More tips for Mothers facing Hurricane Frances

More advice:

Do not tell the kids too early that "we might have a storm" they will no matter what religion they were raised in start trying to think of the words to Ave Maria and or pray to the Gods of Hurricanes to get a CAT 5. Do not tell them "we might have a storm" unless you have a good answer as to where you will go after your house is destroyed. Kids are very inquisitive.

Do NOT use the Hurricane as an excuse to go off your diet. You have worked hard to cut down on one of the following:
carbs
fats
protein
sugar
all of the above

Do NOT decide the world is ending and eat a box of Twinkies. The storm could turn and you will end up angry, upset, annoyed with yourself and eat another box of twinkies.

This leads me to another thing..BUY THE SNACKS YOU HATE THE MOST.

Do not let your tastes guide you. No Chocolate Chip cookies.. no Sandwich cremes. Choose those key lime/strawberry sandwhich cremes the kids think are so cool and you think look like ...well forget what you think they look like...buy what you hate. Let this be your guide. If you are going to fill the house with junk food... let it be food you hate and won't be tempted to eat.

Do NOT let your spouse fill the fish tank with all the water you bought for Frances because there is a developing wave behind it. My brother did this. His wife is NOT amused.

Do the following NOW:
Check all the windows in your house to make sure they lock.Remove things that are valuable and put them somewhere you pray is safe.

Figure out where you will make your stand and hunker down. Away from windows, open streets, preferably near a bathroom.. in a hallway, small bedroom, enclosed closet or bath.

Make sure you have any medical supplies.

Make sure you have extra formula or dog food ... sorry but they go together when it comes to stock piling things.

Don't scare the kids. Don't excite the kids. Depending on if they want the storm. IF they want it remind them their collection of games for their X Box will be no longer usable.

If you have a rubbermaid container... put valuable papers in it.

If you need "chill pills" kava kava or some sort of mind numbing drug to get you through the waiting for the storm to come with kids who are home ..out of school..cooped up waiting. Use them but sparingly.

If you are truly alone.. a single mother ..and you don't have big kids who will boss you around and think they know better in the guise of helping. Think of spending the storm with another close friend... single parent as its better to have two adults in a house than only one.

Do not be afraid to go to shelter..check out when they open (they fill up) and what you can or can't take with you. Take battery operated toys for kids to be busy with.. it cannot be repeated enough. IF you don't have battery operated toys.. buy a cheap radio, let them listen to whatever music they want as long as they don't say to you "WHEN ARE WE GETTING THE STORM"

Make sure you have money on you. IN YOUR POCKET.. not somewhere in the house. ATMs do not work without electric and they can empty out before you get there.

Take pictures of the house for insurance purposes and your own memory ... in case it goes whoosh.

Prayer works.Good thoughts work.Do a good deed for a friend in need.Think positive thoughts and realize the odds your particular abode will actually get the eye of the storm vs the whole cone.Do not stare at the storm on radar/sats.. it can hypnotize you.

Remember everyone around you is in the same boat and shit happens everywhere. Blizzards, Earthquakes, Floods, Volcanoes, UFOs not to mention the possibility that the Canary Islands will collapse into the ocean causing a tidal wave that might wash away Washington. Everyone has their day in the sun and everyone has their day of disaster. It's part of life. So are storms. We all go through them.. in one way or the other.

If you family is alive and well and survives the storm..everything else can be rebuilt and you can move and you can always go to therapy for post traumatic stress syndrome.
Focus on what you can do and not the worst that can happen.Prepare for the worse..hope for the best.

Stay on your diet. Be Calm. Share your problems with a friend.

Buy batteries!Charge your cell phone before the storm. Relatives from all over the world will call you to tell you "Youre getting the storm"

And..remember. How you face a disaster is how you teach your child to deal with disasters later in life. If you teach them to prepare, to take them seriously, to watch the news and not go by rumors.. take precautions and be brave in the face of disaster... so will they when they are older and you can't be there to walk them through it and hold their hand.

Lastly.. if you wear make up.. make sure to put it on, face the world with a smile and believe in miracles. Believe in the odds being on your side and take a deep breath and don't be afraid. And, if you are.. call your best friend. Chances are she is dying to talk to you too.

bobbi ...south of the suspected track but inside the cone.