It used to really bother me, because it was almost as if he was gloating every time he opened up a Swiss-army knife to provide me with scissors or tweezers in the middle of the desert, or informed me that he’d left the Garmin GPS in the glove box of my SUV  when I was already 100 miles down the road and hopelessly lost!   

     I guess that South Texas Boy Scout training and a Mom that couldn’t afford many mistakes went a long way towards making him the man he is today. 

     As a teacher and a Mom, when it comes to kids staying healthy, I have learned that Mario is right …(darn-it!)… “being prepared” really does make all the difference.  

Have a PLAN!  Several years ago, when I moved to the Metro-plex, I was complaining about the heat index and was told by a colleague, “ This is North Texas…if you don’t like the weather, hang around for half an hour…it’ll change!” 

  As true as this may be, when you can, it is a very good idea to watch the weather forecast in the evening!  Include the kids!  When/where possible, have them set out their clothes the night before. (The forecast may not always be right, but it will give you some indicator if we are at least expecting rain, or a northern wind to blow in.) 

     If you have access to the internet, my favorite weather website is http://weather.meteostar.com/  What I love about this website is that all I have to do is type in my zip code and ta-da!  Satellite weather forecast for the next 7 days for my town!

Look at your kids before they leave for school!  Are they appropriately dressed for the weather? -- I’m a firm believer in setting clothes out ‘the night before,’ this means: less mess to pick up (after things have been yanked out of drawers and closets and left behind on the floor), less “guess” as to whether or not your children are dressed properly, and overall less stress in your families morning routine!                                                      

Teach your kids to “layer”… The art of layering can be so essential to a child’s comfort level.  Temperatures inside our classrooms fluctuate drastically…many schools don’t run the A/C over the weekends, so that on Monday the building can be very cold or very warm depending on the weather…additionally, temperatures can vary from classroom to classroom within a building. 

Network with friends, neighbors and family for severe weather days, early release days, sick kid days, and make sure that your “network & phone numbers” are on the emergency card in the office of your child’s school!  Keep your phone/contact numbers up-to-date, there is nothing more frustrating for school personnel than to be unable to reach the parents of a sick or injured child!  

Have a central “holding place” in your home for sweaters, coats, scarves, umbrellas and the like. Train (and it will require some “training”) your family  ( and yourself) to “leave” these garments in this location when they come in.   Looking for misplaced items in the morning can sometimes cause severe wear and tear on the psyche of the entire family… 

Have an after school routine.  Check homework early.  Look at your child’s planner.  Make sure they have done their work early enough to still have time for dinner and some pre-bedtime banter with their family. 

See that your kids get an adequate amount of sleep!  Kids who come in to class dragging, from lack of rest and/or sleep, seem to get sick before the children whose parents have a set bedtime. 

Eat right, stay active--get lots of exercise, take neighborhood walks with the kids!  It’s a great excuse to get out of the house and away from the trappings that call us and our kids away from each other.  A good 15 minute walk two or three times a week, has wonderful benefits health-wise, but it also gives us time to actually talk to each other without being called to the phone, the door, the television or the videogames! 

Perspective and Planning are EVERYTHING!   

Make time to take care of yourself and your family FIRST!   

When you are “prepared,” everything just seems to “fall in place.”