Did anyone else feel like most of January was 90 days long, but the last week of it was at least 200 days alone? We definitely felt it and that’s probably why I couldn’t bring myself to post last Thursday, sorry about that.

I’m pretty sure that even though mr. L loves January and snow, he even needed a break. Last Wednesday mr. L didn’t want to get out of bed- which is odd for mr get up at 7am all year round. He didn’t want to go to school either and kept saying his stomach hurt.

It’s hard to make that call, should you let your kid stay home from school? Are they really sick? Are they faking? Are they just tired? But then with a special needs child you can also ask, will I be reinforcing a negative behavior if they are faking? Did they just learn a new idea- if they say their stomach hurts then they get a free day? Is it anxiety? The list goes on and on…

But I didn’t want to be a jerk parent. I didn’t want to send him to school and then find out he was miserable and realize that I made the wrong call. Then I’d feel guilty for making a kid with special needs have an unnecessary extra crappy day. You get the picture.

So I let him stay home.

I told him he had to go back to bed. Well not even an hour after his brother got on the bus I heard mr. L playing with his trains upstairs. 🤔 I was still giving him a chance, after all he doesn’t always show his “being sick” like other people.

Sometimes he hides in his bed, or he apologizes 100 times, or he says his heart hurts, etc. Sometimes you gotta play detective and even then you don’t always know for sure.

By the end of the day I decided he needed a little more fiber, he had been feeling some anxiety, and just needed a mental break day. I get that. Everyone needs a break, that’s why the vacation was invented.

Mr. L has a busy work schedule. He leaves the house at 7:45am and doesn’t get home until 6:30pm most days, between his schooling and therapies that is a lot. Adults don’t even like to work THAT long.

So I let mr. L play with his trains, help out with putting some laundry away and basically just relax around the house. And you know what? It was just what he needed. The next day he woke up excited and ready to go to school again.

And then it was time for my mental break day. January was overcast, snowy, and just gloomy-cold. This girl needs more sun than that. Taking a break didn’t mean going out for lunch, shopping for a new outfit, or spending the day at a spa.

Having a break meant the husband drove the kids around and I stayed home in my pjs and didn’t expect myself to keep up with anything. Not the dishes, the laundry, or the toddler chaos. I mentally reassured myself that I’m doing a great job as a mother, wife, and daughter of God. Nothing special or exciting.

It was nice and what I needed.

Do you take personal, mental break days? What do you do to recharge? Let me know in the comments below 😊