How To Survive Being Snowed-In With Your Kids

As you probaby heard (after all, those affected tweeted about nothing else), New York City and much of the East coast got hit hard by the blizzard this past weekend. We got over two feet here (!), but luckily we never lost power. I've written before about just how much I suck at snow days with my kids, so this time, I spent all day Friday prepping for the storm. Then, once it arrived, I spent all day Saturday and Sunday cooped up inside with my husband and two bored little ones.

I learned a few things. Here's how to prep next time there's a massive snowstorm on the way.

1) Stock up on bottled water, flashlights, and batteries. Because having them will ensure you don't need them; while not having them will ensure the power goes out and you spend the weekend bored, drinking Gatorade, and walking around the house with a single Bath & Body Works candle for light. (For the record, I was prepared with a stash of four of these battery-operated lanterns, which came highly recommended.) 

2) Charge the iPads before the snow arrives. And then charge any external power sources you have laying around, too. (I swear by the Jackery. It's cute--I have it in gold, it's tiny so it slips easily into your purse, and it's on sale for $10.99 right now.) You'll need fully charged iPads (plus backup power), because unless you're a masochist, you're definitely going to let your kids go on an iPad bender during a snowstorm. Best case scenario, you'll just be stuck inside and that screen time is going to save everyone's sanity. Worst case scenario, the power goes out and you're going to be stuck inside rationing that sweet, precious iPad juice like it's gold. 

3) Load up your pantry with snacks. Just know that they probably won't be the right ones though. I got all of the things my kids usually love: Pirate's Booty, Goldfish, pretzels, fruit. Then, when we were actually stuck inside, they randomly demanded potato chips, which of course, I didn't have. If I were to do it again, I'd involve them in the process before I went grocery shopping and ask them for two or three snack choices they wanted to eat during the storm. Live and learn.

4) Scour Pinterest for cute and educational art projects for your kids to do while they're housebound. Haha. J/K. I'm way too much of a slacker mom for that. 

5) Make sure their snowpants and boots fit. It's best to do this in the fall, but if you're like me, you'll purposely procrastinate, thinking you could maaaaybe get through the season without having to buy these items, which they will end up wearing zero to two times. But nope. You always, always end up needing them. So you'll wait until there is an actual blizzard and your kids are standing by the back door ready to go out and play, before realizing...oh crap. I did have the foresight to buy my kids' new snowboots this year, but I flaked on buying snowpants. My size 6 daughter had to make do with last year's 5T snowpants that were about four inches too short, so she had freezing wet calves after five minutes outside. #momfail. This year, I bought these snow boots for my daughter, which she is obsessed with, and I now have these snow pants on the way. My son has Old Navy snow overalls and these boots. (Side note: I highly recommend Kamik Kids boots, like I bought my son, for any little kid around two or three. There is nothing harder than getting snow boots on uncooperative feet, but these open almost all the way, so they are simple to get on. They were also quite a bit cheaper than many other top-rated options I found. Win win.)

6) If all else fails, scoop some snow into a bowl, throw some sprinkles on it, and call it "snow ice cream." My kids actually fell for this! In fact, they loved it! And it bought me like 30 minutes of relaxing time! Snow in a bowl. Trust.

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Were you in the path of the blizzard, too? Or have you been stuck inside with your kids for other natural disasters? What are your secrets for making it out alive? I'd love to hear!