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Archive for the ‘travel’ Category

  By the time you all read this we will have our feet firmly planted in southern soil.  We're heading out on our annual trip to Disney (I say annual because we went last year, not that we'll go every year, wishful thinking).  The boys have been beyond excited about this trip for months on end. We've been crossing off the days on our Disney calendar each night and conting down the days.   As a parent I'm more excited about their experience than my own.

I used to see parents at amusement parks and feel sorry for them. I worried that they weren't having a good time because they often couldn't rid the things they would like to ride.  They always assured me that they were really having a great time watching their kids have fun and the selfish side of me thought "how can that be?"

But now that I'm in that same boat I have to say it's true. I'm not the least bit concerned about what I will or won't get to do. I haven't even looked at the info closely for the "big rides'.  If we get to ride some that's great (my mom will be with us, so we probably will get to sneak away to some adult rides if we want to) but if we don't I think my trip will be just as much fun. Riding Dumbo and seeing the excitement in my kids' eyes as they shake Mickey's hand is more fun than any roller coaster.  And this is coming from a girl who REALLY likes roller coasters.

It's amazing how we just begin to be unselfish when we have kids. Whether we plan for it or not, whether we just find a lot of our pleasure in our childrens' pleasure.  I think that's pretty great.

So our goal is to have a great trip without too many meltdowns, no sunburns and plenty of time both at the parks and at the pool. The weather looks great and we are all packed and ready to go. On a side note, packing is getting easier each year! This year means no diapers, no pacifiers, not as many toys, snacks, etc. This year we will fly by the seat of our pants and I'm loving that.

Off to see the Mouse!

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  By the time you all read this we will have our feet firmly planted in southern soil.  We're heading out on our annual trip to Disney (I say annual because we went last year, not that we'll go every year, wishful thinking).  The boys have been beyond excited about this trip for months on end. We've been crossing off the days on our Disney calendar each night and conting down the days.   As a parent I'm more excited about their experience than my own.

I used to see parents at amusement parks and feel sorry for them. I worried that they weren't having a good time because they often couldn't rid the things they would like to ride.  They always assured me that they were really having a great time watching their kids have fun and the selfish side of me thought "how can that be?"

But now that I'm in that same boat I have to say it's true. I'm not the least bit concerned about what I will or won't get to do. I haven't even looked at the info closely for the "big rides'.  If we get to ride some that's great (my mom will be with us, so we probably will get to sneak away to some adult rides if we want to) but if we don't I think my trip will be just as much fun. Riding Dumbo and seeing the excitement in my kids' eyes as they shake Mickey's hand is more fun than any roller coaster.  And this is coming from a girl who REALLY likes roller coasters.

It's amazing how we just begin to be unselfish when we have kids. Whether we plan for it or not, whether we just find a lot of our pleasure in our childrens' pleasure.  I think that's pretty great.

So our goal is to have a great trip without too many meltdowns, no sunburns and plenty of time both at the parks and at the pool. The weather looks great and we are all packed and ready to go. On a side note, packing is getting easier each year! This year means no diapers, no pacifiers, not as many toys, snacks, etc. This year we will fly by the seat of our pants and I'm loving that.

Off to see the Mouse!

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  In less than 12 hours Mike and I will be on a plane, sans kids, for a wonderful weekend getaway. I can't tell you how excited I am.  A few years ago my mom, Matthew (who was 6 months old) and I went to SanAntonio for a few days. I can't for the life of me remember why, it seems like an odd choice, but nonethless we went…and we loved it.  I've always thought it was somewhere that Mike would really enjoy as well.

Fast forward to this year – my mom and dad decided to go for a weekend and they had a great time too. I was talking to my mom on the phone shortly after that and she was telling me what a fabulous time they had.  I lamented about how much I'd love to go down with Mike sometime but with kids it's so hard to get away for even a few hours much less a few days.

So then that's when she said the magic words…"You should really go.  Go ahead and book it. Pick a weekend.  How about April?  I'll take the days off and come down".  I think there might have been more but I was too busy clicking on Expedia while she was talking

Fast forward to now. We're going to SanAntonio tomorrow! For two whole nights!  We wanted to maximize the time so we're leaving at 7 a.m. (Yikes, I should really be in bed) and will return Sunday evening.  I'm so thankful that my mom is not only willing to watch our kids, but encourages it and helps me plan. Thanks Mom!!!

I'm so excited to have countless hours alone with Mike.  Our list of priorities includes:

• Sleep
• More sleep
• Meals where we actually read the menu
• Meals where we eat our food hot
• Meals at a place that kids aren't encouraged
• Prickly pear margartas
• A cruise on the Riverwalk
• Tableside guacamole at Boudros
• A trip to the Alamo
• —Where we actually READ the information
• Sleep

Have you had the opportunity to spend an overnight without kids?  Where have you gone? Or where would you like to go?

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  In less than 12 hours Mike and I will be on a plane, sans kids, for a wonderful weekend getaway. I can't tell you how excited I am.  A few years ago my mom, Matthew (who was 6 months old) and I went to SanAntonio for a few days. I can't for the life of me remember why, it seems like an odd choice, but nonethless we went…and we loved it.  I've always thought it was somewhere that Mike would really enjoy as well.

Fast forward to this year – my mom and dad decided to go for a weekend and they had a great time too. I was talking to my mom on the phone shortly after that and she was telling me what a fabulous time they had.  I lamented about how much I'd love to go down with Mike sometime but with kids it's so hard to get away for even a few hours much less a few days.

So then that's when she said the magic words…"You should really go.  Go ahead and book it. Pick a weekend.  How about April?  I'll take the days off and come down".  I think there might have been more but I was too busy clicking on Expedia while she was talking

Fast forward to now. We're going to SanAntonio tomorrow! For two whole nights!  We wanted to maximize the time so we're leaving at 7 a.m. (Yikes, I should really be in bed) and will return Sunday evening.  I'm so thankful that my mom is not only willing to watch our kids, but encourages it and helps me plan. Thanks Mom!!!

I'm so excited to have countless hours alone with Mike.  Our list of priorities includes:

• Sleep
• More sleep
• Meals where we actually read the menu
• Meals where we eat our food hot
• Meals at a place that kids aren't encouraged
• Prickly pear margartas
• A cruise on the Riverwalk
• Tableside guacamole at Boudros
• A trip to the Alamo
• —Where we actually READ the information
• Sleep

Have you had the opportunity to spend an overnight without kids?  Where have you gone? Or where would you like to go?

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  Mike is traveling this week for work. He left this morning and will be gone for three nights.  I did what I usually do when Mike travels, eat cereal. 

I realized that each of us has our own "solo parenting" style.  My dinners often consist of either sharing a box of mac-n-cheese with the kids or a eating a bowl of cereal.  I always give them a bath (Mike never does) and then we all pile into Ben's room and read books together.  I usually have them in bed earlier than we do as a team (oddly enough).

Mike has a totally different routine. He generally makes a frozen pizza with the boys, then lets them hang out in my bed, stay up late and eat popcorn in our bed while watching a movie.

I think it's great that we each have our own "things" that we do when the other one is out for an evening or traveling. 

So what is your "specialty" when your spouse is out for the night or away? Do you do anything special/different with the kids?

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  I kissed my sleeping boys goodbye this morning as I silently tiptoed out of the house and made my way to the airport for a nice 5-hour flight to San Francisco.  I leave the kids approximately two times per year, once for this conference (the Online News Association, I get to meet the founder of Twitter!) and once for another work trip to Washington, DC.  That's about it.  Occasionally I've had an overnight to my parents' house (funeral) or with my friends (shopping) but that's not even annually.

In anticipation of this trip I bought two good books (one of which I just left on the plane, boo!), made dinner reservations at a fancy steak place for tonight and plan to take a sightseeing trip…ALL BY MYSELF.

I'm not the kind of mother that dreads leaving my kids. It might make me sound horrid but I actually look forward to a little me time. Time to eat a quiet dinner with a good book, sleep in a comfy bed (all night long with nobody waking me up), network with other professionals in my field, etc.  I've been excited about this conference for months.

So I found myself quite surprised this morning as I rode on the tram to the terminal that I just kept thinking about the boys riding the tram when we went to Disney and how they thought it was a "ride".  I found myself getting a little teary as I passed the KidSport play area in the airport and pictured my boys sitting on the play airplanes looking out at the big one waiting for their turn to get on. 

I actually really, truly miss my kids.  A lot.  As beautiful as this city is and as excited as I am to go explore it I find myself rather sad today. Sad and lonely.

I think for the first few years the kids were just SO MUCH WORK that a little break was such a breath  of fresh air.  I got to go to an actual restaurant, not a McDonalds! But these days life is much easier with the boys. They play well together, they sit in restaurants and eat their meals (most of the time) without embarrassing us. 

I think I'm realizing that the older they get the more I am able to truly ENJOY them, and not necessarily NEED a break from them like I used to.

Those little guys are my buddies now and I enjoy sharing these kinds of experiences with them. 

Of course, as fate would have it, on the airplane I happened to get seated within arms-reach of the three babies on the entire plane. It must have been the "kid section" guess I fit right in, wearing my PittsburghMom sweatshirt.  At first I was not pleased. I'd come to enjoy the peace and quiet and instead would have to listen to other people's kids cry.  But the headphones and good movie made even the most unpleasant hours go by quickly and I got to "babysit" a four-month-old while his mom went to the restroom.  

I know I'll enjoy that sightseeing trip today but I think as I look out over the Bay Bridge, I'll just be thinking about how much the boys would love it, too.

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