Bonjour! I have 90 minutes left in the city of lights and my heart is sinking. Traveling abroad without kids for the first time I was afraid my expectations would be too high. Like prom night, it could never match the hype, right? But it was even better. There’s so much more time! And sleeping in! We could walk miles without any complaining! I could impulsively hop into a shop and not worry about my children breaking everything. There was no whining or bickering. I didn’t have to apologize to a single stranger on the plane. Being nice was so easy!

I can say all of this because I am heading back to the girls today and can’t wait to smother them with love. (I give Sabrina five minutes before she asks for something I’m supposed to say no to: like a chocolate sundae with pickles.) But I have to remember they will be suffering a -best week ever! - hangover themselves after endless fun with their grandparents. It promises to be a dramatic comedown.

Leaving for this trip, I intended to reconnect with the “not mom” part of me. And yet, I spent most of my free time admiring children. (It’s easier to do that when I’m not the one who has to wipe their noses). There was the little boy who presented a handmade birthday card to his grandfather at Brasserie Lipp. Last night, there were two American girls who prayed at dinner, telling their shocked parents, “I’m praying that the animals aren’t mad at me for eating them.” I got a tad wistful about preschool pick up, seeing all the school children flood the sidewalk yesterday. And even walking through Musee D’Orsay and the Louvre, my attention was drawn to the paintings of mothers and children and little dogs who look like our Chubs.

I flew across the world without my children to remember that this fleeting stage of motherhood is what continues to inspire me most.

Xx Ellie Knaus

Note: In the 24 hours since I’ve been back in the states, I’ve realized that I left my laptop in the Paris airport security line (!!!), Eliza pulled an all-nighter, and my girls threw up 3x from car-sickness. Mom is officially BACK!

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New on Atomic Moms This Week

BFF’s actress Claire Coffee, director Bridget Moloney-Sinclair, and host Ellie Knaus warm up to summer with travel talk and “family gap year” dreams, and alsobring levity to the bone-chilling subject of privacy in 2019.

In this conversation, we address nanny cams, security cams, data collection, and if there’s any point in trying to protect their children’s faces on social media. Claire discusses her parenting theory regarding “specialness”. And Bridget introduces the listener question from Ann Shrake and Vivian Lee:

“If you could take your family anywhere in the world for a year, where would you go?” (@AnnShrakeWrites & @theviv86)

We want to hear from YOU: where would you take your “family gap year”?  

Ellie’s Travel Shopping List:

(AKA online shopping is the best packing procrastination)

• Ellie’s flattening dog bowl the girls make fun of in the episode - https://amzn.to/2J0Nwoy

• Melissa & Doug Puffy Sticker Play Set 3-Pack - for the kids plane ride https://amzn.to/2IWGzV8

• Travel White Noise Sound Machine for Kids - https://amzn.to/31Itl7f

• OXO Tot 2-in-1 Go Potty for Travel - Toddler - https://amzn.to/2Rsjj5p

• The Laundress- Wash & Stain Bar - https://amzn.to/2XnTEQM
  

… And to emotionally prep yourself for upcoming travel, enjoy this video we chat about on the pod: “How dads stress about getting to the airport” from @frontporchdad What’s your family’s travel day mood?

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