New Tips And Triks For You

STORY HIGHLIGHTSHave coffee handy - lots of it There's always the TV Hope that the power doesn't go out Send them to a childless friend

(CNN) -- The dire warnings have been heeded. The pantries stocked. The cars parked.

For Atlanta residents waiting out the impending ice storm at home, it's not so much about staying safe as it's about staying sane.

When Georgia announced storm preparations, schools closed -- sending thousands of kids home for an unexpected mini-vacation.

And now parents across metro Atlanta have something new to worry about: how on earth are they going to keep their kids from going stir crazy -- and driving them up the wall?

Those trips to the craft stores? Done. Baking treats? Done.

And the storm hasn't even hit!

"Everyone's nerves are on edge," says Mary Koronkowski, a resident of in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta.

We reached out to a few parents to get some tips and pointers on how to stay sane. Turns out, there's hope for you.

Mind you though, under any other circumstances, some of these tips would be frowned upon. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures!

Coffee makes most people turn chipper even on the darkest days. And believe us, a blackout and a room full of anxious kids definitely calls for high energy.

So, have a pot full pot of coffee handy at all times. Save some in a thermos flask in case there's a blackout.

"(I'm) making coffee tonight and putting it in thermos so if we don't have power in the morning I don't eat my young," said mom Paige DeMent.

Fill your bathtub with coffee in case there is a power outage. Helpful storm preparedness tip #Pax #iceatlanta.

- Lauren Shay Lavin (@ShayLavin) February 12, 2014

Thank god for small mercies: The Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

"We don't count Olympics as screen time," rationalized Josh Levs, a CNN journalist, on paternity leave.

He has company. All those rules about limiting TV don't apply during inclement weather, they joked.

Julie Rodgers Smith is a mother of two toddlers.

"We are watching the Olympics for as long as we have power," she said.

3. Hope thatthe power stays on "the iPad and the Kindlethe computer of courseuntil the power dwindles"Both iPhones are charged

Like all good moms, Guinevere Patrick is ready for the storm.

And when it does? Don't even go there!

4. Shame the kids into behaving

"Just broke the news to 13-year-old that if we lose power, we lose Wi-Fi for his tablet - the HORROR!," tweeted Kathy Schmidt.

Just broke the news to 13 yr old that if we lose power we lose wifi for his tablet - the HORROR! #iceatlanta #snowpocalypse

- Kathy Schmidt (@kathyfs24) February 11, 2014

Kids are savvy. If nothing works, threaten to take your case to the web. Your threat options are plenty: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook. If your children are over a certain age, the horrifying thought of social media infamy will send them into a quiet corner.

"All three kids rankling each other and working themselves into a frenzy," Mary Koronkowski said Tuesday night, describing the scene at her house. "I have threatened to post a video of the heathens if they don't knock it off."

Parents are finding comfort in collective empathy online

5. Send them to your childless friends

"We are all in the same boat," Lisa Laczko said. "It's crucial for our sanity."

(Warning: this has the potential to backfire on you. For some, 15 minutes of fame translates to a ticket to Coolville.)

Surely, you have a friend like Kelly Holton. She doesn't have children and her office is closed.

"I'm not sure my extroverted soul can survive another week of being trapped at home by the weather," she said. "I live alone so my problem is too much peace and quiet.

"I'd gladly borrow someone's kid for a day just to break up the monotony."

Any takers?

CNN's Alanne Orjoux, Mike Pearson, Tori Blase, Dorrine Mendoza and Ed Payne contributed to this story