I was very fortunate to grow up in a traveling fam. My grandparents, parents and cousins went all over the world together. Mainly on cruises because it was easier to keep track of all of us (and there weren’t even that many of us—ha). But when we weren’t sailing the high seas, my parents also took us on road trips or flew us off to England or Hawaii or Italy (to trace our roots) on new adventures. I’m so grateful for those adventures. And once the traveling bug is in ya, it doesn’t leave. As an adult, I’ve had a goal to get out of the country at least once a year if I had the means. Something about seeing new places, new people, new things is so invigorating. Eye-opening. Exciting. And incredibly humbling.

After quitting my job and going on a 3 month solo mission to Europe, I came home for the holidays and met my now husband. Fast forward 4 years and 2 amazing kiddos later (and most recently a puppy!), there is A LOT going on in our household. And no plans for any international travel anytime soon. On our last trip to Hawaii with our then 1-year-old and 3-year-old both simultaneously screaming, a saintly lady from the back popped up next to us and said “Sounds like you guys need help”. She proceeded to shush my children into shock by mesmerizing them with her shiny gold bracelets. Needless to say, traveling and “vacationing” with small kids is basically the opposite of relaxing, am I right?!? You need to come back and take another staycation to recoup from the vacation.

That’s where mama weekends away come into play! Ideally they are 3-4 days, 2-3 nights. That gives you enough time to get a little wild and let loose, but still recover and relax before you get back to your crazy toddlers and regularly scheduled programming. Mama weekends away also allow you to scratch the itch of traveling and experiencing something new all the while spending quality time with a good friend who is also in desperate need of a short break. 2 birds, 1 stone, my friends. You can even binge watch your favorite show or read a book on the plane. GASP. I know. Remember being able to kick your feet up and fly those friendly skies pre-kids? Plane traveling with kids is a high stress situation.

This mama weekend away was in Austin, Texas with my beautiful friend, Momo, a mom to 4 (yes, that’s right, 4!) little tikes. We stayed at the Austin Proper Hotel designed by the famed interior designer, Kelly Wearstler. “With each Proper, I try to create a design that evokes a unique sense of place,” Wearstler says. “For me, this means that each hotel should reflect the personality of the city it’s in—so naturally my approach is different every time.” Its southern soul did not disappoint and the weekend was truly dreamy. Scroll below for pictures and links to all of the things. Can’t wait for the next trip!