Absolutely. I will also admit that I used sick time to do it. I worked for a firm that had separate banks for sick time and leave time. We lost all of our sick time (no roll-over and no pay outs) so after 3 years of never getting sick and taking the 3 afternoons off a year for dental and ob appointments, (so adding up to 1.5 days at most) I started taking one or two days a year "sick" to do this sort of thing. Its not the most ethical thing but I so very rarely even get the sniffles (knock wood) and they treated us terribly so I felt it was a tiny rebellion!

Yes, in fact, I'm planning a week off for just this purpose next month. Would rather be on a beach somewhere, but that isn't my reality right now.

I see this as part of the cost of having a meaningful career and kids. Taking time off work to catch up also enables me to enjoy my weekends more, because I am not thinking about my endless TO DO list instead of enjoying fun times with the kids.

I do get frustrated that I do more of the house and kid- management stuff than DH, and that means he never feels compelled to take a day off to catch up at home and he never has to make professional compromises to stay on top of family stuff. But I recognize that I'd be annoyed if he took a Daddy-track at work and earned less, and his ego couldn't take it either. So I continue trying to juggle it all and then take "staycation" time when I feel like I'm about to start dropping all the balls at home.

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I take a day off together to run errands and do house stuff like organizing the basement, rotating clothes between seasons, etc. We go out to breakfast and lunch and make it a date/errand day.

+1.

We do this two or three times a year.

No but only b/c I only get one personal day a year. I'm a teacher. I usually save it so I can go on one of my daughter's field trips. I try to schedule all other appts. of days off like Presidents' Day, etc.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Wow, more common that I thought. Does it make you mad you have to take time earned to do regular things you should be able to do without taking time off? Do you do it often?

Half of my vacation time is spent on taking kids to doctors, school activities, waiting for the repair person, waiting for delivery,... and catching up with errands. You will find out when you have kids.

Not often - but occasionally. Sometimes, you just need to give yourself a break and find some extra time to do things. I don't get mad about it, I just realize that juggling two fulltime working parents, a SN kid in school and a kid in daycare is HARD!

If I felt like I had to do it often, though, I would worry about that. Mostly we are able to manage - occasionally things fall behind because we go out of town for a weekend or I travel for work. (Though if I travel I often can take a comp day, rather than using a vacation day.)

My husband and I take a day off together to run errands and do house stuff like organizing the basement, rotating clothes between seasons, etc. We go out to breakfast and lunch and make it a date/errand day.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Wow, more common that I thought. Does it make you mad you have to take time earned to do regular things you should be able to do without taking time off? Do you do it often?

No- I had my life before kids and a house. This is the price you pay for adulthood.

Plus, frankly, I enjoy those days often just as much if not more than my "vacation" days.

I did today.

OP here. Wow, more common that I thought. Does it make you mad you have to take time earned to do regular things you should be able to do without taking time off? Do you do it often?

Oh hell yes. You do what you have to do! It can be bliss to have a day off to do that stuff with no kids running around, as well.

Never a sick day. I have taken a vacation day to do it. Sadly, sometimes these are the most relaxing days because I FINALLY get caught up. The weight gets lifted, if only for a while

yes! All the time.

Yes!

Has anyone take a day off or used their vacation time to take care of everyday things like laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning the house or organizing things around the house?