Daily Life in the Islands: Finding our Groove

The dust of "newness" is settling and we're falling into a nice little routine here at Nanny Cay. But we were not without our hurdles...After Haven fell ill with hand foot and mouth, Mira got a double ear infection and (what I am guessing) an upper respiratory infection as well. Sleepless nights followed long days and it was a pretty tough couple of weeks, particularly because I was on my own almost entirely. Being boat-bound and in quarantine was a real challenge for all of us. We used the opportunity to get crafty and make Christmas decorations for our boat and get into the holiday spirit. As fun as those crafts were, my girls are 'outside' kids and the sunshine was calling. After a good two weeks, it seemed that all our illnesses had run their courses and we were able to venture back out into the world. I'm hoping we caught most of the 'big stuff' that Tortola has to offer and that health will reign for a few months. Being a stay-on-boat mom to three little ones is hard work, and it's a lot harder when they're sick, tired and cranky.

With Scott gone almost every single day from 7:00am to 7:00pm at work, I roll solo with the girls most of the day. Luckily, we have chosen to live in a place where there is plenty for them to do right outside our companionway and, let me tell you, it is SUCH a blessing. There's a beach, park and pool all within a five minute walk from our boat. There are loads of kids around, from locals, to expats, to visitors - so our girls have plenty of playmates to socialize with. It's really a perfect place for little ones because not only does it feel a bit like the 'good old days' with kids running wild and free, this community very much adopts the "village" mentality and keeps an eye on one another. Every day I am grateful to be here.

So what do our days look like? Mornings are usually spent at the beach, where no matter what our girls always find hours of entertainment and new friends. Afterwards, we return to the boat for a rinse down, lunch, and naps and then in the afternoon we hit the pool which is very conveniently located right next to the beach bar. It's like the Caribbean Cheers. I love it and, yes, I also love my afternoon cocktails which very much "take the edge off". Sure, our days are pretty predictable and we follow a sort of routine, but when it comes to begin outnumbered three-to-one by little ones, I find it absolutely necessary. At least once a day I am stopped by someone wondering how the heck I am doing this on the boat and I tell them three things: "Snacks, naps and cocktails!" No joke, without those three things I would be in a padded cell.

Before we came down I treated myself to an early Christmas present with some of the money I have made on this blog, and sprang for a fancy new camera. I am now the (very) proud owner of a Canon EOS Rebel T5 Digital SLR Camera and some amazing lenses (50mm and Wide Angle lenses are the winners!) - I still have a lot to learn on the photography front, but holy heck I wish I would have invested in a proper camera years ago! This thing is so much fun and I just love the photos I am getting with it. I know they say that it's not about the camera but the photographer, but I'm going to go ahead and say that, yes, a camera (and specifically lenses) make a humongous difference in the quality of photos. I love my new toy!

Anyway, here's a little glimpse into our life as it looks these days. I'm with our girls all day, every day. We're outside in the sunshine, barefoot and fancy-free. We are surrounded by a wonderful community of friends, new and old. I really couldn't ask for anything more.

During quarantine we made a lot of Christmas crafts from trees to ornaments to reindeer!

They still love this little tub! This is where we rinse/bath every day after the beach and pool.

This is our back yard. Does it get any better than this? I don't think so. We love ourPacific Breeze Beach Tent .

We still always love to play on the deck of our boat. Our home is our very own jungle gym, and these kids are monkey's!

Playing nicely together with our Spielstabil sand toys by HABA, USA

My little Gerber baby. Don't let her innocent looks fool you, this girl is Denis the Menace in female form!

Both of the twins (who happen to be Pisces) are total fish. They LOVE the water.

We make a lot of "potion" in our buckets, throwing all sorts of shells, sand and water together.

Every day we are treated to spectacular views. Living in such beauty is truly inspiring.

Sandy toes...and nose...and everything else! Little Mira was still getting over her cold here.

They are so happy on the beach.

New friends and make-believe games.

Beach Jenga with our new friends, Landon and Micheal.

Combed beach.

Every night an amazing sunset with island ridge lines in the distance.