Mom on the Go: Creating a summer emergency kit
Old Man Winter taught me two things.
1. When doing a 360-degree turn on snowy/icy roads don't pump the brakes.
2. Keep a winter safety kit in the trunk. Said kit was for the unfortunate incident of being stranded in a car. On the side of the road. In hypothermic conditions. (Curses to Old Man Winter!!).
I have happily adopted Lesson No. 2 for the warmer clime of South Florida and built a summer emergency kit over the weekend for those spontaneous jaunts to the beach, county water park or pool.
Those looking for ideas on what to pack for real emergencies such as hurricanes, can find info here.
For those who sweat the small stuff, here's what you'll need for your Summer Emergency Kit:
• A square, sturdy container to store all the goodies.
• A beach towel (or two). Target has beach towels on sale for $5.50. Check out thrift stores, Anna's Linens, your closet for a towel that can be stored in your car's trunk.
• A roll of quarters for plugging city meters. Better yet, get a beach parking card from your city. Fort Lauderdale residents can park at the North and South beach lots and at the Intracoastal/North Birch lot for $5 all year vs. paying 75 cents to $1.75 an hour.
• Sunscreen.
• An inexpensive beach bucket and shovel for the kids to use.
• A pair of flip-flops.
• A brush for cleaning the sand off. (A large nail brush does the job).
• A magazine. (I stuck an Elle Decor in the cube because it has pretty things to ponder in short form for those two seconds I have to read between watching the little one.)
Gretchen Day-Bryant has a son in high school and a daughter in middle school. She’s lived to tell about the struggles of juggling little kids and work.
Joy Oglesby has a preschooler...
Cindy Kent Fort Lauderdale mother of three. Her kids span in ages from teenager to 20s.
Rafael Olmeda and his wife welcomed their first son in Feb. 2009, and he's helping raise two teenage stepdaughters.
Lois Solomon lives in Boca Raton with her husband and three daughters.
Georgia East is the parent of a five-year-old girl, who came into the world weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces.
Brittany Wallman is the mother of Creed, 15, and Lily, 7, and is married to a journalist, Bob Norman. She covers Broward County government, which is filled with almost as much drama as the Norman household. Almost.
Chris Tiedje is the Social Media Coordinator and the father of a 7-year-old girl, and two boys ages 4 and 3.
Kyara Lomer Camarena has a 2-year-old son, Copelan, and a brand new baby. 
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