Emergency prep for the next snow day

By Heather

by Heather

When I was a kid in Cleveland, OH having a snow day meant non-stop fun. We’d probably do some snow angels, drink cocoa, and watch too much TV. Awesome. As a grown-up fresh out of college, I had a different experience with rough weather: one snowy blustery day, I remember the snow being too deep to drive, so I walked to work with a couple of girlfriends. We stopped for brunch along the way at a local diner when we got hungry. We were lucky to have had each other for company and to stumble on the one open restaurant in Baraboo, WI in the middle of a blizzard.

Now that I’m a mom, I tend to rely less on dumb luck and plan ahead a little more.

In the interest of full disclosure, my family is lucky enough to live in a part of the country where it can sometimes be 70 degrees and sunny in January. But having grown up in Ohio and spent some serious time in Illinois and Wisconsin, I realize that this is more the exception than the norm for winter. Then again, what we lack in hurricanes, we make up for in earthquakes.

Are you prepared for a big winter storm?

Take a few minutes and gather the following items for a storm basket at home and in your car.

Storm kit for home

Food: cans (with openers!), baby food as needed
Water: one gallon per person in your house plus a little cocoa powder – don’t forget the cups
Lights: candles with matches and/or flashlights with batteries
First aid kit
Fun: cards, games, blocks, nothing that relies on electricity
Extra blankets
A big wad of cash

Storm kit for the car

Food: energy bars, cereal or crackers, non-perishable milk
Water: just one gallon ought to do
Lights: flashlights with batteries
First aid kit
Fun: deck of cards, coloring books with crayons
Blankets and warm clothes
Scraper with brush (get the good one!)
A smaller wad of cash

Some children will freak out when big storms strike, so keep yourself in check to avoid any unnecessary stress all around. With a little planning, you can turn it into an adventure for your kids. C’mon, who doesn’t like to build a fort with mommy and play board games by flashlight?

snow day
Photo by Henri Bonell. Some rights reserved. Usage does not constitute photographer’s endorsement.