I had plans for today. We were going to accomplish great things in the academic world! But all of that changed when half of our little brood woke up this morning with fevers and headaches. What’s a homeschoolin’ momma to do?

The only logical choice, of course, was to close the homeschool planner and cancel everything. Yes, I did the unthinkable.

Our Homeschool Sick Day

I got breakfast for those who wanted it, then piled everyone–pillows, pjs, and all–onto our bed for a Disney cartoon marathon.

Sipping our ice water and eating our Ritz crackers, we snuggled in to enjoy some Classic Tales.

Did you know that in Sleeping Beauty, during his escape from the bad fairy’s dungeon, one of the good fairies gives Prince Phillip a “shield of righteousness” and a “sword of truth”? In the end Phillip (with help from a fairy) defeats the dragon representative of all evil. Impressive. I guess I’d never seen this one all the way through before.

Next up was Snow White. I was also surprised to note that Snow White says her prayers before laying down to sleep at night. And once again, in the end, evil is completely destroyed. Good life lessons there.

At lunchtime, we took the party back downstairs to eat something, take our meds, and do some quick chores. But with everyone still feeling yucky, we continued our movie watching marathon on through dinnertime.

Why do I share this with you? Because I know there are some moms out there who might be afraid to take a day off and just cuddle and watch movies with your kids. Or if you do, might be afraid to admit that you did it.

Your Permission

Let me add here that we don’t do this every day. It is an exception, rather than the rule. But SO refreshing.

I also want to give you permission to do it if you (or your kids) need it. It’s O.K.

Sometimes there is no greater thing you can do for your child than to spend a day snuggling and enjoying something together. After all, weren’t these some of the reasons you decided to home educate in the first place? Freedom to make your own schedules. Freedom to teach your kids about good and evil. And snuggle time. Sounds like a successful homeschool day to me!

I give you permission to take a day off when needed. Cancel everything and just enjoy the special time with your kids.

Author Bio

Katie has played teacher for as long as she can remember. With a master’s degree in education and experience teaching public school system, she now teaches her 4 children at home. She is also developing a curriculum for Spanish speaking home educating families. Katie promotes home education in her blogs Educando en el Hogar and Paradise Praises, and resides in Mexico, where her family serves as church planting missionaries.