Single Mom Thriving: A Guide To Running Away

Do you long to run away?

Have you ever longed to escape from the 24/7 parenting?

Many years ago I had a single momma adventure planned. I had plane tickets. Child care was lined up. I was hitting the road.

For months, anytime I would feel tired or scared or overwhelmed , I would breathe in and think of  my upcoming trip.

Puke bug. Breathe in.

Sibling squabbles. Breathe in.

Having to be at three kid events at the same time. Breathe in.

Laundry. Dishes, Home Maintenance. Breathe in.

I could handle it all. I had an escape all planned out. I was running away.

Until...

The day before my departure, my child care fell through.

I. WAS. DEVASTATED.

Never ever plan an extended trip as a single mom without back up child care. 

My devastation taught me more than the importance back up child care.

My devastation taught me to plan a daily escape and a weekly running away.

Daily escapes are simply making sure I do something just for me. I even take a picture. You can watch that here

Running away is  taking weekly solo adventures. These adventures can be for a few hours or an entire day. The only rule is to run away somewhere.

Today  I ran away here:

And marked it with this:

One day soon I will go on that big trip. But for this past decade a daily escape and weekly running away has been more than enough.

Try it and let me know!

What are your best escapes and run aways as a single mom? Let us know in the comments.

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Blessings,
Virginia

Single Mom Thriving: As The Nest Empties

It seems just yesterday I was in the crazy single mom race of leaving no kid behind.  There were picnic dinners in the van. Homework help as we waited for a sibling at practice. Endless loads of laundry. More games than I could count. A few cases of the flu that derailed the sytem. And only one child left behind. Bless that coach who waited those 20 minutes.

Just like all phases of parenting,  I thought it would last forever.

It didn't.  One child is at home and his two older siblings are in college.

Dropping my daughter off at college was sad and it took me off guard. You can read that here.

Once the sadness lifted something else came up.

I got excited.

As each child heads off to college I receive a gift: I know I succeeded as a single mom.

Statistically, being raised by a single mom in a certain income bracket equals marginal student success. I tossed out believing in any statistic right off the bat 14 years ago.

I chose to believe in something else.
I chose to believe in myself.
I chose to believe in my family.
I chose to believe that my family was whole.
I chose to believe in my children.

That success did not come easy.  There were times I felt so scared I could barely breathe. There were many late nights crying. And there were typical family dynamics.

But this chapter is ending.

After 14 years of single parenting and putting my children at the front burner of my life I see a clear space opening up. I get to be on the front burner. And as the nest empties I am already taking advantage of it.

However, empty nest or not, I will never grow tired of being with these three

Blessings,
 Virginia

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