Parent’s Blizzard Survival Kit: What You NEED to Keep your Sanity!

Are you ready Maine? We have about 12 short hours to prepare for a pretty nasty storm. Take it from me. During our previous storm, in November 2014 – which wasn’t a blizzard but we lost power for 2 days – I was not prepared. So when the power went out, the kiddos turned to us to entertain them. All Day. Oh and with the power out and it getting dark around 4pm, we were sorely unprepared. We had some very, very, bored children and as parents, we were ripping out our hair dealing with the little grumps (but who could blame them???).

I refuse to be unprepared this time though! So I’m sharing my Blizzard Survival Kit: Parent Style.

So there are a few important things you need to have.

  • Fleece/heavy blankets to stay warm.
  • Batteries for flashlights and a few candles (just keep it these up high if you have little ones or pets).
  • Water and juice boxes.
  • Snacks! Fruit snacks, Veggies and Fruit, non-perishable finger foods. Keep in mind, if you lose power and don’t have a generator or another method to cook with, you might be having so cold dinner. Prepare tonight! Throw some dinner into the crockpot TONIGHT (here’s a crockpot recipe to try). As it’s not suppose to get particularly nasty till Tuesday morning, put it in for 9 hours on low – and leave it on warm for as long as you can (power pending). This will give you at least one warm meal (or more depending on if you lose power or not) and typically will stay warm for quite a while even after you lose power. Bake cookies or fun stuff the night before so you have plenty of yum the next day.

Plans for the Day:

  1. Board Games: Also known as bored games. These are indispensible and not only do they keep the family snuggly and interacting, but the more you have, the more you can circulate throughout the day. Don’t have board games or the money to go spend on them? Pick up a deck of cards and you can play a variety of games with these: 10 Kid Friendly Card Games
  2. Coloring utensils. Have children with huge age gaps (like mine 8 and 2)? Bring out the coloring books. Don’t have any? You can print free coloring pages off the internet. Drop by the dollar store for a pack of crayons.
  3. CHARGE ALL THE THINGS!54669135                                  Ok guys, it’s time to prepare. Charge your cell phones up and keep them specifically for emergency use. This means, avoid playing games, watching movies, surfing facebook, etc on at least one of the phones. All other items such as gaming systems, portable DVD players, tablets, etc. Make sure all these items are fully charged by 10pm EST tonight! Put them aside for necessary fun times when the kids get bored.
  4. Craft time! Every Christmas, I make sure to get the kids tons of craft stuff. These come in handy during these snowstorms that typically happen early in the year. I have prepped all the beginner knitting kits for Em for tomorrow. Kids don’t knit or don’t have any crafts? Here are some easy and fun crafts you can whip up with the kids.
  5. Depending on the blizzard, suit up and play in the snow with the kids!  Enjoy some hot cocoa to warm up afterwards!
Jamie Webster

About Jamie Webster

Just your average blogger. Married 2 years with two wonderful children who are 6 years apart. Little about me: I’m turning 31 this year (yikes), have had 9 foot surgeries in 8 years and have spent a little over 4 years of my life in and out of a wheel chair (or scooter). And today, I am training for a half marathon. I attribute two major changes in my life to my healing: the power of goal setting and going gluten free.