Are you ready?

         I've been giving it a lot of thought lately. What if a real emergency happened? Would you be prepared? Do you have the necessary supplies ready to survive a few days or even weeks? What about your home? Is your home ready? Does your family have a plan? I know all these details can be overwhelming, but if you break it down and do a little bit everyday until you are ready, it's not so bad.
         All my life, I have always been the prepared type. I've had some people think I'm paranoid, and maybe a bit over prepared, but when it comes to my safety and my family's safety, I'm really not concerned about what people think of me. If something were to happen to my family, I'm as ready as I can be, and I'm not ashamed to say that. It really gives me peace of mind. Before I was really prepared, I was very worried about all the things that could happen to my family. What does this have to do with health, you ask? Peace of mind prevents worry and we all know that worrying does nothing good for your health. To me, health and safety/preparedness go hand in hand. If I'm not prepared for a natural disaster, that risks my health and my safety.
          There is a parable that comes to my mind. I know the actual parable isn't about emergency preparedness, but it can definitely be applied. I'm sure many of you are familiar with Matthew 25:1-13. I suggest that you read it in it's entirety on your own, but basically, it's about ten virgins. The wise five were prepared with oil, and the foolish five weren't. The foolish asked for oil from the wise, but the wise said no, there may not be enough for both us and you. The foolish missed out. Had this been an emergency, and the oil was food, they may have died from not being prepared.
          Even if we don't see an earthquake or other natural disaster in our lifetime, it doesn't hurt to be ready for it. The reality that strikes when something happens and you aren't ready could be terrifying. It is a very harsh reality to face and I hope you never have to. That is why I'm writing this blog. I can pretty much guarantee that most of my friends are not prepared in the slightest bit. Did Japan scare you at all? What about New Zealand? Chile? If you think we are safe from earthquakes, you are sadly mistaken. It doesn't matter where you live. Disaster can strike anywhere, anytime. Just because you live on the East Coast doesn't mean you are off the hook. Yeah, getting a kit together can take some time and money, but what is your life worth? It is always worth saving!
       Here are some ideas to help get you started. Please check out www.Ready.gov. There are some checklists and other things worth considering as you prepare. I went to a class last week on being prepared at my church. It was very informative. The lady who taught the class has a Facebook page dedicated to being prepared. It's http://www.Facebook.com/#!/pages/How-Prepared-Are-You-for-an-emergency/147298235282437. I "liked" her page and suggest you do the same. She has also put together some tips and checklists. She is planning on doing more classes in the future as well. :)
         Here are some things I've done to prepare our home. We have gas heat. So I went to Lowes and got an emergency shut off wrench for about $4. I went outside to test it, and guess what? It wouldn't turn. I called our gas company and a guy came out and fixed it for free! That gave me a lot of peace of mind that if I needed to shut it off, I could. While I was at Lowes, I found, right next to the wrench, some museum putty. It's for securing your valuables so they won't fall and break in a quake. Not only is that nice for saving your valuables, but you don't have to worry about things breaking on your head and no glass to step on! Awesome stuff! I also got brackets to hold book shelves in place so they don't land on anyone. You can find them at Lowes, Babies R Us and even Ikea. They are free at Ikea. :)Luckily, our water heater already had a strap on it when we bought the house, so we didn't need to do anything there. If your water heater doesn't have a strap, then it's not to code. It is called an earthquake strap, and you need one. If you are renting and don't have one, it is your landlord's responsibility to install one.
           Something you might want to look into is earthquake insurance. I was told when we got home owners insurance that we had earthquake insurance. That was in September. I called back in March, just to make sure, and they didnt cover earthquakes anymore!!!! And they didn't even tell us! I was pretty mad, but the only thing I could do at that point was to find earthquake insurance somewhere else. If you think you are covered, it never hurts to call and double check. I'm glad I did!
              So, those are some of the things I've done to prepare our home. I also got a large tub that has food, clothes, etc. for our home. Most of the stuff I found was on www.Ready.gov. I also have a kit, in a backpack, in both our cars, along with extra water and food. I also never let our gas in our car get below half a tank. You might just need to drive somewhere, and the gas stations might not be open after an earthquake. Fire starting supplies are a must if you plan to cook your food or need to warm up. A good quality knife is also a must. We have K-Bars in our kits, and I carry a Cold Steel pocket knife in my purse. You can use it to make shelters, prepare food, and even scare people away who might try to steal your food. ;) Joking. Kind of. Haha!! It is a good idea to have written down in your wallet, a list of emergency contacts in and out of your state. Your cell phone might not work in an emergency so having change on hand is a good idea, if you can find a pay phone. If your phone does work, only text message people. It's easier to get through and won't clog up the very busy phone lines. Well, I think that is about all I have to say on the subject for now. Please feel free to add any tips or suggestions. I'm always open to learning new things. Thanks for reading! Happy planning! :)

What are you putting on your skin?

We hear all the time about certain products being recalled for their toxicity and or poisonous effects on people. But what we don't hear about in the news is the countless products that may be harming us slowly, little by little, everyday. Finding safe products for our bodies shouldn't be hard, but it really is. Our skin is the largest organ in our bodies. Our pores allow products, pollutants, and more into our bodies. If that doesn't concern you, it should. Babies are harmed more than we as adults are. If you are a mom like me, you really need to think about these things. Your child's health should concern you. It's more than what you feed yourself or your child. Do you use scented detergent? Do you use fabric softener? Why? Clothes don't smell bad if your detergent is scent-free. I never use scented detergent. Just because it is a product that isn't applied to your skin, doesn't mean you aren't affected by it. Why do you think it is so important for babies to use scent-free detergent? If it is important for babies, maybe you should consider the fact that it can affect you too. We have enough chemicals, perfumes and dyes to deal with. Why subject your body to even more when you have a choice? To me, it is ignorance. And fabric softener, really? Please! My fabric is just fine without it. I have dryer balls (found at Bed, Bath and Beyond) that I put into my dryer and they work just fine. No unnecessary chemicals there! There are many people who are affected by fabric softeners. My parents are both chemically sensitive, as well as my sister-in-law. Just sitting next to someone who uses downy fabric softener will give them all debilitating migraines and or have their lungs close up and that will send them to bed or even the hospital. It's not uncommon for this to happen to people. It's not a joke. The more you are exposed to chemicals, the higher your chance will be that you will also be sensitive. Perfumes and body sprays do the same thing. People want to smell good. I understand that. But poisoning your own body and sacrificing your own health for it? Well, to me, that is never worth it. I don't use spray perfumes or body sprays. I don't smell bad. I take showers. LOL!!!! If you don't shower, I can see why you may want to use perfumes, but that would be the only reason I can imagine why anyone should use spray perfume or body sprays. I do admittedly on occasion use a solid organic perfume, alcohol-free. It is chemical free and safe. So if I feel the need to smell a certain way, I use that, and only that. But if you shower on a regular basis, you don't need to add anything to your body to smell good. (Most lotions do enough anyways) Have you ever walked by someone that obviously used too much perfume? Did that disgust you? Even in small amounts, cheap perfume is very obvious. It is disgusting to me, and probably to you too. Just because it's a certain brand or expensive doesn't make it safe. I could go on and on about this, but I think my point has been made. One more thing worth mentioning, while I'm on a roll, is washing your clothes before you wear them. Why? Well, there are chemicals and dyes in your clothes and if you don't wash them first, those chemicals and dyes are going into your skin. I've known a number of people who had babies that broke out in horrible rashes. When I asked them if they washed their clothes first, they all said no. I told them to wash their clothes and blankets before they used them, and their rashes went away. It's not rocket science. Please wash your clothes first, especially your babies clothes. Ok, I'm done ranting about that, so if you want to do something about this, my good friend Lisa sent me a link. It is a great website on the chemicals we are putting in our bodies and there is a chance for you to sign a petition to stop the toxic chemicals. Please watch the video and sign the petition. Thanks for reading! I hope you have more chemical-free days. :)
http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=682