Get rid of that Mommy guilt!

I can't believe how great I feel this morning! I have so much energy, and I have been really "present" with the kids. I think it is because they went to stay with Grandma and Grandpa yesterday -- from about 1 p.m. until 9 a.m. this morning. Yippee! Paul and I had a break!

After we dropped the kids off, we went to get a couples massage; I got a pedicure; we went to a local waterfront restaurant for an appetizer and a cocktail; then we spent the evening chillin' on the patio at a friend's house. It was so relaxing.

I started to miss the kids early, though. The entertainer at the restaurant had his 3-year-old daughter with him -- she was playing around the stage and laying down in his guitar case. It was so cute! Watching her made me miss my little guys and feel guilty for wanting a break from them. It's funny how that works, isn't it? You want a break so bad, but when you get it, you feel guilty for taking it.

Well, this morning when I realized how happy I was to see the kids and play with them, I thought about that guilt, and I realized I shouldn't feel that way, because the mom Tyler and Alyssa got back this morning was a much better mom than the exhausted one that dropped them off at Grandma's house the day before.

As parents, we need a break from our kids. We need time just to be, and we shouldn't feel guilty for taking it. It makes us better parents when we are with them. Happy  Sunday!