Last month, I did something I had yet to do since my daughter was born…be away from her for more than one night. I ventured on a girls trip to San Francisco with my best friend, and we had the most amazing time! But, if I’m being honest, I had some serious anxiety about leaving my little nugget for four (almost five) days. Before I left, I decided that I wanted to put something special together for her to enjoy while I was away…something that would help if she started missing me…something that would show her that I was thinking about her, missing her, and loving her from afar…and something that might give her daddy a few minutes of peace each day. And that’s when I came across the brilliant idea for A Bag A Day While I’m Away!
I happened to be browsing through Instagram one evening (a few nights prior to my departure) when I came across a post from @mamapapabubba, where Jen shared this amazing idea of putting together little bags for her daughter to open, for each of the days that they would be apart. It’s a tradition she started when her daughter was 2-1/2, and one that her daughter still requests – how awesome is that? You can find Jen’s post about activity bags (from the very first time she made them) over on Mama Papa Bubba (http://mamapapabubba.com/2013/07/15/an-activity-bag-a-day-while-mamas-away/).
After reading Jen’s Instagram post, I was inspired to create a bag a day, for my little nugget too! I started by grabbing five small paper bags, and my pack of Sharpie markers. I wrote the days that I was going to be absent on the bags, and then decorated each bag with something fun and colorful – polka dots, hearts, stars, smiley faces, and a rainbow.
Next, I dropped by my favorite store (Target) to peruse their dollar bin section for some fun items that my little nugget would enjoy.
And then I put my bags together. I departed after my little nugget went to school on Monday, but I still wanted her to have a little something when she got home, so I put the Minnie Mouse Window Cling in the first bag. We were chatting on FaceTime later that day, when she opened the bag, and while she was super excited about her present, she managed to tear the window decal apart in less than a minute (before she ever had a chance to stick it to the window). π Oh well, at least it was only $1.
She is usually home with me on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I placed the Alphabet Puzzle Cards in the Tuesday bag (since she would have ample time to play with them). The Slinky was in Wednesday’s bag – also a big hit, though it may, or may not, be completely knotted up now. On Thursday she got to open up the snacks – Cookie Monster’s Letter of the Day Cookies, and Nutella & Go! A fun way to practice her letters with her favorite Sesame Street character, and later enjoy her absolute favorite on-the-go snack. π Friday was our last day apart and I wanted to make it a little more special than all of the other days, so I hopped over to the toy section in Target and found this adorable little Care Bear (Cheer Bear, to be exact). It was the icing on the cake…the perfect present to end our week apart. Cheer Bear now has a permanent spot in a corner of her new big girl bed!
I’m so incredibly happy that I was lucky enough to come across this idea just in time for my trip. I couldn’t think of a better way to show my little nugget that I was thinking about her, and missing her while I was away. And the best part was getting sent the occasional photo of her enjoying her little gifts!
I look forward to continuing this tradition the next time we have to be apart…though I have no idea when that will be. My girls trip to San Francisco was so incredible, and rejuvenating in so many ways, perhaps I will have to make it an annual event! Stay tuned…on Thursday, I will be sharing all about my adventure to the City by the Bay!
