Oh yes. Snowmageddon! Or Snowpocalypse if you prefer. We live in Indiana so there is always a chance of snow during winter…and sometimes fall or spring. See in Indiana the weather not only changes daily but it can change multiple times in ONE day. Fun right? Not so much…
The year 2014 started off with a blizzard! Ok not a full blizzard…but a LOT of snow! There was a Storm Warning on Friday January 3rd for the weekend but normally when we hear there is a warning people panic and buy stuff and nothing (or not much) happens. This time, however, was different.
We did our grocery shopping on the 1st and 2nd just because we got paid on the 30th and that’s what we do. By January 5th the stores were empty. Not pretend empty either. Entire shelves of bread, milk, meat and other various aisles were empty. As in they had NO MORE. We were lucky to have the things we needed before that and of course with no real snow Saturday morning we were laughing and thinking people were crazy. We had no idea how wrong we were.
We prepped like we always do. We grabbed our flash lights and made sure we had enough for a couple days of everything like milk, food, my pepsi. Again…we had no idea.
Snowmageddon started on Saturday night while we were playing games. We had a couple friends over and one of them left about 1:30 am when the snow was there but roads were still ok and it still looked like it wasn’t going to be that bad. Our other friend stayed and crashed on the couch. He figured he could leave around noon no problem. We figured the same thing. Oops…
Snowmageddon had completely covered his car by the afternoon on Sunday. My husband ran out for a few things but didn’t get more milk or pepsi…grrr. He figured the roads would be fine once he left our neighborhood because normally that is the case. Again..oops. The roads were VERY bad and he said not only was he not leaving but our friend was stranded with us too. Game day!
So…our lesson is that if they say Snowmageddon is coming (well they say Snow Storm Warnings)…listen and prepare. If you have kids you want to take extra precautions. Our check list used to be this:
- Milk for two days.
- Pepsi for days.
- Flashlights that work.
- Charge phones, DSs, tablets, etc.
- Have plan for food if power goes out.
Now our check list looks a little better for times like this. We still refuse to go into panic mode but a better safe than sorry (or better to have more than to run out due to snow plows failing and being cranky with no pepsi) attitude is how we are looking at it.
Things to make sure you have stocked up for at least 4 days during a HUGE Mega Snow Storm warning! At least these are the things on our list:
- Milk for FOUR days
- Pepsi for FOUR days (yes its a necessity for me and my only vice)
- Flashlights that work WITH extra batteries. (see preparing)
- Phones, DSs, Tablets, laptops etc charging the whole time even in use. (because we learn the hard way)
- Pre-cook some things that you can eat cold or cook dinner early and leave it oven on low to keep warm. If power goes out eat early and if not its done!
- If you don’t want to pre-cook or are me and can’t use an oven without burning something then plan for salads or sandwiches for dinner. You won’t believe how much we rely on warm foods!
- Turn on and let drip all faucets that face an outside wall so they don’t freeze.
- Leave cabinet doors under sinks open so they get to be room temp to help with not freezing.
- Shovel after about 4-5 inches and repeat every 4-5 inches or less. Otherwise (as we have learned) you will be shoveling all 10-14 inches of snow…and ice.
- Have games set out for playing. Regardless of power going out! Snow storms are perfect for game time!
Now on to what to do during Snowmageddon! Preparing the kids (and most adults) for power outages is essential too. Especially in this day and age! We have a TON of games and even if our power stays on we have a list of things to do during a Snowmageddon or Snowpocalypse. Which one you are in depends on what state you are in I think. Pretty sure Snowpocalypse is reserved for states like Minnesota and New York.
Here is a list of things we have done and are doing (as of right now we are still stuck on our house) during our Indiana Snowmageddon 2014!
Play board games!
I am sure by now you have seen and read about (and hopefully purchased) some of the games from this blog. (I have no shame!) So you could (and should) grab a few and have a nice cozy game day! We have game nights all the time but we always look for any excuse to have another one! It’s Saturday = Game day! It’s your birthday? = Game Day! (where you choose all games) Snowmageddon? = Game Day! or days…yay!?
Planning on playing games sets up the day or night for fun family time AND if you lose power you are already prepared! A flashlight that points up will be handy if you do lose power though.
Crafts
Doing crafts is awesome on any day but if you lose power (or just have that extra snow day) it is a perfect opportunity to start prepping for hand made gifts or wall decorations! We are finishing up some christmas ornaments during Snowmageddon and maybe getting a start on some gifts for next year. Maybe…
Play Doh is perfect for snow days! If you don’t have any you can make it yourself too! Cheap AND fun! I love that. Here is
how to make your own Play Doh and yes even I can make this. My kids made snowmen with Play Doh in honor of Snowmageddon. We couldn’t go out to play since its -9 outside so we pretended it was snowing in our Play Doh.
Coloring and Drawing are also great options and you can have the kids draw things that remind them of either Winter (snowmen or snowflakes) or summer to pretend to be warmer (like swimming pools, parks, trees with leaves etc).
Random Things
We are planning on building a blanket fort today! This will help keep everyone warm and cozy and will of course just be fun and awesome. Combine this with our little heater and our house heater doesn’t have to work quite as hard right now. Plus we can play games in our blanket fort…with flashlights! Power outage bonus!
Snow days are a great time to clean or rearrange things. Maybe that is just fun for me…but I have successfully organized my kids play area in our living room AND our kitchen. Woo hoo! Yay for cabin fever! Also, snuggling up by a fire or just on the couch to read a book together is GREAT to do during Snow Days! We try to read every night but its not always possible so on Snow Days we make it happen!
You can always have a dance party! I got this little speaker for Christmas that works with my iPod via Bluetooth and OMG best present ever (next to my new really comfy really soft and REALLY warm blanket)! I teach Aqua Zumba and Zumba Kids (and kids Jr) so I always have music going it our house it seems. During Snow Days though we crank it up and have a dance party in our living room! This is of course before the building of the Snow Fort.
So there are TONS of things to do during Snowmageddon or Snowpocalypse without being outside in the freezing cold. If it isn’t too cold then absolutely go outside and play in this winter wonderland! The important things to remember are the following:
- Prepare as best you can with groceries. Buy enough of the necessities for 2-4 days or as many as the weather suggests and then add 1-2 more days.
- Make sure to have flashlights, blankets and food prepped and ready.
- Charge EVERYTHING! Keep it charging even while using it. If the power goes out it could be days. DAYS!! before it could come back on.
- Plan your activities. Board games, crafts, dance party or whatever you and your family like to do for fun. But plan to do without power. Just in case.
If you plan ahead you will be cozy, comfortable and having a great time during any Snow Day, Snowmageddon or Snowpocalypse. Being prepared will let you and your family enjoy the time you have together and you won’t stress about not being able to get out of your house for a few days.
Stay Safe. Stay Warm. Stay Together. Enjoy your Snowmageddon!
