Making Ma'alahi Home.

Our family recently has experienced a major quality-of-life-improvement aboard.  T and I had been talking about getting a rug in our "family area" ever since we purchased Ma'alahi.  I fell in love with a simple and affordable (think Black Friday deal) rug at Home Depot.  We received it as a Christmas gift from my in laws.  

After rug... everyone is happy!

The rug matches the upholstery nicely and has made the kid's play area more warm and comfortable for everyone.  M now has an area that he can practice sitting up (and falling down) as well as a space that he can learn to crawl (the floor is far to slippery for him).  

I was worried that I would need to keep a vacuum aboard (I even brought one down to the boat from the storage unit).  I have found that I can get the rug nice and clean with an aggressive sweep of the broom. 

I also explored the option of installing foam puzzle tiles (from a baby supply store).  Something to keep in mind if you are researching all options.  

I am, however, happy with our decision to go with the rug - I have dreams of entertaining in the (distant) future and would like to have the option to make our main living area look like a living room... not an amusement park. 

Before rug.

We have moved!

To a new slip that is.  

T got us on a waiting list to move to the very popular and much larger (wider) "main dock" at the port.  We were really surprised when the port offered us a slip in mid October.  The prior tenant left their dock box (yay!) which easily stores the stroller (no more lugging the stroller on and off the boat!). 

Our new home.

The view.

We did not realize all of the benefits of our new spot until we moved.  The dock is extra wide.  We are able to step right off the boat into an area large enough for K to run around a little bit (in a life jacket and heavily supervised of course). 

WIDE dock.

The distance from the car to the boat is much shorter and we have the added bonus of being able to drive down the dock (to the ramp) to unload kids/groceries without having to get the stroller all set up. 

The port's main dock.

Our old (first) slip was on a normal dock that was much more narrow: 

Our slip had a utility unit right where one would typically have a dock box. 

Old slip.

There are a lot of little things that we did not consider when we got our first slip assignment.  Moving the boat (about 200 feet) was different than I expected.  We are meeting new people and neighbors, we have more sun in the afternoon, and for some reason Ma'alahi does not get rocked nearly as much (if at all) when the ferry comes and goes.  It kind of feels similar to when you move to a new home and neighborhood - except, in our case, we moved our home to a new neighborhood. 

Baby/Toddler Mobility

If there is one thing that am really neurotic about - it is researching baby products/gear.  I knew that, with a 15 month age difference between our children, we would need a sturdy double stroller.  I researched everything on the market - tandem strollers, double wide strollers, sit and stand strollers, three and four wheel strollers, etc.  

I ended up buying (used) the Phil & Teds Vibe stroller with doubles kit.  This stroller (made in New Zealand) retails for $930 - I got it gently used for $450 (including shipping) on eBay.  I have seen this model of stroller go for as little as $350 on eBay. 

 This stroller is perfect for our family for the following reasons:

• It is not very heavy - weighing in at 22 lbs
• You can fold it without un-installing the doubles kit (back seat)
• It has three inflatable tires so it is easy to push on the dock (which is bumpy in places) 
• You can set it up so that the newborn can lay flat (look at the phil & teds website for a picture)
• The back seat can be removed when one kid outgrows the stroller.  
• It packs away almost as compactly as my single stroller (I had the Bumbleride Indie (website) which is also an awesome option for only children)

I still need to purchase a few accessories to complete our travel system.  I am going to get the rain coat ($50) and am interested in the optional saddle bags (to store groceries in) - these clip on to both sides of the stroller (also $50... all the accessories for this stroller are $50-$100!! - ouch!).  

It is worth noting that, as liveaboards, you will be logging many miles on whatever stroller you choose (I walk about 1/3 of a mile just to get to the car).  I would not recommend cutting corners to save money on this type of purchase.  

Good Luck!