Mommy Escapes!

I spent a blissful four days away from home with my girlfriends in a “little log cabin” in the middle of the woods where we scrapbooked, solved the world’s problems, took butt-busting (hilly) walks, ate heartily, befriended a cat and hot tubbed under clear starry skies. It’s really just what I needed. I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed with life, the change of seasons and the prospect of heading into the holidays, birthdays and cold. I came home feeling quite refreshed and a lot less stressed, ready to tackle more and with a brighter outlook towards life.

It’s quite amazing how relaxing it can be to be surrounded by paper and tools to then spend an hour crafting an owl out of said paper and tools. Cathartic and cute. A winning combination. Scrapbooking is my Prozac.

It’s easier to go when I know the girls are with their amazing daddy. Loran kept them busy with museum visits, the circus, shopping, leaf raking and then cleaning up their chaos. He even thinks of small details, like putting his business card in Lillian’s jacket pocket at the science museum, because she’s hard to keep track of. Smart man. I arrived home to a very clean house, with candles lit and two clean children in dresses and a tired, but happy husband. Loran assures me that they had a great, easy weekend. I’ve found a few signs that there was some trouble here and there, but overall, everyone’s still alive and with all God-given parts and happy, so I’d call it a success. Both girls were in bed and sleeping by 7:15, if that’s any indication on the amount of fun they had. They were very excited to see me, which made reentry into real-life a lot easier.

The “shack” the 15 of us called home.

Just catching up with the girls when I got home was fun. It seems like they grew over the weekend! Ella was so talkative and descriptive in what she was telling me. Lillian was far more expressive, with new words and phrases. I loved it! Even funnier, Loran taught Ella to say, “Sorry North America!” every time she passes gas. She finds this hilarious, and it was pretty funny. Perhaps not the “excuse me” I’d been going for, but it got us all rolling with laughter. You’d think she’d eaten a can of beans for lunch given the frequency the phrase was uttered. Luckily, no beans, just hilarity.

I’m happy to home with my loving family, but getting away was just what I needed. Every once in a while, a mommy just needs a break, a chance to regroup before she loses her marbles. All of my marbles are back in the jar…at least for today.