Get thee to the Vortices

You wake up every morning to the same routine. You stare at the alarm clock and think, really, I couldn't have at least slept until the alarm actually went off? Then you lie there trying to force yourself back into sleep, but you know your sweet little angel or angels will start to stir at any moment and more often than not that means your ears are about to be assaulted with baby wailing. Ugh, not again. Is this what life has become? An endless cycle of sleepless nights, listening to your partner sleeping soundly beside you as you try to catch a few moments of REM sleep between the sweet sounds of their snoring and your baby's sobbing? You find yourself going through the motions more and more automatically; shuffle to the bathroom, pee, wash hands, brush teeth, sigh disgustedly at your reflection and opt for a pony tail again, grab a marginally clean pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt out of a random pile, shuffle into baby's room, coo at baby, change baby's diaper, dress baby as if he or she is going to a talent show, feed baby. Wash, rinse, repeat. Somewhere in the night, I am not sure which night, you lost yourself and became the mombot.

Fortunately for most of us, though, there is a way to reverse the mombot transformation and regain some of our former fabulousness. While some may need a major intervention ala What Not To Wear, I have found that you don't need Stacy and Clinton to pop out of a closet and steal all your clothes to help you find yourself again. You will need either a supportive and understanding partner or a friend or relative who is willing to help out. Why you ask? Because what you really need is TIME AWAY! What? That's allowed? YES! Most emphatically, YES! While there is a lot to be said for a couple's retreat for the beleaguered parents to get away, I firmly believe that mom's bear the brunt of the emotional and physical care of the children in most cases (I do admit there are always exceptions to this rule), and need time to get away BY THEMSELVES.

Unfortunately this is extremely hard for many caregivers to do for many reasons. We feel guilty for leaving our children behind, because we are afraid they will feel abandoned. We feel guilty for leaving our partner alone with what we know is a heavy burden of taking care of the kids. We worry what other people will think about us for leaving our kids alone at home while we go off to have fun. We worry that something could go wrong while we are away. Most of all, though, we worry that no one else will be able to take care of our babies as competently as we do. We have to remind ourselves, though, that in order to keep being good, competent caregivers to our children we first must take care of ourselves and make sure our heads are in the game. We owe it to ourselves, our partners, and our children to make sure we do this, because otherwise we may find ourselves turning into evil mombots.

One way I love to recharge is to go someplace for the weekend, or even for an overnight trip. I like to pick someplace close to home so I feel like I can get back if there is an emergency. Once I took a 24 hour vacation and stayed at a Casino Hotel, had dinner at a swanky restaurant, gambled a little, had a few drinks, walked around, and had room service and spa treatments the next day! The ultimate for me, though, is a weekend getaway to Sedona, Arizona. This area is supposed to be filled with mystical energy and vortexes of healing power. I don't know if there is any scientific evidence to back the energy claims, but I do know that when I am there I feel such a deep sense of peace that I feel instantly recharged. There is also a sweet little coffe shop with an amazing view of Oak Creek Canyon that sells Harney and Sons teas that make me so happy because they are sold in little silk sachets and just feel extra special.

Find places and opportunities like these near you, doing things you love to do for short Mommy-Getaways. Believe me, you not only deserve them, you need them! In fact, your family will probably thank you for it since you won't be nearly as scary.