What is that you say.. there is one more level of inclement weather alert I did not include in my post last week? You say I hear it in the spring every first Wed. of the month at 12:00 precisely. The sweet sound of TORNADO sirens, followed by a voice that shouts.. TEST.. are you telling me this can actually happen for REAL?! Oh just when you think you have it all together, the kids are in bed, the husband is still at work, I have settled into my bed and there you have it.. the sirens go off. Now I will admit it freaked me out last week to be woken up by green skies and winds, but we readied ourselves and waited and well.. it all played out fine. But last night.. my heart rate starts to speed up just thinking about it. The rain picked up, lightening and thunder picked up, the winds picked up and the one that seals the deal, the hail started.. and then there you have it, the sirens started going off.. this is not a test, its a Thursday night, not the first Wednesday of the month, this is the real deal, 3 kids.. to the bathroom downstairs, and yes they were all asleep. I ran in and got Reagan scooped her up, threw open Broderick and Addisons doors yelling at them to go downstairs. Brodo heard it and realized what he heard and got down pretty quick and sat with Reagan on the floor in the bathroom. Addison was a bit dazed and confused and was heading to my room, but I found her and we made our way downstairs.. so there you have it.. poor sleepy kids, sitting on the floor. I grabbed my cell phone, our home phone and a TV remote (for some odd reason). Brodo tried to explain that the sirens were only a test to his sisters. I think he was trying to convince himself and downplay the scenario. We called Daddy just to make sure he was safe and not on the road. He was. I then had to decided do I turn the TV on or stay in the bathroom? It didn't seem as bad, but there is always a calm before the storm, so you never know. I turned on tv, watched the broadcast, tried to figure out where we were and how bad it was. The sirens stopped, and instead of the usual voices yelling TEST... we heard.. TAKE SHELTER.. that's eerie to hear. So we waited.. what now, when they go off are you safe, can we go back to bed, or will/should we spend the night in the half bath?! Not my idea of fun? Addison remained calm and I don't think she even teared up, which is amazing. I think the shock of it all kept her wide eyed? Reagan kept saying she heard the firefighters, I think that's the sirens she is talking about. Reese howled along with the sirens, she does it every month.. but added to my, oh put the dog safely away too.. So we huddled together out of the bathroom, into the living room to watch the news, and to see the storm safely pass. I think last week our area was slow to sound the alarm.. someone jumped on it this time, better safe than sorry I think! The kids returned to bed, mine, no, but all in Brodos room, yes. There is safety in numbers after all. I figured if it happened again, it would be easier than running all over the house! I learned a few things, a few tips perhaps or just general observations...
*if the weather looks bad, go to bed in PJS.. I mean tops and bottoms, it saved me a bit not having to scramble to find pants to put on, nobody wants to be caught with their roof blown off, huddled in the bathroom in their undies!!
*I also find it helpful to sleep with my wedding ring on those nights.. I always take it off, something about the prongs and sheets and extra wear and tear, I take my ring off, but when its bad it stays on, if the house is gonna go, I want to at least look married, huddled in my bathroom..
*when emergency's hit, you don't have time. I realized that last week, Clay and I had time to shift some stuff out of the closet, grab some supplies etc. etc.. when those sirens went off there was no time for anything. Now I was alone with the kids, and I am sure if Clay had been home it would of been different. We got to to the bathroom because I didn't want to move the few things out of the closet, and that was it. I didn't grab our little safe, with important documents,no candles, no flashlights, (I did have pjs on) so from now on if you come to my house, please ignore the bin of safety items stored in the half bath, if we just keep it there I never have to worry. I am thinking about moving my scrapbooks into the bathroom, feel free to look through them the next time you are in there!!!
*Okay so I have learned life isn't so bad, it gets hectic, crazy,busy and everything else, but that's what keeps us going!! I have heard those sirens only go off a few times in my life, and its always been fine, so I will be grateful for that. I sound my own alarm some times, but last night taught me an important lesson, sometimes we need to take shelter, protect what you love, in stormy weather or blue skies, that whats really important!