A Stay-At-Home Mom's Weekend Survival Kit

Did you have a long and relaxing holiday Memorial Day weekend? Maybe you are a stay at home mom like me and rejoiced in the fact that you would have an extra hand around to wrangle the little monsters children.

Unfortunately, I did not have that luxury. My dear husband ditched us and flew off to California for the weekend.

Okay. So, maybe he had my approval and maybe I pushed him out the door after the hundredth time he asked "Are you sure it's okay?". I mean, this is what I do for a living. I raise our girls. I'm with them 24/7, so I think I can handle one weekend without the extra hand.

Only, I was kind of dreading it. That week had been particularly hard with both kiddos waking up in the middle of the night and a toddler acting like she was, in fact, a toddler (you know what I mean moms). I really just wanted a weekend to sleep in and trust that my husband would care for the girls.

Turns out, my husband was feeling a little guilty about the weekend too and snuck around to plan an incredibly sweet survival kit for the weekend. Little does he know that I am now expecting this sweetness every time he leaves on a trip without us.

Everything was spot on with what we needed for the weekend. It actually kind of felt like we were on a mini-vacation and led to a much more relaxing weekend than I had anticipated. Preplanned meals are always a plus, especially if I don't have to plan and shop for the ingredients.

If you are leaving your spouse for the weekend, I highly suggest you take my husband's idea and leave a survival kit! Super easy to recreate and customize. Plus, you just might win spouse of the year for this thoughtful gift.

1. A Pre-planned meal with all of the ingredients ready to go. Sometimes it's just easier to function when you don't have to think about what's for dinner, especially when you are battling toddler tantrums and baby sleep regression. Just one pre-planned will make all of the chaos of the day seem like nothing. It's the little things that get you through the weekend.

2. Gift Cards. A few gift cards will make going out to eat feel more like a little treat for your spouse and the kids. Add a gift card just for mom (or dad) and you'll rack up major points. My husband got me a Lowes gift card because he knows how much I covet new power tools more than a new pair of jeans. Although, a Target gift card would have been fab too (for all you guys without a Lowes lover in your life).

3. Snacks. I'm not even a little embarrassed to admit that my kids had one meal that consisted solely of snacks. It was the weekend and sometimes you just have to throw all of the healthy meal rules out the window.

4. Bubbly. Not a necessity, but surely appreciated, a little adult beverage to help your spouse relax after a day spent entertaining your little ones.

Super easy and it doesn't even have to cost tons of money either.