Weekend getaway, here we come!

Baltimore's Inner Harbor

I am super-duper excited for this weekend and the quality family time we have planned! Even though the boys are still young, so they are rarely away from us, it seems we don't get enough time for the four of us to relax together. When we're all home, often either Hubby or I am with the kids while the other gets some work done. Quality family time comes in bits and spurts throughout our day, sandwiched between household chores and tasks on our to-do lists - like tonight, when Zippy gave us all a "dance lesson" between dinner and baths.

A couple of weeks ago I had the urge to do something as a family for more than 30 minutes. I racked my brain for ideas of what we could do together. Bowling? Children's museum?  Indoor water park? It is hard to find indoor activities that will engage both a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old. At least in the summer we can go to the pool or hiking or have a picnic.


Each summer we spend a few days at the beach and I cherish that time together. There are no meals to cook, no email to check, no errands to run. There is nothing to do but enjoy each other's company. The fact we get to relax together for more than an afternoon makes it all the more wonderful. So I decided that even better than an afternoon together would be a weekend together. When I was a kid my parents would occasionally take us for an overnight trip with no purpose but to get away. We would drive to Montreal or Boston, go out to dinner, and stay at a hotel with an indoor pool. It was a great way to fight off cabin fever during a cold and snowy winter, and as kids we thought it was a special treat 

So, tomorrow morning we head to Baltimore! We've done the aquarium a couple of times before, so we're going to check out the Maryland Science Center. Zippy is totally into all-things-dinosaur right now and they have a what looks like a fabulous hands-on dino exhibit, plus a special bug exhibit and a Kids Room geared to kids 0-8. I have a feeling they will love it! I found a hotel with an indoor pool and the boys are already excited about swimming once we check in. Extra bonus: I waited until the last minute to finally book the room and the rate had gone down significantly! Yee-haw! Sunday maybe we'll check out the Port Discovery Children's Museum, although with a forecast of 70 degrees- yes, 70 degrees in March! - we may just end up wandering around the Inner Harbor. Maybe we'll grab lunch outside and watch the boats. Either way we'll be together. No distractions, just family.

I know it isn't necessary to take a trip to connect as a foursome and that those moments together, sandwiched into our day-to-day lives, are just as valuable. But I sure am looking forward to it! Hopefully reality lives up to my fantasy for the weekend, but at the very least I'm sure we'll make some great memories with the boys.

Photo of Inner Harbor by kymagirl via Creative Commons. Some rights reserved.