10 Reasons Why you Need a Momcation | Motherhood Unplugged

I recently took a trip all by myself for my very first Momcation. One day I called up a friend and asked her if she wanted to go on a girls trip to which she quickly said YES! I was stoked. I had wanted to travel alone, without the kids + hubs for awhile but I always felt guilty thinking that they were too young and still needed me or that my husband wouldn't be able to handle the boys all on his own. Well this year, my boys turned 4 + 6 in September and I desperately needed some alone time. A momcation is simply a solo trip you take to reflect, unwind and basically 'get yo life' together outside the reach of your children and significant other. I planned and prepared for this trip months in advance yet still felt so unprepared to leave my family when the time came. We almost cancelled the trip due to threats of Tropical storm Gordon but the weather turned out to be perfectly fine in Belize and I'm so glad we came.

Honestly, it felt kind of weird traveling without my family for the first time. I wasn't fielding questions from my toddlers, wheeling the stroller plus a kid through the airport, asking the kids to finish their food or trying to entertain them while we waited in the terminal. As I stood in the TSA line trying to avoid being sniffed by the K9 on duty I had an epiphany. It was silent, just me and my thoughts stood there amongst all the travelers in Hartsfield Jackson and I finally felt like I could breathe. It was just me, all by. my. self. and the gloriousness of being able to hear my own thoughts as they rattled around in my head drove home the fact that I really really really needed this. I'm a stay at mom of 2 young kiddos who also homeschools and spends lots and lots of time with my family. I wouldn't trade it for the world but I also needed this time to regroup. Now let me be honest here, the hustle through the airport was not without chaos. The TSA line was long as usual, I really need to get that pre-check clearance STAT. The K9 unit on duty was hastily + aggressively sniffing everyone he passed and although I thought I had only packed just a few outfits my bag seemed heavy on my shoulder as I snaked through the lines. The saving grace was that we got to keep our shoes on! Praise the Lord for small favors :) Then after I got through the security check the airports train wasn't working so I hurried up and started towards the moving sidewalk Atlanta Hartsfield has towards my gate in section E. This had to be at least 3 miles away! I managed to walk through terminals A + B and then was lucky enough to catch the train as I approached C by which time my arms were getting tired of carrying my luggage. I totally should have opted for my roller bag instead since I brought along my laptop. After I hopped off and made a pit stop to the restroom I looked at my phone for the time which read 9:24 and my plane was scheduled to depart at 9:50 YIKES! I ran the rest of the way to the door where the Delta agent stood with the last few stragglers including my travel buddy Crystal! lol

As I sat in my window-seat and stared out into the blue skies I began thinking about my life as a mom + wife and new entrepreneur. I thought about my goals and trips I aspired to take with my family and it brought me some peace. I crave alone time but it's not always possible with the lifestyle that I have chosen. I usually get to spend time alone after the kids have gone to bed at night or when they are napping during the day but I also have to carve out time for my husband so that really doesn't leave a lot of time to spend in solitude. Now that I'm on a momcation I'm thinking that a bit of solitude is good for all of us and I encourage my husband to take a solo trip of his own too to gain a clearer perspective of his own life + goals outside of the reaches of the kids.

Here are 10 reasons why taking a Momcation may be a good idea for you too:

1. Your kids will be OK without you. As a SAHM the responsibilities mostly lie in my hands as far as taking care of the children is concerned. I always wondered how well my husband would manage without me and if he'd be too overwhelmed but I must say he's been pulling his fair share of the load since I've been gone. My oldest son actually got sick and puked all over the car as we drove to drop me off for my trip. I started thinking this was the first sign that I shouldn't go. I felt terrible as he sat in the back of the car covered in puke. We pulled over to clean him up and all the while I'm thinking this couldn't be better timing but Jason held it together and sent me some videos of the boys bouncing around playing the next day. I am so happy he's feeling better already and I don't have to worry about him not having me by his side.

2. Motherhood is a full time job. This goes without saying and no matter if you work or stay at home it seems like the list of things to do never ends. Every mom needs a break from being a mom sometimes.

3. Your kids will miss you and that's a good thing. Sometimes we need to miss the things we ought to cherish the most. It's easy to under appreciate the things you take for granted because you think they will always be there for you. Kids don't always recognize just how much you do for them and how your presence impacts their lives.

4. Your spouse will learn to appreciate you more too! When you automatically depend on your spouse to do most of the chores and child rearing it can be lost on you to realize just how much they contribute to the life that you lead. Some things can go unnoticed or under appreciated when it appears as if everything just magically happens but things like shuffling the kids to playground, grocery shopping, preparing meals, baths, homework, reading bedtime stories, brushing teeth, cleaning the house and the occasional emergency room visit is all a lot of hard work.

5. The kids will bond more with dad. My husband has sent me a few videos since I left ensuring me that they are OK and having fun. They don't get to spend a lot of quality time with him since he works so often and I'm grateful that he was able to step back from the computer and actively engage with the boys while I am away.

6. Your kids will grow in your absence. Sometimes I notice when P goes off to school or has a playdate he comes back with a new vocabulary word or notion about something he's learned when on his own. I think being away from their primary educator will do some good and they will in turn mature a bit on their own. They will also learn that dad can teach them in his own way too. They will experience life in a different way with just dad and they can draw on their strengths + learn new skills while learning to navigate the day without you.

7. You can finally finish that book. I was able to finish reading, the Influencer, by Brittany Hennessy on the plane. The next book on my list is, Essentialism, which is waiting to be picked up at my local library.

8. You will learn to miss your family. The concept of appreciating the things that you don't have doesn't escape moms on momcations. I miss the sound of my kids even though their noises are the constant cause of my daily stress. I suppose once I am reunited with them that noise will sound more like music now that I had a chance to take a break from it.

9. You will be able to do more adult activities on your trip. I was able to ride a bike through the local town here in Hopkins Bay and we are going snorkeling in the Barrier Reef. I wouldn't have been able to ride a bike with the kids because they don't come with child seats. We usually send P to the kids club while on vacation to have somewhat of a break but we've never had just alone time as a couple to do an excursion without the kids since they were born. We definitely have to put that in our budget for our next family vacation. As I rode around the town I thought how fun it would have been to be doing this with my husband.

10. Lastly, you will love coming home. I'm already excited about retuning home and giving my hubs + kids a big kiss. I can't wait to plan our next family trip together. I also had the idea to take the boys on separate mommy + me trips to spend more quality time with them. I'd love to take a couple baecation but we just don't have that type of familial support so we will just have to work around that and utilize the kids club or babysitting abroad.

I already feel recharged after only being gone for 1 day so far and I'm so glad that I finally took the plunge to book this trip. The best part of this trip so far is that it has motivated me in ways to be a better mom, wife and entrepreneur. That's just the telltale sign of a great vacation!

Have you ever taken a momcation? Let us know I'd love to hear from you!

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