Sunday, March 31, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
Weather Ready-Winter
Based on how I have my blog posts you'll read this before the Spring and Summer so let me explain. People ask me all of the time. What do you have in your emergency bag? See next blog post. So I decided to blog how I stay weather ready. This is what I do for winter and this might include ideas that one might not typically think of.
Living in Indiana, we honestly could have tornadoes one day and a blizzard the next. Not exaggerating either. We never know what we are going to get. Here's what I do.
Living in Indiana, we honestly could have tornadoes one day and a blizzard the next. Not exaggerating either. We never know what we are going to get. Here's what I do.
-Have winter gear, bibs, coats, gloves, hats, scarves all stored in one area. Ours are hanging on a rack with a tote of gloves, hats, etc. sitting on the floor right next to the rack.
-Have a Kerosene heater AND a can full of Kerosene on hand. Don't wait until right before a winter storm hits to A. Test the heater to make sure it's going to work and B. To buy Kerosene. If the town goes out, that is a resource that will be hard to come by. Have it already. Pay attention too. We have 2 heaters and one of them requires electricity to run the blower. In the event of a power outage this won't do you any good unless you have a generator, which we do not.
-In your car have a kit. We store ours in a laundry basket in the back of our Suburban and trunk of Larry's car. Our car kits that we drive around with include.
A shovel that has a retractable handle
Extra gloves for each family member
Extra socks for each family member
Grab your boots on the way out the door each time you leave, if you're not wearing them
Blankets for each family member
A First Aide Kit with the basics
Matches
Old Newspaper
Kitty Liter, to pour under tires for traction if you run off the road
Tow Strap, if your in a car have one too in case a truck drives by to help but doesn't have one.
An Index Card with Names, DOB, Emergency Contact Info and Dr. Names and Numbers
Packets of Handwarmers like hunters use
Box of protein bars
Cell Phone Chargers
Coloring Books and Crayons for children
-A Grill. Yes, those aren't just for summer enjoyment. Should the power go out you will need a way to cook.
-Propane or charcoal for the grill previously mention. Have an extra tank or bag. Don't wait until the last minute. Have them on hand at the beginning of the season.
-Peanut Butter, canned goods, and can OPENER that's not electric.
-Gallons of Water, you'll see this in the next blog post too.
-Wood. We also have a wood burning stove in our garage. Make sure to move the wood into a dry space too and not just outside where it will be wet due to being snow covered.
-Candles
-Flashlights with Batteries
The truth is, in the event of a winter storm. The option to head to a family members house or hotel might not be there if the roads are bad. Be prepared to stay home in any condition, meaning with out electricity or heat.
If you are on the roads--be prepared for a slide off that your going to be stuck for a while. We don't like to think about that type of stuff happening, but it does--so be smart about it and be ready.
Weather Ready-Spring and Summer
With Spring right around the corner, that means one thing--severe weather is coming up too. It's no secret that I try to be as prepared as possible for any and all storms that we might have.
For Spring this is what I do.
1. Watch the weather. Know when and what kind is going to hit. Will there be a possibility of tornadoes? Will it just be a good old fashioned thunderstorm? Maybe Straight line winds. AND, what time are they due to hit? Morning, Noon, Evening, or Night? This is important. It tells you what you need to be on alert for.
2. Have a Family Plan. Make sure each family member knows what to do and what to expect. Usually how it works here, is I am in charge of making sure Bayleigh makes it to the basement. Larry, well, he enjoys watching outside or out the windows. He is a grown man and he knows where we will be. I too used to LOVE watching, but now I have another person to be responsible for so I play it safe.
3. Have a weather radio--with battery back-up! We have one and it's great. I have it plugged into the basement with the backup battery just sitting in the battery compartment, not plugged in. Should we lose power then I would plug it in, but I found out the hard way that the battery will die even if it's plugged into the wall. Now, the best thing to do is to have this plugged in by your bed. The ONLY reason ours is in the basement is because the tornado sirens in our town are the next road over and there is NO sleeping through them going off. I also have alerts on my cell phone that is plugged in right next to my bed. Having the radio in the basement is just one last thing I have to tote down in the basement.
Tote things into the basement? That's right. Here's what's next!
4. Have an Emergency Bag. This is a bookbag that I keep in the closet. If the weather starts getting bad then I pull it out and set it on the floor by the basement door. If I am heading to bed, but know it's going to get bad then I set it out before going to bed. The list of items I have in my bag is this.
-A note card with our names, DOB, Emergency Contacts, Family Dr. Information.
-Flashlights for each of us
-Extra Batteries
-Tea Light Candles
-A Lighter and/or Matches
-First Aide Kit with the Basics
-Ponchos for each family member, you might need them if a tornado does hit
5. Purse, Wallets, Cell Phones, Chargers, Keys. You might not think about these things in the midst of a storm. Again, watching the weather tells me where to set these things. Before bed, if it looks to get bad, the purse and keys go on the floor outside of the basement door with the emergency bag. The cell and the charger are by my bed, but it's just a matter of grabbing it and going. If it's not storming my purse and keys are typically not together. Chargers are important, especially for smart phone users that have poor batteries on their phones. You'll need them should a tornado hit to stay in contact with family and friends. One other thing we do, we have an extra charger in our vehicles. If the power goes out then you might need to plug into the car to charge.
If I have enough of a warning, which we typically do--isn't that a blessing?! I will put my kindle along with Bayleigh's and the chargers in my purse along with her iPod and charger too.
Yes, it's just stuff, but a child doesn't understand all that's happening and it is good to have them with something to do. Should something happen and you need to go to a relatives house or hotel then it keeps the kids occupied while you're able to call the insurance companies and take care of the business end of a disaster.
A couple of other things I do to stay prepared year round are this. The things that are important to me, Bayleigh's Baby Book, Important Documents such as diplomas, and birth certificates...We store them in our gun safe. 1. It's fireproof. 2. It weighs a ton and would take a lot to blow it away. 3. It is always locked. Helps prevent loss from looters, because we can't forget that in this world we live in there are idiots that hop on the chance to steal from storm victims.
I also have all of my discs with digital photography in a basket that zips close. I store it in the bottom of a closet in the center of the house. Unfortunately for me it is too large for our gun safe. (oooh, good excuse for Larry to get a bigger safe he wants). In the bottom of that closet I also have my camera tucked into it's bag right next to the discs. The closet we use has a chimney that runs through it as well so I am hoping that is the safest place for such items. Yes, they might get wet and ruined, but that's just the safest place I have found in hopes of protecting them from that and blowing away. If I think about it and have time then I take my laptop and Bayleigh's along with the chargers and put them in their bags and shove them in that same closet space too.
Have an inventory of all your CD's, Movies, DVD's, and Blu Rays, a list of collectables and photos of them if possible, along with warranty information on items in your home. You might need to have proof for insurance of what you had. I keep these things in a binder in the gun safe.
In the basement I also keep gallons of water. It's already down there and we don't have to tote it down. Remember though, water does expire so keep an eye on that. I used to have a pack and play and blankets, but unfortunately our basement is damp and dirty and they didn't keep too well. I guess I could keep a tote down there with those things, but we got flooded in 2008 and it ruined the pack and play and those things I did have down there. There is already and candle and matches down there too, but I trust the matches in my bag that I do tote down better because our basement is so damp.
This is just a start. If you choose to, take my ideas and add to them or take away from them. This is what works for us. :)
For Spring this is what I do.
1. Watch the weather. Know when and what kind is going to hit. Will there be a possibility of tornadoes? Will it just be a good old fashioned thunderstorm? Maybe Straight line winds. AND, what time are they due to hit? Morning, Noon, Evening, or Night? This is important. It tells you what you need to be on alert for.
2. Have a Family Plan. Make sure each family member knows what to do and what to expect. Usually how it works here, is I am in charge of making sure Bayleigh makes it to the basement. Larry, well, he enjoys watching outside or out the windows. He is a grown man and he knows where we will be. I too used to LOVE watching, but now I have another person to be responsible for so I play it safe.
3. Have a weather radio--with battery back-up! We have one and it's great. I have it plugged into the basement with the backup battery just sitting in the battery compartment, not plugged in. Should we lose power then I would plug it in, but I found out the hard way that the battery will die even if it's plugged into the wall. Now, the best thing to do is to have this plugged in by your bed. The ONLY reason ours is in the basement is because the tornado sirens in our town are the next road over and there is NO sleeping through them going off. I also have alerts on my cell phone that is plugged in right next to my bed. Having the radio in the basement is just one last thing I have to tote down in the basement.
Tote things into the basement? That's right. Here's what's next!
4. Have an Emergency Bag. This is a bookbag that I keep in the closet. If the weather starts getting bad then I pull it out and set it on the floor by the basement door. If I am heading to bed, but know it's going to get bad then I set it out before going to bed. The list of items I have in my bag is this.
-A note card with our names, DOB, Emergency Contacts, Family Dr. Information.
-Flashlights for each of us
-Extra Batteries
-Tea Light Candles
-A Lighter and/or Matches
-First Aide Kit with the Basics
-Ponchos for each family member, you might need them if a tornado does hit
5. Purse, Wallets, Cell Phones, Chargers, Keys. You might not think about these things in the midst of a storm. Again, watching the weather tells me where to set these things. Before bed, if it looks to get bad, the purse and keys go on the floor outside of the basement door with the emergency bag. The cell and the charger are by my bed, but it's just a matter of grabbing it and going. If it's not storming my purse and keys are typically not together. Chargers are important, especially for smart phone users that have poor batteries on their phones. You'll need them should a tornado hit to stay in contact with family and friends. One other thing we do, we have an extra charger in our vehicles. If the power goes out then you might need to plug into the car to charge.
If I have enough of a warning, which we typically do--isn't that a blessing?! I will put my kindle along with Bayleigh's and the chargers in my purse along with her iPod and charger too.
Yes, it's just stuff, but a child doesn't understand all that's happening and it is good to have them with something to do. Should something happen and you need to go to a relatives house or hotel then it keeps the kids occupied while you're able to call the insurance companies and take care of the business end of a disaster.
A couple of other things I do to stay prepared year round are this. The things that are important to me, Bayleigh's Baby Book, Important Documents such as diplomas, and birth certificates...We store them in our gun safe. 1. It's fireproof. 2. It weighs a ton and would take a lot to blow it away. 3. It is always locked. Helps prevent loss from looters, because we can't forget that in this world we live in there are idiots that hop on the chance to steal from storm victims.
I also have all of my discs with digital photography in a basket that zips close. I store it in the bottom of a closet in the center of the house. Unfortunately for me it is too large for our gun safe. (oooh, good excuse for Larry to get a bigger safe he wants). In the bottom of that closet I also have my camera tucked into it's bag right next to the discs. The closet we use has a chimney that runs through it as well so I am hoping that is the safest place for such items. Yes, they might get wet and ruined, but that's just the safest place I have found in hopes of protecting them from that and blowing away. If I think about it and have time then I take my laptop and Bayleigh's along with the chargers and put them in their bags and shove them in that same closet space too.
Have an inventory of all your CD's, Movies, DVD's, and Blu Rays, a list of collectables and photos of them if possible, along with warranty information on items in your home. You might need to have proof for insurance of what you had. I keep these things in a binder in the gun safe.
In the basement I also keep gallons of water. It's already down there and we don't have to tote it down. Remember though, water does expire so keep an eye on that. I used to have a pack and play and blankets, but unfortunately our basement is damp and dirty and they didn't keep too well. I guess I could keep a tote down there with those things, but we got flooded in 2008 and it ruined the pack and play and those things I did have down there. There is already and candle and matches down there too, but I trust the matches in my bag that I do tote down better because our basement is so damp.
This is just a start. If you choose to, take my ideas and add to them or take away from them. This is what works for us. :)
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Catching Up
We are still here! Our schedule is in full force crazy mode again, but it's ok--Bayleigh seems to do better with a full load.
Bayleigh is still struggling with chaos some. She still cries every week before going downstairs at gymnastics, but she pulls herself together and does well when she's there. I'm glad we didn't quit. She even told me at church today that she had a dream that everything will be ok at gymnastics and she didn't even cry! YAY! Her school went to our high school for a pep session for our basketball team and she told me she cried there too. crowds are very overwhelming for her.
We are preparing for softball season now too. Our church hosted a clinic at the high school in town for all the area schools. They work with the kids on hitting, bunting, fielding, catching, pitching, running bases, and even sliding. It's a great clinic. I'll post pics below.
After church today, Bayleigh and I went to subway for lunch and I ended up not feeling well almost immediately! I've been down for the count all afternoon with stomach issues. I'm sure it was the food. I had strep throat a few weeks ago and didn't take my antibiotic like I was supposed to--well, my throat still bothers me some and I'm not 100% sure I've not kicked it all of the way. I've been snoring like a freight train at night, even waking myself up, and my throat hurts from that too. Winter weather and the furnace tear me up. Needless to say, I'm over it.
Larry left Saturday afternoon to go down south to help some of our friends move. We are glad to have him back home now. I don't like it when he's away. I've always questioned Larry's faith. Well, I don't anymore. I questioned it because he doesn't attend church with us, but tonight the History channel started this series called The Bible and it will play Sundays from 8-10 and ending on Easter. We sat down as a family to watch the first part and it was really good. Discussing The Bible as a family made me proud and made me realize--he not only believes, but he knows God and The Bible. That is so comforting.
Well, that's what's going on with us right now. Here's a couple of pics to close!
Bayleigh is still struggling with chaos some. She still cries every week before going downstairs at gymnastics, but she pulls herself together and does well when she's there. I'm glad we didn't quit. She even told me at church today that she had a dream that everything will be ok at gymnastics and she didn't even cry! YAY! Her school went to our high school for a pep session for our basketball team and she told me she cried there too. crowds are very overwhelming for her.
We are preparing for softball season now too. Our church hosted a clinic at the high school in town for all the area schools. They work with the kids on hitting, bunting, fielding, catching, pitching, running bases, and even sliding. It's a great clinic. I'll post pics below.
After church today, Bayleigh and I went to subway for lunch and I ended up not feeling well almost immediately! I've been down for the count all afternoon with stomach issues. I'm sure it was the food. I had strep throat a few weeks ago and didn't take my antibiotic like I was supposed to--well, my throat still bothers me some and I'm not 100% sure I've not kicked it all of the way. I've been snoring like a freight train at night, even waking myself up, and my throat hurts from that too. Winter weather and the furnace tear me up. Needless to say, I'm over it.
Larry left Saturday afternoon to go down south to help some of our friends move. We are glad to have him back home now. I don't like it when he's away. I've always questioned Larry's faith. Well, I don't anymore. I questioned it because he doesn't attend church with us, but tonight the History channel started this series called The Bible and it will play Sundays from 8-10 and ending on Easter. We sat down as a family to watch the first part and it was really good. Discussing The Bible as a family made me proud and made me realize--he not only believes, but he knows God and The Bible. That is so comforting.
Well, that's what's going on with us right now. Here's a couple of pics to close!
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