It's pretty easy to experience, ripster. Shut off your main breaker and force yourself to drive a minimum of 40 miles to get ice, gas, recharge any batteries you have and anything else that requires electricity. Cleaning becomes an interesting hassle. You can't vacuum your house, do laundry, take a shower, wash your hands (it's amazing how many times you wash your hands once you pay attention to it). Cooking is also entertaining. I'm glad I have a gas stove top, but the oven is electric so no baking/broiling. We also were prepared with ice and the know-how to pack the freezer with everything from the fridge. The milk is still 40°F after over 48hrs.
Are my kids enjoying it? To some extent I'm sure they are, however we didn't have cable TV before now and limited their usage of electronics as well. Other peoples kids I'm sure are driving their parents insane. When the sun is up we play with Lego and other toys, and when it's too dark I turn on my flashlight and we play Scrabble or some other board game.
This is from the perspective of someone that has merely lost power. There are areas of the coast where people no longer have a home to live in. Then there are the people that are devising methods to intentionally drop trees on their property and attempt to defraud their home-owner's insurance.
