Momcation: Taking a Vacation, Because You Deserve It!

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I’m taking a Momcation.  Why?  Because I deserve to have a vacation for just me, to pamper myself with the one thing I don’t get enough of while being a stay-at-home-mom: time.  Time to myself. Time to eat my HOT meal. And to read my book. Time to work on my book I’m writing, time to take a long shower or bath. And to lay out on the beach. Time to shop and walk and sleep in.  Time for myself and no one else.  Practice saying this a few times:

I deserve time off for me.

You may be saying a few things right now, and allow me to anticipate what you might say, and address those thoughts.

“But, my husband/partner is the one who works full time and he never gets to take a trip, so why should I?”

Well, this is one of my recurring thoughts, too, and I can tell you after numerous times asking myself this question I have come to this belief:  YOU ALSO WORK FULL TIME.  Whether you go to a job and work, or you stay at home with the kids, you work.  Just because HE/SHE didn’t think of taking a vacation first, doesn’t mean you don’t deserve it.  Have you felt overwhelmed, tired, hopeless, depressed, burnt-out?  I firmly believe your body is telling you to take a break.  After all, parenting isn’t a 9-5 job.  It’s 24/7. And it can really take a toll.

Momcation: Taking a Vacation, Because You deserve It!“But why wouldn’t I just go on a trip WITH my husband, without the kids?”

When I got married, and even several years into my 9 year marriage, I often had thoughts of ‘why would anyone take a vacation without their husband?’  Well, my belief on this now is that it’s important for a marriage to also have the occasional break.  Not a separation, but a vacation.  I often appreciate my husband so much more when he’s been gone on a business trip…I’m sure it works the other way around.  I don’t get business trips as a stay-at-home mom, so this trip is my ‘business trip’, as it’s just as vital to my ‘job’ of being a good mom and wife as any business trip.  You don’t have to do everything together, just because you are married.  You are partners in life, and sometimes that means one person has to pick up the slack while the other takes care of themself.

“We don’t have a vacation in the budget”

We didn’t either.  Until I asked my husband to skip my birthday and Christmas gift this year.  I also discovered the little gem that is Airbnb.com.  People renting out their homes for a fraction of the cost of a hotel!  I found a private home 2o minutes away from most of the things I plan to see, for $40 per night.  Then, I found some extremely good deals for flights by looking far in advance and locking it in early.  My husband and I agreed on a $500 budget, and I have so far done it in $400.  (That’s cutting out 40 bucks here and there, 10 times)  Also, no one said you have to fly anywhere, or be gone for more than a few days.  You could take a 2 hours drive to a cute little B&B for two nights and call it a nice relaxing weekend!

“My kids would be so sad if I left them.”

They’ll get over it!  You DESERVE this.  You have put in your time, your effort, your tears and YOU can waltz off into the sunset for a few days and let Dad, or Grandma, or Aunt, or someone else deal with it.  Having some alone time with their dad, or other family member will be good for them.  It’ll help them to become more independent and self-soothing.  They’ll have a blast, regardless of the tears as you walk out the door.  (And so will you)

Now, I will end by saying this:

If any of this rang true or made you stop and think about taking your own Momcation–run, don’t walk!  Don’t hesitate.  Do it for your kids.  Do it for your partner.  Most importantly, do it for YOU.