This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser Duracell. All opinions are mine alone.
The song says rainy days get me down but not my family because we’ve got Duracell batteries a plenty from our local Walmart. We’ve got rechargeable Duracell batteries in AA because almost everything we own takes AA batteries and a drawer full of Duracell coppertop batteries in every size just in case we need them for lanterns, battery powered radios and fans. We #PrepWithPower so we are not caught off guard during thunderstorms or those instances when we all find ourselves hiding in the basement from a Midwestern tornado or tomato as my 7-year-old calls them sighting that . I love a good rainy day or night during the summer. It gives me time inside with the girls to just relax and spend time without expectation of pools, parks and running from place to place. I throw the windows open because I love the smell and sound of rain and the bullfrogs that come with the rain. I look at a storm like permission to just be still. To every life may there be a little rain, so that we might enjoy those gorgeous sunny days. But that doesn’t mean that storms have to ruin your day. There are many things you can do to not only be prepared by enjoy when storms happen. When my girls were smaller, thunder and lightening frightened them and they would regularly run to my bed for shelter. At first, I was annoyed because I love storms so much but then I realized it was just an excuse for me to get to hunker down and cuddle my girls. We all piled into my king sized window and watched as the lightening lit up the night sky. We’d sing songs like Mary had a little lamb and you are my sunshine to drown out the booming thunder as it rolled in.
I learned early on to keep batteries, lanterns, candles, flashlights and everything charged. As the girls got older, we’d have picnics in the middle of the living room if our pool day was rained out. We’d watch movies in bed in our pajamas. And after the storm passed, as a family, we’d go outside and look for rainbows and jump in puddles.By doing this, the girls began to no longer fear the rain and storms but look forward to the rainbow that appeared after the storm passed; to appreciate the smell of rain and the pure joy of jumping in puddles.
Now, at ages 7 and 9 if there is a thunderstorm or a tornado warning, my girls have learned to trust that the Big Guy and I will always have their back and protect them. Now, they enjoy it by building forts, reading, singing songs, playing games like Candy land and checkers, telling ghost stories or just enjoying one another’s company, sharing sister secrets like sisters do and that makes me grateful for the storms in our lives. We look for the rainbows. How does your family prepare for storms and inclement weather? How do you teach your children to embrace life’s stormy weather?