Personal Preparedness

Recently I have been feeling an urgency to get my rear in gear to get our 72 hour kits and food storage together. Not that I think anything bad is going to happen soon or that I will actually use it in the near future (although you never know!). I do believe it is my priviledge/responsibility as a wife/mother to ensure my family is prepared in case of a disaster - financial, health, medical or even a local (aka no water in the middle of the summer). Not being prepared (or even on the road to preparing) makes me anxious. And as the Lord has promised us..."If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."

If you are anything like me, the thought of organizing food, water and 72 hour kits (oh and car kits!) is so overwhelming that you have no idea where to begin. Thank heavens for people who actually have it all together who have already done their food storeage/72 hour kit/car kits and are willing to share how they did it. Here are the blogs that have helped me out a bunch and I hope you can utilize them too!

http://www.iwillprepare.com/

(this website has EVERYTHING, including how to make pandemic kits in case of...well a pandemic. I love this site - which is actually written by a brother in our ward.)

http://safelygatheredin.blogspot.com/

(this blog gives you the basics in rotating food storage, preparing 72 hour kits and car kits. And there is a recipe index for how to actually USE your food storage. Genius!)

http://www.preparingwisely.com/blog/

(this blog demonstrates how to use things you are to have in your 72 hour kits/car kits and reviews products, such as food storage supplies and solar ovens)

What ideas do you have about being personally prepared? Feel free to share!

Live Simply. Live Well.

I thought it would be fun if I started a blog about how I decorate my home on the cheap and frugal shopping tips or shops I use to save my family a dollar or two. Its nothing fancy and I can't promise that you will learn anything or even be inspired (most of the ideas I get from reading other peoples blogs, to whom I will ALWAYS give credit!). So come check it out and if you want, try some ideas out, and leave a comment! And - show me how your projects turn out!!

The blog address is http://www.livesimplylivewellaz.blogspot.com/.

Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition

I love our new blog header! It was simple (once I got the hang of it and Bicho took a nap) and fun to do. If I am motivated enough, I will change it out with different pictures for each season or holiday. But I must give credit where credit is due. I found Clover Lane while blog hopping one early morning when Bicho wouldn't go back to sleep and wanted to swing instead. She has a great tutorial on how to make your own collage/blog header that is unique to you and your family without paying someone else to do it (or buying an expensive computer program). I am so excited I found her! I  feel like I share many of her values and thoughts on family life. Isn't it like a breath of fresh air when you find another woman who values virtue, thrift and the sacred calling of being a mother? Visit her blog! You'll love it! And you'll learn how to make a fun header for your blog :)

Spring Cleaning with Bicho

Feburary has been beautiful the last couple of weeks so Bicho and I have been doing some spring cleaning. Actually, Bicho perfected being cute while I starting my spring cleaning. Here are some cute happy pictures I got of her. I just love the little personality she is developing.

Terrence and I always joke about how Bicho reminds us of Richard Simmons with her headband on because her hair sticks out everywhere! This should be proof about how I was NOT lying when I said I had tons of heartburn when I was pregnant. It must be the Italian in me that produces un monton de pelo in the womb.

In more recent times, Bicho went to the dr. and was diagnosed with RSV - which is a fancy word for a baby cold. And I know exactly where she got it from. (I tend to blame other people's children for my child's illness.) This case involved a very snotty two year old with a horrible cough. I am so cautious and paranoid about her getting sick that of course in the one situation I cannot control, she is exposed to a sickly toddler. Oh well...

 I am learning more and more that Bicho is an atypical baby when she is sick. The doctor asked me about her cough and I indicated she hasn't had a cough. The doctor raised an eyebrow and said "That is very atypical for a RSV baby to not have a cough." So I jokingly stated, "Well if she didn't have a fever when she had an infection in her umbilical cord, I guess she wouldn't have a cough with RSV!" The doctor replied, "Oh yes. I've heard about her. That makes sense."  So Bicho is famous at the local pediactric office. Way to make your mark Bicho!