Like many of you, I am currently counting down the days until BlissDom (21 days until my Wednesday arrival!). While I enjoy tremendously the chance to connect with friends, old and new, I miss my kids when I’m away from home. They kind of miss me, as well.

This holds true for when my husband travels, so as a family we’ve tried to come up with ways to keep connected when we’re apart. Recently my husband was away for his job, and several things let us stay in touch:

• Skype. With a webcam and mic on our computers, it’s easy for the kids to talk to the parent who is away. Also, it holds their attention more to see the face of the person they are talking to rather than talking on the phone (which my four year old often refuses to do).
• Prepare your kids for mom or dad’s trip and be clear about how long the trip is – count down the days until the trip is over.
• Using the Voice Memo function on my phone, I’ll be emailing files to my family of myself reading stories home to my kids – so I can still do bedtime stories when I’m away.
• Talk daily
• For the parent at home, a fun new ritual helps distract a bit from missing the parent who is travelling (This is how our Donut Friday tradition was born!).

While I look forward to a few days to focus on soaking in knowledge and friendships (and not having to wipe noses!), I still look forward to returning home to my family.

What things do you do to ease the difficulty of separation when you are away from your family?

Photo source