This post came to us from two Red Crossers. Anne Marie Borrego (AMB in this story) from DC and Carrie Carlson-Guest (CCG) from Minnesota
School is out yet again, and with dangerous roadways, I’m stuck, I mean, here, at home with my 8-year-old son, and I’d prefer to keep him away from the iPad and TV for at least a few hours. As a native Texan, I’m no snow expert. So on this wintry day, I turned to fellow Red Crosser Carrie Carlson-Guest, an Iowa native and Minnesota resident, mom and snow activity expert, for a few suggestions.
About an inch of snow had fallen by noon…
AMB: So Carrie, we’ve only got an inch or so on the ground. But I can already tell that sledding is in our future!
CCG: Make sure the kids are dressed properly with layers and that mittens and things are waterproof. Wet clothing can freeze and cause all kinds of unpleasantness in this kind of weather!
AMB: Good thing I sent my husband out for snow pants last night.
Snow gear on the bed, ready to go. Thanks, Dad!
CCG: Remember that First Aid App we released a while back? Make sure you’ve looked at it, my kids tend to bring home the most interesting injuries after sledding…
AMB: Preparedness kinda sounds like buzzkill for sledding, doesn’t it?
CCG: HAHAHAHA – it doesn’t seem to phase my kids – they’ll barrel down any hill they can find…at least if they have their phone on them, they can look at the app, or call me if they need me.
AMB: I guess that’s another good reason to have that app handy. In all honesty, I hate the cold and am not going to be able to stand it out there for very long.
CCG: Oh you Texas girls….
AMB: Hey now, none of that! What do YOU do at home to stave off boredom on days like this?
CCG: We’ll sometimes do a scavenger hunt for preparedness kit items and decorate the outside of the kit.
AMB: Great. Kind of like hide-and-seek for the batteries and flashlights.
CCG: Exactly – once we get through that, we will have the kids run through evacuation routes in the house – it’s the ONLY time I let them run through here!
AMB: Nice idea! If only we could teach our kids to like shoveling snow as much as they like running through the house!
This shovel will get a workout later today – I, however, will not be doing it
CCG: We can teach preparedness a lot easier than we can teach chores!
AMB: Thanks, Carrie! After a successful encounter with playing in the snow, we’ll run through those preparedness games – that’s a great idea!
