First flight without the kiddos...wait, whaat?! Yes, its been about 5 years since we've traveled anywhere further than 2 hours driving distance without the kids. But strangely, when the husband comes home and tells you he bought tickets to Chicago for $30 roundtrip per person, you consider bringing the kids; or maybe just one child. He told me I was crazy, but the thought of leaving both children at home (with grandparents of, course) made me anxious. Part of me was jumping up and down at the thought of a getaway without having to worry about packing and toting the kiddos with us, let alone scheduling our days to work around nap times and bed times. Another part of me worried about whether or not they would survive without us-- i.e. sleeping and eating plus fear of Mommy and Daddy never coming back.
They were all valid concerns, some may have been irrational, but I'm sure every Mama runs through a list of "what ifs," anytime they leave their little cubs behind. After checking in with my in-laws, and having a pep-talk from Mike, I agreed to the idea (it didn't take too much convincing). He reminded me of our past marital counseling sessions, when our counselor had told us it would be ideal for us to plan a mini getaway yearly-- without any children. Of course this isn't always doable, considering the time, money, energy and babysitting that would be involved in order to make this "getaway" possible. It is an investment, and is something to consider for the sake of our marriage. Fortunately, we were blessed to have willing grandparents who were able to stay at our place with the kiddos for a few nights (I may or may not have left them with a 5-page instructional...), and thankfully no one starved or ended up in the ER. There were however, bouts of tears the first night, in which they told us not to call or FaceTime again for everyone's sake!
All in all, our little getaway was a good refresher for the both of us. Even though neither of us could really sleep in or stay up late (our bodies have been kid-trained), we found rest in other ways. The time spent focused on each other helped us to better appreciate the other person, and reminded us of the reasons why we were together in the first place. Sometimes in the midst of all the busyness and chaos we encounter each day, it's easy to forget that we are one team, playing for the same team. I would highly recommend this for any weary parents out there!
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| Came here for a goat milk latte - can't say it wasn't all too bad... |
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| Can't leave without trying a Chicago dog! |
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| Caught a Cubs game at the legendary Wrigley Field |
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| These budding tulips were all over the streets of downtown! |
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| For some reason, both of us never came across this fountain the first time we visited Chicago. |
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| Can you spot us? : ) |
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| Narcissism at its finest. |
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| A little tip for Au Cheval: Come early and have their burger for breakfast instead of waiting several hours for lunch or dinner! |
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| Sawada Coffee - Eclectic coffee shop with ample seating and a delicious matcha latte |
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| Finding a little piece of Paris wherever I go... |
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| Wormhole Coffee Shop - Transport back to the 80s with an actual DeLorean chilling on top, play Nintendo in the back and admire all the kitsch 80s memorabilia; a must for any 80s child! |
- Fin -
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