1. I have kids, so I can always get away with saying that one of my kids is ill. I can use that excuse to either come in late, leave early, or not come to work at all. That's usually my favorite. It would probably only backfire on me if I had called in and given that excuse and then been hanging out all day and my kids' school calls the job looking for me to say that one of them is sick. Luckily that's never happened, but I've always worried that it would.
I was the same way, but luckily that never happened. Or I would call the school and let them know that I would be leaving work fir the rest of the day.