are you Preppy? here's a prescription from Dr. Prepper

Here's an audio clip so you can listen to the Mom Tip while you pack up your 72 hour kits.
​(Fair warning: this Mom Tip is actually 3 minutes long...)

Hi, I’m Regan Barnes from Momivate, and this is your two-minute Mom Tip empowering you to elevate your mothering experience.

On Wednesday morning, March 11, 2020, my family was gathered for our morning devotional, and an odd, rumbling noise caused us all to pause. Instantaneously, I knew it was an earthquake, and said so just the millisecond before the trembling began. We all scattered to find a door jamb as quickly as we could, and about 20 seconds of 5.7 Richter Scale shaking later, we sat back down on the sofas to start processing together what had just happened.

One thing we talked about was how grateful we were that, even though we had just experienced a natural disaster, we didn’t end up needing our 72 hour kits. We have had the practice of keeping 72 hour kits stocked and ready for an emergency -- and I can say how grateful I am that we’ve never had to use them. But having them packed and ready was instrumental in helping us feel a measure of calm in the midst of the quake.

Would you like to feel one step ahead of the unpredictable? With all of the craziness on the news, from earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires to locust infestations, knowing we can't control what happens can be an unsettling acknowledgement. But choosing to prepare for the just-in-case can help us handle whatever comes without feeling totally out of control.

To build our 72 hour kits on a budget, I bought second-hand backpacks and small suitcases with wheels, making sure the zippers work. Once the food and other necessities are packed in there, it’s pretty heavy, so having the option to drag it rather than carry it is ideal since we can't predict how far we might need to walk. 

Some people might simplify the whole shebang by buying MREs. I've never eaten an MRE, but I've heard horror stories… so I decided on a different system. I acknowledge the reality that food is not just for nourishment, but also for comfort, and considering that the situation in which using a 72-hour-kit would likely be a time we need comfort, I pack ours with food that serves both purposes. 

My system may not be the most efficient but there’s a hidden function within that lack of efficiency.  Because the food is only packaged to last around six months, it requires us to unpack and re-pack every six months (or so) which gives us a prime opportunity to review all the contents of the kits (not just the food) and have low-pressure discussions as to why each item is included and how it is used. The kids kinda like it when we pull out all these packaged foods to rotate because they get to eat items we don’t often include in our day-to-day diets but that they view as desirable. And hey, in an emergency, comfort in the form of food is a double whammy.

Since our 72-hour-kit menu might be useful to fellow mamas who see a need to be a little bit “preppy” (that word used to have a whole different connotation back in the 80s), the list is on the two-minute-mom-tip blog, so log on and take a peek as you consider an emergency plan for your family! Then share if this practice elevates your mothering!

72 Hour Kit MENU: divided up according to the component of our E element in the RAISE acronym --  “Three Parts to Every Meal: Protein, Grain, and Fruits/Veggies. 72 hours is 9 meals, so each child packs 27 items total, chosen from these options:

PROTEINS:
tuna/chicken salad -- in little cans, boxed with crackers, from the dollar store
trail mix
Small packets of peanut butter
beef sticks
vienna sausages
Pudding
Protein bars and shakes

FRUITS:
apple sauce
Raisins
Juice boxes
Fruit leather
Fruit snacks
Cans of corn, peas, carrots… (and a can opener if they’re not pop-top!)
 
GRAINS:
Crackers, with cheese or peanut butter inside
Cheez-its
granola bars
sandwich cookies
Pop-tarts (which have a little fruit on the inside)

OTHER:
Bottled water (we fit two to three in each backpack)
bags of hard candy (to suck on to trick the mind about thirst)