A few months ago, my husband and I thought to ourselves, Hey, you know what sounds like fun? Driving 2 days each way to Phoenix with our three children.
Actually, no. We kind of looked at each other and said, “Are we really doing this?”
Let me back up and give you some context.
My beautiful sister-in-law just had her second baby. We want to meet the new arrival and see the rest of the family in Phoenix. It’s important to us that our kids get time with their cousins — that’s one of our core values as parents.
When we pulled out the calendar and started trying to figure out this trip, spring break seemed like an ideal time for us to get away. From the airline schedules, it seems like everyone else thought so, too — which meant that ticket prices were insane.
Five tickets times approximately $9465 per ticket (I may be slightly exaggerating, but WHOA, MAMA, plane tickets are PRICEY) is more money than we budgeted for our family getaway.
But this trip is important to us. So instead of saying, “We can’t do this,” we said, “Let’s figure out a way to make this work.”
Driving long distances with young children isn’t always (ever) at the top of my list of super fun things to do — but we set out on this trip with plenty of positivity. And also snacks and earplugs, because we’re not crazy.
A major reward for driving all that distance is the The Free Mama Meetup planned for TOMORROW, March 12 in Phoenix — be sure to let me know if I’ll see you there!
We’re also going to visit Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon — I’m excited, and also a little nervous about keeping all three kids alive. Details.
Not spending $8 million on plane tickets also meant that I had some wiggle room in the budget, and I splurged on pretty luggage for the trip. It’s the little things that make me happy and that keep me sane for these many miles the road.
I hear all the time from mamas who can’t yet afford to invest in the 12-week program, but they want to get started and work from home as a Virtual Administrative Consultant. I can divide most of those mamas into two groups:
- I don’t have enough money, so I’m just going to post again and again about how I don’t have enough money and that’s why I’m not successful.
- I don’t have enough money for this program yet, so I’m going to start taking action and figure out how to get started on my own.
Which kind of mama are you? Are you the mama who lets an obstacle derail her? Or are you the mama who says, “I can figure this out!”
When your kids tell you, “I can’t find my [jacket/toy/homework/whatever],” what do you say? Do you encourage them to just give up? Or do you perhaps gently suggest that they continue looking?
Well, mama, this is me, gently suggesting that you continue looking for ways to do the things that you say matter to you.
You can find a solution — you’re a mom.
You’re the most amazing human on the planet, and you can find a way.
P.S. Need a little help with that taking action piece? Find bite-size bits of goodness on Free Mama TV, or curl up with a copy of my book!
P.P.S. Can’t make it to see me in Phoenix? Check out the Free Mama Meetup calendar here!