by Sarah W of HRM Parent (Katherine, our regular guest blogger will be back in 2 weeks) I openly admit that I'm not a fan of being away from my kids for too long.  Don't get me wrong, there's definitely more than a few times that I've counted the minutes until they are asleep or purposely tucked away down in the laundry room (the only room where nobody seems to bother me) to get a few minutes on my own. That's just part of how we get by, isn't it?  But I'm not talking about that.  I'm talking about being away from them...overnight. A work trip, a girl's weekend, or an over-night date with my husband - it didn't matter. When I first became a mom, I wasn't keen on doing any of it.  In fact, even though I probably shouldn't admit it, the first night away from my oldest daughter (who was nearly 2 at the time) was when I was in the hospital delivering our second child.  Crazy, right?  Ok, maybe I shouldn't have admitted that - but it's too late now!  Judge if you must.  I know it's important to get them used to it; that the time away helps you get refreshed; that they will enjoy it more than I think; that it's important for my marriage...yadda yadda.  It had taken us long enough to finally have a child; I wasn't about to leave her?  Then with another babe added to the mix, there was no chance of getting me out of the city! Even though I know my husband didn't quite understand, he was totally supportive.  In fact, once I had returned to work to a new job that would likely require a bit of travel (which completely freaked me out), it was his suggestion that we think about planning a night away so that a "work-trip" wouldn't be my first time away from the girls.  I still don't know if he was just being sly but either way, it worked. Before I knew it, the girls were dropped off at my sister's in Antigonish and we were nestled in a cottage on the Eastern Shore. My husband enjoyed the sleep of his life that night and despite a late night call to my sister and a few chewed fingernails - I made it through. And whether I wanted to believe it or not, so did the girls.  They had a blast with their cousins, went to bed without a fuss and slept most of the night.  Mission accomplished.  Since then, we've worked our way up to a full weekend in Montreal and are planning for another trip this summer, which I can't wait for. I've also made it through a few work trips and can safely say that, despite the crazy knot in my stomach and lump in my throat every time I get on a plane; I've come to enjoy the star-fish style sleep in the hotel's king size bed!  I've come to terms with the fact that they actually can survive without me.  That they will still eat a well-balanced meal and that my husband can indeed pull together clean outfits that actually match!   I've come around and I'm happy about that.  Just don't get me started on the idea of a sleepover!! ...