By Guest Blogger Julie Fritz

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night, rolled over, looked at your spouse/partner and thought, who are you? When you are in the throes of raising a family it is so easy to lose sight of your relationship. You are often going different directions, attending different activities and trying to find a little “me” time.  

My husband and I have been together 18 years and we have two children under 4. Needless to say, we were a couple for a long time before we became a family. But kids change things. After our son was born, we realized we were going to have to put some serious effort into out relationship if we wanted to make it work. That became even more apparent after our daughter was born.

In our daily time budget, one of the places that suffered the most and was the first to get cut was our relationship. And we aren’t alone. Parents spend so much time being parents they forget to be spouses, lovers and even friends.

A quick weekend getaway can be just the thing to give you a chance to reconnect. Don’t worry, it is easy to get reconnected and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time or money.  

Getting Reconnected

When you get a chance to get away, it’s important to have fun and relax. But don’t waste an opportunity to improve your relationship and communication. I have talked to lots of my friends about ways to reconnect with their spouses. Here are just a few ideas.

• Make a list of all the areas in you life. Work, hobbies, goals, parenting, love life, etc. Talk about each area and how you could both improve and grow.  
• Talk about how far you have come in your relationship and talk about what you love about each other.
• Spend time doing an activity you enjoy doing together that might that might have gone to the back burner since having kids. Examples include, hiking, biking, tennis
• Spend a day in bed. Don’t do anything besides just relax, watch movies, read, and order food delivery. Just enjoy each others company.

Places to go

You really don’t have to go far to feel like you are million miles away! I find that if there is a spa and room service I can truly find my happy place. We have been to Grandover in Greensboro a few times. It’s close enough to get away for just one night and come back feeling refreshed and reconnected.

Right Here In The Triad

If all you can do is get away for one night, then stay right here in the Triad. We have some great hotels that have great restaurants on the property. Take advantage of leaving your house and let yourself relax. Here are some great hotels you might enjoy:

• • Kimpton Cardinal Hotel – thecardinalhotel.com
  • Grandover – grandover.com
  • Proximity Hotel – proximityhotel.com
  • O’Henry Hotel – ohenryhotel.com

Asheville

Only 2 to 2 ½ hours away from the triad, Asheville is a great weekend getaway.  You can plan to a hike, go to a spa or enjoy one of the many great restaurants. You can stay in a cabin, at a luxury hotel, downtown or even go camping. This archived blog has some great ideas. In addition, check out www.exploreasheville.com.

Raleigh

Another quick easy get away will get take you to Raleigh. There are wonderful museums, great restaurants, and plenty of state history to explore. If you feel like splurging, stay at the Umstead for a truly luxurious hotel and spa experience. Visit the website www.visitraleigh.com for some fabulous ideas. 

Charlotte

Like their website boasts, Charlotte’s got a lot! (Visit www.charlottesgotalot.com!) With a booming downtown, an outdoor adventure center, an amusement park and lots of great sporting events, you will have a great weekend there. You can stay downtown or in any of the smaller suburban areas around and have a great time. Here are a few ideas we have run on TMoM previously.

It is always nice to get away, but if you can’t make that happen, that’s ok. The important thing is to remember that you need to stay connected to your partner. If that means that you find a way to a have kid-free meal together once a month, or you make the effort to stay up late after the kids are in bed to spend time together, every little bit matters. It’s hard to be the best parents you can be when you can’t communicate with your partner, or enjoy your marriage sometimes. Putting a little effort into that, however you can, will go a long way.

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