Sonja Gantt NewsChannel 36 Anchor

Editor's note: Sonja Gantt bloggs each week for The Charlotte Observer's mommy site, MomsCharlotte.com.

Sometimes you have to do the thing you think you don't have time to do. About four months ago my sister Angie invited me to spend a weekend in New York. She was going for business and would be tied up in the mornings but available to hang out in the afternoons. It sounded like a great idea at the time, but as the trip got closer I found out about events with the kids I would miss. I thought about the all the shopping I needed to finish, I looked around a house that still isn't decorated and thought what am I thinking? There's no way I should be leaving now! But this trip was a good reminder of why sometimes we all need to just stop, breathe and reconnect.

New York during the holidays is really something to see. The Christmas tree at Rockefeller was larger than I expected while the skating rink looked smaller. But everything else was brighter and seemed more vivid than the pictures on TV. I love to "people watch" so I was in heaven. What better place than New York since there are soooo many people.

The sights were great but even better was the chance just to have uninterrupted conversations with people I love. Distance, children and life mean Angie and I just don't get to talk as much as we'd like. We really enjoyed each other's company this weekend. My brother Adam and his wife Devon now live in Brooklyn. When we see them they are usually visiting us in Charlotte. It was great to see them in "their" space... to walk around "their" neighborhood and get a glimpse of "their" life. I have two friends (Kim and Lorna) from college who live in the New York area and we had a long lunch together on Saturday. Then Kim's boys James (7) and Caleb (3) built a fabulous "train city" for me. Their talent is awesome. I realize it is a gift when you have friends you immediately feel comfortable with even though don't speak to them as frequently as you'd like. Those people are genuine friends that shouldn't be taken for granted.

I know it sounds corny...but this trip really reminded me not just of the importance of fellowship and staying connected to people but also of the importance of pushing yourself to change the view every once in awhile. I'm guilty of always trying to do too much and I follow a set routine. But we need to give ourselves permission to change the routine every once in awhile. When I got back to Charlotte everything looked the same...the house still isn't decorated, the shopping is still not done. But the kids were great and genuinely happy that I had a good time and they had a great weekend with Mitch. This season my wish for every mom is that you have a chance to change the "view" for a minute and breathe...its' a great gift to give ourselves.

By the way, thanks for all the feedback on texting. I've heard from quite a few of you...not just on the site but in the grocery store, my exercise class and at school. The responses are running about 50-50. Unfortunately for Gabrielle I saw a report on "sexting" last week. Sexting is when teenagers flirt by sending semi-nude, nude photos of themselves...makes me just want to take the phone away all together.

---