Ian's day off.

If I knew then what I know now, I don't think I'd have gone to school nearly as much as I did.  I went every day!  Surely, there were a few days when I could've skipped and I would've still turned out ok.  Having kids, I was determined to be the fun parent and let my kids in on the secret that taking a mental health day every now and then is totally ok.

Each year after SOL testing (standards of learning) is over, I let Ian take a skip day from school.  It's his day from start to finish.  SOL testing starts in 3rd grade and we've had a fun-filled day during school hours 3 years in a row now.  Next year, Sam will get to have a skip day too after her SOLs are over.

I liken Ian's skip day to Ferris Bueller's day off.  It's that much fun!  We started off with Mom-mom taking Ian to buy his birthday present.  He wanted a Slackline and was able to pick one out.  We then headed to Dave & Buster's, where it was delightfully empty and we pretty much had the place to ourselves.  Lunch was at Burton's Grill (a very yummy restaurant!!) and Susanne was able to meet up with us.  Afterwards, we went to TopGolf where the 3 of us (Mom, me, and Ian) hit golf balls on the driving range.  Our last stop of the day before having to get Sam from school was Starbucks for a Frappacuino.

With everyone typically at work or in school, there is something so wonderful about going to these very popular spots and not dealing with a crowd.  It's the best!   I think this is what makes it even more fantastic than if we did all these activities on a weekend or school holiday.

The other thing I really like about my skip day idea is that I get one-on-one time with one child.  It's a day designed for just what they like to do.  No worries if their sibling isn't into the batting cages (as we did in a previous year).

And lastly, the icing on the cake for why this idea is a winner, is because it gives them an incentive to work very hard and prepare for the testing, knowing there is a sweet reward at the end of the tunnel.

Dave and Busters:  The place is E M P T Y !

He shoots, he scores!

Mom-Mom gets in on the action.

I'd like to think this idea would catch on if more people knew about it, but I'm worried it would become too popular.  It's best to keep it on the down-low.