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With the threat of heavy rain and thunderstorms in southeast Michigan and across the country the time is rife for a discussion with your children about thunder and storms.

Fear of storms are common for children, and the best way to handle those fears is to communicate openly and simply with your kids. The best time to talk to your kids is ideally before a severe storm occurs so you can help to prepare them for what they will experience.

When your community’s sirens sound and your family prepare to take shelter in the basement or other safe place, you can prevent panic and fear while waiting for the storm to pass by bringing books, games, flashlights, and even snacks to help distract them. Many experts suggest buying an age appropriate book that takes the mystery and fear out of storms, such as Nature’s Fireworks: A Book About Lightningby Josepha Sherman.

Children may get scared, emotional or withdrawn depending on how they cope with the fear and uncertainty that surrounds a storm, flood, or power outage. They may want to watch the storm or talk incessantly about what is happening outside. As parents, we can help our kids weather the storm by exhibiting calm behavior for them to mimic—children oftentimes learn by your example. Limit media with graphic images about storms, these images can be scary to kids and accelerate their fears. Refocusing your children’s thoughts away from what’s happening outside will result in fewer meltdowns.

Use the current storm as an opportunity to teach your child how to stay safe when they are outside in a storm with common sense advice about going inside when lightning strikes, not to stand under a tree to protect themselves from a fallen branch or large object during high winds that can sometimes accompany storms, and to stay out of the water

It is important to offer kids as much reassurance as possible and remind them that they are in the family’s “safe” place. Calmly redirect children when their words or thoughts turn back to fear about the storm. Remember, your kids learn by watching you, so remain calm and they will learn to do the same.

Refocusing their attention by playing games, reading a book, or having an age appropriate teaching moment will help your kids weather thru the storm.  Although scary, storms can also provide a good excuse for a warm cookie, a cup of hot cocoa, and bonding time with family.

Stay Warm with Our Melting Snowman Recipe

Grab your kids or the kid inside you and create this fun and easy recipe for a melting snowman. This recipe turns your hot cocoa into a sweet and creamy delicious delight! It is certain to calm those frozen pipes.

You will need:

• Marshmallows
• Pretzel sticks
• Candy corn
• Mini chocolate chips
• Extra long toothpicks (4 inches)

Use the toothpick to poke holes for the arms, legs, and nose, and then push pretzels and a candy corn in the snowman.

Poke small holes for the buttons with the same toothpick and push mini chocolate chips into the holes.

Place some mini chocolate chips in a sandwich baggie and melt in your microwave (30 seconds at a time until melted). Snip off a tiny corner of the baggie and “pipe” the chocolate out to draw eyes and a mouth on the snowman.

Make sure to let small kids know that there is a toothpick inside the snowman before they start eating it. The toothpick could become a choking hazard and we wouldn’t want that!

Stay warm and have fun making marshmallow snowmen for your cocoa! Go outdoors and build an actual snowman then come inside for this toasty drink.  If you enjoyed this recipe, please share it and best wishes for the season from Advance Restoration.

Many factors contribute to the destruction of water leakage in your home or business. Water can literally destroy hardwood flooring, drywall and important documents and electronics. Three of the most common water damage causes are outlined below along with and some helpful tips for staying dry.

Rusted plumbing and Water Damage

Copper and steel pipes used in older home construction put your pipes at a higher level of risk. Rust accumulates and can block the flow of water in pipes allowing rust to take hold and weaken the structure of pipes causing erosion and consequently leaks.

Tip: Have a professional plumber give your pipes a tune up every 2-3 years to make sure the connections are secure and pipes are in good condition.

Extreme temperatures

Changes in temperature that are extreme can cause pipes to crack, burst and leak. While we know this is common in consistently cold climates, burst pipes can happen with any type of temperature change that is extreme enough even in warmer climate zones.

Tip: Hot water temperatures can weaken your pipes over time so stay away from higher heat settings for this reason and protect your pipes by insulating them from the elements.

Natural Settling of Foundation

The natural settling of your home or property can cause cracks in the wall of your foundation causing water to seep through causing flooded basements or crawl spaces. Pipes can be displaced during times when settling is taking place causing them to weaken, crack, or even break leading to damage or flooding.

Tip: Checking the walls of your foundation once a year can help to ward off any issues. If you find cracks upon inspection, contact an expert to determine how widespread the issue is and repair damage a timely manner to ward off unwanted water disasters.

Looking for help with water damage? Contact the experts at Advance Restoration.