January 2018 has given us lots of days off! A recent blizzard gave us two snow days, and now a fever virus has given my little Lia five days off from school, two days off to my Isabel and three days off for my Melina which means I’ve had what seems like weeks off from work (my job has been so understanding).  I’m not going to lie, I’ve embraced these sick days, I miss being home with my trio. Of course they have less energy and are much needier than usual but they’ve also been a pleasure to be home with. There are so many days that I want to remember with my kids and sick days is one of them. There’s something special about them. I have such great memories of my own sick days as a child. My mom would keep me cozy on the couch as she strapped potatoes to my forehead to take away my fever. I’d get to watch all of my favorite tv shows such as Be Witched, I Dream of Genie, and Sesame Street which I otherwise would not have been able to watch because we didn’t have DVR like we do today and all of the tv shows were during the school week in the morning, after that there was never anything good to watch. When I felt better I’d sit in the corner of my living room and play with my barbies and the best part was staying in my footie pajamas all day long. I remember listening to the soft classical music my father would play on the radio and my mom would go in and out of doing chores. Now I try to emulate the same memories with my children. I even made them watch Sesame Street even though they’re a little big for it now, but they enjoyed it and so did I. I want them to look back and remember the good things about their sick days and how we made the best of them. How they rested well when their fevers spiked and how they played well when their fevers took a back seat. I love the snuggles and reading piles of books together, and doing crossword puzzles on the couch. Painting self portraits and coming up with a menu of food to be created with Play-Doh while listening to light classical music in the background, playing endless games of UNO and waiting for nap time to sneak in. On sick day number 5 all three girls were home and when they felt good enough we did a spelling bee. It was so much fun and they were so into it. I think I’ve come up with enough things to keep us all sane, we even bundled up and went out for some fresh air which was so needed. I’m ready for everyone to feel better and get back to sick free days again. Thank you sick days for giving us some extra time off together hope to see you again next year.