Fun in the Sun

The topic this month is "Fun in The Sun". I'm hoping to prepare everyone for the fun events of summer. To start off with, I am addressing hiking. This list can also come in handy for outdoor day trips, picnicing and beach bumming. Just having a car kit with these items would be a clever idea. Wouldn't you agree? The fact sheet can be found here.


(here is a picture of the items on the list)
Sorry the photo is blurry. The picture and list were found here.

I showed the sisters the kit I put together. I love how it fits in a gallon size ziploc bag. My kit looks similar to this one found here. This picture is just of the food in someone's kit, but seriously...my 10 essentials fit in this!

I'm looking forward to popping my oh-so-handy kit into my backpack for hiking, beach bag for bumming, or car trunk for a day trip grab bag. I will be adding items along the way, but keeping the basics is the main idea. This week--I'm leaving a challenge for you till next time...


                                                             plan a provident trip!

Personalizing your Kit

This handout is one that I have been planning to do for quite some time. Because Steve travels so much, we have the advantage of a big stock of hotel goods. Shampoos, Lotions, Conditioners, make-up remover wipes, mouthwash, ocassional toothbrushes, & sewing kits. We do have some in our own 72 hour kit, but there's only so many you need, even with a family our size. The stock has grown to 3 full baskets under our bathroom sink. I have been encouraging the ward members to set a date to use their 72 hour kits for a couple of years now by taking it camping, using it on an over-nighter, or a simple set up in their back yard or even their family room. Some way of using it and relying on it completely to ensure that everything they truly would need in a case where it's all they had, would be in it. This would be smart to do for a pretend drill right around the time it needs to be updated.

After the drill you would then update food, clothing, batteries--anything that needed updating and add anything that is lacking (one woman mentioned a can opener in the case you have canned goods). Each handout included a variation of any two of the items mentioned above, a cough drop, breath mint, or stick of gum, and a folded kleenex to trigger the idea of remembering necessary paper goods. My having been terribly sick during the last couple of months helped me to realize that we needed to add cough drops to our kit. As I told the sisters, you never know when that emergency is going to take place and what you will need.

Here's to being prepared!

72 Hr. kit update

I'm sorry I didn't post this idea in time for Easter. I literally recieved the inspiration around 9 or 10:00 Easter Eve. I was stuffing eggs the next morning. For the list I simply took a 72 hr. kit list I found on the internet and modified it into a checklist for updating:
72 HOUR UPDATE CHECK LIST

o WATER
o FOOD
o RADIO FUNCTIONING
o BEDDING ACCESSIBLE
o WORKING FLASHLIGHT
o BATTERIES
o MOIST TOWELETTES
o MEDICATIONS
o FIRST AID SUPPLIES
o PERSONAL HYGIENE ITEMS
o PAPER SUPPLIES Replenished
o CAMERA. Disposable camera
to record damage.
o CASH IN SMALL CHANGE
o UPDATED EMERGENCY CONTACT LIST
o UPDATED MAPS
o UPDATED MEDICAL HISTORY LISTS

Notice that the only things on the list are things that need updating or replacing, not all the things they need in their kits:

The message I shared was that, updating our 72 hour kits semi-annually (during General Conference month) is important. General Conference month is a good time mark for this since it happens every six months. I then encouraged them, as I always do, to plan a family camping trip or outing where they put their kits to use to ensure they have everything they need in them. Then to add anything they find lacking. I then offered them the opportunity that if need be, they could ask me for a 72 hour kit list if they don't already have one put together. I did an Enrichment night on 72 kits where the initial list was passed out and explained. These reminders are just follow ups to that Enrichment night. Since there is always change going on in wards, we need to be mindful of those that may not have recieved the origional information. Our ward, for instance, has just recently had a boundary change where we recieved several new families and we have had many new convert baptisms. I look at it as an opportunity to educate them as well. Let me know if you have any further insight. I will be sharing this upcoming handout shortly...till then, continue to be thinking--                          Providently! :)  

Learning a Life Saver Skill

The month of March, in all it's green glory, slipped right by me! I'm sorry I didn't share my handouts till now. Part of the reason for the delay was the first week being Stake Conference, having a teaching week, a combined Priesthood/ R.S. week and then having fast Sunday the last week of the month. I didn't want to discourage fasting by handing out my latest motivator since it had candy attached, so I will be stringing it into the month of April.

First I staryted off with 52 weeks to Family Preparedness. I will be handing these out each week until we have them all caught up. I'm already getting great feedback on this! You can find out more about that here.

March's theme was focusing on life saving skills. This was the first handout:

I was inspired by the discounted gold coins at our local JoAnne's. The circles were easily punched by a Stampin' up! circle punch and the print was done on textured cardstock using my Hallmark create a card program. {Love this program! Couldn't do half of what I do without it.} The cardstock was then attached using a large sticky dot. (Another essential item in my craft stash.)

This coming week I will be handing out this fun handout:

I actually came up with this idea shortly after creating my schedule for the upcoming year and was excited to finally put it in the creation process.

Hope these ideas are helpful to you in getting people excited about what they can be doing to Prepare themselves and their families. Have a happy preparedness week!!

Welfare

Two weeks ago was my teaching week so I asked the 2nd counselor in the R.S. to bare her testimony on spiritual welfare. So effective! Last week I gave out these refrigerator magnets with the message of taking care of the physical welfare of others and ourselves through fast offerings.

Then I bore my testimony about the blessings of paying fast offerings and how our needs are met as we are generous whenever we can be. The story of Elijah and the widow that gave she and her son's last meal to the prophet and how because of her faith and generosity, she and her son never went without and always had enough to eat. What a blessing it is to be a part of this gospel!

I'm taking a break this week. I know. Shocker. Don't want to burn out completely!

Starting fresh!

This week for the welfare theme of January, I talked about building your food supply to encourage providing for the welfare of self, family and others. I handed out these samples to provoke ordering things that people hadn't tried before and...

*containers are small plastic bags typically found in cake decorating area of craft store and Gerber baby food containers. Labels were made from clear style address labels printed on the computer

 passed around the cannery sign up for the scheduled date of Thursday January 20th. As always, after everyone had gotten their sample, I took them to the nursery and then to the Primary. I have more sign ups this month then ever and a lot of enthusiasm. It's WORKING!

*I learned on Sunday that due to ocea standards, we will no longer be able to go to the cannery for dry pack canning. In our area, this will be enforced at the end of the month. We will be finding out more information in the coming weeks.

Provident Living Plan for 2011

January- Welfare and You

1) the Bishop's storehouse  2) humanitarian aid 3) dry pack canning  4) a spiritual matter 5) R.S. presidency choice

February- In case of a Natural Disaster

1) oil in your lamp 2) emergency contact 3) ye shall not fear 4) R.S. presidency choice

March- CPR and Life Saving Skills
1) a matter of life and death 2) classes and options 3) who can you save? 4) R.S. choice

April- 72 hour kits
1) time to update 2) food ideas 3) blessing of being prepared 4) R.S. choice

May- Outdoor fun & Survival
1) hiking, 10 essentials 2) geocashing, using a GPS 3) camping using your 72 hour kit 4) building shelter

June- Water, can't live without it!
1) home storage 2) car storage 3) water preservation 4) 72 hour kits

July- How to prepare for a Fire
1) grab and run bags 2) draw a plan 3) meeting place 4) drills

August- Education, a life long endeavor
1) Further your education (by Pres. Hinkley) 2) increasing your talents 3) blessings and power of knowledge 4) tools for learning

September- Increasing your food supply
1) How much do I need? 2) how long will it keep? 3) a temopral commandment with eternal blessings 4) home canning, a new experience

October- Festive Foods
1)  Using your supply over the Holidays  2) rotate and restock (treating your supply as a grocery store)
3) run and not be weary  4) all things pumpkin

November- Gifts of preparation
1)  ideas for gift giving 2) Count your blessings 3) the gift of the Savior 4) practicality is essential

December- Gifts that keep on giving
1) sthe gift of charity 2) Service, a priceless gift 3) the greatest gift of all 4) the gift of praise

* schedule subject to change as spiritually directed for the needs of the sisters