Hurricane Prep is my Bitch!

So here comes Hurricane Irma! Living in the Sunshine State, we're used to tropical storms and hurricanes, but I have to say, Irma does seem to look like the mother of all storms!

I'm trying to get some work done today, but alas, my brain won't stop buzzing with tasks that need to be done in the next day or so. I've got all the usual suspects taken care of -- water, non-perishable food, cars filled with gas, generator ready, outside items inside, etc.

But having ridden out several big hurricanes a decade ago, and the resulting week-long power outage, I am a much smarter, savvier hurricane prepper. And chances are that we will lose power for a while.

Back then, we didn't have a generator, so we lost everything in the refrigerator. And after days of Florida heat and humidity, we ran out of clothes. Also, my house got dirty very fast due to people tracking in wet leaves and dirt. Without a vacuum cleaner, I was forced to sweep -- and sweep and sweep and sweep!

So this time I'm prepping smarter. Along with the usual safety checklist, I've added the 'Mom's OCD List' which includes: Doing all laundry in the house, vacuuming the entire house, and cooking food that either doesn't require heating, or that can be heated on the grill.

Aside from helping me to stay away from the constant doom-and-gloom weather reports, the tasks actually help me retain some sense of control in a situation that is mostly not in my control.

If you're in the storm's path, here's the non-OCD list: Stay safe!