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On our third day of our recent five day power outage, we decided last minute to book a hotel room with points. As we scurried around packing overnight bags for everyone, my husband asked me if I wanted to bring my oils. At first I said no, since I have several little bottles of my favorites in a pouch on my keychain. Then I decided to bring my box of oils, just in case.
I was definitely glad I did, for sure enough, Hannah had a tummy ache just an hour after checking into the hotel. I was able to quickly pull out the Digestzen, rub a little on her belly, and help ease her discomfort. It felt great to know I had solutions to most common ailments right at my fingertips, but it got me thinking:
Was I prepared in other ways for the storm or other natural disasters and/or emergencies?
Unfortunately, the answer was no. Even though our church counsels us to be prepared for emergencies by having 72 hour kits prepared and to build up to a year's supply of food, in my own family we have been sadly lax in heeding that advice. We had very little in the way of food storage and what we did have wasn't easily prepared using our available cooking methods (the grill). We ended up eating a lot of peanut butter sandwiches, dried cereal, and fast food.
We also didn't have 72 hour kits prepared. Even though we didn't have to evacuate, it would have been nice to have these ready even when we decided to book a hotel at the last minute.
Since we feel there is no time like the present to start, we have since purchased a generator and are working on plans to start building our food storage and other emergency preparedness measures.
What have you done to prepare for emergencies? Do you have any food storage tips or other ideas for us as we get started?
What I have found works best for us when it comes to food storage is to go on a giant Walmart run and load up on cans, boxes, etc--stuff that we normally eat that doesn't go bad for awhile. (I also have powdered milk on hand, but I usually just throw it out after it goes bad because we never use it, but I know in an emergency situation we would.) Then as we eat through it we replenish. So my weekly grocery runs in theory are to stock up on fresh items (produce, dairy, meat, etc) and RE-stock the prepackaged stuff that we have used. Sometimes I get behind on the restocking and we end up doing another big Walmart run. But the idea is that if needed, we always have plenty of food on hand and it is stuff that we eat anyways. I hope that helps!
ReplyDeletePS I think it is awesome that you got a generator. We have talked about it, but haven't actually done it yet.
Our "72 hour kit" is actually a very large duffel type bag full of lots of canned and packaged foods including paper ware and utensils, etc. We keep it in the trunk of our car and have gotten into it a few times on trips, etc. We keep a large supply of bottled water right next to it. During the summer months we have to bring it in the house because of the heat, but we still take it with us on trips.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea about the oils Heather. I'm still loving my Serenity. I haven't had the need for the others yet, but I know I will!
It would be so scary to be over there! I'm glad i have my 72 hr kits done and when you come do my party, if you want some ideas, I'm happy to help, if you want it. Funny enough, when we had a tornado a year or two ago i grabbed my kids and threw them in the car, but totally didn't think i needed my 72 hr kits....dumb i know. I didn't end up needing them, but that it what they are for. And I got your package! love the oils, I woke up with a cold and used the breathe and it stopped the runny nose in its tracks and i'm using the lavender on my baby and Jordyn to help go to sleep...but Jordyn doesn't like the smell, so we shall see if it works for her. I'm super excited for the class!
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