Showing posts with label Preparedness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Preparedness. Show all posts
5 Tips To Help You Get Your Home Prepared With Food Storage
If you are wanting some tips in getting your home prepared with food storage, read on...
Family Home Evening Ideas/Outline for topic: FIRST PRESIDENCY MESSAGE: "Are We Prepared?", BY PRESIDENT THOMAS S. MONSON
For tonight's Family Home Evening the topic in which I have chosen is: FIRST PRESIDENCY MESSAGE: "Are We Prepared?", BY PRESIDENT THOMAS S. MONSON
Emergency Preparedness Super Saturday Ideas (Relief Society)
Preparedness is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as... "the fact of being ready for something : the state of being prepared."
This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend a Relief Society Super Saturday all about Emergency Preparedness. It was great to be able to visit with the other sisters in the ward and give each other ideas on how to be prepared. I was excited to be able to share some of the things I have put together for my family. I thought I would share them on here also, as well as share some of the other ideas that were shared that day.
The "Go Bag":
This page should be filled out for each family member and put in a small binder or three ponged folder and put in their "Go Bag". Other items that should also be put in the binder are:
-Make copies of Birth Certificate.
-Make copies of Social Security Card
-Make copies of Adult ID's such as Driver's License
-Make copies of Immunization Records
-Make copies of Marriage License
-Make copies of Current Medication Labels and directions
-Copy of Family picture (this would be beneficial to have if separated or even just as a comfort item)
-Child ID/Safety kit (There are many sites out their that offer these kits for free. Also, a lot of times in children's picture packets from the school they will include one. Some kits even include a swab for DNA. It is important to have one where you can provide a picture, a description of your child, and fingerprints.) ***Once you get one, do it***
***A great idea one of my friend gave was to laminate all of these items, so they will be protected.***
Hot Pad First Aid Kit:
These cute little first aid kits have been around for a while. I made my first one probably over 10 years ago. They are so easy to make and so handy!! I had one in my car and someone like it so much they stole it. Above is a list of items I put into my kits.
72 Hour Kit Ideas:
This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend a Relief Society Super Saturday all about Emergency Preparedness. It was great to be able to visit with the other sisters in the ward and give each other ideas on how to be prepared. I was excited to be able to share some of the things I have put together for my family. I thought I would share them on here also, as well as share some of the other ideas that were shared that day.
The "Go Bag":
The idea is to have one of these "Go Bags" for each family member and have them in their rooms where it will be easy to grab and go. Here is a link to the posts I have done on getting one ready.
Important Information Binder:
-Make copies of Birth Certificate.
-Make copies of Social Security Card
-Make copies of Adult ID's such as Driver's License
-Make copies of Immunization Records
-Make copies of Marriage License
-Make copies of Current Medication Labels and directions
-Copy of Family picture (this would be beneficial to have if separated or even just as a comfort item)
-Child ID/Safety kit (There are many sites out their that offer these kits for free. Also, a lot of times in children's picture packets from the school they will include one. Some kits even include a swab for DNA. It is important to have one where you can provide a picture, a description of your child, and fingerprints.) ***Once you get one, do it***
***A great idea one of my friend gave was to laminate all of these items, so they will be protected.***
Hot Pad First Aid Kit:
72 Hour Kit Ideas:
This is my 72 Hour kit list. These are the items I have in my kits and how I have them stored.
Emergency Preparedness Car Kit:
3 Month Food Storage Supply Ideas: Click HERE For the Link
Long term storage items:
(This is a great link, with a list of foods with a long shelf life)
Here are some more ideas:
-Honey
-Salt (the good stuff with minerals)
-Rice
These are the other ideas they had at the Super Saturday:
Emergency Washing "Machine"/Container:
We were lucky to have these buckets donated to us, they are from a dairy and are sherbet containers, thus the wording "Citric" on the lid. They smell wonderful! The wonderful sister who put the Super Saturday together had all of the holes drilled for us already. It looks like you drill a hole in the lid large enough for the plunger to move freely through. Then you drill little holes in the plunger.
Portable Potty:
I love these! I already had one, but thought it would be nice to have two. Here is a link to Utah.gov's website Be Ready Utah. It has a list of what you will need for your portable potty.
Some More Great Ideas:
(click on each one for the links)
Toilet Paper Roll and Lint Fire Starters
Petroleum Jelly and Lint Fire Starters
Homemade Clothes Detergents
Water Storage and Preparation
Great Websites for Emergency Preparedness:
CDC
Ready.Gov
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
American Red Cross
Boy Scouts of America
FEMA
Be Ready Utah
(click on each one for the links)
Toilet Paper Roll and Lint Fire Starters
Petroleum Jelly and Lint Fire Starters
Homemade Clothes Detergents
Water Storage and Preparation
Great Websites for Emergency Preparedness:
CDC
Ready.Gov
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
American Red Cross
Boy Scouts of America
FEMA
Be Ready Utah
RS: Preparedness- Three-Month Food Supply
I wanted to focus today's preparedness post on the three-month food supply. In previous posts I had addressed a 72-hour kit, which can be viewed here: 72 hr kit post. I also did some posts on the "Go-Bag" for that post, click here: Go-Bag Post. When I started thinking about what post I would do today, I found myself on Lds.org. I typed in preparedness and was directed to the "Emergency Preparedness" page. I decided to go along with one of the topics listed on the page, and that was "Three-Month Supply". I love what it says on that page about your three-month supply, "Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage."
When I was first married and was trying to heed the counsel of putting together food storage, I was just buying all the stuff that I new had a long shelf life. They sat in my food storage and sat their some more until, they finally expired and I threw them away. They were not things that I, nor my family really ate regularly, nor was I going to open the big can to use a little bit and not have it for my food storage. I like this idea of buying what your family actually eats and rotating it, a lot better! This is actually what I do now in a sense, because it made me sick seeing all of the food wasted.
These are some of the ways I go about accomplishing this goal of food storage:
Way One:
I watch for the case lot sales. I look at this as kind of the starting point. I do not go overboard, because I do not want all of my items expiring at the same time. So, I figure kind of what I think I will use in a 6 month time frame. Since, this is how often they usually run case lot sales at the grocery stores. Then that is how much I buy of that particular item. I particularly like to purchase toilet paper and paper towels at this time.
Way Two:
I have my pantry, that I keep a few of each items in, so they are easily accessible as I am preparing meals. Then, I have my "store"-age in my cold storage, which has the remaining items. When I have used the stuff from my pantry, then I go to my "store"-age and bring what I need to my pantry. Those items go on my grocery list, for my next shopping trip. What makes this work is, rotating! I make sure that the things that are to expire first are used up first. Everything shifts forward in my cold storage and the new items are placed in the back. Newly purchased items are not placed in the pantry, the old ones need to be used up first. It also is great, because not everything is going to expire at the same time and things are always being rotated.
I have found that it is hard to have food storage for the more perishable items. This is where canning and frozen foods come in. I have noticed that I have to be careful with frozen foods too and not go overboard, because of things getting frost bite. Again I do this by only buying what I know that I will use in a certain time frame.
Everyone seems to have what works best for them. I know some of my friends are big with couponing and watching the sales. Others use the case lots sales, some use the church's cannery, some buy pre-made storage foods and others are big users of bulk stores, such as Costco and Sams. I would love to hear what you have found works for your family's food storage needs. Please leave a comment below and share your secret!
Here are some of the different printables I have in regards to food storage:
When I was first married and was trying to heed the counsel of putting together food storage, I was just buying all the stuff that I new had a long shelf life. They sat in my food storage and sat their some more until, they finally expired and I threw them away. They were not things that I, nor my family really ate regularly, nor was I going to open the big can to use a little bit and not have it for my food storage. I like this idea of buying what your family actually eats and rotating it, a lot better! This is actually what I do now in a sense, because it made me sick seeing all of the food wasted.
These are some of the ways I go about accomplishing this goal of food storage:
Way One:
I watch for the case lot sales. I look at this as kind of the starting point. I do not go overboard, because I do not want all of my items expiring at the same time. So, I figure kind of what I think I will use in a 6 month time frame. Since, this is how often they usually run case lot sales at the grocery stores. Then that is how much I buy of that particular item. I particularly like to purchase toilet paper and paper towels at this time.
Way Two:
I have my pantry, that I keep a few of each items in, so they are easily accessible as I am preparing meals. Then, I have my "store"-age in my cold storage, which has the remaining items. When I have used the stuff from my pantry, then I go to my "store"-age and bring what I need to my pantry. Those items go on my grocery list, for my next shopping trip. What makes this work is, rotating! I make sure that the things that are to expire first are used up first. Everything shifts forward in my cold storage and the new items are placed in the back. Newly purchased items are not placed in the pantry, the old ones need to be used up first. It also is great, because not everything is going to expire at the same time and things are always being rotated.
I have found that it is hard to have food storage for the more perishable items. This is where canning and frozen foods come in. I have noticed that I have to be careful with frozen foods too and not go overboard, because of things getting frost bite. Again I do this by only buying what I know that I will use in a certain time frame.
Everyone seems to have what works best for them. I know some of my friends are big with couponing and watching the sales. Others use the case lots sales, some use the church's cannery, some buy pre-made storage foods and others are big users of bulk stores, such as Costco and Sams. I would love to hear what you have found works for your family's food storage needs. Please leave a comment below and share your secret!
Here are some of the different printables I have in regards to food storage:
Pursuit of Excellence: Develop a program of regular exercise. Being Prepared: Finish up Go Bag.
Last week the goal I had posted to work on was Record memorable spiritual experiences or events in a journal. Here is the link to the Pursuit of Excellence pamphlet.
This week's Goal is:
Develop a program of Regular Exercise.Today, I posted about making the choice to Exercise. How it can be done alone or a group of friends could get together and encourage each other in the process. For my recent post and a workout sample schedule click here.
Being Prepared!
Let's review what we have gathered for our bags already:
o Obtain a bag to put the items in, backpacks work great.
o Gather Personal Identification Information
o Change of Clothing
o A Comfort Bag
o Bottle of Water & Granola Bars
This weeks goal is to make sure everyone has these items in the bags and to put them in a place that is ready available to grab and go. I would suggest that each bag be in their bedrooms, where they are able to grab them.
This week's Goal is:
Develop a program of Regular Exercise.Today, I posted about making the choice to Exercise. How it can be done alone or a group of friends could get together and encourage each other in the process. For my recent post and a workout sample schedule click here.
Being Prepared!
Let's review what we have gathered for our bags already:
o Obtain a bag to put the items in, backpacks work great.
o Gather Personal Identification Information
o Change of Clothing
o A Comfort Bag
o Bottle of Water & Granola Bars
This weeks goal is to make sure everyone has these items in the bags and to put them in a place that is ready available to grab and go. I would suggest that each bag be in their bedrooms, where they are able to grab them.
Pursuit of Excellence: Journal & Go Bag Items: Water & Food
Last week the goal I had posted to work on was Read a book that will increase your faith and strengthen you spiritually. I am so grateful that there are such good books out there that can help us grow spiritually! Here is the link to the Pursuit of Excellence pamphlet.
This week's Goal is:
Record memorable spiritual experiences or events in a journal.
What a marvelous record we have in the scriptures of those people who have recorded memorable spiritual experiences. When we write things down they are their for us to go back to and to remind us of the feelings we felt. They are also their for future generations and can help others with their spiritual growth. I need to get better at this, that is why I am setting it as one of my goals. I have kept journals since I basically could write. I enjoy going back and reading the things I wrote in them. It is funny to read the things that were such a big deal in my life at the time. The excuse for not writing more consistantly recently is, time. It is something that I am just going to have to make the time to do.
Here is a link to some journal labels that you can use on a composition book, to make your own personalized journal.
Being Prepared!
Let's review what we have gathered for our bags already:
o Obtain a bag to put the items in, backpacks work great.
o Gather Personal Identification Information
o Change of Clothing
o A Comfort Bag
Let's add to the bag this week, by adding:
o Bottle of Water & Granola Bars
- These items should be replaced every 6 months. A great tip is when you are going through your food storage and 72 hour kit and rotating things, rotate things in your Go Bag also.
This week's Goal is:
Record memorable spiritual experiences or events in a journal.
What a marvelous record we have in the scriptures of those people who have recorded memorable spiritual experiences. When we write things down they are their for us to go back to and to remind us of the feelings we felt. They are also their for future generations and can help others with their spiritual growth. I need to get better at this, that is why I am setting it as one of my goals. I have kept journals since I basically could write. I enjoy going back and reading the things I wrote in them. It is funny to read the things that were such a big deal in my life at the time. The excuse for not writing more consistantly recently is, time. It is something that I am just going to have to make the time to do.
Here is a link to some journal labels that you can use on a composition book, to make your own personalized journal.
Being Prepared!
Let's review what we have gathered for our bags already:
o Obtain a bag to put the items in, backpacks work great.
o Gather Personal Identification Information
o Change of Clothing
o A Comfort Bag
Let's add to the bag this week, by adding:
o Bottle of Water & Granola Bars
- These items should be replaced every 6 months. A great tip is when you are going through your food storage and 72 hour kit and rotating things, rotate things in your Go Bag also.
Pursuit of Excellence Goal: Read a book & Preparedness: Go Bag
I love that there is something that Sisters can get ideas from to help better themselves. I remember being in Young Women and doing the Personal Progress Program. The personal growth that came from setting goals and doing activities that helped me grow closer to my Heavenly Father and helped my testimony grow. The primary aged girls have their Faith in God program that does the same thing. So, wouldn't it be fitting for there to be something to help us women (men can also work on the Pursuit of Excellence) set goals and draw closer to our Heavenly Father. Here is the link to the Pursuit of Excellence pamphlet. I wanted to post the goal that I am going to be focusing on each week. I also thought I would post a little preparedness tip this week, also.
This week's Goal is:
Read a book that will increase your faith and strengthen you spiritually.
There are some great books out there that can increase our faith and strengthen us spiritually. I am currently reading, "The Power of Everyday Missionaries" by Clayton M. Christensen. Here is a link to his website if you are interested. This book was really talked up in our ward council months ago. So, I purchased the book and began reading it. It was funny because at our tithing settlement the bishopric gave us one to read and pass on. So, I told my hubby he could read that one. It has taken me a little bit longer to get through it, because December was a crazy month. I have recommitted to reading some of it every night and I am hoping to complete it this week. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it has strengthened my resolve to be a better member missionary. Clayton gives personal experiences in the book of what has worked for him in regards to sharing the gospel with others. I am amazed at what a wonderful missionary he has been throughout his life. The Gospel is so important to me in my life and I truly desire for everyone I know to have that same blessing in their lives. I want them to have the knowledge that they are a son or daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves them and knows them and desires each of us to speak with him each day. I want them to have the understanding of the gospel plan. To know that we have an elder brother, Jesus Christ, who suffered and atoned for every mistake that we will make in this life. He did this because he loves us and there would be no other way for us to return to our Father's presence. That he was resurrected so we could too. I want them to have the love of the scriptures and the knowledge that the words written in them are true. I want them to feel the love that comes from the bishopric and members of a ward and how each member uses their talents to strengthen each other. I want them to have the gospel in their lives because it gives each of us purpose and direction.
Being Prepared!
I had been posting each week ways to be prepared and then the holidays came. So, lets jump right back in. I had previously posted some items to gather for the Go Bag, that each family member should have in the rooms to grab and go in case of an emergency.
Let's review what we have gathered for our bags already:
o Obtain a bag to put the items in, backpacks work great.
o Gather Personal Identification Information
o Change of Clothing
Let's add to the bag this week, by adding:
o A Comfort Bag: A couple years ago, my son's teacher asked us to put some items in a Ziploc bag to send to school in case of an emergency. I loved this idea, at the end of the year they sent the items back home. I thought it would be a great idea to put these items in each of the Go Bags. Here is a list of the items:
- Glow Sticks or a flashlight (the wind up are great because you do not need to worry about replacing batteries each year)
- A deflated balloon with their name on it and a smiley face (this could be used for some entertainment)
- A small bouncy ball
- Poncho
- Card game
- Emergency Blanket (those silver things that are all folded up)
- A picture of your family
- Some hard candy such as "Life Savers"
Put all of the above items in a Ziploc baggy and place in the Go Bag.
This week's Goal is:
Read a book that will increase your faith and strengthen you spiritually.
There are some great books out there that can increase our faith and strengthen us spiritually. I am currently reading, "The Power of Everyday Missionaries" by Clayton M. Christensen. Here is a link to his website if you are interested. This book was really talked up in our ward council months ago. So, I purchased the book and began reading it. It was funny because at our tithing settlement the bishopric gave us one to read and pass on. So, I told my hubby he could read that one. It has taken me a little bit longer to get through it, because December was a crazy month. I have recommitted to reading some of it every night and I am hoping to complete it this week. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it has strengthened my resolve to be a better member missionary. Clayton gives personal experiences in the book of what has worked for him in regards to sharing the gospel with others. I am amazed at what a wonderful missionary he has been throughout his life. The Gospel is so important to me in my life and I truly desire for everyone I know to have that same blessing in their lives. I want them to have the knowledge that they are a son or daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves them and knows them and desires each of us to speak with him each day. I want them to have the understanding of the gospel plan. To know that we have an elder brother, Jesus Christ, who suffered and atoned for every mistake that we will make in this life. He did this because he loves us and there would be no other way for us to return to our Father's presence. That he was resurrected so we could too. I want them to have the love of the scriptures and the knowledge that the words written in them are true. I want them to feel the love that comes from the bishopric and members of a ward and how each member uses their talents to strengthen each other. I want them to have the gospel in their lives because it gives each of us purpose and direction.
Being Prepared!
I had been posting each week ways to be prepared and then the holidays came. So, lets jump right back in. I had previously posted some items to gather for the Go Bag, that each family member should have in the rooms to grab and go in case of an emergency.
Let's review what we have gathered for our bags already:
o Obtain a bag to put the items in, backpacks work great.
o Gather Personal Identification Information
o Change of Clothing
Let's add to the bag this week, by adding:
o A Comfort Bag: A couple years ago, my son's teacher asked us to put some items in a Ziploc bag to send to school in case of an emergency. I loved this idea, at the end of the year they sent the items back home. I thought it would be a great idea to put these items in each of the Go Bags. Here is a list of the items:
- Glow Sticks or a flashlight (the wind up are great because you do not need to worry about replacing batteries each year)
- A deflated balloon with their name on it and a smiley face (this could be used for some entertainment)
- A small bouncy ball
- Poncho
- Card game
- Emergency Blanket (those silver things that are all folded up)
- A picture of your family
- Some hard candy such as "Life Savers"
Put all of the above items in a Ziploc baggy and place in the Go Bag.
Being Prepared: Physically- Go Bag (change of clothing)
This weeks item for the Go Bag is an extra set of clothing. Idea would be sweat pants, long sleeved shirt, pair of sock, and underclothing. I would definitely do longer clothing, because they can always be cut off in warm weather. For adults, it could be clothing you don't wear frequently. For children go inexpensive. Right now there are a lot of deals on clothes because of Christmas time. You could also use hand-me-downs, or even second hand. I wouldn't go to a huge expense since children grow so fast. This will need to be an item that will need to be replaced when outgrown.
Becoming Prepared: Pursuit of Excellence-Service Week 1
Today, I will be focusing on becoming spiritually prepared. In the "Pursuit of Excellence" booklet two of the goals I've chosen for this week is to, "Pray for inspiration about who needs your help each day, and act on your inspiration." and "Give service to your family to strengthen your relationship with them."
I love Christmas time! It is a time that we can each focus on the Savior, his birth, his exemplary life and his death and resurrection. Our Savior was the best example to us of love and service. He loves everyone and throughout his life he served each person with love. To Christ it does not matter what you look like, whether you are rich or poor, or if you have made mistakes he love you all the same. This month I would like to focus on the goals having to do with service. I believe that the best gift we can give the Savior is to focus on serving and loving our brothers and sisters. I am not only going to do this myself, but I am also going to involve my family in these goals.
Pray for Inspiration about who needs your help each day, and act on your inspiration:
Make it a habit to sincerely pray to your Heavenly Father each morning to see who needs your help that day. Then be ready to receive the inspiration. Acknowledge it at inspiration and then act upon it.
Give service to your family to strengthen your relationship with them:
This could be service with in your own home or could even extend out to extended family members. Here is where I am going to be including my family. We are going to do acts of service for Jesus: You can make a simple manger using Popsicle sticks. I simply hot glued them together. Cutting the end pieces to fit. Using the below printable. Print them out onto yellow paper. Then cut out each piece into strips. This is going to be the hay for baby Jesus. Have a plastic Ziploc bag for each family member. Label them with their name. Place all of their strips into their baggie. Have each family member choose a strip out of their baggie and do that act of service that day. Once, they have done the service then they can place the strip of paper into the manger. Explain that the more acts of service we do the softer baby Jesus' bed will be. On Christmas morning place baby Jesus in his manger.
Free Printable Service Activities:
I love Christmas time! It is a time that we can each focus on the Savior, his birth, his exemplary life and his death and resurrection. Our Savior was the best example to us of love and service. He loves everyone and throughout his life he served each person with love. To Christ it does not matter what you look like, whether you are rich or poor, or if you have made mistakes he love you all the same. This month I would like to focus on the goals having to do with service. I believe that the best gift we can give the Savior is to focus on serving and loving our brothers and sisters. I am not only going to do this myself, but I am also going to involve my family in these goals.
Pray for Inspiration about who needs your help each day, and act on your inspiration:
Make it a habit to sincerely pray to your Heavenly Father each morning to see who needs your help that day. Then be ready to receive the inspiration. Acknowledge it at inspiration and then act upon it.
Give service to your family to strengthen your relationship with them:
This could be service with in your own home or could even extend out to extended family members. Here is where I am going to be including my family. We are going to do acts of service for Jesus: You can make a simple manger using Popsicle sticks. I simply hot glued them together. Cutting the end pieces to fit. Using the below printable. Print them out onto yellow paper. Then cut out each piece into strips. This is going to be the hay for baby Jesus. Have a plastic Ziploc bag for each family member. Label them with their name. Place all of their strips into their baggie. Have each family member choose a strip out of their baggie and do that act of service that day. Once, they have done the service then they can place the strip of paper into the manger. Explain that the more acts of service we do the softer baby Jesus' bed will be. On Christmas morning place baby Jesus in his manger.
Free Printable Service Activities:
There are 25 activities per family member. The printout is for two family members. Print out enough so every family member will have a list.
Being Prepared: Physically- Continuing to acquire items for a "GO BAG"
Last week, we were focusing on gathering backpacks for each member of the family. This week we are going to start acquiring the items to put in the bags. Remember the purpose of these bags are to have the things that each individual needs, so if their is an emergency they can quickly grab their bag and go.
Items to focus on this week:
Gather personal identification information.
-Make copies of Birth Certificate.
-Make copies of Social Security Card
-Make copies of Adult ID's such as Driver's License
-Make copies of Immunization Records
-Make copies of Marriage License
-Make copies of Current Medication Labels and directions
-Copy of Family picture (this would be beneficial to have if separated or even just as a comfort item)
-Child ID/Safety kit (There are many sites out their that offer these kits for free. Also, a lot of times in children's picture packets from the school they will include one. Some kits even include a swab for DNA. It is important to have one where you can provide a picture, a description of your child, and fingerprints.) ***Once you get one, do it***
-Make a copy of Important Contacts and info. This should include your in town contact and out of town contact. Your address and phone number. Doctor and Pharmacy info. Police department, fire department, CDC, Poison Control, etc. Phone numbers of family and friends, including work numbers. Phone number of the schools or day cares your children attend.
All of these could be stored in an envelope to be put in the bag. It might be a good idea to laminate the items.
Free Important Info. Cards
Items to focus on this week:
Gather personal identification information.
-Make copies of Birth Certificate.
-Make copies of Social Security Card
-Make copies of Adult ID's such as Driver's License
-Make copies of Immunization Records
-Make copies of Marriage License
-Make copies of Current Medication Labels and directions
-Copy of Family picture (this would be beneficial to have if separated or even just as a comfort item)
-Child ID/Safety kit (There are many sites out their that offer these kits for free. Also, a lot of times in children's picture packets from the school they will include one. Some kits even include a swab for DNA. It is important to have one where you can provide a picture, a description of your child, and fingerprints.) ***Once you get one, do it***
-Make a copy of Important Contacts and info. This should include your in town contact and out of town contact. Your address and phone number. Doctor and Pharmacy info. Police department, fire department, CDC, Poison Control, etc. Phone numbers of family and friends, including work numbers. Phone number of the schools or day cares your children attend.
All of these could be stored in an envelope to be put in the bag. It might be a good idea to laminate the items.
Free Important Info. Cards
Becoming Prepared: Pursuit of Excellence: Learn to Be Grateful and Express Appreciation
Today, I will be focusing on becoming spiritually prepared. In the "Pursuit of Excellence" booklet one of the goals is to, "Learn to Be Grateful and Express Appreciation". That is the topic on which I have chosen to focus on this week.
I chose this topic, because it is something I have been trying to focus on this past month. One idea that I have been doing and many other people have been doing is everyday, post something on Facebook that I am thankful for. I have loved to do this, it has made me truly reflect on the blessings I have received in this life. At times it seems we start to focus on the things we don't have or the things we lack. We might see someone who just seems to have it all. We then start to get down on our lives. When we focus on the bad or the things we want we can not be happy. Nothing will seem to be good enough, because we will always see someone who has more or who is better at something. But if we look at our lives and focus on all of the blessings and gifts that our Heavenly Father has given us we can become more content and be happier people. Heavenly Father has given all of us specific gifts and talents. He has given all of us blessings. Our part is to recognize those gifts, talents and blessings. We then need to acknowledge them and give thanks our our Father in Heaven and then use them to bless others. That is was HAPPINESS is.
Some Ideas to Learn to Be Grateful and Express Appreciation:
- Post the things you are thankful for on Social Media
- Grateful Links:
***Express appreciation to Heavenly Father in Prayer. Remember to acknowledge everything that others do for you in life and say, text, or write, "THANK YOU"***
Being Prepared- Physically: Start to acquire items for a "GO BAG"
Last week, I think I was a bit ambitious. I know it was a lot of info for one week. I actually already have my 72 hour kits, but I did use the time to go through them and had to purchase more food items. I think the key is to rotate every six months, so you are not throwing away items. I have heard of a few ways to remember to do this and they can be used in conjunction with each other. One way is to rotate the items every General Conference weekend. The next is to use the 72 hour kit once a year to go camping. I have not done this, but I think it would be very beneficial. By doing this you will know that you have the things in your kit that you actually will need and use in an emergency situation, where you might need to be away from home.
For this week, I have chose to keep things a little bit simpler. I would like to start gathering items for "Go Bags" for every family member. The purpose of these bags, is they would have the personal needs for each family member, they would be able to grab in an emergency. They will be kept in their bedrooms where they will have access to them to Grab and Go. They will need to be the right size for the family member. You would not want to get a huge backpacking back pack for a 5 year old.
So, to begin our "Go Bags" we are going to obtain the backpack. Some ideas are: If you have school age children you could use their old backpacks. There are drawstring backpacks that are very inexpensive to purchase and at times you can get these for free. I recently went to a college football game and they were giving them away at the gate. There are also patterns online if you would like to whip one up your self. Or another option is purchasing zip up backpacks from the store. The most inexpensive one I have seen is $5. You decide what will work best for your family. Next week, we will begin getting things to put into these bags. I am actually doing these for my kids for Christmas. They might not be the funnest gift, but I consider them a bonus gift.
GOAL FOR THIS WEEK: GATHER BACKPACKS FOR EACH FAMILY MEMBER
For this week, I have chose to keep things a little bit simpler. I would like to start gathering items for "Go Bags" for every family member. The purpose of these bags, is they would have the personal needs for each family member, they would be able to grab in an emergency. They will be kept in their bedrooms where they will have access to them to Grab and Go. They will need to be the right size for the family member. You would not want to get a huge backpacking back pack for a 5 year old.
So, to begin our "Go Bags" we are going to obtain the backpack. Some ideas are: If you have school age children you could use their old backpacks. There are drawstring backpacks that are very inexpensive to purchase and at times you can get these for free. I recently went to a college football game and they were giving them away at the gate. There are also patterns online if you would like to whip one up your self. Or another option is purchasing zip up backpacks from the store. The most inexpensive one I have seen is $5. You decide what will work best for your family. Next week, we will begin getting things to put into these bags. I am actually doing these for my kids for Christmas. They might not be the funnest gift, but I consider them a bonus gift.
GOAL FOR THIS WEEK: GATHER BACKPACKS FOR EACH FAMILY MEMBER
Becoming Prepared: Pursuit of Excellence: Establishing a habit of daily prayer to become spiritually prepared.
Last week, was my first post on becoming prepared spiritually and physically. I have now decide to split the posts into two days. There is just too much to have them together.
Today, I will be focusing on becoming spiritually prepared. In the "Pursuit of Excellence" booklet one of the goals is to, "Establish a habit of daily personal prayer". That is the topic on which I have choosen to focus on this week. We are so blessed in this life that our Heavenly Father hasn't left us alone without communication. He loves us so much and desires to hear from us, so he has given us prayer as a way to communicate with him. I love that no matter where I am I can pray to my Heavenly Father. I know that he hears me and I know that he will answer my prayers. It may not be in the way I think it should be answered or in my time frame, but it will be answered the way Heavenly Father knows it should be answered.
So, how can we establish a habit of daily personal prayer??
There is an amazing conference talk given by Elder David A. Bednar titled, "Pray Always". In this talk he speaks of counseling with our Heavenly Father in the morning. One idea that I have found that works good to form a morning prayer habit, is to set the alarm clock 5 minutes earlier than I actually need to wake up. Then I use that time to pray and counsel with my Heavenly Father. The days that I do this I begin the day with feeling the spirit and it helps me to keep things in focus throughout the day.
Elder Bednar then goes on to say to keep a prayer in our hearts throughout the day for continued help and guidance. I once had a seminary teacher when I was in high school challenge us that when ever we heard the bell at school ring to think about having a prayer in our hearts. To think about our Heavenly Father and the things we are in need of his help with or even the things we are grateful for. We can establish this habit by thinking of our Heavenly Father throughout the day. If we are having difficulty with something than we should pray unto our father for help and guidance.
And lastly, at the end of the day we pray to report to our Heavenly Father. I once had this likening said to me, when we were little kids weren't we so excited to come home from playing with a friend or from school and tell our parents all about what we did that day. Our parents were always eager to hear. Well, same with our Heavenly Father. He desires to hear about our day. He wants to hear the things we are thankful for, the acknowledgement of the blessings he has given us. He wants to hear about our struggles and the things we are in need of. How can we remember to say our prayers before bed? When I was little I had a prayer rock. Just an ordinary rock that said "prayer rock" on it, but when put on the pillow it would surely help you remember to say your prayer. It could become a habit along with reading scriptures, to read and then pray. It just is consistency and making the conscious effort to remember that Heavenly Father wants to hear from us and that we need his help. I know that I need my Heavenly Father's help in this life and I am grateful that I can pray to him personally.
My goal is to be better at saying my morning personal prayers and keeping a prayer in my heart throughout the day. Also, kneeling in prayer each night.
Preparing for Spiritual and Physical Needs: Putting together a 72 hour kit and Seek, Receive, and Act on Personal Revelation
We never know when we are going to be tested physically or spiritually. That is why it is so important to prepare NOW!
This Weeks Physical Needs focus is: Putting together a 72 hour kit.
This is what I have found to work for me and my family of five. I have my kit in two different containers. The first container is a 5 gal bucket that has a screw on lid with a toilet seat that fits onto the 5 gal bucket. In this bucket I have:
o Poncho (one for each member of family)
o 13 gal plastic garbage bags
o Whistle
o Plastic or Latex gloves
o Matches
o Glow Sticks
o Saw
This Weeks Physical Needs focus is: Putting together a 72 hour kit.
This is what I have found to work for me and my family of five. I have my kit in two different containers. The first container is a 5 gal bucket that has a screw on lid with a toilet seat that fits onto the 5 gal bucket. In this bucket I have:
o A Tarp
o A-frame tent
o Shovel
o Ax
o Bungee Chords
o Screw Driver
o Anti-bacterial Gel
o Toilet Paper
o Masks (one for each member of family)
o Ropeo Poncho (one for each member of family)
o 13 gal plastic garbage bags
o Whistle
o Plastic or Latex gloves
o Matches
o Glow Sticks
o Saw
Then, right now I use a 18 gal tote for the rest. I have a couple bags that I keep the Hygiene items in. I have also thought about using something with wheels, like a cooler. (The stuff in this container is intended to be used when camping also, replenishing as needed):
Kitchen Needs:
o Mess Kit
o Stove & fuel
o Aluminum Foil
o Ziploc bags various sizes
o Plastic or latex gloves
o Paper Towels
o Dishcloth, washcloth and dish towels
o Rope
o Matches
o Sponge with scouring side
o Dish Soap
o Hydrogen Peroxide
o Drinking Water Capsules
o Utensils (I have a set for each member of the family)
o Hand operated can opener
o Paring knifes
o Potato peeler
o Bowls (1 for each member of family)
o Cups (1 for each member of family)
o Food Strainer
o Cheese Grater
o Measuring spoons and cups
o Small mixing bowl with lids
o Spices (garlic, beef and chicken bouillon cubes, salt, pepper, cinnamon, onion seasoning, Italian seasoning)
o Baking Soda
Hygiene Needs:
o First Aid Kit
o Emergency Sleeping bags (one for each member of family)
o Emergency blankets (one for each member of family)
o 13 gal garbage bags
o Tissues
o Wipes
o Tooth paste, tooth brush, floss, mouth wash (for each member of family)
o Sunscreen
o Chap-stick
o Hand Soap
o Bug Repellent
o Lotion
o Deodorant
o Medication
o Contacts, solution, cases, glasses
o Comb, brush, hair clips, bobby pins, elastics
o Nail clippers and file
o Shaving Cream, razors
o Face wash & face lotion
o Optional: Makeup
o Hair Spray
o Shampoo & Conditioner
o Sewing Kit
o Body Wash
o Anti-Histamine
o Pain Reliever
Misc.Needs:
o Candles
o Wind-up and solar Radio with cell phone charger and flashlight
o Whistle
o Money
o Matches
o Lighter
o Pocket knife
o Scissors
o Notebook paper and pens
o More Masks
o Box cutter
o Flashlight with batteries
o Wind up Flashlight
Food Needs:
o Food (you will need to have enough in there for 3 meals a day for three days.)
-Examples: Breakfasts- Oatmeal packets, canned fruit
Lunch: Ramon Noodles or Cup of Soups, Dried fruit
Dinner: Canned Soup or Chili, Canned Corn
Hard Candies
o Water (The goal is to have at least a gallon of water per day per person. Visit this site for more info)
****Buy stuff that your family usually eats and rotate food & water every 6 months****
****Another great idea is to rotate you lotions, soaps, first aid kits stuff and medicine regularly. Something I do is in my 72 hr/vacation bag for hygiene I have the same makeup, lotion, etc. that I regularly use. When the stuff I use every day runs out I get it from the bag and then buy new to replace the bag with. That way I am regularly rotating and not wasting. ****
Pursuit of Excellence Goal for the week:
Goals That Build Spiritual Strength
**Learn what it means to seek, receive, and act on personal revelation.**
Here is a great article on this subject: "How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for your Personal Life"
**Learn what it means to seek, receive, and act on personal revelation.**
Here is a great article on this subject: "How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for your Personal Life"
Once we recognize the promptings of the spirit we need to act upon those promptings!!
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