There comes a time every so often when a woman just needs to get away. Sometimes it is business, but other times it can be for fun.  Taking some time for yourself to be whole, reflect, and just relax are important. They are what help to make you a better mom. I had the opportunity to do this for a weekend. It was amazing!

Now onto the scary part, or for me it is scary: Leaving your family and just going.  Here’s the thing. I have an amazing husband, who could keep things running well without me, but I still sometimes feel guilty about leaving.  I have all these worries. I decided though before I left this time, I would step into teacher mode for a moment. I never left my students without a lesson plan or list of things they could do while I was gone.  So why would I leave the little people and the wonderful husband with nothing and say, “Wing it, good luck and I will be back Sunday.” I could, and they would be just fine, but I would worry.

THE SURVIVAL GUIDE

Here is an editable survival guide I created to help not only the sitter, but anyone who is working with the kids while I am gone.

IMPORTANT: Make a copy of this file first in Canva, or any personal information you type in will be seen by someone else.

In this case, it was my husband. While some people may already know these things, our kids are always changing and so are some of their interests and behaviors. This guide is a place where you can edit and keep an updated schedule or preferences for whoever could be watching your child(ren).  I created this guide before our second child was due, just so whoever was watching our oldest could know and keep his daily routines somewhat normal.

LEAVE SOME FOOD

Like I was saying earlier, my awesome husband can cook, clean, and keep things running smoothly.  Yet, I wanted to have a few things ready to give a little extra helping hand while I was away. One thing I did was prep a meal, in this case lasagna.  All he had to do was cook it, and they had dinner. This could also be simply having an order to a favorite restaurant written down or saved and then simply having it delivered.  This is just one way to show you care and know that everyone is getting something good to eat.

LEAVE SOME SNACKS FOR THE CAREGIVER

As a thank you, and “I was thinking about you”, I left my husband a “husband survival kit” of snacks.  He probably would be fine just eating the goldfish crackers…probably. As you can see from the picture, I left him a collection of some of his favorite snacks, a mixture of healthy and fun.  Things to give him energy after chasing our little guys. I left it because it was a chance to say thank you for taking care of the team. Thank you for putting up with sometimes cranky toddlers and preschoolers and surviving nighttime wakings.  Thanks for letting me take some time for me!

LEAVE SOME ACTIVITIES FOR THE KIDS

I left some ideas of things they could do while I was gone. They did other things, but at least they had some ideas.  I also went to the store before I was gone, and I found these amazing Crayola markers that only work on specific Crayola paper.  I thought these were really wonderful, especially since the almost two year old has found the regular Crayola markers and tested them on various objects around the house.  I also got some new Play-Doh because ours was dry and old. The novelty of new things got their attention and kept them occupied for at least a little bit. It was also a way for me to say I was thinking of the kids too.

CLEAN WHAT HAS TO BE CLEANED AND SET THINGS OUT

This is probably something that doesn’t need to be said, but it helps.  A lot of this depends on time. If you are out of time, pack your bags and go.  If you have some time, though, leave things like the kitchen and bedrooms somewhat organized.  It helps the spouse or caregiver find the needed items to get the child ready to eat or get into bed.  If there are certain utensils or bath toys or anything in particular your child really is enjoying, you could leave it out or write it down on your caregiver/ babysitter guide.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: LEAVE

Your family needs a healthy, happy you.  You have left things for them to be successful and now it is time to get out and go.  Go dream, explore, and enjoy a meal without kids. Go, Momma, go!

What things do you leave out or do for your family before you leave? Feel free to comment below.