The husband and I took our parents’ first weekend away when George was eight months old. We made the mature vacation choice and headed to Universal Studios for a weekend of roller coasters, good food, and the “ruh, ruh” sound of a breast pump as I was separated from my baby boy.
Ah, the joys of weekends away once you have small children.
However, we had a great time and try to take periodic opportunities to spend a night or two away from the kiddos. Obviously, this gets a little more complicated when we’re asking the grandparents to keep more than one small child, but, thankfully, we were both born to wonderful parents ourselves.
This weekend, I had tickets for C.S. Lewis Onstage: The Most Reluctant Convert in Jacksonville, FL. My mom was scheduled to come watch the kiddos while my husband and I spent an afternoon/evening in a bigger city. Well, as mentioned in my gift-giving post, I would love my husband to plan a surprise weekend away for me. Therefore, I decided to secretly pack a suitcase (not as easy as it sounds) and steal him away while my mom spent the night at our house.
Um, as a bonus #9 tip for that gift-giving post, make sure your gift recipient would most likely enjoy your gift. My husband was scheduled (and prepared) to teach Sunday school the following morning at 9:30 a.m., which meant we had to get up extra early to get home in time to get the kids dressed and high-tail it to church. Yeah, I should’ve clued him in so he could’ve found a sub. Or at least been mentally prepared for the mad dash we made this morning.
Ah well! Lesson learned!
Regardless, we had a great night away. I dozed off and on throughout the entire C.S. Lewis play, as the lights were dimmed and the actor delivered a fabulously British-tinted monologue in a melodic tone. Goodbye, admission price!
We then decided to have dinner at a swanky steakhouse. We walked in and admitted we didn’t have a reservation.
“Oh, well, we’re booked until 9:15 tonight,” the snooty, well-dressed woman told us as we surveyed the nearly empty restaurant, “but you can sit at the bar.”
So, we bellied up to the bar and cracked the menus. After seeing the $12 cocktails (not on my 30-day, clean-eating challenge “acceptable” list) and $40-75 à la carte steaks, I admitted I wasn’t in the mood to watch a bartender make drinks I couldn’t drink as I stared at the list of meal options I wouldn’t be able to try. I’d rather pocket the cash.
Google pointed out a burrito joint a block away, so we ended up with burrito bowls and tacos. Believe it or not, I did a fantastic job sticking to my eating challenge, thankyouverymuch!
Hours earlier, we had ridden the hotel elevator with a family sporting two little kids. I mentioned (as I seem to always talk to strangers) that we were getting a night away from our kids. The parents looked a tad jealous. After dinner, we ran across the same family, and I may have given a slight smirk as we walked by, sans children. Is that mean? OK, that’s a bit mean.
We spent the evening sprawled on a king-sized bed watching The Avengers: Age of Ultron, because if there’s anything we know how to do, it’s party hard. I even ate a chocolate protein bar. I know, we really should turn it down a notch. During the movie, I’d hear a noise down the hotel hallway. I’d snap to attention, only to remember that I didn’t have to listen for extra, little noises. I wasn’t responsible for anyone sneaking out of their rooms or wanting a glass of water. Just for one night, but huzzah!
I just want to give a shout out to any parents of little ones who haven’t had a break. Y’all, even if Nana doesn’t do the exact bedtime routine for your kids or if she feeds your kid an extra cookie when you’d rather he eat an apple, it’s worth the risk. Was it a long weekend at some exotic locale? No, it was literally 18 hours less than 100 miles from home. But, man, I feel refreshed and ready to take on another week of baby mama-ing.
In other news, I should have been reading my February Reading Challenge book, Quiet by Susan Cain. But, to make up for springing a surprise road trip on my sweet, homebody husband, I offered to drive there and back. Therefore, I may be a day or two late with my book recap, but I’ll read like a fiend over the next few days!