This weekend was about a chance to reconnect.
It was about time to reconnect with myself. Time to reconnect with my husband and time to unplug and reconnect with a simpler way of living.
My parents requested that the girls begin what they hope will become an annual tradition for our girls -- an extended visit at Grandma and Grandpa's house. So Wednesday evening, I drove Belle and Lilly to Flatwoods, where we had dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and then they went on their merry way.
When I returned home -- solo -- my husband and I felt a bit awkward. What do we do now that there aren't two small people to bath and wrestle into bed? I was both weird and refreshing to make as much noise as I wanted at 11 p.m. without fear of waking little people.
It didn't take long for Andrew and I to appreciate this new found freedom we had. Freedom to do what we wanted, when we wanted and to enjoy ourselves as a young married couple again. Over the course of three and half days, we rediscovered ourselves individually and corporately and learned that it sure is easier to enjoy each other when we're not breaking up fights over toys or wrestling children into bed. We enjoyed not one, but two dinners out to nice restaurants. What an experience to be able to sit down for an entire meal and not worry about entertaining the children long enough for the food to arrive -- only then to have to make a quick exit because you've used up all your tricks waiting for the food.
We traveled to our family's cabin in Pocahontas County, where we enjoyed the great outdoors. We roasted marshmallows. Took a drive through the country and just chilled. I was able to finish a novel that I've been reading -- eat, pray, love -- and make my way through more than half of a second novel -- Swapping Live by Jane Green. I have to admit that I have a guilty pleasure of chic lit, especially by British authors. (I secretly wish I was British. Just love the accents!) Jane Green has written several good novels that I've ready -- Jemima J, Mr. Maybe and others. Her latest novel, ironically, is timed well for this stage in my life. Swapping Lives is about a single, British journalist of a woman's magazine who swaps lives for a month with an American mother of two, who appears to have the perfect life in surbabia.
I'm only 3/4 of the way through the novel, but it's been entertaining to read how we all feel the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. How when you're single you wish you had the perfect country house, the handsome husband who adores you, two adorable children and don't forget the dog! When you're married with two children and struggling to have it all -- career and family -- you daydream of how wonderful the single life was. In the end, I'm sure Amber -- the surbabia mother -- will realize that she has a wonderful family and just needs to make a few adjustments to her life to not get trapped in the whole Desperate Housewives thing going on in her town.
After this weekend, I realized that I can still enjoy time with myself and with my husband. And that it's good to take some time away for the two of us -- so we can reconnect and rediscover that love that allowed us to create two beautiful and wonderful children!
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5 comments:
How important it is to have not only a date night, but a date weekend. We (me, husband, 4 year old and 1 year old) just got back from a week-long vacation at Grammy and Granddad's. And as much as we had a really nice time, I have to say that just 2 days back into the daily grind, my kids are driving me crazy. The 1 year old is in that frame of mind where he'll sit in his high chair for exactly 2 minutes. Then he's standing up, taking a dive face first and crying to get back onto the darn thing once I relent and take him out. My 4 year old is the Queen of Why. Why this, why that. At least 672 times in 3 minutes. My husband has just announced he needs to go to the grocery store - again. This will make it 2 times in the last hour. Yeah, I need a vacation. A friend told me that a vacation with children isn't a vacation - it's just living somewhere else for a week. Funny thing is my kids didn't drive me to the brink the entire week. Even 7 hours in the car went well. It's once we're home and the prospect of no more time to off has made my skin start to itch. Part of me feels bad for wanting to get away. Part of me wants to run - but just for a little while. Maybe even 15 minutes would do it. Maybe.
Thank you anonymous for your post. I couldn't have described my feelings any better. We're home one day and the damage was done to the rest I accumulated during my long weekend. I'm not sure what it is -- maybe a guilt gene that Mommies have -- that makes us feel terrible for wanting some time to ourselves. Time to feel human again. Time to remember who we were before kids and husbands. But I realized this weekend that that's exactly what we need. Time to miss your family and get refreshed so you can continue to be a great mommy.
It doesn't help that I was actually a little bit gleeful to drop them off at daycare Monday morning. I think the real reason was that I knew they would be exhausted and sleep really well that night - which they did. I'm terrible. I wonder if my mother, who we affectionately called Mother Earth because of her perfect behavior and reactions to everything we could throw at her - ever felt this way. I can only hope.
glad you and Andrew got to spend some time together and that the girls had a good weekend with your mom and dad! We all know how important it is to grow up close to your grandparents!
You totally go off and ramble about the book and completely wrap up the whole experience way too soon. I wanted to read more about your weekend without the girls, but whatever.
It was still good, I guess.
:)
I love giving you crap via the web, hee hee.
I also wanted to comment on your reading choices because I too have the same and like the same authors. I want to be a British woman as well. Think it is because of Grandpa Bott and watching all those shows then going there and meeting everyone?
I think it is weird too that we have so little in common when it comes to pleasurable activities yet we both enjoy reading the same things.
Guess it could be because of dad reading to us when we were little as well.
Who knows.
Anyways, glad you and Beckner had a good time at the cabin and without the girls. We enjoyed having them.
:)
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