept at bay. This is not easy.

Risks
Taking risks and facing the unknown are regular occurrences as cruisers and parents. Sometimes you have to put trust that your boat and your kids can weather the storms thrown at them. Parenthood, like cruising, can - and will - scare the #*$& out of you daily. Both will force you to take a good, hard look at yourself. Both will show you what you are made of, and both will be glaring reminders of what you need to work on. Sometimes, you just gotta "let it go" and trust that everything will be okay. Again, not easy for someone like me.

The "Ick" Factor
Cruising and parenting are dirty jobs. Working in an engine room is messy. Changing oil is messy. Replacing a hose is messy. Dealing with snot and puke is messy. Feeding babies is messy. Injuries are messy. Changing diapers is messy. You will deal with a lot of poop, this is a fact.

Cruising, like parenthood, will test you in almost every way imaginable.

But it will be so worth it.

Because despite of all this (or possibly because of it?) there is the potential to be rewarded in ways you cannot even imagine. Cruising and parenthood will teach you about life and the world. They will make you a better, more thoughtful person. They will teach you to live in the moment and appreciate the "now". Both will enrich your life and change you forever in the most profound ways.

So we keep moving forward. We put one foot in front of the other day after day, despite the frustration, the exhaustion, the uncertainty and the seemingly never-ending task lists because we made the (very conscious) choices that brought us here. Always on the hunt for that perfect passage, that incredible beach, or that serendipitous meeting that results in a life-long friendship. Every day is a search for that deep belly baby giggle (best thing ever), the spontaneous snuggle that melts your heart (best thing ever) and the promise of being greeted by those precious, adorable smiles every morning (best thing ever) - day after day after day. It's all about the love.

And because of this, we take the good with the bad. We count our wins and learn from our losses. Because all of the cliches are true: Life is short. It goes by in an instant. Enjoy every moment. We only live once...

So we do what we can to make it count, because - at the end of the day - it's just a generator. And as frustrating as getting that damn thing working again may be, it's all part of the journey.

Haven and Mira turn ONE: Island Style

I am not a Pinterest worthy mother. Other than the fact that I do keep our living space pretty tidy, I am a terrible cook (the babies' eat mac and cheese more than I care to admit, but they are still nursing 4-5x a day so it’s okay, right…right?), I don’t dress our babies in super cute clothes with equally adorable hair-do's, and, as much as I wish they were, crafty DIY projects are simply not in my wheelhouse. Add to this the fact that 100% of our children's birthday parties - the mommy Pinterest-post mecca - have been totally thrown together last minute with almost zero thought. I'm a sort of haphazard mommy when it comes to stuff like this.

That said, the twin’s first birthday - like their big sister’s before them - was off the hook. 

Okay..."off the hook might" be a bit of an exaggeration, but it was a fantastic little get together full of love, friends, fun and rum. One that will never be forgotten.

Earlier in the week several boats arrived for our friend Genevieve’s, 32nd birthday. (If you want to read about those shenanigans, check out >>>this post<<< spoiler alert: all the ladies jumped of the upper deck of the floating bar, Angel’s Rest). One of those arriving boats was the couple behind Where the Coconuts Grow, fellow bloggers we had grown to know and love online, but had never met in person. It was so great to finally meet Jody and Peter and make it official. Since they had made the upwind slog for Genevieve’s festivities, they of course stayed for the twins’ party as well. What a treat this was as Jody is a gifted photographer who took the most amazing shots of our day. If you want to see some of the absolutely beautiful pictures she took, please, please check out >>>her post<<<. We are forever indebted to her for capturing this special day so perfectly.

We also had the pleasure to meet some blog followers who just happened to be chartering in the area and dinghied over to say hi. What an awesome couple they turned out to be. As we chatted in our cockpit, Lauren and Brian mentioned that they wanted some upwind sailing experience with another hand on deck, which was odd since Scott needed a lift to Soper’s hole (upwind) where he had some day work as a captain. It was decided then and there that Scott would help them handle the boat and give them some pointers, and they’d drop him off where he could get to work. How’s that for serendipity? Brian and Lauren were, of course, invited to the twins birthday party the follow, so they turned around and made it back in time for the festivities. They were a wonderful and very natural addition to the party. Fast friends and fantastic soon-to-be full time cruisers.

And so our girls turned one in style, and in good company. 

Heading to the beach for the party 

Possibly my favorite picture EVER

Isla and her pals from s/v Necesse who, incidentally, were there when Isla turned one!

So now for the sappy bit...

Of course it’s cliche to mention how fast time has flown, but I don’t care. It feels like yesterday that I gave birth to these little monkeys.. This year has, without a doubt, been the fastest year of my life. I'd been warned that twins would do that. These babies are incredible and I can honestly say that our surprise "two-fer" has been the wildest, most amazing, ride of my life. Of course there were the very difficult days in the beginning when I wondered “why me?” but it has become clear that these babies, and twins in general, are a humongous blessing. To raise two babies at once is truly a magical experience. I mean, these two little monkeys kiss each other on command. You have not seen cute until you have seen two babies plant big wet kisses on each other when asked. It is beyond adorable. Watching their unique bond blossom is something else.

Speaking of 'blossoming', their personalities are coming in loud and clear. And what's more is the fact that the girls are night and day. Night. And. Day. Haven is wild eyed and happy. Easy to smile and flirt with anyone who will look her way, but just as quick to turn "off" and harumph in frustration if she doesn't get her way. She has the most insanely hilarious (maniacal?) giggle, which she lets out all day long to the joy of anyone in earshot. She is into EVERYTHING. She is truly the female “Denis the Menace” and definitely a “full on” little imp. And, yes, she is still very loud. Everything she does is with gusto, from smiling to screaming, and she is definitely not a “look before leap” kind of kid. Head first is her way. Everyone who meets her falls instantly in love since she is pretty much the Gerber Baby, but not before shaking their heads and laughing as they say “you will have your hands full with that one!". She is very physical and is mastering the large motor skills. She is walking like a pro and, much to our chagrin, there is no area on the boat that she cannot summit. She is a high octane bundle of love and energy and makes us laugh all day long. 

Sweet Mira is just as happy as her sister, but - like Isla before her - a little more discerning about handing out smiles. More mellow and quiet than Haven, she is thoughtful and pensive. She is also the best little snuggler around, and will nuzzle up to your neck and settle right in for a good long cuddle which, as any parent can attest, is pretty much the sweetest thing any baby can do. She is a full blown mimic and loves to try to dress herself, put on sunglasses and fake “read” by holding up a book and “talking". Her baby babble is very advanced, and when she talks it almost sounds like playing a record backward, which of course makes us wonder if perhaps she is a genius baby. She is still a little peanut (20% percentile) and not quite walking yet, but she creeps along furniture and can climb like a little monkey. She is quick to hand out kisses to everyone who asks and her gentle, sweet demeanor melts the heart of anyone who snuggles her. Her greatest joy is to make people laugh and if you giggle at something she does, she will repeat it over and over. She is small but mighty and I seriously could snuggle and kiss her all day long.

These two little fish are so happy and lovable that it takes everything I have not to eat them on a daily basis. That is how cute they are. I know that sounds weird and strangely cannibalistic, but it's true. Must. Eat. The. Babies.

As for me, well, as I mentioned a while back, I have been put to the test as a mother more times than I can count - and I have failed more times than I care to admit. But I have also excelled at times and I feel very proud of those successes. At the end of the day, we have three healthy, happy children who are loved with such hopeless abandon that, truly, nothing else really matters. It’s all about the love. #Thankyouuniverse.

So it was a very happy, very special first birthday party for Haven and Mira. Maybe even Pinterest worthy. We did it. We survived the first year with twins, and maybe even thrived here and there. What a trip. The future is bright for these little fish, that is for sure.

Return to the Blue Lagoon: Flying South

"We're leaving in nine days," Scott said to me while eating dinner last night. "It doesn't feel like we're leaving in nine days," he paused. "Shouldn't it feel like we're leaving in nine days?"  I agreed and then contemplated; what, exactly, should we be feeling? Because he is right, as I sit here on the couch listening to the television drone on in the background as our three little ones slumber peacefully, it feels very much like business as usual. At this moment, we're no different than any suburban family. Sure, we've shipped three boxes of personal effects and goods to the island of Tortola, and I have packed up the clothes for the girls and myself. I've had no fewer than five "farewell" dinners with close friends and the bottom of our boat is getting prepped and painted as we speak so she's ready to splash when we return. But, still, it just doesn't feel like this is really happening.

This move, understandably, feels pretty momentous which is kind of hilarious considering our "cruising plans" are so un-adventurous they border on laughable. But what we are trading in nautical miles and passages, we are gaining in the unchartered waters of "three under three" on a boat. I don't know of many (any?) boats out there that have our configuration of little children aboard (if you know of any, please let us know! Would love any tips and tricks). Lots of boats have kids of course, and many have a baby on board, I've even heard of a few boats with twins - but three kids under three? This is certainly rare which inadvertently puts us on the front lines of this whole "boating with multiple babies" thing. And, based on blog stats, interview requests and emails, I think there are a lot of people out there that really want to see how - and if - this pans out. Some days - most days - I am hopelessly optimistic about what we are doing, totally adopting the "we got this" attitude. Other days I worry that we are getting in over our heads. Only time will tell.

So how does it feel? Surreal. For so long this move was just an arbitrary date in the distant future and now it's just over a week away. On the one hand, we're heading back to our home and a very familiar lifestyle. On the other, we have doubled our crew tipping the parent-to-child ratio in favor of the kids which ups the "challenge" quotient considerably. There's a lot to think about, and a ton to prepare. Lucky for us, I practically have a masters degree in preparation. As with anything - I am being very thorough about our return. Where will they bathe? How will we get in and out of the dinghy? How will they sit in the dinghy? Where will they sleep? Which toys will give us the most bang for the buck? How will boat projects ever get completed? Which craft supplies make the most sense? What will be the most versatile safety seat to use? How will we manage naps? Will one of us ever be able to handle all three alone on the boat so the other can rest? Every day I run through at least a dozen scenarios in my head like a professional athlete might visualize winning before ever setting foot on the field, court or track. Preparation. While we are definitely jumping into the water head first with this whole "three babies on a boat" thing, we are certainly not doing it blindly. We have the fortunate experience of having lived aboard and cruised over 5K nautical miles with *one* baby, which gives us a picture - albeit a very vague one - of what we might be in for.

These past few days have been a blur of organizing, selling and purging goods. I have an incredibly detailed packing list (I love my lists!) that continues to grow because with each item added, another item goes along with it. For example, if I need the camera, I must have the charger, the spare battery, the float strap, the DC battery charger...and oh! That reminds me, I need another DC USB plug...and, what about the DC computer chargers...and the hard drives for storage and...hmm...speaking of electronics, did we need more head lamps? Those things are notorious for disappearing...and do we need extra batteries for the white noise machines for the babies? You get the picture. The list grows, and grows and grows - no matter how thoughtful and discerning we are. For a lifestyle that is touted as "minimalist" - we sure 'need' a lot of stuff. Without realizing it and with very little effort, our list has grown Fibonacci sequence-style.

Friends of ours just left today on their maiden voyage, and in their blog post they shared this great quote by Tegan Phillips that so perfectly put this crazy packing whirlwind into perspective:

I wish I had known how easy adventuring can be so I could have avoided the ‘preparation panic’ people often face before trips of any sort, where you somehow convince yourself that if you don’t have this particular tool or type of tent or type of saddle or type of clothing even then your adventure will be a disaster and you will probably die. As I discovered, whatever you are going to do, the chances are somebody has done it with much less than you and somehow survived.

Of course traveling with a toddler and twinfants makes our situation slightly more unique than most. While we do try to adhere to the "less is more" approach to kids stuff (the twins got their first "high chairs" last week, prior to this we ate on the floor!) we need to be very mindful of safety and security which requires a lot of forethought and, yes, gear. Harnesses, tethers, life jackets, additional webbing and buckles, new materials for lee cloths and a twin bunk, more netting to secure the bow and pushpit...etc. There is so much to consider - particularly because we have one twin (Haven) who is a bonafide "Dennis the Menace" and is walking now - that even though we are going to some of the most "developed" islands we've been to where we will be able to get most anything we could get here (at a premium, of course) - we are still pouring over our packing list as if we were going to the moon. Only this time it's not provisions and boat parts we're thinking about, but baby gear. Oh, how times have changed!

So...I'm not quite sure how it should feel when we are about to take a giant leap into a pool that many people think we are quite insane to jump into. All I know is that a) it doesn't really feel like were leaving and b) when I sit and really think about it, it feels a little sad, a little happy, a little nerve-wracking, a little uncertain and a lot exciting. T-minus eight days until this family is island-bound.

Happy New Year: The Joy is in The Journey

I wish I had the time for a really well thought out blog post. I wish I could post an awesome "Year in Review" video like I did last year, or come up with some great way to share a solid re-cap of all the stuff that went on this past year.  But I am showing up here with nothing prepared. I just put all the kids down for a nap and realized that it's New Year's Eve and I don't think I should let 2014 go down without a few words. It was, after all, one of the most life-altering years of my life.

Then again, aren't they all? At least in one way or another?

The truth is, this year went by in a blur. A total fog of newborn twin-ness. I always joke that if I set up a GoPro camera in our home and played it back on high-speed, you would see me bouncing back and forth all over the place like a ping-pong ball. Picking up babies, chasing babies, feeding babies, playing with babies, cleaning up after babies and basically running a veritable marathon between the halls of this house. It's been busy, and we all know that when we are busy, time just flies on by. Whoosh.

This year has taught me so much. SO much. I don't have the time to adequately ruminate on the countless ways this year - and primarily the twins - have rocked me to my core, but they have, and in the most profound ways. Haven and Mira are proving to be my greatest teachers. First of all, they have taught me that the heart does in fact grow bigger, even though no parent can ever imagine loving subsequent children as much as their first. They have taught me the beauty of genetics and how two people can create three incredibly different and distinct individuals. They have taught me that, no matter how hard I try to control things, sometimes I have to go with the flow even though this can be very hard for me to do. "If you don't bend, you break," Scott gently reminded me one morning when I was starting to get agitated that things weren't going *precisely* to plan. As much as I hate to admit it, "going with the flow" goes against my nature. I can play the part for a while, but ultimately I like to be in the driver's seat of my life and - well - the twins have taught me that sometimes, we're not in the driver's seat, we're just along for the ride.

And what a ride it has been.

"The joy is in the journey." This phrase hangs dead center in Mira and Haven's room and it's a mantra I have found myself repeating in a "serenity now" sort of way.

I have not been the best "me" this year. Unrivaled sleep deprivation, plus a colicky infant, twins and a very willful two year old, mixed in with a hefty dose of uncertainty about life has, at times, brought out my ugliest side. I learned a lot of not so great truths about myself when push came to shove and I discovered that I have some serious mental housekeeping to do. My patience was put to the test on a daily basis and many times I did not rise to the occasion. On multiple occasions I failed as a daughter, friend, sister, wife and mother and I do not cope well with failure.

But, like everything in life, there is a yin to this yang, and that "yin" is the people who surround me. I am beyond blessed with an incredible network of people who counterbalanced my failures and irascibility with an incredible amount of love and support. My amazing parents, my beautiful friends and my incredible husband were all so instrumental to me (and my sanity) this year, I cannot even begin to tell you. They were strong when I was weak, kind when I was cruel, giving when I was selfish and each of them let my roller coaster of emotions and twin-induced hormones run their course. They laughed with me, cried with me and picked me up over and over. They had my back in a million ways, large and small, and I cannot thank them enough for it. To have people like that in your corner...well, that's when you have won a sort of lottery in life, I think.

And then there are the babies. Our amazing, incredible, beautiful, awesome babies. There are not enough words to describe how blessed and thankful I am that we have three happy, healthy children - they are seriously joy personified and I have no idea how we got so lucky. As challenging as this year was, it has also brought me more happiness than I could have ever imagined. Funny how life has a way of calibrating like that. Sometimes I lay awake at night just thanking the Universe over and over and over for what we have been given. Even though I don't know how I could possibly be more grateful, it never, ever feels like enough.

2014 has been a year of big changes but mostly, this year has been about love. Life-changing, course-altering, soul-shaking, heart-bursting LOVE. I can only hope that 2015 - and every year after - follows suit. I am beyond grateful. Asante sana, Universe.

Thank you all so very much for following along on this crazy, crazy ride. Happy New Year to you all.

LOVE.

Land Yachting

While Scott and I have taken countless "leaps of faith" in our life together, baby steps is the name of our game. When we brought Isla on our boat, we started out nice and slow, cruising the Bahamas and then beyond. When we found out we were pregnant with twins, we decided to come home during my third trimester and adjust to life with multiples on land. When we decided we would, in fact, be returning to our boat - we decided to do a little test cruise with the babies on Lake Michigan to get a glimpse of what we were in for. When the prospect of a seven-plus hour drive with three small children in a rather compact SUV made us want to jump off a bridge, we decided to rent an RV instead.

****Skeeeeert****

Yep. We're "land yachting" for the holidays (thank you, Rorke, for the phrase!) Look out, Uncle Eddie.

While the decision was made primarily with our sanity in mind, there was some rhyme to our reason and a secondary bonus to making this call: driving in an RV will be yet another little glimpse of what life on a boat will resemble. Another "baby step" toward what we are in for in less than a month. Say what you will about motorhomes and trailers, but the fact of the matter is that "cruising" in a vehicle and "cruising" on a boat bear some very striking resemblances.

Scott and I had talked about renting an RV to drive up to his mom's in Northern Michigan before. It never happened because it was really, really expensive. After three solid weeks of having all kids sick with pretty much everything but Ebola (no joke: pink eye, influenza, stomach bug, respiratory infections, colds, crazy fevers and more) he got nervous about such a long car ride with very fussy, uncomfortable kids and brought up the RV rental again. Of course I was game (duh!) and I suggested he get a few quotes. Being that this is "low season" for the RV-renting set, we got ourselves a killer deal on twenty-five feet of a rollin' home that will be our 'tenement on wheels' for the week of Christmas. Scott has been doing seasonal work for UPS to top up the cruising kitty, so the prospect of taking to the highway in a twenty-five footer isn't *as* intimidating since he's been driving a big brown truck ten hours a day. File all this under the hashtag "winning."

So there you have it, our little adventure before our big adventure. Packing up three small children and all associated accouterments for a week in a cold, snowy climate - over Christmas no less - is no small feat (another bonus for the tropics: less clothes!!!) even for us who try to be minimalistic with toys and gear, so, of course, I am making lists and checking them twice. It's a heck of a lot to organize but again, it will be good preparation and pruning for the big "pack up" back to the boat. Neither of us have ever done the RV thing before so it should be an adventure. Needless to say, we'll keep you posted (check in with us on Facebook for more frequent updates). We "ship out" on Tuesday morning! Yee-haw!

Clark: So, when did you get the tenement on wheels?
Eddie: Oh, that uh, that there's an RV. Yeah, yeah, I borrowed it off a buddy of mine. He took my house, I took the RV. It's a good looking vehicle, ain't it?
Clark: Yeah, it looks so nice parked in the driveway.
[Raises glass to his mouth]
Eddie: Yeah, it sure does. But, don't you go falling in love with it now, because, we're taking it with us when we leave here next month.
[Clark nearly chokes on his drink]

- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 

Letters from the Twin Trenches: 6 Months In

Back story to our "Letters from the Twin Trenches" series...When we were in the BVI's we met up with some blog followers.  They were young, fun and we enjoyed hanging out with them (and the left over provisions they gave us from their charter when they flew home the next day).  Fast forward to months later when I announced our twin pregnancy on the blog...  Imagine my surprise when I got an email from Kimberly telling me that she, too, was pregnant with twins and only a week ahead of me.  "Must have been something in those painkillers!" she wrote... And so began a pretty incredible and prolific E-pal friendship chronicling our respective pregnancies and birth stories that continues to this day.  Her beautiful fraternal twin girls were born (full term) two weeks before ours and I have to tell you, sharing our (eerily similar) journeys via email has been very cathartic for me.  Solidarity.  If there is one thing you need as a parent of twins it's community.  We need to know we are not alone when it seems our sanity is teetering on the brink, which it will do from time to time when there are two newborns in the house.  Particularly if those newborns are screaming in unison.  These are some letters to her...they tell it like it is.  The good, the bad, the ugly...

August 26th, 2014

Gah!!....I have been meaning to write you and am a total boob for not. The past month has been so busy with overnight visitors and travel and mini-getaways...it's been crazy. I saw an ecard meme thingy with a picture of a housewife holding a pad of paper and a pen and the line: "yeah sure, let me just add that to the list if things that will never get done".  That's how I feel these days. THAT is my life.

Anyway, thank you for writing and CONGRATS on making it through a half a year!!!!!!!!!!

As for the ups and downs, YES. I write you from the 1am feeding that should've been "dropped" a month or two ago and Isla is screaming for me in her room because now she can't sleep without me. I have to lock my door otherwise she comes in and wakes the babies, who, on some nights wake up as often as every 2 hours. Not. Good. It breaks my heart to lock Isla out but what else can I do? And the nights where the twins ("the twins" almost always being Haven) wake every 2 hours? Shoot me. To add insult to injury Isla is also up at 5 am on some mornings which is insane. Is it too much to ask to get one solid 5-6 hour chunk a night and get up north of 6am?!? My pediatrician is like, "They should be sleeping 10 hours at night" and I can't decide whether to laugh hysterically in his face or rip out his eyeballs.  Have you given any thought to crying it out? I fear I might have to go there but am terrified of it. Mira would be fine, or at least tolerable and probably respond well to it but I fear that Haven would literally blow a head gasket. I just don't know what else to do though...

So that's that. I kind of want to kill the twin moms whose kids sleep all night and on a schedule. I mean, WTF?!? HOW?!?! Naps, thankfully, are getting longer but we are nowhere  near a regular pattern. Totally across the board in time and duration. I just kind of gave up on waiting for that and am just happy that they usually sleep at or about the same time. Tiny victories. I'm all about the tiny victories.

What is awesome is how cute they are these days which somehow manages to make up for it all. They are super happy, smiley and social babies which is so fun (and so different than how Isla was at that age). No teeth yet, but they are coming. Both girls chew like puppies on anything they can get their hands on and the drool is impressive and plentiful. Both have started the process of crawling by scootching around on their bellies. I can no longer leave them on a bed. Haven has, er, proven that to me. (Thud!!) #momoftheyear

Vacation was awesome. Just amazing. The kids did better on the boat than we ever could have imagined and the fact that it was just our little fam of five was fantastic. We are still living w my parents right now (guest house not finished) and we needed alone time more than we knew it (and we knew it!!!). House will hopefully be ready in time for us to leave this January - ha!

On vacay we came up with the family motto: "if Haven's happy, we're all happy" because she is still (and I fear will ALWAYS be) loud as s**t and the one child who can turn a good outing into one that must be aborted immediately. Every family's got one, right? We went out for many meals and sometimes she'd start squawking in her pterodactyl way and I'd turn around (as I desperately waved a rattle in her face to distract her) and say, " if you can believe it, these are her happy noises!" But she was good. Just loud. And, man, can her little face melt your heart. That baby is all smiles, all the time. Overall we did a lot (hikes, walks, beaches,etc) and had fun, and the babies were awesome (minus the sleep stuff) which says a lot! I'll take it!

Okay, I have to go. I nursed them and of course chill Mira is out but Haven thinks it's play time and is squeaking.

Congrats again on reaching 6 months mama. Can not even believe it's been a half of a year. Scary how fast time flies.

Much love, sorry I've been such a slacker. It's not 'cause I don't love ya ;)

Brittany

Follow up ....

September 6, 2014

Sigh.  I just loving having you and knowing we are pretty much going through the SAME stuff.  Honestly, it's weird.  How is it that we are doing EVERYTHING right and NOTHING seems to be working?!?!  So...going out on a limb here (and being my hippy dippy self)... but I once read that Pisces babies are their OWN people and will always march to the beat of their own drummer, they are not the babies that can be put on a "schedule".  I remember reading that and being like, "CRAP! I didn't just see that...that did NOT just get in my head...that is NOT true" but now, after literally doing EVERYTHING "right" I recall reading that and I throw my hands up in the air and think to myself, "Dammit. This is in the stars". Sigh. So maybe it's just their fishy natures, I don't know.

So last night was supposed to be my first night away from the girls.  My girlfriends were all going up to Lake Geneva for a girls weekend and I was just going to go for the night and come back this morning.  I felt funny about it, and really didn't want to go - but Scott insisted (he really is a super dad, so hands on and awesome - I am very thankful for him) and wanted me to go and have a good time. With great reservation I went, and on the way there was caught in a storm so severe I thought it might be a tornado.  Literally had to pull off the road and wait because I couldn't see a thing.  Of course me being me took it as a sign.  But the rain subsided and - urged by my girlfriends and Scott - I pushed on.

Guess who drove home at 2:30am?

This girl.

Haven woke up crying, quickly escalated into her "someone just stabbed my eyeball with a needle" cry and all hell broke loose.  Scott was texting me like, "What do I do? She won't take a bottle!" and, after some back and forth, we finally decided I needed to come home (and for Scott to agree to that says a lot - he does NOT give up!!).  Thank god I wasn't drunk (I did have a couple several hours earlier, but was not impaired, unless you count my COMPLETE exhaustion) - but it was an hour and a half drive and, man, I am just glad I didn't fall asleep at the wheel. In hindsight I probably should have just stayed and let her cry with him as one night away from mommy is certainly better than no mommy!! But...yeah.  I'm in the same camp mama.  I love these babies so much - honestly, they are the cutest things ever - but holy crap, the nighttime shenanigans are getting to me.  I literally drink a pot of coffee every morning.  I joke that my breast milk is a mixture of coffee and wine, which also might explain a few things but, whatever. I gotta keep on keeping on and those are my poisons.  Sue me.

Naps are here and there.  Some days they are 2 hours, some days they are 25 minutes.  No rhyme or reason.  It's insane.  I literally want to call Dr. Wiessbluth and be like, 'LISTEN A-HOLE!! IT'S NOT EFFING WORKING!! YOU NEED TO GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE AND SET THIS S*** RIGHT!"  The fact that he is actually Chicago based is tempting, but booking an appointment with him requires time and energy I just don't have.  

We, too, started solids.  This morning in fact.  It did not go well.  I think Haven's tongue is too big for her mouth, like, for real.  It's just always...there.  This certainly didn't help the whole "eating with a spoon" thing.  (note: Google 'baby with tongue too big for mouth') Nothing that went in, stayed in.  It's amazing, I feel like Isla came into this world knowing exactly what to do.  She just got it. I never remember anything being hard with her, motherhood was a total cake walk with her and with these two? I am like a deer in the headlights sometimes. The Universe is all "Welcome to motherhood!! You don't know squat!" It's pretty humbling.

But, not to be a total Debbie Downer, yes - days are awesome, the babies are seriously too chewable and adorable for words and if they were just sleeping through the night everything would be infinitely better.  What I wouldn't do for a solid 5 hour chunk.  Good grief.  Maybe all this means they will be awesome children from here on out?  Is that possible we're just paying our dues on the front end?  Haha - here's hoping.  In the mean time, lets start an army against smug twin moms who are all "yeah, my babies were sleeping 7pm-7am at eight weeks and taking three two-hour naps in the day".  Those women are robots and should be eradicated.  Their babies will be meth heads.

Okay.  Going to drink some coffee.  Last night was a long one and right now ALL the babies are sleeping so I have probably 30 more seconds of 'me' time ;).  Hang in there mama. I just try to remember that this is such a small period in our lives and to try my best to be present.  We're learning important lessons here.  Not sure what they are at the moment, but I think by the end of this year I will have more patience than a Buddhist monk, so there's that.

Love.  Sleep.  and SOME semblance of a schedule to your day!

xo
Brittany

Haven on the left, Mira on the right.  Love bugs!

Enjoy this series? Check out my other posts:

Notes from the (Twin) Trenches (48hours in)
More Notes from the Twin Trenches (2+ weeks in)
Breastfeeding Twins: A Delicate Balance (notes on successfully establishing breastfeeding)
Notes from the Twin Trenches: Three Weeks In
Letter from the Twin Trenches: From One M.o.M to Another (4 weeks: letter to a fellow twin mama)
Letters from the Twin Trenches: From One M.o.M to Another  (1 month in)
Letters from the Twin Trenches: A Bad Week (6 weeks in)
Letters from the Twin Trenches: Two Months In
Notes from the Twin Trenches: "This, too, Shall Pass" (three months in)
Letters from the Twin Trenches: Four Months In (Out of trenches? Not quite)
Letters from the Twin Trenches: Six Months In
Letters from the Twin Trenches: Eight Months In

The Liebster Award: A Bloggy Good Chain Letter

I remember the letter well. It was in a nondescript envelop from a close friend of mine and addressed to Isla. "Hmmmm...." I thought, "I wonder why my friend is sending Isla letters?" It didn't look like a birth announcement, a card or an invitation.  I opened it and there it was: a legitimate chain letter that promised Isla sheets upon sheets of stickers as long as I sent it on.  I groaned, cursed my friend for roping me in and complied.  After all, it was for the kids.  Isla got some new stickers out of the deal and mama swore it was the last time she'd partake in such a ruse.

Until now.

Our blog has been graciously nominated for a Liebster award which, as far as I can tell, is the bloggers version of a chain letter.  I answer ten questions, then come up with ten questions to send to ten other bloggers, they answer my questions, come up with their own, and send them on to ten others.  And so it goes.  Luckily there is no threat attached to this "chain" so it would have been easy to pass up, but since blog posts are thin these days and some of these questions are the ones we've been getting a lot from followers, I thought I would partake in the fun.  Not to mention it's very kind to be nominated.  Since I have been nominated a few times, I will answer all thirty questions in one fell swoop. Thank you to Lyndy at Homeschool Ahoy, my dear friend Genevieve over at It's a Necessity and Tammy from Things we Did Today for the love!  

Here are the answers to the questions that were given to us:

From Homeschool Ahoy:

1. Introduce us to your live aboard family, how many in your crew and how old are they? We are Scott (38), Brittany (35), Isla (2.5) and twins, Haven and Mira (6 months). That is four girls to one guy if you are counting.  We have what some might call "girl power."
2. What sort of boat do you have and would you recommend it for other families hoping to live aboard? Our boat is a Brewer 44. We're not sticklers on what sort of boat a family might need (many would say catamaran), but as monohull sailors we have found a center cockpit layout and a boat that's easy to single hand key features in our experience of cruising with a baby.
3. How did you come to the decision to live aboard? It was something both Scott and I always wanted to do.  It came up on our first date.  Kind of sealed the deal for us.
4. Where are you now and what are your sailing plans, if you have any, for the future? For the upcoming season with our little ones, our plan is to island hop in the British Virgin Islands.  We also plan to sail the Bahamas again in the near future, it's pretty perfect for so many reasons and would be great to cruise with kiddos.  We also would love to cruise the East Coast and Scott would love to cruise the Pacific Northwest.  I'd love to see the Mediterranean, but we don't want to cross oceans until the kids are older.
5. What’s the best learning experience your kids have had since living aboard that you could pass on to other sailing families for them and their children? Gosh, there are so many.  Cultural exposure comes to mind, but that's a no brainer.  Once thing that I think is great about living aboard is the fact that boat kids learn to self entertain and are very creative.  Kids these days have so much (toys, activities, television time, etc.) so I think there is ample learning for kids where there is less.  The natural world is a fabulous playground.
6. What style of education do you prefer for your littlest crew members, are you homeschooling/world schooling/un-schooling… or eclectic like me? Have they ever been or will they ever go to a traditional school? Our kids are too young to make this decision, but we are strongly considering homeschooling for a myriad of reasons, our nomadic lifestyle and the desire to maintain it being the big one.  The jury, however, is still out.  
7. What’s your best memory from the last year? Growing our family from three to five.
8. Name the most challenging experience you have had whilst living aboard and what did you do to overcome it? Hmm...domestic disputes could get ugly, Scott and I are both pretty stubborn.  We learned (and are still learning) the best ways of dealing with these in tight spaces is to communicate, set expectations and give each other space.  Constantly fixing things can get old too, but you don't "overcome" this - you just deal with it.  And take really good care of your stuff.
9. Will you always live aboard or is this just one of the many adventures you hope to share with your family? I think we'll always have a boat and we'll always cruise whether it be a week here and there or a two year sabbatical, but there are so many adventures to be had in this life.  Not to mention we want our girls to be able to rip on skis so we'll have to head to the mountains at some point and, sadly, cruising season and ski season are the same.  If they weren't, this world would be a perfect place. 
10. What motivates you to blog and what tips can you offer fellow yachty bloggers?  I love to share stories and connect with people.  The fact that I actually inspire people here and there was an unexpected bonus to this.  I love it and I love all the good stuff that has come from it.  Writing is my passion and it is my greatest form of expression.  If I don't do it I don't feel right.  My blogging tips are here.

From (my good friend Genevieve at) It's a Necessity:

1. Describe yourself in 5 words. No more, no less.  Live life to the fullest. 
2. What do you blog about? What do you NOT blog about?  I blog about whatever tickles my fancy but usually it's related to sailing, travel, living one's dreams and children.  I don't blog about things that would be considered "airing dirty laundry."  Some things are sacred.  Like dirty laundry.
3. You have $10 US to spend, what is the first thing you buy? I wish I could say something cool like "train ticket," but the true answer would be coffee since sleep is the only thing I really lack these days (#twinfants).  Large drip with a shot of espresso, 2% milk and a lot of sugar is my current poison.  In one coffee shop this concoction was called the "ticker kicker."  I liked that.  Since that would probably only cost $5, I'd buy two of them.
4. What is the worst travel spot you have been to?  Definitely not the worst spot, but my worst travel experience was in Amsterdam.  It was a comedy of errors and I didn't even get to smoke good pot in a cool coffeehouse, but did end up staying with a very kind map maker who took pity on my travel partner and I.
5. What is your favorite saying/slang/term you have picked up through your travels? I like the term "lime" from Grenada.  It means "to hang out/chill out" and can be used as a noun and a verb.  As in: "we're limin' by the water" or "come join us for a lime on the beach." We like to lime.
6. If you were invited to a dress up party what costume would you wear?  I love the 1920's so I'd try to find a stellar flapper get up.
7. What is your favorite drink (alcoholic or not)? Wine.  Specifically any sauvignon blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand.  Chilean sauv blancs are a close second.  Favorites:  Brancott and Kim Crawford.  Nectar of the Gods.
8. How much wine is too much?  If you ask me this sober, the answer is "there is no such thing as too much."  Ask me after a bender and I will say "two bottles."  That second bottle always does me in, but it usually means a really good night was had.
9. What are you afraid of? Not living up to my potential.
10.  If you could have one wish granted, what would you ask for?  Healthy, happy, long lives for our children.

From Things We did Today:

1. What is the one thing you wish more people knew about you? Don't be afraid to brag here... this is your chance!  This blog paints a pretty one dimensional view of me. People think I am some sort of Pollyanna. People closest to me would find this hysterical. I swear, piss me off and I will cut you (wink). I am a former "wild child" and "bad girl." That doesn't really come across on this blog which became clear when several people assumed I was a peppy cheerleader in high school (I wasn't).  Also, I literally just learned that you only need one space after a sentence and this is killing me because it will take me at least four years to do that without thinking about it. Grammar has never been my strong suit in case you didn't notice.
2. If you could have EITHER five minutes with a crystal ball OR five minutes with a Genie... which would you choose and what would you ask for?  I would choose a Genie because Genie > Crystal Ball, and see number 10 above.
3. What would you say is your partner's greatest contribution to your success as sailors/cruisers?  He amazes me with his ability to get things done and make things happen. No such thing as a "honey do" list for him. He has no fear, can fix anything and he's one hell of a sailor. He's also an amazing, very hands-on daddy. Priceless qualities in a (cruising) mate. We make a very good team.
4. When will you/did you REALLY consider yourself to be a Cruiser? What does the word "Cruiser" mean to you?  Not sure.  I think after we got past the "Thorny Path" we felt pretty good.  A cruiser is anyone who travels by boat. I think it's that simple.
5. What do you think will be the thing that ends your Cruising journey? And why?  Our cruising journey will always stop and go I think - but we will always be sailors and I think we will always have a sailboat.  Things that will end it for certain: a) if we are not enjoying it anymore b) we can no longer afford to do it and c) we find some other adventure to sink our teeth into.
6. What was it like the moment that you "decided" to go cruising? What was the catalyst? Or was it a more gradual thing that just happened?  For me, I read Maiden Voyage when I was thirteen or so and when I finished it I thought, "I want to do that."  I have been known to be impulsive.
7. How did your current boat get its name? Have you ever thought of changing it?  The story behind our boat's name is here.  We love it.
8. What size boat do you/will you cruise on? And if money were no object... would you buy a bigger one?  We cruise on a Brewer 44.  If money were no object we would absolutely buy a bigger boat.  It would be a three cabin monohull in the 48-53 foot range.  Ideally it would be a Hallberg-Rassy 53.
9. It is often said that before you leave, everyone says they will come visit you, but most never do. Who would you MOST like to come visit you on your boat and why?  Richard Branson.  He seems like he would be awesome to hang out with and he could go kiteboarding with Scott.  Or my best friend because I KNOW she's awesome to hang out with and loves wine as much as me.  But, really, we can't have visitors these days since we have no more room!
10. Thinking back to before you tossed the dock lines and how you thought cruising would be, what in reality was your biggest misconception? What was your biggest surprise? What was your biggest disappointment?  Misconception: you can sail around the world in two years. (you can, but you're moving faster than we'd ever care to)  Surprise:  how little we actually move under strictly sail power. Disappointment: rolly anchorages.

Thank you humbly for the nominations friends, but the buck stops here.  Since pretty much every single cruising blog I know of has already been nominated multiple times, I will just redirect you to the blogs that nominated me (links above) and have you take a look at their other nominees.  There are thirty of them combined, so that should keep you busy for a while! Enjoy!