Updating Emergency Kits

Some of you may have previously visited my blog and read about preparing for a disaster and the steps you should take for your family.  If you haven’t had the opportunity please visit Are you Ready Part 1 and Are you Ready Part 2 these are some ideas of how to put a kit together. You can also visit Getting My Act Together which shows how I put my kit together.

Since it has been over 4 months since I created my emergency kits I decided it was time to check on the kids and rotate the items out if needed.   My kits are clearly marked so if we have to evacuate for any reason (really Arizona only gets wildfires) but just in case we can grab and go!

I checked the expiration dates on all the food. If it expired within the next 3 months I pulled it out and rotated new food in.

I added to my kit, I figure it I continue to add and update every quarter I will have a very thorough kit within the next 6 months.

I try to have a variety of food that everyone could choose from. I have put cups, utensils etc. so if we have to grab and go.



Do you have an emergency kit?  This is like car insurance for me. It is a great to have and in the event of an emergency we will be SO glad I took the time to have a kit. But I hope we are never in the situation to have to use it. Better be prepared!  I would love to hear any tips or tricks you may have on being prepared for an emergency situation.

Sick Time? No Such Thing

I always joke there is a difference in a mom cold and a dad cold. And all you moms out there I am sure can guess the difference. When we get sick there really is not down time. Well this time I have no choice.

The last week and a half I have been pretty sick. But I kept chugging on. As I look back I actually have been having symptoms for about a month or two but because they weren't anything major I thought I was just tired or in a slump so I kept chugging on.

I do have asthma so I was thinking I was just having problems with my asthma and I had maybe some allergies and cold stuff going on but I figured the cough would go away. I was really tired and wanted to be a lazy bum more than normal but I just thought I was tired. After much encouraging from my husband and my sister I ended up going to urgent care.

Yep - that's me getting a breathing treatment at the Dr. She said I sounded junky and she wouldn't let me leave before I had a breathing treatment. (go figure right? I didn't think I sounded bad at all)

OK there is the pile of my junk and my gown - BECAUSE they made me get a chest xray - seriously? I couldn't believe it.  The Dr. told me that she didn't see any pneumonia (thank goodness) and said it must be my asthma really acting up but ordered me to stay home from work the next day so I can get some rest.

Later that night I received a call from the Urgent Care to call them back. I though holy cow seriously. I looked over at my husband and so oh great I bet I have pneumonia, I don't have time for this. (he had been so sweet all night and even had dinner made when I got home from the Dr. !!)

I called urgent care back and they proceeded to inform me that they had someone look at the xray and they had found a nodule in my lung - WTC (that's the clean version - What The Crap! lol) She proceeded to tell me that didn't mean I had lung cancer but probably was Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) - uh remember my post about my husband collapsing his lung 2 years ago? Well yes they think it was Valley Fever. She proceeded to inform me I needed to come get the xrays first thing in the morning and get into my PCP so they can order a CT Scan (so much for the rest she had ordered me to get just hours before).

I went down to Urgent Care first thing to get the xrays ( I looked at it - there is a 1 cm nodule in my left lung - the report told me that I am not good at reading xrays lol) and then came home because my PCP couldn't get me in the same day. I was so upset -seriously people I have a nodule in my lung!!!! They only aren't as urgent about it because it isn't their lung!

But these two sweet babies kept me company ALL day while I sat on the couch with my feather pillow, computer, and my marathon of Twilight Movies!

Everyone needs the essentials when you are sick. Large Sonic Cherry Coke (an absolute MUST!), tissues, you nebulizer and medicines, laptop and of course your wallet so you can online shop!

I filled my day with Edward, Bella, and Jacob! And lots of sleep of course!

For now we keep waiting. I finally got into my PCP, had blood work, and now await my CT scan some time this upcoming week. Although I don't want Valley Fever the alternative with having a nodule in your lung isn't good. Keeping my fingers crossed, putting my trust in the Lord, and knowing he has a plan for me. (I'm pretty sure it is Valley Fever, I have so many of the symptoms.)

I will keep living my life, trying to rest and get some energy back and loving my family! I will update my blog as soon as I know what in the world all this craziness is!

Bandages, Breaks, and Band Aids

How often have you had to sit in the ER? Urgent Care? Had to drag your kid to the specialist?
It seems in our house something is always going on! Here are just a few of the crazy things we have had happen to our family! We always keep it interesting!

2009 Michael collapsed his lung!

2011 Cody broke his toe

It's ME! March 4, 2010 I was waiting to have my Epi-Lasik surgery - I can now see 20/15! It's the best money I have ever spent!!

Haley broke her arm in 2004

Michael broke his hand in 2009

This was one of the many bumps to the noggin that Cody has taken. This one was because he slipped on the tile in the kitchen. It was huge - the picture just doesn't quiet show it.

In 2007 Cody was messing with his Epi-Pen and clicked the button and shot himself in the thumb with the epi-pen when we were sitting in line at Walmart waiting to get the oil changed. I had to back my car out and call 911. They ended up taking him by ambulance 30 minutes up to Tucson since the thumb is small it cut all the blood supply off to his thumb and they had to warm it up or they would have had to inject it multiple times with some sort of reversal drug. Thankfully, the heat packs worked and the blood supply returned. This was super scary because his heart rate was through the roof!

Poor Haley! She has had strep throat so many times. This time was back about a year. She currently has strep right now!

Another broken hand!

It is always interesting in our house and you never know what is going to happen next!

Getting My Act Together

Recently I had a couple of posts about getting ready for a disaster. Many of us have watched, witnessed, or have been in a disaster or emergency situation before. I wanted to show that I am not just blogging about it but actually taking my own advice and getting my family's emergency preparedness kit together.

I knew I needed to buy a container to put our emergency kit together. I opted to get bins that were clear so we could keep a good visual inventory of what is inside the bin. I then started gathering the supplies I already had in the house.

I have a smaller kit within the large bin that contains the first aid kit supplies including, gauze, rubber gloves, bandages, scissors, etc.

I started collecting some of the extra food around the house to determine what I needed to purchase to add to the emergency kit. I have included oatmeal, tuna, cereal, granola bars, and Gatorade fuel with vitamins and carbohydrates.

There are two different bins. I have labeled them both with clear distinctive labels so everyone knows that these are emergency kits. The first kit contains toilet paper, Kleenex, paper towels, detergent, candles and lighters, batteries, and flashlights as well as basic hygiene items so if we have to grab the kit and leave. The second kit has the food and drink items.

I am still currently working on putting together the emergency disaster kits. I am still making copies of the necessary documents to have and finish purchasing the items needed to complete the kit. I have checked the expiration dates on my items and I have a schedule to check and update the kit every 6 months.

Have you prepared your kit?

Are You Ready? Part 2

In the previous Are You Ready part 1 I went over the basic items such as food and batteries etc. needed in a disaster kit. Please check out Ready America as there is so much good information on this site to help you prepare for a disaster!

In addition to food and communication it is important to remember the items we might need to verify our identity, control of monies, and unique items we might not have thought about.

I am sure that many of you are like me and when we go shopping we use our plastic. Whether it is the debit or credit card it seems that many of us use cash less and less. However, in the event of an emergency or disaster it is a safe assumption that power may be down and we may not have a means to use our plastic cards to pay for items. It is suggested that a family have cash on hand to make necessary purchases in the event our plastic can't be used. You can also have travelers checks and change.

Copies of insurance policies, proof of bank records, birth certificates and SS Cards (copies), and any other important documents you will want a copy of. A water proof container is suggested to keep the documents safe.

Matches in a water proof container. There are several different kinds of matches and I found these NATA Water and Windproof matches .

Make sure you have at least one complete change of clothes including a long sleeve shirt and pants. Depending on where you live you will want to take into consideration cold weather gear for the winter season.

Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.

Always remember to have hygiene and feminine supplies packed as well.

Pet Food and Extra Water for your Pet.

Please have prescription or prescription information.

Keep into consideration if you have elderly or infants or toddlers. You may have additional needs that you need to consider.

FOOD SAFETY IS SO IMPORTANT!!

On top of dealing with an emergency or disaster situation. You don't want to get sick from food!!

Please visit Food Safety to follow the necessary precautions to keep your food safe.

Having an Emergency Plan is very important! You can visit Make a Plan to personalize a family plan for your own family.

These areas listed are only a small part to getting your family ready in the event we have a disaster. Since we all live in different parts of this country/world it is important to prepare ourselves. I like to think I am pretty prepared person but after going through all of this material several times I know that I am not anywhere near where I need to be.

I hope you have found some of this helpful and I hope it is something none of us ever have to actually implement.

Are You Ready? Part 1

Over the last several days it has been heart breaking to see the disaster that is unfolding in Japan. I am sure your heart is broken for these people as it has been in years past when we have witnessed or experienced our own disasters.

Are you Ready? I have half way prepared in the past but I am on a mission to make sure that my family is as prepared as we can be in the event we have a disaster.

You can visit Ready America there are a lot of great ideas and step by step plans to get prepared.

Most disaster preparedness plans state to be prepared to be self sufficient for a minimum of 3 days since it can take some time for disaster relief to reach some people. I think many of these items we have already thought about but there are others I wouldn't have necessarily considered.

• One gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation. Remember we can live without food much longer than we can live without water.
• 3 day supply of non-perishable food - Some examples below.
• Pork and Beans 
• Chef Boyardees
• Canned Chicken
• Dried Fruit
• Nuts
• Tuna 
• Saltine Crackers
• Vienna Sausages
• There are sorts of non-perishable foods. Basically if it is in a can you can put it in your Disaster kit.
• Make sure you have a can opener -
• A battery powered or hand crank radio are suggested. A NOAA Weather radio  - Make sure you have extra batteries as well.
• Flashlights - I figure at least one flashlight per person in your home plus extra batteries.  A Flashlight like this one is waterproof which could be necessary in a disaster and it takes common AA Batteries.
• First Aid Kit - you can put one together or you can buy one that already has all necessary items included.
• Whistle to signal for help.
• Dust Mask  in addition to Duct Tape  and sheets of plastic for needed protection. I found these really great sheets of plastic with plastic drop cloths.
• Wet towelettes and garbage bags for personal cleaning. I am going to stock my disaster kit with baby wipes  since they are thicker and hold up better for wiping. I am also including garbage bags with twist ties to ensure the closure of the bags.
• Wrench or Pliers are needed in order to turn off utilities if needed.
• Cell Phones and Chargers. The site of Ready America mentions to have a solar charger. I had never heard of these so I did a little research and found one like this that can charge your cell phone.

End of Part 1 - there is so much information to give you I will be posting Part 2 tomorrow!