The Top 10 Reasons You Need to Plan a Getaway With Your Spouse WITHOUT your kids.

This one gets steamy folks.  My husband and I spend a good chunk of change on a vacation dedicated to each other every year.  I could use a new car. Our house has needed to be painted for over a year.  We’ve got a million other places we could spend our money, but I KNOW investing in our marriage will give us a great return.  Without further adieu, I give you The Top 10 Reasons You Need to Plan a Getaway With Your Spouse WITHOUT your kids.

  10.  Explore the world.  There’s a whole big world of beauty waiting for you outside of your kids’ playroom and you’ll never appreciate it more than now.  You’ll be amazed at all you can see, hear, and experience when you’re not diffusing a tantrum.

9.  Rediscover yourself.  Remember that person you were before you had kids?  Yeah, me neither.  But this is as close as you’re going to get.  

 Get dolled up.  Leave your yoga pants at home and shave your legs.  Put make up on and wear a dress that makes you feel like a million bucks. We mothers often claim the title “mom” as our identity and can start to feel a little lost without it.  

8.  Let people cook for you, forget the chores, and put wiping butts on hold.  We do it all, ALL the time.  Mothers are notorious for putting everyone else’s needs above their own.  For one week of the year, relinquish control and let others pamper you.   

7.   Let other people love on your kids.  If you’ve got family or close friends willing and able, let them spend quality time with your little ones.  Your kids will be making a whole set of their own memories, and let’s face it, grandparents, aunts and uncles are WAY more fun than mom and dad.  Grandma and Grandpa Giff let our kiddos order Mountain Dew at dinner while we were in Jamaica.  Needless to say, our kids can’t wait for us to plan our next trip.  Knowing that your kids can survive without you might be a little heart breaking at first, but it really is a great part of their development.  Which brings me to my next point…

6.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder.  My kids REALLY pushed me to the limits the week before we left on our trip.  I think we had more time outs and tantrums that week than the entire month.  I was basically counting the hours down to my week of “freedom” (judge if you will).  Less than 48 hours gone, Chris and I were scrolling through the pictures of our kids on our phones.  Your kids are NEVER more adorable than when they are an airplane ride away.  And this works both ways!  It’s good for them to miss you too.

5.  Talk big picture.  It is SO easy to get wrapped up in the day to day grind.  You’ve got work, a household to manage, the family activities and other obligations, and sometimes it’s easy to forget the important things. Take advantage of this precious time and talk with your spouse about where you see your family in 5 years, 10 years, and 20 years.  

4.  Sleep.  Take naps.  Long luxurious naps.  Multiple naps.  Fall asleep at your will, and wake up at your will.  This is SUCH a foreign concept for parents.

3.  Remember the relationship you had with your spouse before you had children.  Chris and I were married for 4 years before we had our first child and I feel like I hardly remember what our lives were like then.  One day your little ones will not be so little.  One day they will move out and when they do, you’ll want to know that your marriage wasn’t all about the kids.  Nurturing your marriage is one of the best things (if not the BEST thing) you can do for your children.  

2.  Sex. It’s better {and far more frequent} when you don’t have to worry about your kids’ needs.  At a MOPS convention last year I had the opportunity to hear Jennifer Degler speak on Fanning the Flame.  If you’ve ever heard her speak before, you’ll know exactly what I mean when I say that I joined the 324 Club on our last vacation.    

 1.  Make memories that will last a life time. I laugh out loud just thinking about that crazy time my husband tried to get me to do this ridiculous pose on the beach.  You should see the fail pictures.  Single words can trigger funny memories from our trip that will send us into hysterics.  When I’m on my death bed and I look back on my life these trips with my husband will be some of my most fondest memories.

Sit down with your spouse and plan a trip that you can take together {WITHOUT the kids} within the next year.  It doesn’t have to be extravagant and it doesn’t have to be long.  Figure out a way to make this trip fit into your budget.  It will be worth every penny.

Have you recently taken a GETAWAY with your spouse?  I’m always looking for recommendations to new places!  Tell us about it!  Join the discussion on our Facebook Page!

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