photo from ReEnchant Planet Earch
With my two daughters, I have found that a Hello Kitty Band Aid can pretty much cure anything.
Oh, to be like a child, so soothed by such a simple comfort!
I, however, have a little problem where I let my imagination get the best of me, and I conjure up these scenarios in my mind where EVERYTHING goes wrong. I get some incurable illness, or someone in my family gets terribly injured and I'm the only one there to administer first aid; one of my children is hit by a car or falls out a window or is attacked by a dog. Is this a normal part of motherhood, or am I just really messed up?
Well, in any case, my mild state of paranoia has motivated me to take a few extra precautions and pay attention to the advise given for certain undesirable situations. Most of them are not unusual, but do take a little time and effort to achieve. Sometimes it can be a little overwhelming to think about all the things you should do to be prepared. But when done a little bit at a time, it is very rewarding to know that you are ready for anything.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
72 Hour kits--have one in your home, ready near an exit to go with you where ever you might need to go. There are many places you can purchase one, such as beprepared.com, and lots of places online to find lists of items to include in one you build yourself.
Escape Ladder-if you have a two story home, one of these emergency escape ladders for evacuation in cases of fire or earth quakes might help put your mind at ease. We keep ours in the closet of my daughters' room and practiced using it to be sure we are prepared.
Fire extinguisher--this was a purchase I made on a random shopping trip at Costco. I hadn't thought about it until I saw it there, and once I did, I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep unless it was safely tucked away in my house. :) Yup, paranoid. And now that I'm writing this, I wonder if I should have one upstairs too...
The inspiration for this post actually came from a magazine I recently started reading--I got it at a local fair in a bag of 9-1-1 emergency coloring books and stickers handed out to my daughter. It has been a great resource, and you can access some of it online at 3days3ways.org.
A few things I plan to do next:
Get to know my neighbors and hold a "disaster preparedness block party"
Teach my daughter how and when to dial 911, as well as her address and phone number
Put a pair of sturdy shoes under my bed
Renew my CPR certification
Get those good-old Mr. Yuck stickers on all my house hold cleaning supplies
What things are you doing to be prepared...and reduce motherhood paranoia?
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Cortney I am paranoid as well. I think most mom's are to some extent. I love everything you are doing to be prepared.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend that did this. Put a piece of paper on the inside of a low kitchen cabinet with 911 and your address and phone number on it. That way the kids can have some were to look if they forget and it is at there level.
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