No one ever told me that taking time for yourself, practicing self-care or living your best life came hand in hand with “Mom Guilt”. That feeling when you finally get a chance to yourself but you start to feel tremendous guilt for leaving your kids.
When my husband asked me to join him on his business trip to New York I immediately jumped at the opportunity. I originally planned that this post was going to be some elaborate travel guide filled with the trendiest restaurant recs, a bunch of “NY FALL #OOTD” and scenic photos.
But let’s be real, I barely even made it on the plane due to “Mom Guilt” holding me back and when we got to New York all I did was indulge in good food and catch up on sleep. (that’s all I needed!)
I was so excited about this trip up until I started packing the kids’ clothes, that’s when the Mom Guilt started to creep in.
“What if something happens and there’s an emergency?! We’re so far away!"
“Who’s going to take Lana to Ballet?! Will she go without me?!"
“Wes is a terrible sleeper. What if he doesn’t sleep well and he keeps our parents up all night?!"
The kids were going to split the week between both our parents; I started to feel bad that everyone was going through so much trouble just so I could get away for a few days. The trip started to feel selfish and unnecessary. I was ready to back out and tell my husband to go without me.
A friend & another amazing mama, Ericka messaged me after I opened up about having anxiety of leaving the kids.
“Remind yourself that moments like this are what you deserve to have, being the super mommy that you are! Being selfish sometimes to be able to give back the best-refreshed energy to your kids when you come home from the trip makes the difference! You deserve it, mama!” @erckamama
So after spending the whole day worrying, crying on and off and almost canceling my flight, I chose to look at it differently and in a more positive way. I had to remind myself that I needed to get away from time to time, that my husband and I deserved this time alone with each other and that our kids were in the best hands possible.
As soon as we go to the airport, I had a beer + a shot and Mama finally went on vacay mode!
This trip made me realize I was completely burnt out from staying at home mom with two kids. I needed to get away so I could come back and give my kids a refreshed and happier mama.
New York Guide
I had a long and detailed itinerary of all the places I wanted to go to. However, I just chose to relax and go with the flow of the week. We’ve been to New York plenty of times so didn’t need to do the usual tourist spots. We chose to stay in the East Village (whatever you do, avoid staying in Times Square) which was more of the vibe we were looking for. As much as I wanted to avoid the usual tourist spots, I did pass through Times Square and Grand Central Station. There’s something about the fast-paced, hustle & bustle that really makes me feel like we were in New York.
My Only Tip is - If you’re taking the red-eye to NY buy the flight attendants small bag of candy or a coffee - They’ll appreciate it for that overnight flight! That small gesture got me free mini bottles of wine all night and if it wasn’t a full flight I’m pretty sure I would’ve been bumped up to first-class! (haha)
Below are my favorite spots that we got around to!
