Time Out from Kids

Love the kids, needed a break. It's been almost a year since my husband and I had 24 hours without the kids. We took ours this weekend. Funny what we do with 24 hours now that we have kids. How much has changed in four years! Last year, we attempted New York City for two nights without the kids.

My idea of a great time without the kids is to walk at my own pace. No stopping to pick up sippy cups or to break up fights. No sprinting to catch people who attempt to dart across the street. No carrying people on my shoulders because they got tired. I want to stroll at my own pace once in a while and stop and see sights and watch people. My husband's idea of a great time was to read. Yes, New York City probably wasn't the best choice of places to visit for just sitting and reading.

This year we conferred before planning the trip, and decided to drop the kids in Richmond with my parents and just stay in Richmond--do a little shopping and walking for me and a little reading for him. And that's just what we did: a two-hour walk around the James River, shopping and lunch in Carytown where my husband sat and read, a trip to the mall (you can't do this with kids), dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant and sleeping in until 8 a.m. (I know, but when your kids wake before the sun, this is sleeping in.) Loved it!