Preparing Your Family for Winter Weather

You've remembered to winterize your house and your car, but is your family ready? Be sure to prepare your kids and your kitchen for snowy days and long winter nights.

Ice, snow, and, perhaps worse, lots of "snow days" with the kids in the house. Are you and your family "winterized"?

Preparing for unexpected campouts in your living room is not exactly akin to preparing for a terrorist attack, but some of the same precautions apply. Ice can put weight on electrical lines and cut off power, so have the following on hand:

-Flashlights and batteries; candles are not a wise choice, because in bad weather you can have a fire and no one can reach you.
-Plenty of blankets.

-A safety kit for your car, consisting of shovel, sand or cat litter for traction, tire chains, booster cables, a cell phone, extra warm clothing or boots, an ice scraper, small tools, winter sleeping bag or blankets, snack food, water, flashlight with good batteries, matches and newspapers, games and toys, zip-top bags (for elimination if stranded), and a 12-volt adapter coil heater that can plug into the lighter to heat water.

-Salt or sand for treacherous sidewalks.

-Safe, radiant space heater (no open coils).

-Fan for fireplace that blows heat into the room and does not suck it up the chimney.

-Supplies of medication to last a few days at least.

-The phone numbers of older or disabled neighbors, just in case.

Making Your Kitchen Ready for Winter


Food to stock up on:
 
-Steel cut oats, for oatmeal
 
-Frozen berries. Great in that oatmeal for any meal of the day

-Peanut butter

-Tuna

-Garbanzo beans

-Canned juices

-Crackers/bread

-Long-keeping milk (shelf-stable)
-Vitamins

-Baby food. And don't forget diapers, towelettes, bottles, ointment, and the rest.

-Pet food

-Carrots, squash, and apples. Keep apples in the fridge, they last a month that way.

-Raisins and nuts

-A slow cooker

Next post will activities your family can do when the power is out, or it is a snow day.  Stay tuned!

Winterizing Checklist

Don't get caught off guard.  Be prepared for winter with this quick check list

Service Weather-Specific Equipment


•Drain gas from lawnmowers.

•Service or tune-up snow blowers.

•Replace worn rakes and snow shovels.

•Clean, dry and store summer gardening equipment.

•Sharpen ice choppers and buy bags of ice-melt / sand.

Time to Winterize Your Home

Yes, hard to believe the snow could start falling any day now.  Don't be caught off guard, with these few tips you can easily get your home ready for winterm and while you're at it, be more energy efficient! Talk about a win-win situation!


Even homes with adequate insulation material and water pipe heat tape can be further fortified for winter months. Regardless if winter is already well under way, it still isn’t too late to winterize your home. The following steps can save you time, money, and help you avoid inconvenient cold-weather emergencies.

•Check insulation: be sure your attic, basement, and exterior walls are properly insulated and up to code. Depending upon insulation product used, replace or add to batt insulation (also known as blanket insulation) or other insulation material. If you have blown in insulation, a building contractor can determine whether or not more is required.

•Check for cold air entry ports: give your house the once-over; look for areas where cold air can seep in, and inside heat escape – adding to fuel costs. Check external wall electrical outlets, switch-plates, and gaps around windows and doors. Foam insulation made for outlet and switch placement is inexpensive, a breeze to install, and effective. Door weather stripping and window weather stripping made from metal, vinyl, sponge, felt, or foam can also help considerably. Caulk draft areas where weather stripping is not appropriate.

•Check furnace: this may not fit under the winterize your home category, but replacing the furnace filter every 4 to 6 weeks will help your furnace run more efficiently and cut down on heating costs. If you suspect your furnace isn’t running at top performance, have a heating repair contractor inspect it.

New Listing - Lot 43 Andrew Point Road, Waterloo Lake

Dotted with islands, Waterloo Lake is part of a chain of lakes which make it one of the best canoe routes in Nova Scotia. Trout have been stocked in the lake for many years. Lying on Hwy 10, in the heart of southern NS, Waterloo Lake Retreats has phone & electric service already in place. The lake has several homes & cottages - however, it remains a quiet place to enjoy; and there are protective covenants in place to protect your investment. With 350 sq ft of water frontage, this 2.201 acre lot is awaiting the new owner to build a home/cottage. Make it yours; call today.



Priced at $49,900
MLS® # 05277264