1 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:06,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of My Heart Radio. 2 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to think through your winter backup plan. 4 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: Between bad weather and illnesses, much can go wrong, but 5 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,919 Speaker 1: if you anticipate obstacles ahead of time, you can stay 6 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 1: on track. I'm generally an optimistic person, but when it 7 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:33,239 Speaker 1: comes to plans, I've discovered that it's useful to be 8 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: a pessimist. For instance, in general, air travel works great, 9 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:41,919 Speaker 1: but whenever you try to connect, you double the chances 10 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:45,680 Speaker 1: of late flights leaving you stranded. So if there aren't 11 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: direct flights out of Philadelphia, where I live to my destination, 12 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:53,279 Speaker 1: I'll often drive to Newark to get one. It's an 13 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: extra fifty minutes in the car, but that beats getting 14 00:00:56,480 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: stuck for eight hours or overnight in O'Hare. Winter presents 15 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,320 Speaker 1: all sorts of chances for things to go wrong, so 16 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: as with flying direct, it's wise to ask if there 17 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,679 Speaker 1: are any little investments you can make now to prevent 18 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: misery or big time sinks later on. Here's one. My 19 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: family doesn't get in the car for winter trips without coats, hats, 20 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:25,399 Speaker 1: and gloves. Sure we're going from a heated house to 21 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:29,039 Speaker 1: a heated car to a heated location somewhere else. But 22 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:31,399 Speaker 1: you never know when there could be an accident or 23 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: some reason you might have to get out of the car. 24 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: That would be bad enough with winter gear, without boots 25 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: and gloves, it might be really dangerous. Likewise, here's what 26 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: I learned the hard way. If you live somewhere that 27 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 1: snow is a possibility, never park your car on the 28 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: roof deck of a garage. Once in March, all was 29 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 1: sunny when I left for Seattle. I returned after midnight 30 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 1: a few days later to find my car bury did 31 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: not only the ten inches of snow that had fallen, 32 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: but the drifts that the plow had created as it 33 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 1: shoveled out the lanes. I should have checked the forecast 34 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:12,360 Speaker 1: and hunted a little harder for a spot on a 35 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 1: lower level. Sleet and snow can create all sorts of 36 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 1: issues that behoove backup plans. For instance, if you have 37 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 1: school aged children, school maybe your default childcare for much 38 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: of the day. So if there are days of two 39 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: hour delays due to weather, how do you plan to 40 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: deal with them? How about early dismissals, or if school 41 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:37,519 Speaker 1: is closed for snow. Of course, if school is closed 42 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:41,079 Speaker 1: for snow, your office might be too. But your office 43 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 1: doesn't close. When a child is homesick from school or daycare. 44 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:47,799 Speaker 1: What's your backup plan for that? It should be a 45 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: robust plan, Because it turns out little kids get sick 46 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:55,799 Speaker 1: a lot. I didn't really appreciate this when I first 47 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:59,119 Speaker 1: became a parent years ago. My husband and I put 48 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:01,080 Speaker 1: are yet to be born first son on the list 49 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: for a great daycare within walking distance of our apartment. 50 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: This seemed like a perfect solution in our minds. This 51 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: meant our child care needs were solved. Then that first winter, 52 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 1: our son got sick for approximately five weeks total, nothing serious, 53 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:20,520 Speaker 1: thank goodness, just low grade fevers and tummy troubles. But 54 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 1: these meant we'd wake up in the morning and realize 55 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:26,359 Speaker 1: he couldn't go to daycare. This was stressful in terms 56 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 1: of trying to plan work. We wound up with several 57 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:32,800 Speaker 1: backup sitters who had during the day availability on short notice. 58 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 1: We also wound up with an understanding that if I 59 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: covered more of the work week, my husband would have 60 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: the baby much of the weekend and I could work then. 61 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 1: Though it turns out no one wants to schedule a 62 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: meeting on Saturday afternoon, so long term this wasn't going 63 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 1: to work. This is why we hired a nanny by 64 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 1: the time our second son was born. Though this turns 65 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: out not to be fool proof either. Caregivers can get 66 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 1: sick too, so we need backup plans for that as well. 67 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 1: That said, i've met families that do manage the little 68 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: kid illness as well, even with school or daycare as 69 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 1: the primary childcare. Children are a shared responsibility, which means 70 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 1: that childcare is a shared responsibility and backup plans are 71 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: a shared responsibility too. On my blog recently, I profiled 72 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:19,400 Speaker 1: a family that elected to split days when the kids 73 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:21,919 Speaker 1: had to stay home. She might take the morning with 74 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: a sick child and he would take the afternoon. This 75 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:27,720 Speaker 1: was inefficient in some ways because both parties had to 76 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 1: commute and both had to get ready, but the upside 77 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:32,840 Speaker 1: was that neither had to take a full day off. 78 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 1: They would push meetings into the half day they had 79 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: in the office and log extra hours early or late 80 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:41,360 Speaker 1: to get their most urgent to dos accomplished. I have 81 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:44,240 Speaker 1: also seen couple split days of the week when each 82 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 1: is on call, so if a snow or sick day 83 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:50,839 Speaker 1: happens on Monday or Tuesday, one parent covers. If it 84 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: happens on Wednesday or Thursday, the other parent covers. Maybe 85 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 1: Friday rotates. This way, both parties can triage their schedules 86 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: to aim to put anything unmis stable on the days 87 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 1: that they won't miss. Or maybe you're lucky enough to 88 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:09,159 Speaker 1: have really reliable backup care like grandma living next door. 89 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:12,599 Speaker 1: A loving caregiver who doesn't mind dealing with running noses 90 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 1: on short notice is something to celebrate in winter. As 91 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: for your own illnesses and managing teams who might be 92 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 1: dealing with illnesses and bad weather, the best thing you 93 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:26,000 Speaker 1: can do as a backup plan is to work ahead. 94 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:28,920 Speaker 1: It's rarely a good idea to leave things to the 95 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: last minute in general, but it's a particularly bad idea 96 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: during winter, when leaving just twenty four hours for a 97 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:39,200 Speaker 1: key person to review a proposal is an invitation for 98 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:41,720 Speaker 1: that person to be down for the count with the flu. 99 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:44,719 Speaker 1: Aim to be done by at least a few days 100 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:48,640 Speaker 1: before any big deadlines. That way, if something hits last minute, 101 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 1: you're good. If something hits earlier, you've got a buffer 102 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:56,800 Speaker 1: to absorb the lost time and that can make everyone 103 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:01,479 Speaker 1: feel far more calm. So today, take a few minutes 104 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:05,160 Speaker 1: to think about what could go wrong this winter. Think 105 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:07,960 Speaker 1: about systems and solutions you can come up with now 106 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,400 Speaker 1: to minimize the fallout from these problems. Maybe nothing bad 107 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:16,239 Speaker 1: will happen, but we live in the real world. Most 108 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: likely something will. Best to be prepared in the meantime. 109 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:25,480 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making 110 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:33,359 Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to 111 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 112 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:40,200 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook 113 00:06:40,279 --> 00:06:45,080 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's b E the 114 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:49,440 Speaker 1: number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also 115 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:53,120 Speaker 1: shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart 116 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 1: media dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out with 117 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to 118 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:07,000 Speaker 1: staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I 119 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. 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