This is an original post written by contributing writer L. Klonsky.
The thing I miss most about my pre-children life is traveling. Hubby and I saw much of the world before kids, but now, due to school schedules and PMS (Preschooler Mood Swings, not Premenstrual Syndrome), we don’t travel nearly as much. That’s to be expected.
But I do miss traveling, so when hubby recently announced that he was going down to Florida with a friend of his, I seized the opportunity to plan a weekend away with the kids. This was a little intimidating since Dad is the one who usually plans these things while Mom is the one who implements them. I needed to get over that and remember that I used to plan jaunts like this all the time. Still, I’d never planned one ALONE with two kids.
I chose Lancaster, PA for several reasons:
- It’s relatively close
- It’s known to be extremely family-friendly
- I’d been there before, and
- It’s so pretty.
I chose a place we’d never stayed before, The Fulton Steamboat Inn. This lovely hotel is located right where two major highways meet. It has a ship theme to it, which is novel. It offers rooms with bunk beds for the kids – a big selling point for them since they’d never slept in bunk beds before. It also had the ESSENTIAL for any weekend away with my children – an indoor, heated pool. Basically, my kids don’t care where they go as long as there’s an indoor, heated pool.
I was meticulous in my packing and planning. The children were absolutely perfect for the whole trip. Really. They looked out for each other and even played in the pool alone so “Mom can relax.” Fighting was minimal. And we didn’t need the portable DVD player any time during the trip.
They relaxed, I relaxed, I rose to the challenge, and now we all realize that we can get away even if Dad isn’t with us. Pretty cool.
L. Klonsky is a native of New Jersey who was a Marketing Assistant then a Marketing Manager in her former life. After nine years of marriage and at the age of 40, she discovered she was pregnant. She now has two children, one biological and one adopted from China. Every time she thinks she’s getting good at the job, the kids change and she’s back to Square One. L. scribbles her blog, usually using crayon, when she’s not volunteering at school or church and between cups of strong coffee. Her goal is to minimize the amount of therapy her children will inevitably need.
Check out her blog, Mom’s Crayon, at: www.newjerseymomsblog.com and http://momscrayon.blogspot.com
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I usually go away once a year by myself (no kids and no husband) but I’ve never gone away with just the kids. I love your idea because my kids are so happy when they are in a pool. Plus after a day of swimming they seamlessly go to bed. The next time my husband goes out of town, I think I’ll find an interesting destination (no farther than 1 hour away) for a fun adventure w/ my kids. Thanks and welcome to The Mom Renewal Project.
Try and find day trips to get away. Me and my wife do this when we are busy because we can usually find someone to watch the kids at least for the day. There are tons of great vacation spots to get away just hours from home.
Yay! Isn’t if fun and liberating when you plan and survive your first trip alone with the kids? Here’s to your next trip going as well as this one.
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Once you do one trip with your kids, you´re hooked for good. IT´s intimidating at first, but it´s always great and with good learning experiences for everyone.
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Bochnia to jedno z wiekszych miast w kraju. W wielu gazetach mozna odnale?c ogloszenia Bochnia.
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