When I was a mom of one, I never thought twice about one-on-one outings with Bergen (our 4-year old).  That was just life as I knew it, the regular routine of errands or adventures.  Now as a mom of two, even though that 2nd child can’t even walk or talk (and she’s often quite content tagging along in the carrier or stroller), opportunities where it’s just the two of us, mother and son, are so precious.

Not only do I get to experience life with my little guy without distraction and interruptions for “baby stuff”, but all the typical ways that he tends to misbehave seem to disappear.  I know it’s because I can give him my full attention and it’s not necessarily the destination or what we happen to be doing.  Just going to Goodwill together is such a blast!  Bergen senses that my focus is on him, and he doesn’t need to do anything special, or outrageous in order to connect with me.

Simple things, like having to buckle one less car seat harness and not having to carry a load on my back or push a stroller in front of me, free me up.  I literally feel less burden, and in a way, more able to let go and be myself.  And again, Bergen can feel that, so we can just enjoy each other’s company, laugh, and explore.

We’ve had shopping dates, theater dates, and hiking dates, but our most recent mother-son date was during our trip to Vancouver Island. While Georgia (14-months) napped at the hotel with dad, Bergen and I got to tour the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC.

Every aspect of the journey to the gardens was fun and memorable.  The drive with just Bergen in the backseat “helping” me navigate a new city made me smile.  Exploring the gardens with Bergen in the lead gave me such joy.  It’s amazing, but I didn’t feel any anxiety about Bergen disturbing plants or fiddling with historical artifacts in the original home of the Butcharts.  I trusted him.  What a relief!  Even the drive home provided some extra special peace when he dozed off and I got a few moments of quiet.

And since the sun came out so gloriously on this particular afternoon in Victoria, Bergen and I actually enjoyed the gardens WITHOUT coats! This provided the perfect opportunity to tell you about our new partnership with The Patchery clothing company.  Over the next several months, as new ambassadors of the company, we’ll be writing all about what we love and why we’re so excited to support them, but in short The Patchery makes adorable, comfortable (and travel friendly) clothes for kids designed and sewn here in the United States.  Customers have a hand in designing each piece (though it’s not required) through fabric choice selection and placement.

The hoodie you see Bergen rocking in these photos was designed by me! I selected a fabric collection (a selection of solids and prints that coordinate), and got to choose where each was placed.  I must admit that my “decision making problems” set me back a bit as I tend to second guess myself, but by the time I was finished designing my first piece, I realized that I really couldn’t go wrong! I love that the fabrics work together and compliment each other. 

Stayed tuned for 5 more clothing pieces in the coming months with tips and insights on how to best utilize the site’s design components, but in the meantime, here’s a discount code to get you started! With the code “WildTale15“, you’ll receive 15% off your total order (excludes gift cards)!

Are you able to go on one-on-one outings or dates with your children? We’d love to know what you do together–let’s chat in the comments! Want to know more about our trip to Vancouver Island? You can find our full itinerary here.

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