Stuck-in-the-Snow Survival

I know some of you are still in summer mode (🙋🏼 I still have 28 swimsuits to pack away and replace with scarves). Many of you are getting into the fall vibe now, with everything pumpkin spice and cinnamon. But today I am going to totally switch gears. I am heading straight to winter, because there are some things you need to start preparing for NOW in order to be winter ready.

Here in Erie we get a TON of snow. As frequent travelers and anti-home-body’s, there is a lot of preparation we have to do before winter hits. Being winter ready is important, we don’t want to be stuck at home when the weather gets bad. As a stay at home mom, it can be easy to get trapped inside all winter. But with a little thought and planning, you can make this winter as active and memorable as your summer was.

The main thing I am getting ready is our ‘Stuck-in-the-Snow Survival Kits’. I invented these kits last winter after someone mentioned to me that they always get stuck in Erie snow at least once. I couldn’t help but think, what would I do if I got stuck in the snow with the kids? Worse thought: what if I hadn’t brought warm enough clothes for the kids to wear while we walked somewhere to find help?

Kris is always at the hospital and can’t answer his phone, so I may not be able to get immediate help if I got stuck in the snow driving. My instinct as a momma is to prepare for the worst case scenario. At first I was bringing extra coats and gloves and blankets with me and throwing them in the trunk every time I went out in the cold. That was getting inconvenient and messy, so I made my car-got-stuck-in-a-ditch, winter ready, survival kit.

Luckily we NEVER had to use that kit last year. The kits are my backup plan. Plan A is to avoid getting stuck in the snow altogether. To make sure we never got stuck we replaced our well worn tires with tires that are made for snow. We chose GoodYear® Assurance® WeatherReady™ tires from Sam’s Club. They work in all weather conditions so they are a really good investment, you can use them all year round.

We were so happy with the new tires that we decided to get them for our second car this year. 

We plan to do a lot of traveling this winter. We have a bunch of plans in the works that I can’t WAIT to share with you all, but till then I will share how I made up my winter kits. They are perfect to throw in the trunk of your car all winter long so you are always ready for an emergency.

How to Make Winter Ready Stuck-in-the-Snow Survival Kits

What you will need:

– A jacket for each family member

– Gloves, socks and a hat for each family member

– Granola bars

– Flashlight

– Water bottles

– A big blanket

– 5-10 large rubber bands

– A plastic tote

– Optional – cell battery charge pack, instant emergency heat packs

How to put your winter ready kit together:

1. Put the blanket in first, roll it up really small so it takes up the least amount of room possible. Secure it with rubber bands.

2. For each family member create a ‘warm clothes pack’. Place their gloves, hat and socks on their coat, roll it up tight, and secure it with rubber bands.

3. Pack in everything else as space efficiently as you can and pop it in the car.

This is really simple to put together, and I leave the house with peace of mind all winter long! I remember a family outing last winter, we were heading somewhere that we were just going to be able to run right inside. Kris looked at the kids with just light jackets on and was like, “Ummmm…. what about gloves and hats and snowsuits?”. I proudly told him about the winter ready survival kit I had in the back. He was so impressed. I gave myself a mental gold star for this simple fix.

This kit makes it a lot easier to get the kids in the car! Have you ever tried buckling a snowsuit wearing child into a carseat? It is not easy. With your warm kit in the trunk, you will always be able to do grocery shopping trips and errands with just a jacket warm enough to run from the car to your destination. 

What do you do to get winter ready? Have you ever been stuck in the snow??

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Tires: GoodYear Assurance WeatherReady | My Top: Free People | Jeans: Jessica Simpson | Shoes: Steve Madden | Z&Z’s Moccasins: Freshly Picked