Well in our part of the country, we are preparing for a second large, or "dangerous", as the newscasters like to say snow storm in a week. This really makes you evaluate how prepared you are for an emergency. The first time around I got all I needed or so I thought....chips, dip, cake mix, and frozen chicken nuggets (staple item in  my house:). However, after having lived through the first one I am now realizing how unprepared I was for the weather. Eventhough I was lucky enough to have power the whole storm many of my dear friends did not. We lost cable but that you can live with! The weather is definitely a force to be reckoned with! This time around I am stocking up on batteries, foods that can be eaten without power, refilling medicines, and lastly stocking up on medicines in case your children become ill. This last one is particularly important because NOBODY warns you of this. This will be our third MAJOR snowstorm this winter and I have now lived through two of them where one of my children develops a fever. The first snowstorm was actually terrible and all three of my children ended up sick with the oldest developing pneumonia!! These experiences have made me realized the importance of stockpiling Fever Reducing Medicines in emergencies, either tylenol or motrin. An important tip to fever reducing medicines is that you should pick one and stick with it through out the course of a illness. The other thing I will do is have my cell phone and laptop charging continuously in order to have the best possible charge. Many of my friends left their houses and went to hotels when they lost power, I don't blame them....Do you? It is still important to be prepared! You never know when that might not be an option.