Putting the Skinned Knees Back Into Playtime
The New York Times has a wonderful article about parents getting their kids interested in those old time games such as marbles and hopscotch. It gives the kids something else to do beside video games and television. They can get outside and get some exercise.
I’m not sure we can go back to the ‘Be home when the street lights come on’ world that I remember, but this article does bring up some good points. The article also mentions the wonderful book, “The Dangerous Book for Boys”
Internet Moms Making Money From Home
Read about how some Stay At Home Moms are supplementing their income with internet businesses or are working from home. For some couples, becoming a single income family isn’t a financially viable option. Working from home via the internet has become an option for those who would still like to have one parent at home with the kids. Now if only they came over and visited Single Income Parenting more, they would be able to save tons of money!
The Toddler and You
CNN is carrying a great article from parenting.com about dealing with frustrating toddler behaviors. They suggest five tricks to outsmart your toddler when it comes to the “I-wants”, being picky about food, and throwing fits when things don’t go their way. Now if only I had five ways to outsmart my spouse.
Is Your Family Ready for a Natural Disaster?
After reading about Momergency Kits over at ParentHacks.com, I thought I should detail what the modern parent can do to prepare for real emergencies. Although googly eyes can be very important in certain situations, being prepared for all kinds of emergencies is another step towards sleeping easily at night.
Being prepared for a disaster is nothing to sneeze at. We’ve seen so much media coverage of major disasters in the past few years. It is time to think about being prepared for the possibility of losing water or electricity for several days. I am a worrier. Having a 5-day disaster supply kit eases my mind a bit. At least in the “being prepared for a disaster” area.
There are many emergency preparedness websites out there. The Red Cross has an emergency supply list and there are dozens of 72-hour kit websites. My favorite, though, is from the East Bay Municipal Utility District. With this guide, you can assemble a 3-7 day disaster supply kit over a period of 6 months without going bankrupt.
The guide is broken down into 24 weeks; you collect all of your supplies and them rotate them over a six-month period. Each week there is a short shopping list for the grocery store, hardware store or first-aid supplies. You purchase and gather your supplies little by little and at the end of 6 months, you should have a comprehensive collection of food, tools, water and other emergency supplies.
Storing these supplies does take up room. Consider your storage area before beginning the buying process. Our supplies take up a 32-gallon garbage can (with wheels) and a cupboard that is about 3 feet wide by 3 feet tall by 18 inches deep. The water is, in my opinion, the most important supply to have on hand and it definitely takes up the most room. We also don’t keep many of the suggested tools and clothing in our specific emergency supply area. I keep a text document with the supplies that notes where certain tools and clothing can be found in the garage and the house.
Some of these supplies can be stored indefinitely (toilet paper, deodorant, toothbrush, etc.), while others should be used and replaced every 6-12 months. At the bottom of the above plan, there is a handy chart noting the typical shelf-life of your supplies. I have another handy word document that lists when I need to replace food items in my supply cupboard. I also label each box or can with the month and year that it was purchased.
Along with your ‘shopping list,’ there is a short ‘to do’ list for each week. This has suggestions
such as “Have a fire drill at home” and “Make photocopies of important papers and store safely.” There are also reminders such as checking and changing smoke alarm batteries.
In our emergency supply bin (e.s.b. as I like to call it), we have also placed copies of the kids’ immunization records and birth certificates and a list of phone numbers, out-of-state contacts, pet information, and some financial numbers (phone number of credit card companies, bank phone number, etc.) These documents are handy and could easily be tossed in the car if the emergency was such that we needed to leave the house and property immediately. The e.s.b. is on wheels and could (probably in a burst of adrenaline) be lifted into the trunk of the car.
I rest a little easier at night, knowing that our family has taken steps toward emergency preparedness.
Consumer Product Safety Commission Website
The Consumer Product Safety Commission website is a good site to check out once a month or so. Or whenever you are cleaning out your bookmarks. I came across it again the other day and made a mental note to check it out more often. It contains recall and safety information that may affect your family. For example: “Mervyns Recalls Children’s Capri Pants Due to Choking Hazard.” Apparently, the button may fall off and cause a child to choke, should they put it in their mouth. It is not actually the pants that are a choking hazard. Although, I suppose it might be hazardous to put a pair of capri pants in your mouth.
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