Mix It Up: 48Hr Getaway- Florida
When March 2021 came around, I was getting restless. It had been over a year since the pandemic hit the United States and although, we were tired, my husband and saw a glimpse of hope which felt like a second wind: The Covid-19 vaccination. We had not gotten on a plane in that amount of time and our baby boy had never set toes on one. On the other hand, my daughter who was born 13 months prior to him had already had her passport stamped five times by the time she was half his age and easily as many trips domestically.
I wanted to take us away. Nothing fancy, nothing extra. Just away for a weekend. So when my husband told me he had a long weekend in March, I had to make a decision. Where are we going and how are we getting there? We were out of travel shape and quite frankly, I was finding myself overwhelmed some days with the daily routine. Getting up at 430am, working out then working a full day, coming home to the kids, bath, bottles, bedtime and an hour of catching up with my mom and husband as I packed lunch for Skylar, preopped my patients for the next day, etc before laying down on my side 8 months pregnant. Now I suddenly had the urge to make it even more difficult by messing up our almost 2 and almost 1 year olds schedule and taking it somewhere without a full kitchen or a diaper changing table carrying an extra 30 pounds. There was also a risk to traveling right now. We were both now fully vaccinated but no immunity is 100 effective and the pandemic is not over.
For being a mommy who thrives on taking off through the clouds and landing somewhere refreshing, I found myself having to convince myself. Standing in the shower, soaking in the last minutes of alone time, I thought, “That’s not you, Felicia. Where are we going and how are we getting there?”
Ricky had a long weekend and those are far and few in between when it comes to his schedule. I wasn’t going to waste that day off catching up on laundry, grocery shopping and stressing myself out if the babies woke up from their naps early.
“Hey Babe, I was thinking we can go to Florida for that weekend. Get a place with a pool and walking distance to the beach. Take the babies with us.”
“Ok and you said, take the babies with us?”
“Yes, they’re gonna love it.”
He agreed. That’s what I love about my husband. He is so down with my cause and ready to go with the our flow.
We had Friday through Sunday so I knew I didn’t want to go too far and spend most of that traveling. When we got there I didn’t want to waste any time running errands to get stuff that we forgot. After booking the flights, we had about 48 hours actually in Florida, checked-in and ready for activities.
Friday morning, we kissed our sweet sleeping babies awake, changed their diapers, gave them a bottle and loaded them into the packed SUV. Ricky and I might be out of travel shape but we had our song and dance when it came to the airport. Unload the double stroller, hang the 2 diaper bags, strap the babies in followed by bagging up the carseats and piling them onto a baggage roller with our check-ins. He parks the car as I go and check everything in. Usually by the time he gets back, we’re all ready to get through security. Not this time. The lady at the counter said I booked reservations for a bus to get to our layover in Newark, NJ and then from there we would get on a plane to Florida.
When the tickets said bus, I assumed Airbus. After all, I was booking United Airlines flight tickets. It didn’t occur to me that bus meant an hour and a half shuttle bus. Nothing could be checked at this airport and the carseat had to be unpacked for Maverick.
Ricky was less than thrilled. We could’ve driven ourselves comfortably straight to New Jersey. The shuttle felt inconvenient. For a moment I felt defeated by his frustration and thought maybe this was a bad idea. We got to the back row of the bus. Maverick fell asleep in his carseat and Skylar buckled up and started to sing, “The Wheels on the Bus,” and the negativity began to fade.
At Newark International, a much busier airport than Allentown, PA, we almost missed our flight. When we got to the Airbnb, the place wasn’t ready for check-in and Maverick had a his second blow out poop while we waited in the lobby as Ricky stepped away to take care of something that came up at his nursing home. All signs from the universe that again, maybe this was a bad idea. I dodged these signs, took a few deep breaths and remained determined that we would have a wonderful weekend.
And that was exactly what it was! Absolutely wonderful. The kids loved the Airbnb room and made a mess of it in less than 5 minutes after unlocking the door. The rooftop pool was what we needed after a hectic day of travel. Maverick splashed his face off as Ricky tossed Skylar in the air over and over again. We all slept in one room on one bed. The next morning we rented cabanas at the beach which was less than a block away and the weather was perfect- pure sunshine, minimal humidity and an occasional breeze. Maverick ate sand and quesadillas while Skylar chased birdies in her tutu bathing suit- her curls glistening as her skin soaked to a bronze. Maverick refused every ounce of formula offered to him the entire weekend and Skylar napped in her stroller after having ice cream dots for lunch. We walked the Hollywood Beach boardwalk and picked up matching Baby Shark t-shirts. We ended the day rinsing off the sand in the pool, admiring the sunset and indulging in tacos from a spot a local recommended half naked and half wet back in the Airbnb.
When it was time to go home, we packed up the rental minivan and the babies.
“Bye beach,” Skylar waved from her carseat.
Then, of course, we missed our flight home but the inconvenience didn’t feel like the one on our way to Florida. We played hide-and-seek at the airport, Ricky found some kids books to read and we watched planes launch into the sky. Our energy was different after the weekend. We rocked Baby Shark t-shirts and the babies made a lot of strangers smile. It was way better than our usual bedtime routine.
Those 48 hours were a reminder during a very long pandemic that if we have the time, lucky enough to have the means and can practically outweigh the risks with the benefits of getting away then we should. A new place, no schedule and different vibes feeds the soul! I feel so much more present with my family when we mix it up rather than checking the time for when it’s time for the next feed or nap and preoccupying my headspace with an endless to-do list. Enjoying the change of scenery and seeing my babies discover another environment rather than home this year is easily worth every seemingly inconvenient and exhausting task that it required to get there.
Mix it up, Mamas!!!
