Dealing with Mommy Brain on Mondays

I'm sorry I haven't been better about  more posts lately.  I feel like i'm running out of hours in the day lately.  Maybe its because now that Jacob is 6 months old he really is no longer a baby.  He sleeps less (not that he really slept as a baby), and most of all he is more active and requires my constant attention.  This means that all the things I used to get done while he either dozed or stared blankly at an activity toy can not get done!!  Either way, I would choose watching him learn to crawl over the dishes ANY DAY!
The more time goes on I am also becoming seriously concerned with my mental well-being.  Some days I really think I am going stupid.  I find myself constantly saying "I am not actually this dumb!".  Lets look at my track record so far....since on maternity (with no income coming in) I have managed to do thousands of dollars worth of damage to my car when previously I had a perfect driving record, I am constantly making trips to the grocery store (almost every day) because even with a well written list I forget an item or two or forget the list all together, I have managed to loose two cheques that could have helped me out greatly in my non-profit situation, I locked myself out of my own e-mail account that i've had for over 15 years!, i've left my daughter at her Christmas concert practise stranded with two other friends because I got the time wrong, I posted pictures of my newborn son on facebook but made the privacy settings so that only I could seem them, I have driven past Marley's school at least twice when i have been heading to pick her up.... actually the fact that I can remember all these unfortunate instances may mean there is hope!

Today was the kicker though.  After a great dinner with friends on the boat last night, we were all organised for Monday morning.  We made the ferry and got on our way.  At the ferry stop daddy and Marley found an abandoned umbrella in a bollard and took it as their own.  Marley proceeded to use the umbrella to make our walk the longest walk to school ever by insisting it was raining and walking with her umbrella! I didn't mind too much as it is still the winter ferry schedule and it was actually quite entertaining.  Since I didn't get breakfast this morning I decided to stop at my new favourite cafe "Tribe Road" on my way back to the ferry and grab one of their specialities; a yogurt fruit cup with fresh granola.  Since I didn't do my morning run I decided to sit in and eat the breakfast, I then walked myself down the the Supermarket to get Jacob more formula because i'd forgotten it on my last shopping trip, and then headed down front street to catch the 10am ferry.  Once on the ferry I read the paper and then once it arrived headed to the boat to get ready for a morning at work at Sandys 360.  I arrived at the gate and discovered I had no keys! How did this happen?! I remembered looking at where I had stashed them in the pram and thinking... hummnn they might fall out of there, but they had been fine before so I left them.  Quickly I ran back to the ferry scanning the ground as I went but I didn't catch them in time and there were no keys along the way.  I called the ferry terminal and they promised to look once it got back.  In the mean time I assessed my situation; no car keys (can't get to work), no dock keys (can't get on the boat), the next ferry leaves dockyard at 12:30 (giving me 2hours to figure it all out).  Trying not to freak out I tried to think where I had seen them last.  I thought for sure it was at Tribe Road as I left that I had had the premonition of them falling out of the pram.  I did not have a number for them so I called the ferry back and the police but no one had seen them.  I called the supermarket and another shop on front street but no one had seen them.  I went to the mini mart and asked for a spare set of keys and called the radio station as they suggested but still nothing.  I was lucky to find on the boat that although I had been cheap and refused to get a new electronic key for my car when the spare one broke I could still use it manually on the doors and at least had a car.  In the mean time the dentist called and the first dental visit we had been preparing Marley for all week would have to be cancelled as her hygienist has pink eye! What?! Who still gets pink eye?! What sand box was she playing in?! So in fact Marley could go to ballet but her gear was all on the boat and Auntie Abbie had no pram to pick her up.
I loaded up the car with ballet gear and headed to Sandys 360 to put in what time I could still waiting hopefully for the call that someone had found my keys.  With a deadline to meet it was already 12:00 and I was not going to finish the job.  My boss was understanding as he was having a similar day; the aircon had been turned off in the pool office so everything was dripping wet from the humidity from the indoor pool.  Shame, he had wanted to rearrange the office before I got in so it was all shiny and new for me!
I managed to get Marley's ballet gear to her just as my saviour called with the great news that my keys had been found.  I had left them on the counter at Tribe Road.  When I had walked into the other room to enjoy my single moment of peace for breakfast they thought I had left the cafe and took my keys aside for when I returned.  The only thing I can think to say is always have the numbers of the places you frequent often because chances are something will end up there of yours that you need!
I spent the afternoon waiting to pick up Marley googling "Foods to make your brain work better", "Mommy brain", and "Boosting your brain power".  There is a lot of research out there, plenty of blogs too... it comforts me to know I am not alone however on days like this I still feel like the dumbest person that ever lived!!

Composting on a boat?

I'm starting to feel like i'm writing to myself and lately that has been a bit weird.  I think I need some good banter or at least a comment or two on here.  So i've decided to come up with a discussion topic for all.
My sister-in-law took Mark BUEI a few weekends ago. It was on "The Clean Bin Project".  http://cleanbinproject.com/ If you goggle it i'm sure you can find out more about it (or check out the link) but the basic idea was that this one couple spent a year focusing on making as little trash as possible.  A really cool concept when you think about it, and more than just the fad of living green.  The discussion after the film brought up the idea of composting which for me was a new lesson.  I had always learned how bad methane is for the environment but after hearing it over and over something in that movie made it click for me.  The food scraps that we put into our garbage and send to the incinerator is producing methane that is entering our precious Bermuda atmosphere! AHHH I am actually fairly good on the boat as most of our scraps go overboard but after seeing the film I am totally conscious every time I have scraps or leftovers that they go overboard and NEVER in the trash can!
I brought the idea of composting up with my parents as I remember as a child composting in our garden however it didn't last very long.  And like the rest of the land loving Bermudians there are some serious issues with composting in Bermuda because of the heat.  We compost at a faster rate because of it but it also causes terrible vermin problems that just make it unfeasible for most Bermudian house holds.  So my question is.... what would it take to get you to compost?
1) Would you be willing to hold your food scraps for the week and then dump them in the ocean?
2) Would you be willing to compost anyway in your garden despite vermin?
3) Would you only compost if there was a big machine that did it for you and you didn't have to worry about the affects?
Food for thought... literally but check out The Clean Bin Project for a little more insight.

Peaceful weekends

Well I can't say that I have been good about writing.  Sorry my faithful followers! Please message me if you are really mad so at least I know you are out there!

Last weekend was beautiful but we didn't take Blew Horizon out again.  I don't know what it is that is holding us back.  It seems like there is always too much to do or we have too many social commitments to make it worth it.

I did realise last week that my little girl is growing up too fast.  I think she is even dealing with her first bits of jealously as a big sister.  Although she doesn't show it out right, I can tell she is a bit fed up with me always saying things like; "In a minute I'm just finishing feeding Jacob"... It's hard because although I am a stay at home mom I end up spending a lot of time with my children but also a lot of time doing everything else.  I feel I am teaching my children excellent life lessons and it is for sure quality time with my kids that not everyone gets but I think what I am missing is the special one on one time with each of them.

This weekend I tried extra hard to find ways to spend a little extra time with Marley even though I also had Jacob.  For example Jacob was taking a short nap (because that's the only kind of nap he has) and rather than rushing to get a house chore like the dishes done while he was out of my arms I took Marley up on deck and fed the fish with the left over bread that Karen had given us last week.  It was great.  It was only a few minutes but it was quality one on one with my baby girl who is definitely growing up too fast!!

This weekend we also did a little scuba snorkeling (not my choice) because we forgot to bring weights with us and a wet suit and dive tank will keep you a float while attempting to dive to the reefs below.  It was a truly beautiful weekend and while we didn't move house we did make the most of it putting around the South shore reefs and later a trip down north shore.

Catch up... tour

Well its been a while, but I can't really think of all that much that has taken place.  We still haven't been out for a weekend sail.  We have had pockets of blustery weather and now its just cold.  Night before last it got down to 49 deg F.... well it's not snowing but its damn cold!

Marley does not feel the cold however and we have to trick her into sleeping into full feeted pyjamas and then check on her every couple of hours to throw a blanket over her.  Jacob on the other hand has no say in the matter yet and has been wearing a cosy teddy bear costume that is extra warm.  I'm sure he will kill me for that one day!

I thought in this time of limbo between summer and fall I would explain a little more about our boat.  First a tour;

Its a 1987 45' Gulfstar.  When we bought it the engine was shot so all we have to move her are the sails and our tender the Scout.  Below deck once you enter from the companion way there is an open plan dinning and sitting area where we spend most of our time.  We eat at the rotating table on one side of the boat and Jacob's two chairs, his lounger and his feeding chair take up most of the other side of the boat and couch.  There is a cute TV DVD where we mostly watch Disney movies with Marley.

Up forward is Marley's quarters.  She has her own bunk which was originally the king size V-berth but we took one side of the mattress out to make her room special for her with all her books and toys.  She has her own access to her own bathroom (head) which also opens into the living room.

Marley's room



Heading aft from there is the galley (kitchen)  We have a large drop down fridge with a small freezer, lots of cupboard space and a gas oven and stove top (2 burners).  There is also a small round basin for the washing up.  That is probably the main thing I miss about the house... the dishwasher!



Heading aft is a small hallway where we have our computer centre, engine room and some cupboards filled with miscellaneous items.



Jen in Galley



All the way aft is our sleeping quarters.  It is a spacious room with a full size bed, two shelves on either side that act as storage for clothes and then our own private head and separate shower.  Jacob sleeps on one of the shelves with his own mattress next to his small plastic containers that store is clothes.



Jacob on main cabin bed



Jacob in his bog boy bed!



Weekend wimps

Well we really let ourselves down this weekend.  The weather was perfect for going out and we had all intentions of going.  It was Marley's third birthday party on Saturday and we had planned to just let go of the lines stright after that and head into the harbour to anchor off and then spend Sunday playing around sailing before heading back.  It was predicted to pick up a bit on Sunday which made us second guess ourselves Saturday afternoon after the party.  We ended up having a quiet night watching Peter Pan and settling into bed early. 
The next morning the weather was perfect but by the time we got up and got going it was really too late to actually sail out.  We opted for a nature walk along southshore instead which just made it glaringly obvious that it was another perfect weather day we were not out on Blew Horizon!  Poor Marley was not feeling herself, maybe too much hype from the party or too many M&Ms.  We stopped by a friends house on the way home and then decided on a spontanious trip on the Scout to make us feel better about the wasted day.  Poor Marley crashed in the cabin below as we nipped in and out of some of the reefs. Mark even went for a swim and we felt Adam's presence very close when his underpants got blown over in an attempt to try to keep them dry. He is always playing little tricks on us; letting us know he's still around.  Marley woke as we headed back in for a quite Sunday. 
However Sunday night was less than quiet after I backed my car into a pillar and then Jacob decided it was party time again all night.  It also created a manic Monday in which I forgot Marley's 'pink' toy for school as well as her ballet kit for her first ballet lesson.  Oh Monday!  Her first ballet class was an incredible sucess however.  It was one without parents and she just walked right in after Auntie Abbie dropped her off, made some new friends by pronouncing that they "were all ballerina's" and never turned back.  I can't believe how grown up she is getting already! How do I stop them growing?!

Gusty Goings!

Yesterday the gusts began again.  We are still yet to take down the bimini.  It is either ignorance or we are just hoping it really does rip away so we have to get a new one sooner than we are actually able! It picked up around mid day and through the night there were gusts up to 50 knots for sure.  The wind was howling and the boat was healing right over but the babies were sleeping.  No Mark and I did not take advantage of this ourselves to finally get an early night, instead we finished securing the boat and then settled in for a marathon run of t.v. (for us anyway) with Biggest Loser and Parenthood.  I love Parenthood because it makes me feel like a normal person however I wish it didn't come on so darn late because when Marley rose because of the wind at 3am and then Jacob at 4am I was not a supermom at all!

Marley at 1 month with Uncle Adam
on Alibi



What I have forgotten to mention was that yesterday was also Marley's 3rd birthday! I can not believe my little girl is a whole nother year older.  Mark and I spent all day saying "Three years ago today...." which isn't hard seeing as we were recounting a 25 hour labour and delivery! Still I held back tears all day thinking about what a big girl she is becoming.  She on the other hand was living it up.  Again this is the first year she actually understands the concept of her birthday (like Christmas) and is enjoying all the attention that comes with it.  We celebrated with a family dinner at Frong and Onion the night before and a few presents first thing in the morning over breakfast.  Which ment that she decided to read her new books and we were not ready in time for the ferry.  That was ok, it also ment we had to drive in which allowed me to give her, her first shout out on the radio for her birthday. The cool thing was we walk past the DJ for the radio sation on our regular walk to school so when I mentioned who we were he was really excited and played Marley's two favorites back to back; "Stir It Up" and "No Woman No Cry" from non other than the legend Bob Marley.  What an awesome birthday she had!



Marley 3 years old on Blew Horizon



The next day (today) the wind was even worse and they actually canceled the Dockyard ferry which ment driving in again.  I drove back to Blew Horizon and had the shock of my life!

There hanging in our dock lines (running from the stern of our boat to the dock) was our neighbour 3 boats down! His feet were on the dock, his head resting on our transom and his arms slung around our lines.  At first I wasn't sure if he was dead or alive as I ran down the ramp.  I shouted to him and he just asked calmly if I could help him up.  I was like *@!!L! SURE!!! I grabbed him and pulled him onto the dock.  He rested for a minuite and I asked him a few things about him and how he got into such a situation.  He was really calm about the whole thing and eased my worry about that he wasn't seriously injured.  I could not get him up to standing though, he was like dead weight trying to lift so I called Mark and asked him if he was nearby to come quick.  He in turn called the Dock Master who came and helped me get the poor old guy up and walked him with his cane to his boat.  It was all really disturbing and while most people are frightened that one of my children will fall overboard I am now far more concerned about the more likely event that we find this poor old man to have fallen overboard when no one is around! What if I hadn't happened to come home?! I am all for living your dream but you should also know your limitations.  It was really scary!