As homeschoolers, we all have “one of those days” every now and then. Sometimes there isn’t even a sickie in the house. Sometimes mom is drained or burned out and feeling run down. Sometimes there are other medical or health issues that are interfering with our best laid-out plans (bedrest for a 9 month old teacher, anyone?!)…

So do we give up and give in? Do we change the plans to make them more flexible?

I’d love to hear about the ideas that some of you have, the stories that you all can tell - about days that were less than perfect because someone “came down with a bug”, but successes anyway. Are you a “carschooler” when there are doctor appointments to attend? Are you a “bedschooler” when life lays you up? Or do you have a “sick day” schedule that you follow - a “rainy day idea can” that you dip in to?

What happens at your house when life throws a schedule curve?

Share your story with all of us moms who need a little encouragement.

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Sick Days don't interfere with our plans as much, now that the kids are all older!  Way back when I was pregnant or nursing, and had a toddler to deal with, it was a different story.  But I have forgotten much of how we handled those times.  Now that my students are all reading on their own, if *I* am feeling too miserable to manage their schoolday, I ask them to work on their own.  Most of the time they are working on their own anyway, so its really only History and Science that have to be rescheduled when sickness interferes.  Recently I had a touch of pneumonia and pretty much lost my voice (and what little energy and motivation I have!) for about a week, and was just plain tired all the time for a few weeks after that.  I took a couple days off History and Science, because my voice just wasn't strong enough to get through the class time.  When we got back to it, I kept the lessons shorter so as not to wear my voice out. 

Since we do Science and History together (except for Harrison) I am sometimes torn about what to do if ONE of the three kids isn't feeling well.  Thankfully it doesn't happen that often that someone is feeling so poorly they can't even sit at the table for a half hour for a History discussion, so most of the time we just postpone those subjects until everyone is feeling better.

Check out other homeschooler's ideas on how to handle sick days at The HSBA Post