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It's been a wild and woolly week for this Sandwich Generation family weather-wise. One minute my senior mom and I are out admiring a neighbor's gardening. (Aren't these gorgeous – some of my favorite flowers this year!) The next, the storm warnings are back to the max. The funny thing was, we STARTED with a power outage BEFORE the bad weather really hit. Go figure! And ironically, as I was feeling my way around the house in the dark with the help of my handy dandy AT&T iPhone and one of its Flashlight.
apps, I found it to be quite an "eye-opening" experience as what I could NOT see.
Thanks to my iPhone and my senior mom's hand-crank-Grundig FR200 emergency radio complete with flashlight, we could get around the house fairly easily. But taking a shower in the dark? That was a trickier proposition. My senior mom opted to wait it out but I was off for a day of babysitting grandchildren and didn't have a big choice. I took a flashlight up there but it didn't give much light. Hmmmm, that definitely needed adjusting since we live in an area where longer blackouts are not all that common and we have no windows in our bathrooms.
Of course, I do have a box of candles. 
But with baby boomer hands that can sometimes shake a bit, I wasn't too happy with that idea. So when my granddaughter and I had to run to the store, I checked out their flashlight and emergency light aisle and brought home these two battery powered lights.
Isn't this pink faux Coleman Lantern cute?
And what sweet family memories it brings back. When I was young, my family went tootling around on summer vacations in a trailer or camper and had several real ones. 🙂
This blue battery operated flashlight/lamp was cheaper – and acted like it!
I never could get the bottom screwed back on it! And I'm fairly savvy with things like that. Could you imagine a senior parent trying to do it on their own? It's headed back to the store this weekend! And the cute pink lantern was a bit tough as well. It took me three tries to get it connected properly. The first two times, I thought it was on, set it on the table and it all popped apart. The third time was the charm for me and it did work OK in the bathroom. I've decided to keep it for myself for future power outages but I'm looking for other options for my senior mom.
First, I checked with a favorite resource for products specifically geared to help us when caring for elderly parents, . They had the Verilux ReadyLight Rechargeable LED Lantern that looks quite interesting.
My only concern is that it uses a USB cord to recharge it. I am fine with that since it will easily plug into my computer or the stand-alone USB charger I have for my iPhone and iPod. But if you are caring for elderly parents who don't live near you, they might have a hard time understanding how it works. Particularly if it has a "sticky" plug like a couple of mine do. It looks great, but you'd definitely need to help them set it up and teach them how to use the USB cord unless they are already computer-savvy. 🙂
Next I checked Amazon. Remember the candles I worried about? Turns out they have battery operated pillar candles that look just like the real thing but are much safer for aging parents with shaky hands, not to mention tiny grandchildren. And so pretty! I went ahead and ordered one of those. I'll have to update you later to let you know how it works. 🙂
How about you? Have you found any great, safe and EASY emergency battery operated LED candles or lamps you use for your Sandwich Generation family? We'd love to hear. And, for more Easter, spring, and PINK colors, ideas, and even some cute plates and tableware for all of us in the Sandwich Generation, caring for elderly parents and babysitting grandchildren, be sure to pop over to Pink Saturday for Bev's special Easter edition. Also make sure to pop over to Laurie's as well for more boomer, senior, and grandkid gardening delights and other Favorite Things Saturday. 🙂
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We have small LED flashlights that we bought at Sam’s in a big pack. They are small and we have them stuck all over the house. They use 2 AA batteries and I always have those handy. I really loved the little pink one you have there. Happy Easter.
These are great ideas! We haven’t hit bad storms yet, but having some of these on hand for my mom would be smart. So much better than a flashlight!
Wow! What a week you’ve had! Those candles are fab – I only use those in the house now cuz Hubby is really sensitive to scent. I love them!! 🙂 Have a beautiful and blessed Easter Kaye!
We’ve need our flashlights a couple of times in this last couple of weeks and may need them again tonight. You are smart to get everyone prepared for outages. I love the battery powered candles, because my husband is like Paula’s husband ~ his alergies are so sensitive to candle smells. Thanks for linking to Favorite Things. laurie
Hi Renee, Thank you. I’m looking forward to sharing them with you after I test drive them. Should be quite fun 🙂
Ooooh, Paula, good to know. And great tip on the scent part. I hadn’t even thought of that but that’s great for those families dealing with that type of allergy. Thank you! 🙂
Hi Laurie, Thank YOU for such a fun and encouraging linky. I love the focus on the positive – always an encouragement for all of us in the Sandwich Generation! 🙂