Hurricane Season runs from June 1st to November 30th.  I’m not really suggesting that we “Celebrate” Hurricane Season. However, you SHOULD plan for it with the same detail that you would plan a big party! Maybe More!

I’ve lived in the Tampa Bay area for over 29 years and yes, we have been extremely lucky!  Having a house less than 2 blocks from the coast has kept us on our toes. We always “think” we’ve done everything to prepare, but when the warnings go into effect, we still scramble.  So it really is important to take care of the things that can be done ahead of time.  For example, if you wait to buy batteries, you just may be out of luck…because everyone is out buying batteries 12 hours before the hurricane hits!  Batteries for what you ask?  Oh my, you really do need some help to prepare, don’t you!

OK, so, it’s time to prepare for The Big One … Hurricane that is!

1.   HAVE A PLAN:  There are some excellent checklists to help you get started.  My favorite sites for information are the Big Three! I am not a Hurricane Preparedness Expert! So I rely on the REAL Hurricane Experts for the best information:

*National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

*NOAA National Weather Service (NWS)

*Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

2. KNOW YOUR EVACUATION INFORMATION: Depending on the location of your home, you may or may not need to evacuate. If you are in an Evacuation Zone however, find out what zone it is, and the locations you can evacuate to.  Many people would rather go to a friends house to ride out the storm.  If that is a possibility, it’s a good one! But if not, be prepared for a few hours or days in a local shelter. Most likely your local newspaper, radio and tv stations have plenty of good information free for the asking as well. Local information is critical as far as evacuation details are concerned!!!

3.   HELP FAMILY MEMBERS PREPARE. ESPECIALLY CHILDREN!  It’s important to keep children involved and informed in the event of a Hurricane. Let them be part of the early season preparations. FEMA has a great site for kids that is worth checking out.  When Hurricane Charley threatened the Tampa Bay Area several years ago, I called my kids from work and explained to them that we might be evacuating, quickly! I gave them one job.  I aksed them to go through their rooms and around the house and choose the items that they couldn’t bear to lose.  They were not to pick up more than what would fit into a 1 foot by 1 foot box.  Then I reminded them that Ipods, TV’s, books, sports equipment…all of that could be replaced.  They were to find the things that couldn’t be replaced or had significant sentimental value for them.  Long story short, we never did evacuate, but the action of them picking the items they held most dear was an incredible experience…for them as well as myself. I learned a great deal about my children on that day, which leads me to …

#4.   REMEMBER WHAT’S IMPORTANT! Your physical safety comes first of course!  Beyond that, most of the rest of it is STUFF! I am not suggesting that it’s easy to lose everything you have and start over from scratch.  The survivors of Hurricane Katrina would tar and feather me!!!! I’ve watched friends rebuild after disasters.  It truly is a test of faith and fortitude.  I NEVER want to go through it and hope that you don’t have to either! But with Hurricanes, we usually do have a bit of notice, so use that time wisely and really THINK about what your priorities are.  If you are told to evacuate, EVACUATE!  Then think “What are the things that can’t be replaced?”  You rarely hear someone on ABC News after a Hurricane has blown away their house saying “I can’t believe I lost my whole Tupperware Collection…how will I go on”?  Instead, you see them sifting thru any wreckage they can find, hoping to find a wedding picture or a baby album. Remember when I made my kids put together that box? I neglected to tell you that my oldest was 18 at the time…and his box consisted of his Prom Picture, his MIddle School Yearbook, his Saxophone (ok, it was bigger than the space requirements, but I allowed it…he is a phenomenal musician), and his Nite-Nite Bear.  I had no idea where Nite-Nite had been hiding all these years, but my son knew! And Nite-Nite wasn’t going to be left behind!!! (amongst some of the other items from my children…a rock collection, a rubber duck, 2 “blankies”, several diaries and sketch books, a 4-H Trophy  for the Grand Champion Swine, and the saved “stitch” from an emergency appendectomy…go figure!)

#5.  NOW THAT YOU KNOW IT’S IMPORTANT, PRESERVE IT! I won’t take the time to plug what I do for a living here. (Originally this blog was going to do that, but there really is too much information we all need on Hurricane Preparedness besides preserving our memories .) But I am all about SAVING AND PRESERVING YOUR MEMORIES! So if you do nothing else at the beginning of this Hurricane Season, start sorting through your old photos and albums and SCAN THEM TO CD OR DVD! Don’t forget to transfer the old home movies on VHS either!  And then while you are at it, make 2 copies and put one set in a safe deposit box or send them to a friend or family member in another part of the country for safe keeping! Hopefully you will never need that extra set…but if you do, you’ll be glad you took the time to do it. And while you’ve got photos on your mind, go around you house and take pictures of EVERYTHING. And THEN,  make sure you know where your camera is before, during and after the storm. Remember those batteries?  They aren’t just for radios!

Predictions for this Hurricane Season The December 2009 report estimates approximately 11-16 named storms, 6-8 hurricanes and 3-5 major hurricanes occurring during the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, which is more typical of years in an active era, such as the 1995 season.

Remember, you can always replace a couch …   but … YOU ARE IRREPLACEABLE !

Please Stay Safe!

Vanilla Pudding actually has it’s own Day!  And it’s May 22nd!  So please join me in celebrating Vanilla Pudding!  Yay!

I’m not exactly sure why it’s called “National Vanilla Pudding Day” since I can find no actual proclamations, congressional records, not even any flyers in my hometown restaurants.  But if you Google “National Vanilla Pudding Day”  you’ll find references to it all over the place…Just no explanation! Doesn’t Matter! 

I am confident that you will know how to celebrate this momentous day, but if not, I’ve included my  ”List of Top 3 Ways to Celebrate “National Vanilla Pudding Day”

1. Eat Vanilla Pudding by yourself.

2. Eat Vanilla Pudding with lots of friends.

3. Eat Vanilla Pudding as a snack, a dessert, or as your actual main course.  It’s OK because “National Vanilla Pudding Day” only comes once a year! Splurge!

I do want to caution my readers however. Please don’t confuse today with “National Butterscotch Pudding Day”…that’s September 19. And it’s not “National Rice Pudding Day”…that’s celebrated on July 15. It’s not “National Tapioca Pudding Day” either. Well of course not!  You probably already knew that will be on August 9th. 

I would love for you to send me your Vanilla Pudding stories!  And if you are the creative type, check out allrecipes for great pudding and custard recipes. I hear Pudding is good even if it doesn’t come out of a box!

Oh, and by the way, “National Chocolate Pudding Day” is June 26th. You didn’t think I’d forget to mention that one did you? That’s only 4 weeks away…I’m already in planning mode!

Anyone have an extra spoon I can borrow????

Recently, a good friend of mine generously donated her professional time and talent to take photos of special Mother’s and their Children on Mother’s Day.

These were Mother’s who resided in a local abuse shelter.

They were Mothers and Sons and Daughters who may have left their homes with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, but had dreams of a new future.

They were women and children who would never forget where they had been. 

And they were individuals who would never forget the beautiful angel with a camera who captured a simple glimpse of their new life.

Never underestimate the Power of One Photograph!

Never underestimate the Power of Generosity!

Please visit http://www.lisasibley.com/

I guess I’m considered a “Seasoned Mom” at this stage in my life.  Kids are old enough to venture out in the real world, with the knowledge that MOM is still here if they need me.  But it’s exhausting being the Mother of “JAG’s”…Just About Grown’s!  

I plan on celebrating my Mother’s Day doing NOTHING!  I hope my husband understands the game plan.  I don’t want to be in charge of ANYTHING!

So here’s a quick checklist that he…and some of you other thoughtful gentlemen out there may find useful.

1.    Please don’t ask if I want to go out to eat, or  where I want to go?  Make the plans and I’ll go, I promise! A girl’s gotta eat!

2.   Please don’t ask if I know where anything is.  I probably do. But I don’t want to tell you right now.

3.   Please don’t ask if I’ve heard from the kids today. If I haven’t at the time you ask, my mood will reflect the answer. 

4.   Please don’t tell me you reminded the kids that today was Mother’s day. They should remember on their own. Geez!!

5.  Please don’t tell me you FORGOT to remind the kids that it was Mother’s Day. That’s your job. Geez!!

6.   Please don’t ask me  cook anything, fold anything, clean anything, save anything, write anything, find anything, solve anything, wipe anything, lift anything, push anything, remember anything,…or clean up cat puke.

7.   Please don’t try to earn brownie points by telling me I look beautiful as I am getting out of bed in the morning.  I DON”T look beautiful…I look more like a Yetti having a bad hair day.  False compliments get you nowhere. Wait until I take a shower and put on some makeup. Now I deserve a compliment!

8.   Please buy me a card.  I know I’m not your Mother. Doesn’t matter.  I’m THEIR Mother.  That deserves a card…from YOU!

9.   Please don’t let the kids near me if…they need money…they need food…they are dropping a college class…they are failing a college class…they lost their cell phone…they lost their job…they pierced something…they tatooed something…they forgot something…they remembered something.  As long as they hug me and don’t update me about anything going on in their lives, I’ll probably be ok.  Unless they just won the lottery and want to give me the ticket for Mother’s Day.  Then they can speak.

10.   Please let me have the TV remote.  I don’t need it long.  I simply need to know that you are willing to take control over EVERYTHING else on this day, and relinquish control over that one thing you truly cherish in life.  Besides ME of course!