Are You Ready...

I kind of fell off the face of the Earth for a couple of days.  I have lost steam, don't have the desire to do much of anything lately, so I've used that time to think of some different things that I can post.  You know, keep stuff fresh, don't just phone it in.  One thing that has come to mind, though, that I want to touch on. 

I am a serious weather freak.  I love any type of weather, but a good thunderstorm will bring a smile on my face that will rival that of the Cheshire Cat.  I have always wanted to chase tornados!

I'm also a planner, though.  Since my boys were born I have taken the weather a lot more seriously.  I am not a pro, by any means, and I have had some people make fun of me, but I have tough my kids the importance of being prepared for severe weather.

Some of the things I've learned are:

• Weather radio!  I have two, one that is a plug in that I rely on heavily, although I hate the sound that it emits!  Ugh!  It's almost as annoying to me as an alarm clock!  It makes this really loud doobeedoobeedoobee sound.  It's worth it, though.  It's not something I can sleep through!  I also have one on my phone.  It alerts me to any of the places that I have programmed in, but I can sleep through that one.  That's mainly for the daytime hours, when my phone is in my back pocket.

• A safe place!  I'm sure you've heard that the best place is on the lower level, away from windows.  We have a closet.  It's a small closet (we had a huge closet before we moved, it was almost like another room!), so it will be tight, trying to fit two adults, two kids, and two dogs (yes, we take the dogs, too.  they are our family, and I won't go anywhere without them!), but we'll make it work.

• Helmets!  It's something that I've heard from meteorologists more in the past couple of years.  Protect your noggin.

• Go bags!  A disaster of any kind (fire, tornado, flood) is traumatic for any family, but I have a special worry for the children involved.  I have a bag that has a first aid kit as well as information such as insurance policies.  I also have another radio that runs on solar power, and I keep some little trinkets that are special.  My boys pack a go bag with some little things that they hold dear, also.  I try to impress upon them that it's not material possessions that matter, that it's family and people that matter more, but in a disaster I want my kids to be comforted, and if that means a toy or book or blanket has to come with them, then I have no issue with it.  *Note:  Animals need to be prepared, as well!  Make sure that your dogs/cats have a collar and leash, or are crated.  

That's all I can think of right now.  These ideas are just for a short amount of time, they are by no means for survival for more than a few hours.  That is something that I like to dabble in, but I have no advice on that.  

What do you do when there is a storm?

I get to practice again tonight, as the meteoroglogists are foretelling of high winds and possible tornados.  Gotta go prepare!

See ya!

~Amanda~

P.S.  I have a Pinterest board for storm preparedness, if you'd like to take a look.  Check it out here.