I take about 3 weeks unpaid vacation, been doing this for just over 2 years. Last year I did 2 back to back weeks in the summer and really enjoyed that. Not sure what I am doing this year.

I am lucky that for the past 3 Christmases (opened nov 2011) I have had all parents take time off during the Christmas season so I have been able to have 1-2 weeks off, paid because I technically didn't close.

I take about 2-3 days off a year for medical appt's in a city 2 hours from here for my back pain. I am also lucky that if I do need to see a doctor during the day, my fiance can watch the dck's because he works evenings. Usually, I can schedule my appt's during nap time so it's easy for him or in the evening after work.

I make it clear that if you decide to come here, it is very important to have a back up provider. I totally understand that I need to be reliable but I also don't want to spend my days off feeling guilty!