A Staycation Could be the Thing Your Marriage is Missing!

Hey Mama Hey!!! I’m going to talk to you about something we haven’t touched on before. Your marriage. Your partnership. Your Boo. Your Bae. Whatever you call that relationship….”How y’all doin?” I ask because Motherhood can take a lot out of you. You can get caught up in the day to day tasks. Only going out as a couple when you have obligations. You might end most of your nights exhausted from both of your busy lives and falling asleep with HGTV on in the background.

Okay, real talk….I am talking about Papa Fresh and I.

My husband and I had gotten into a rut. We went out together but it was often when we had an event we committed to as a couple. His work party. A friends bday dinner. Those type of things. It had been a long time since we had went out as a couple “just because.”

So on my long list of resolutions for the year, there was one that is written in big, black permanent marker: MORE DATE NIGHTS! So here we were 3 weeks into the year and we were failing miserably. So I did something that would give us a fresh start. Kick off our year of dating with a bang. I booked a Staycation. After reading this post I want you to do the same.

I was a skeptic of the staycation concept. Why would I pay for a hotel room? If ObieQ was spending the night with our parents we could just stay at home right? It’s the same thing. No, Mama it is not the same.

Booking a hotel for the night switches up your surroundings and sparks some fire. I also found out you don’t have to go far to get away.

We booked a night at the new Sophy Hotel in Hyde Park, Chicago literally minutes away from our home. The Sophy is a boutique hotel with a Hyde Park vibe. We checked in on a snowy night and as soon as I saw that lobby with the fire place going. I knew we made the right move.

The Sophy is filled with artwork, books, music that all represent Chicago. We didn’t feel like we were staying at a cookie cutter hotel. One of my favorite touches was a record player in our room with hand picked vinyl. Obie put on a blues record and just like that BOOM we were in our own world.

No toys around for me to step over. No laundry making me feel guilty. Just me and my husband. We needed this.

We had dinner right downstairs at Mesler Kitchen. We started with drinks and my old fashioned reminded me again, I was on Staycation! The food was delicious and I am still thinking about the roasted cauliflower. After dinner we made our way to the lobby and saw friends that were also enjoying a kid free night. The wife of the couple commented how relax we looked. She squinted her eyes and asked “What’s going on?” Answer: We were on Staycation. That was the key. It was something about being right downstairs. We didn’t have to worry about getting back to a sitter or calling an Uber in this snow storm. We were good. Boo’d up and all good.

We were away from home for less than 24 hours but it was the recharge our marriage needed. Nine Minutes. That’s how far we were from our house. We truly had an experience like we were in a different city. The time to focus on each other. Laugh without being interrupted. Have late night conversation without the constant background of the white noise machine from Q’s room coming through the baby monitor. We needed this.

In 2018 the buzz word was Self Care. I am carrying that into 2019 but I am also adding Couple Care. We are going to be more intentional about the time we pour into our marriage. This helps me be a better wife, a better Mama and happier Me!

I HIGHLY recommend staying at The Sophy. The staff was so accommodating and the rooms are so full of character. *Mama Fresh Tip* If you are a Chicago resident, take advantage of their $99 room rate! I will definitely be staying there again. I got word that they are prepping their Hyde Park Brew Fest & Silver Room Block Party packages now. (I will keep you in the loop)

Book it Mama. Book it today. Send your partner a Google Invite if you have to. Make your marriage a priority.