Preparing for Hurricane Sandy

We live on the east coast and so will most likely be effected by hurricane Sandy over the next 48 hours.  We will not be hit as hard as other areas, but expect some power outages to come our way.  I have to say, I'm much more comfortable with this storm.  I remember last Snowtober... I mean October, when we had a freak snow storm that took out our power for 7 days (See my post HERE) .  We didn't expect the storm we got, and were not really prepared for the damage that occurred   This time we are ready!  So what have we been doing to prepare for the hurricane?

• We brought all of our lawn furniture, toys and swings into the shed.  
• We put the garbage can behind the shed so it is more sheltered.
• We filled up every little gas tank we had and made sure our generator was filled and in working order.
• We filled both of the gas tanks in our cars.
• We made sure we had plenty of water.  (Single bottles and jugs)
• We made sure all of our fire alarms and carbon monoxide detector were working and had good batteries in them.
• We made sure we had plenty of flashlights/battery powered lights with extra batteries for each.
• Made sure we had batteries for a radio.
• Stocked up on paper plates, cups and utensils.
• Made sure we are stocked up on toiletries and diapers (for Peanut).
• Checked out our supply of non perishable food (I have a rubbermaid bin downstairs packed with extras in case of a storm).
• I also pre-made as much food as possible and froze it (the reason for the generator).  This includes breads and pre-made sauces.
• When the power goes out for a prolonged period of time we cook on our grills.  I sauted mushrooms, garlic and onion and froze them in olive oil.  All we will have to do is put them into pasta, rice or quinoia that we boil on the grill to add a bit of extra nutrition and flavor.  You can also do this with fresh herbs.
• We stocked up on snacks/drinks.
• I made sure we had plenty of activities for the kids while we are stuck in the house.
• We also got out our "weather" tent.  This is a small tent for the kids that we set up as a fun treat to play with during a hurricane or noreaster.  It gets warm pretty quick in the tent so it helps keep us warm when we loose power and it's cold out.

Our "weather" tent.

• I try to get a new movie or 2 while I'm out as another special activity for the kids.
• Do ALL the laundry and dishes in case we loose power.
• I also made a yummy warm supper last night (Potatoes stuffed with bacon and onions) and a big warm breakfast this morning (french toast)

I also came up with an alternative homeschool lesson plan for today.  Today we are learning about hurricanes! (Of course!)  Here are a couple of sites I found for kids:

Hurricane coloring pages
A kids guide to hurricanes and hazardous weather
Hurricanes 101 Video
Weather Wiz Kids
Enchanted Learning- Hurricanes
A Teachers Guide- Weather
Sesame Street- Hurricane Kit (For after a hurricane)

Hurricane Irene: What we did

SO that's our hurricane prep in a nutshell.  We pray everyone stays safe!!!!!!