Six years ago, I honestly couldn’t fathom how mothers of more than one kid did it let alone SOLO PARENT THREE OF THEM for THREE weeks. Send me into a coma why dontcha. I did panic inside my brain when Scott mentioned the fact he was thinking of going on that said trip.
Can you imagine? The thought of keeping everyone happy, fed, and alive, especially with school schedules thrown in the mix, felt crazy hard to me, man. How do you manage to entertain a toddler and a 4 year old while also getting the oldest to school and back? Well friends, I did it and it honestly wasn’t bad at all. Sent them all to bed super early every night, so I could unwind for at least an hour before I went to bed.
Scott, good ol’ Scott went over to Copenhagen – to Europe his first time over there at all so he decided to make the most of it, and why not right? Who knows when he or I will be back over that ocean. Go for it buddy.
Let’s get back to me. ha. Like I said, honestly, it wasn’t as hard—or as bad—as I’d imagined. I won’t pretend it was a breeze, but I had some solo-mama-survival ideas up my sleeve. My car became my primary mode of transportation. I usually walk everywhere with the stroller, but preserving my sanity and energy(because it was getting hot in the days) became the priority. So, drives: everywhere. A trip to McDonalds, Pizza My Heart and the boys first time to In-N-Out, perfect supper plans. More movies than I’d care to admit, and blessedly early bedtimes became the norm. I even started to think, “I can do this again!” (Shhh, don’t tell Scott).
The biggest hurdle for me was the complete lack of down time (okay minus the early bed times and having a moment to myself) but as Mama’s know, the instant you try to sneak away during the day time to get 5 mins of peace, or even to pee by yourself without someone hammerin’ on the door looking for ya was…. a bit much.
Anyway pals, I learned that I’m stronger and more capable than I ever imagined. I can totally do that again. I just need to be prepared. Now it’s time for me to think of a plan to get away for a bit. Anyone want a visitor??? :)
I was feeling adventurous last weekend: 3 playgrounds in 2 days. I wasn’t even that overly caffeinated, ha!
There’s a set of large communal swings that multiple kids can pile onto at once. Baby swings for your younger kids. A rolling slide that was a hit for my boys and I love the new adorable beaver statue addition with a crawl (or walk if you’re a small kid) in beaver dam which will totally spark imaginative play.
One thing to keep in mind: the ground is covered in wood chips. While this is fine for older kids, it wasn’t ideal for my youngest, as I couldn’t let him crawl around without worrying about splinters or him trying to snack on the chips. If you’re bringing a baby, I recommend a stroller or baby carrier to make things easier.