The Great California Shakeout Drill - and Earthquake Preparedness

Did you know that Thursday is the Great California Shakeout Drill? This is a good opportunity to think about the Big One and make some preparation plans. What kinds of plans? Here are some resources:

MEET-UP
Where will you meet up with your loved ones? Do your kids know where to go if they're in the house and a quake hits? Here are some information sheets on doing your own earthquake drills, as well as safety plans for families. The government has earthquake resources/information here.

STOCK UP
You'll need some emergency supplies at home - providing they are easy to reach and haven't been covered in rubble. Some companies provide ready-made kits you can buy like this one or this one. Of course you can make your own as well. I just saw in the Costco Connection magazine that they sell buckets of emergency food packets. These might be a little big for your family (do you really need 270 servings of macaroni pasta or 300 servings of tropical fruit varieties in a 6 gallon weatherproof bucket?) but they'd be good for a work place or community center.

Some items that are good to keep in stock at home: containers of water (like the 1-2.5 gallon jugs you can cheaply buy at the grocery store); spare cash; keep your tank of gas filled (or at least not close to empty), and batteries/flashlights.

BACK-UP
Even if your car and house title are safely stored at the bank vault, you'll still want to know where your important papers are at home. Consider scanning important documents and uploading them to your computer. And make a folder that holds everything, so you can grab it in a hurry if needed. Backing up your computer to an external hard drive is great, but if you lose that in an earthquake it doesn't help much. Companies like Mozy, Carbonite and Dropbox are three companies who do that for you in the cloud.

What are your emergency preparedness tips?

Halloween Costume Deals

If you're looking for deals on costumes, there are plenty to be had. Freeshipping.org sent out this list, which I added to/modified. If you shop through ebates, you'll get additional cash back on many of the deals. I use this affiliate site to shop, and have gotten checks, so I know it works! Very easy.

Carter's
Take up to 60% off Halloween Boo-tique through Oct. 31. No coupon needed.

Kohl's
Take 15% off costumes through Oct. 19 with promo code GHOSTLY15. If you shop Kohls through ebates, you get an additional 3% back.

Old Navy

Halloween costumes are on sale, plus they're offering 20% off through October 16 using code ONTAKE20. Shop through ebates and get an additional 2% cash back. Old Navy offers free shipping over $50.

Spirit Halloween
Take 20% off any order through Oct. 31 with code CATSPREE. If you shop through ebates you get an additional 13% cash back.

Costume Discounters
Save $20 on orders of $80 or more through Oct. 15 with code SAVE80. Or take 20% off $25 or more with GOBLIN20. Get an additional 10% cash back when shopping through ebates.

Pottery Barn Kids
Click here to save up to 40% on select costumes and decor through Oct. 30.

The Children's Place
Receive as much as 50% off Halloween costumes through Oct. 31. Get an additional 2.5% cash back when shopping through ebates. Shipping is only $5.

PetSmart
Save 20% on Bret Michaels and Martha Stewart-brand pet costumes through Oct. 22. Get 4% cash back when shopping through ebates.

e.l.f.

Get 50% off Halloween products through Oct. 15 with code TREAT. Get an additional 5.5% cash back when shopping through ebates.

Hot Topic
Take 50% off select costumes, masks and accessories through Oct. 31. Get an additional 4% cash back when shopping through ebates.

Costume Kingdom
Save 10% on any order with code CK10, or 15% off orders of $75 or more through Oct. 31 with code 15OFF75CK. Get an additional 6.5% cash back when shopping through ebates.

VisionDirect
Save 25% on Halloween contact lenses through Oct. 31 with code VERYSCARY.  (they offer theatrical lenses - very cool). Get 16% cash back when shopping through ebates.

CostumeExpress
Take 25% off any order through Oct. 16 with code 25october. Get 7.5 back when shopping through ebates.

Focus Group: Entertainment

Plaza Research is recruiting for a new focus group. Here are the details:

Topic: Entertainment Activities

Who: Males and females 18-54 years old

When: October 25

Length/Pay: 2 hours / $100

Where: Downtown San Francisco

If you are interested, fill out the survey here.

Halloween 2012 Bay Area - What to do with the Kids

Halloween is coming up. And if your kids are anything like mine, they've been talking about it since school began. Here's a list of activities to consider. Please add your favorites to the list!

SAN FRANCISCO

SUPERNATURAL HALLOWEEN 2011
What: Celebrate with the creepy-crawlies, including trick-or-treating, face painting, dancing, costume parade,  photo booth, stiltwalkers, magicians, live music, animal shows, pumpkin carving demonstartions, planetarium show, food and drinks and more
Where: California Academy of Sciences, SF
When: Saturday 10/27 from 5-9:30 p.m.
Who: everyone
Cost: adults $50 ($45/adult member), kids 17 and under $35 ($30/child member). Kids one and younger are free. And anything over $30 is tax-deductible
More info: here

STERN GROVE'S "SCAREGROVE"

When: Saturday, October 27 from 3-9
What: Haunted house, hay rides, arts & crafts, inflatables, carnival rides
Cost: $8/person - all inclusive
Who: the whole family
More info: Scaregrove (note, I was not able to find info on the site)

Coming Up: Marine Science Sundays - Free

The Marine Mammal Center has several monthly Marine Science Sundays coming up this fall, so set your schedule! These involve family-friendly tours, classroom activities and more, centered around a different theme each month. Docent-led tours will take you around the hospital showcasing some of the patients they care for, and you'll learn how the vets help the animals. Classroom presentations showcase the animals the Marine Mammal Center has cared for, focusing on interactive activities and multimedia that show easy, daily behaviors that you can do to help prevent ocean trash which harms the animals. 

Themes/Dates:

October 14: Creatures of the Deep

November 11: Wonderful Whales

December 9: Seal and Sea Lion Superstars of 2012

Where: Marine Mammal Center (2000 Bunker Road, Fort Cronkhite, Sausalito)
When: 10-5 (dates above)
Cost: free
More information: here

 

Coming Up: Donate Stuffed Animals at the Zoo

Got a few too many stuffed animals in your house? Yeah, I thought so! Bring a gently-loved bear to the San Francisco Zoo on Saturday, October 13 for the Travelodge Great Sleepy Bear Swap. It's from 10-1, and benefits Stuffed Animals for Emergencies, and also the Starlight Children's Foundation.

The first 100 kids who donate a stuffed animal get free admission. But even without the free admission, some child will benefit from your generosity (teaching lesson!). And they'll have activities including face painting, drawing contests, bear tattoos, National Geographic activity books, Sleepy Bear masks and some education from zoo keepers.

Don't worry - that stuffed animal will be cleaned before being given to a kid in need. And Travelodge will donate up to 1,500 bears, matching these donations 3:1. Win-win!

Relaunching Your Career - Free Workshop

My friend recently told me about this panel she's speaking on, and you might be interested. Are you looking to get back into the workforce?

JVS (Jewish Vocational Services) is offering a free panel discussion and networking opportunity for parents relaunching their careers. It's open to the public. And it's free! 

Here's their description: 

"Are you wondering how other parents manage to juggle all the demands of parenthood, while also looking for work? Attend this panel discussion and networking lab to learn key job search strategies from parents who have successfully re-launched their careers in the following fields: technology, government, healthcare, finance and nonprofit. Topics will include work/life balance, addressing gaps on your resume, networking, marketing yourself, as well as how to showcase your transferable skills. After the panel discussion, you will have the opportunity to network with other participants and the panelists."
In case you can't attend this, they have many other workshops available. 

When: 

 October 23, from 1-3
Where: Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto (3921 Fabian Way)
Cost: free
Register: here