Spit-up On My Shoulder

I’m going away this weekend with my friend, Lisa, to San Francisco. No husbands, no kids, no vacuuming. Do I feel guilty about it? Heck no! Do I need this weekend away? You bet! I can’t wait.

Since my first child was born I’ve scheduled weekends away either alone or with friends. I try to do 2 weekends a year. It is so good for me. No laundry, no dishes, no kids bickering at each other.

Some tips on weekends away:

1) Always do a minimum of 2 nights. One night feels like you barely catch your breath and have to turn around and go home.

2) Put it on your calendar and consider it nonnegotiable - like a medical appointment. In a way it is, you really need it for your mental health.

3) Don’t bring any work with you, including domestic projects like photo albums, etc.. This is your time to have fun and relax, not to check off a to-do list. Eat and sleep when you want. Read a juicy novel. Enjoy letting someone else clean up for a change. I also don’t go anywhere near a computer.

4) Give your family a heads-up when you’re headed home. The first few times I went away I came home to a huge mess and ended up yelling at everybody. Now I call my husband when I’m a couple of hours from home and he and the kids tidy up. I don’t even want to know what the house looked like before my call.

5) Don’t underestimate how wonderful it can be to travel alone. I love my solo weekends/trips (one time I traveled alone for a week). You may feel uncomfortable to travel alone at first (I still feel weird when I eat alone in restaurants), but why not try something new? I’ve seen some amazing places and met some wonderful people on my solo journeys. These weekends also help me get back a sense of who Melanie is and what her dreams and wishes are. It’s so easy to lose ourselves once we become mothers.

So start thinking about when you can wing some time away. Budget for it and put it on your calendar. You won’t regret it.

SF - here I come!