Remember the polar vortex many of us experienced last year? I sure do. It was brutal, and I have a funny feeling it may be headed our way again this year. Two weeks ago, I woke up to 22 degree weather in Maryland and later that night I heard they were expecting close to 7-feet of snow in Buffalo, New York. And all of this before Thanksgiving! Needless to say, we should all take heed and prepare—no matter where we live.

Preparing for the winter months can be a lot of work, and even costly. But what’s more costly (and potentially more stressful) is entering these colder months without any preparation. Sure, it’s great to know and believe that God will take care of us, but God also gave us the good sense to make the proper arrangements to care for ourselves when difficulty strikes.

Sure, we got some relief soon after the recent arctic blast, but we don’t know how soon the next one may come our way. Let’s take some time to prepare for what might await us this winter. Keeping your family safe and happy during the coldest months of the year should not be an afterthought. Do the smart thing and prepare for Old Man Winter before he strikes again and leaves you feeling lost and confused.

Here are 5 things every family should do to prepare for the cold months ahead:

Take inventory of what you have at home. We all think we have certain medications or food items at home that can help us if we encounter an emergency, but if we really took stock, we would realize that half of the stuff we have has expired. Open all your medicine cabinets, check your pantries, and make sure you trash and replace anything that expired. Expired stuff (including things like batteries) won’t do much good when an emergency strikes. Also, check to see if you have shovels, rock salt and all the other necessary items to keep your family safe as they step foot outside the door.

Create an emergency kit for your home and your car. Every family intends to have an emergency kit ready, but when a foot of snow hits unexpectedly, it won’t really matter what your intentions were. Having an emergency kit at home and in each car is essential. For a great list of items to include in your car emergency kit, visit almanac.com. And for an excellent list of emergency items to keep at home, visit ready.gov.

Develop a family communication plan. It can be hard for people to makes plans for situations that they have never encountered, but we must. Take the time to talk to your family about how you would communicate with each other in different situations, and what each person should do if they are unable to reach anyone else. It is also important to communicate with neighbors, schools, and community organizations so you are prepared and know where to seek help if a disaster strikes. And don’t forget to communicate with elderly family members who may live alone. They may need to come and stay with you before a major storm strikes. For great insight on creating a family plan, visit ready.gov.

Assess the condition of your cars. The day before a major snowstorm is a really bad time to realize you have crappy tires. Take the time to assess the condition of your vehicle before you run into a dangerous situation. Do you need a new car battery? Do you need new tires and can your tires manage snow well? Has your car been serviced recently? These are all critical questions you want answered long before your meteorologist delivers news that you weren’t expecting (Old Man Winter is striking everywhere these days).

Plan activities for days you are suck at home. Snow days can be brutal if there is nothing to do. The holidays are a great time to stock up on board games. Also, make sure you have plenty of arts and crafts supplies handy if you have little ones. Know where old family photos are. A snow day is a great time to show the kids old pics, reminisce, and have a good laugh. Don’t forget to keep a battery-operated radio (with CD or cassette player) on hand—and, of course, a bunch of your old school music. Your moves might embarrass your kids at first, but I guarantee that some fun will come from it. Finally, snow days are a great time to work on projects you have been holding off on, or brainstorming about ideas that have been brewing in your head.

Bad weather can really throw a wrench in our day-to-day lives, but if we are prepared, we are able to make the best out of the situation we are handed. We can’t control the weather. All we can do is prepare for what may come our way. Good luck and have a happy and safe winter.

BMWK family, any tips on what other families can do to prepare for winter?