Periods Will Still Happen

This video came up in my Facebook feed awhile back and I just haven't been able to get it off my mind. I'm not thinking about the information in quite the spirit it was presented, though.  This got me thinking in a whole different direction.

The producers, a group called Bustle, make an excellent point about how hard it is to be a woman when you are living on the streets.  I don't want to detract from their message in any way because it's good and valid and something so very overlooked.  I know when I've been part of a humanitarian project supplying sanitary supplies to homeless people, or to refugee families being re-settled in my town or that were being sent to an area with a recent natural disaster, we all thought about things like soap and toothpaste and even toilet paper and disposable razors.  But no one thought to add tampons or pads to the personal care packages. Not even once. As a woman it blows my mind that it didn't come to mind as a need for other women.

If that aspect of the film touches your heart and you feel inspired to do something about it... please, do!

While you are watching, the Mormon girl in me who's heard the lifelong drill to be prepared and have an emergency supply of food and other needs set aside in storage is asking you to think about the setting you see yourself living in after a disaster.  Doesn't it look a lot like today's homelessness?

I think we can take a very good lesson from these ladies who were brave enough to share their very personal stories for our own preparations.  Add feminine hygiene products to your emergency preparedness supplies/food storage.  Maybe you've already thought about it and have some, even enough to take care of your anticipated needs quite well, so think about adding more for these two reasons:

• You'll have some to share with women who have the need but no supplies.  That will do your heart and spirit good.
• You'll also have a valuable commodity for trading in an emergency situation.  You can use them to get things you need, or want, but don't have. That will do your survival and comfort good.

If you think trading them sounds cold and heartless...  I'd also ask you to consider other products that will be valuable for trading in that situation.  Even if they don't have a place in your personal lifestyle choices there will be people desperately trying to get their hands on these items so they will quickly become very valuable commodities. For example:

Wine
Hard liquor
Tobacco
Coffee (both for brewing and instant)
Coffee Creamer
Condoms

Disaster Preparedness for Pets

I have pampered house dogs.  They are like my furry kids.  Were something horrible to happen, I would most certainly take them with me on any evacuation order.  That's an absolute.  If they weren't welcome, I wouldn't go either. With that commitment comes the requirement to be prepared to bug them out.  And that takes some thought about what they need and why.  Some things they will need for their own safety and comfort and some things for the safety and comfort of other people you may be around.

I admit, I hadn't given it a lot of thought until this was posted in one of my Facebook groups.  It bears sharing and gives you some things to think about.  One of my first questions was what goes in a doggie first aid kit...  A group member supplied a link to some pre-made ones you can purchase but as I looked through them I realized the contents are the same as you would include in your human first aid kit.  This is is totally doable as a DIY  project.  The main benefit in the dog having his own would be that he can help carry the supplies and then they are right where you need them should you have to put the supplies to use.

Another article I was pointed to that gives some valuable advice is Saving Pets During Disasters.  There were several things I hadn't thought of before on their list of preparations and it pointed out some glaring holes in my plan that I now know I need to address.  Basic training being the #1 thing since my guys are not always the best little gentlemen.  We need to work on leash walking,  and the commands to stay, come and drop it.  We need to work on those things a lot!

Family Vital Records Binder - Week 4

Your assignment for Week 4 is getting all the information about your family's cars into one place.  Vroom vroom!

Again, you want copies of any official documents in the binder.  Keep the originals in a safe place like a Safety Deposit Box.  Be sure to note where the originals are located on your copies.

Family Vital Records Binder - Week 3

Your assignment for Week 3 is to gather medical information for your family.

NOTE:  Make copies, or use duplicates, of your insurance cards in the binder.  You need the originals for your everyday normal life now.  Likewise with insurance policies.  Keep the original documents in a safe place, like a Safety Deposit Box, and put copies in the binder with a notation with where to find originals.

I used a business card style page protector for the contact information for doctors, dentists and veterinarians (my dogs are my kids - definitely an important part of the family and this section is the first place I'd go looking for their medical information!).

My dentist gave me a little grief about getting a copy of my x-rays.  He said they lose their value as a diagnostic tool after about 6 months.  When I explained what this binder was and that including them was for identification purposes, he finally gave them to me.

Also, I did not try to gather up immunization information or medical records from every single doctor I've ever seen.  If you do try, you will likely be better off scanning and saving it to a CD than dealing with that much paper here.  I just wrote out my history as best I could remember and got a photocopy (stamped PHOTOCOPY so it couldn't be used to actually get a prescription) of my medication prescription.  You might also think about including a list of any vitamins or herbal supplements you take since they can affect many medications effectiveness.  I would just photocopy the labels that show the RDA information or pull it off a used up bottle and slip into a sheet protector in this section.

If you have a Living Will, DNR Order or desire to be an organ donor I would include that information here, too.

Outside a widespread disaster, this whole section could be extremely important and helpful if someone else ever needs to make medical decisions for you.  For example, if you are injured in a traffic accident these are details that would help your family and doctors make the best decisions about your care.

Family Vital Records Binder - Week 2

Your assignment for Week 2 is all about getting important addresses together.

You'll need all of the addresses of people who are important to you both personally and professionally.  I started with a list of names and then started going through my address books on my phone, email, hard copy... and I included phone numbers and email addresses where I could and it was appropriate.  What I didn't have and thought I might want, I sent messages to friends, family and other associates asking for their information.

When you've got all the details, type up your lists and print them out.  Insert into sheet protectors and put in your binder.

HINT:  Format your 'Christmas List' as address labels and use a fun font so it takes the work out of sending cards in those hurried days after Thanksgiving.  Print (or photocopy) onto label stock and you're ready to go! 

This section could be a great resource even in 'normal' times!

Or if something happened to me and someone else had to step in and try to piece my life together to get me the help I needed...

Family Vital Records Binder - Week 1

This is a project I started several years ago and kind of lost steam and then... well, life happened.  I've been meaning to get back to it for awhile because it's something I firmly believe is really important, but darn it!!  Life keeps happening.

The place I found this is a blog called Prepared Not Scared.  It doesn't look to be very active any longer but if you go there and dig around you will find yummy recipes, cute graphic items like calenders and games and some really great preparedness ideas!  Tricia Smith, the woman who writes (wrote?) the blog was the Family Preparedness Coordinator for her Ward in Bountiful, UT at the time I first started my Vital Records Binder.  All credit for the ideas, organization, order, thought process... EVERYTHING... is hers.  I am just copying what I think is a really great idea and inviting you to follow along as I post how I'm going about accomplishing it.

The plan, as I remember it, is that it should take a year to complete everything in the Binder.  And it is a comprehensive set of documentation that, should something terrible ever happen, is a grab and go item to help you restart your life after the disaster.

Your assignment for Week 1 is to gather your materials.  You will need a large (3-inch plus thick) 3-ring binder along with full page sheet, business card, and CD protectors (all available at office supply stores) that are punched to fit in the binder.  You'll also need to download and print the tabs to divide all the sections of the binder from each other.  Once printed, go ahead and slip each tab into a sheet protector and put it in your binder.

Click HERE to view, download and print the tabs.  I'm having trouble creating a shareable file for the labels that go on the sides of the tabs but I'll keep working on it and post them as soon as I can.  Once they are available, or if you want to create your own, they are just attached with clear packing tape.

When you're done, it should look something like this!

Take a few minutes and thumb through the tabs reading what goes into each one and you'll see just how comprehensive this project is!!

A few people who've seen my beginnings of a binder have complained that it's bulky and heavy and hard to tote around and they can save everything on a flash drive that's easy to just slip into their purse or bug-out bag.  If you are comfortable that the days following any kind of major disaster will include readily available electricity, computers, and printing services then that is a good option for you.  I'm not so sure my faith in technology is that strong.  I think it could take weeks to have those services up and running so I'm choosing to make the binder.

72-Hour Kits

Today I was overtaken by a wild hare and started cleaning out the hall closet... Ok, so it wasn't so much a wild hare as the thought that I might want to use this space differently so all the stuff that lives there now has to be re-homed somewhere else.  More on that in a future post.

One of the things I pulled out was the old 72-hour kits.  Part of them was a small packet of food items designed to keep you from starving during the scramble in the first 3 days following a disaster.  That's what I want to talk about today - the food you need to pack in a 72-hour kit.

Mine is just a little overdue to be renewed by now so I have been snacking my way through it.  And "snacking" is a term I'm using generously here.  In all honesty, so far I've gagged down 1 can (out of 3) of the gelatinous goo called Spaghettios and wrinkled my nose eating the M&M's that absorbed the flavor from the Juicy Fruit gum.

What's in this 72-hour food kit?

1 pack of gum
2 fruit and cereal bars
3 envelopes of hot chocolate mix
2 granola bars
1 pkg fruit snacks (2.5 oz)
10 pieces of hard candy
2 envelopes hot apple cider mix
3 beef jerky sticks (individually wrapped)
3 envelopes cup of soup
3 cans Spaghettios/Ravioli (7.5 oz)
1 packet peanut butter filled cheese crackers
2 pkgs plain M&Ms
4 single-serve boxes of raisins 

Yeah... not the most healthy sounding food is it?  But it was meant to be eaten in an emergency situation and is intentionally high fat and high sugar to provide maximum energy output.

What I liked about this kit was that it was pre-portioned, mostly ready to eat, convenient (pop top cans), very portable (a 12 x 15-inch mylar packet) and intended to be familiar and comforting foods.   What I don't like is the food choices that were made but that's easy to change as I'm purchasing the items to renew my kit during the next week or so.  I'll definitely be looking at other options for the Spaghettios and raisins!

I will also include a plastic spoon and a small metal cup (non-breakable).  Also thinking about adding some packets of instant oatmeal and single-serve drink mixes.  And since I don't have easy access to the mylar bags and a sealing machine, I will be packaging it differently.

Obviously this does not take care of all your needs during that first 72-hours following a disaster.  You still need to think about clothing, bedding, shelter, medication, sanitation, personal hygiene and, perhaps most importantly... WATER.

Along side the packaged food kit I have accumulated some bottled water, water filtration jugs, a small sewing kit, a first aid kit, space blankets and hand warmers into a convenient tote.  It's not all that I need or want to grab and go should I ever be faced with an evacuation/emergency... but it's a start!

Emergency Preparedness Plan

September is Emergency Preparedness Month.  The brochure in yesterday's mail tells me so...  Actually it is quite interesting information and includes many tips that just make good sense for a sustainable and self-reliant lifestyle.  I'm going to share some of their information and some from other places and from my own ideas and experience this week.

Earthquake.  Tsunami.  Tornado.  Fire.  Flood.  Drought.  During much of 2011 world news headlines have been dominated by natural disasters and the toll they take on lives and infrastructure.  No matter where you live some type of calamity can strike.  In Utah, we know earthquakes are possible even though there hasn't been a major one in 350 years.  And we know geologists continue to tell us that it's overdue.  White wait, we have floods, fire and winter storms to keep us company.

Be Ready Utah is a government agency providing tools to help us be ready for a disaster.  They've defined 4 basic steps:

1. Make a plan.
2. Get a kit.
3. Be informed.
4. Get involved.

Simple steps that, once embraced, change the way we live.  We can live without fear because we are prepared.  We can live ready to act when nature throws it worst at us.  We can live knowing that we will be able to also help others.

Make a Plan

By their very nature, emergencies strike when you don't expect them and the disruption can become a nightmare if you aren't prepared to react and recover from them.  Every home should have a plan to deal with emergency situations that includes information about communication, evacuation, emergency supplies and an out-of-state contact.  Here is a simple form you can use to record your information:  Family Preparedness Plan.  Use it while you:

• Discuss preparedness with your family.
• Pick 3 meeting places - one just outside your home, another location in your neighborhood if your property isn't safe and a regional meeting place if you can't return home.
• Identify an out-of-state contact in case your family gets separated.  Long distance calls may still work when local calls do not.
• Teach children how and when to dial 911.
• Post emergency numbers near all phones in your home.
• Teach children how to use a cell phone.
• Store food and water adequate to each person's needs for 2 weeks.
• Learn about sanitation in emergency situations and gather the materials needed for your family.
• Teach your family how to open window screens and determine at least 2 escape routes from each room in your home.
• Teach your family about drop, cover and hold onto heavy furniture.
• Plan for pet care.
• Learn where the lines are located and how to shut off shut off utility service to your home.
• Practice and improve your plan.

Use today to check out Be Ready Utah for more great information and ideas to get you started on your plan.  Tomorrow we'll tackle emergency sanitation and special needs in more depth.