As you know my husband and I were in San Antonio this past weekend for our first getaway without Monkey. It was really a fantastic time all around!
I’ll spare you all of the details, but our weekend can be summed up in a few words: spa, drinks, sun, food (specifically queso), and walking.
I had the best spa day of my life. It included an 80 minute swedish massage, 80 minute pedicure, manicure, body wrap, time in the sauna, steam room, & sipping on lemon water with cucumbers on my eyes in the relaxation room.
Ahhh, it was glorious! (& it’s okay, be jealous. I know I would! 
)
Fast-forward to the drunken advice that I was given. Tarzan and I were at a bar and a very friendly drunk girl told me to kiss her cheek. I was not as drunk as her, so I declined, but we struck up a conversation. What a way to break the ice, eh?!
She asked why we were in San Antonio & I told her that we have a 7 month old baby & just needed to get away. She told me that she was a newlywed, the 2nd time around. Together her & her current husband have five children together. She said, “Don’t tell my husband, but I wish that I could have made my first marriage work.”
She went on to tell me how wonderful it was that Tarzan & I were out, not as parents, but as a married couple. She said that right when she had her first child, her & her ex husband stopped working on the marriage part of their relationship. They were just so & so’s mom & dad.
They fizzled out of love & did nothing to make it work, hence the divorce.
She told me to cherish this time away from Monkey because it would make me a better mom, wife, & all-around person. We only talked for a short time, but I totally & completely agree with her.
This past weekend did wonders for how I feel about my relationship with my husband. It made me realize that we still have it & still have a great time together. I implemented a rule that we didn’t talk about Monkey, work, money, etc. Our short weekend was just about us. Obviously we ended up looking at pictures of Monkey on our phones, but we just enjoyed each other’s company.
While I was getting a manicure a lady said to me, “Oh, you must miss your son terribly!” While I did miss him, I needed this getaway & I was at a point when I was ready for it. I knew Monkey was in excellent hands with my parents & honestly I was just having a great time with my husband. I missed Monkey, but I wasn’t rushing back home & cutting my trip short.
I forgot what it was like to not have a routine. I forgot what it was like to eat breakfast slowly and without interruption. I forgot what it was like to have one too many drinks, dance with my husband, come home at 1am, & then sleep until 10am. It was just what I needed.
My advice to anyone that is a parent, whether you have one child or five children, is to take time away from being mom or dad & remember what it is like to be a couple. You will come back being a better mother/father, husband/wife, & a happier person all together.
You might also want to read:
- Missing out on a bachelorette party because of my baby? Me? Really?!
- 31 weeks pregnant: Advice needed on where to put the baby’s nursery. Again.
- Update on previous post: No divorce here
- “All moms lie about their children”… Really?!
- And it’s time for a romantic getaway for just the two of us!
[...] entry from the mother I feel is sort of what I was getting at before… taking time to be me not just [...]