Save the date of March 6, 2010

Hi Friends,

Save the date of Saturday, March 6th for our Mission Viejo Stake Strengthening Families Conference. This event will follow our annual Preparedness Drill and looks to be an informational/inspirational feast. The whole family is invited to attend. See you there!

Haiti

Please pray for Haiti. Check the newsroom article today at lds.org. We can donate to their relief. We are familiar with earthquakes here. It is a time for reflection for me. Am I prepared? Is my family prepared? Am I prepared to assist others?

Self-Reliance

Self-Reliance

Family Home Evening

Last night, Sammy and I had the privilege of attending a Preparedness Family Home Evening with the Kirkham family. What a great learning experience! The young Kirkham children presented much of the information during the evening, and we ended by playing a fun Jeopardy game to review what we had learned.

The Kirkhams have an emergency plan and stored preparedness items for the First 3 minutes, the First 3 Hours, the First 3 Days, the First 3 months, and Long Term Storage. Look for this handout to be available on this blog soon along with an updated preparedness test and survey. Sometimes taking a survey or test is all that is needed to become motivated to achieve important goals.

There were many ideas that I thought would be beneficial to our friends here in Las Flores...I especially liked her "home decorator" emergency lights and thought what a contrast in experiences for her family with a neighbor's family whose children were so afraid during a power outage because of the dark.

It was also amazing to me that by utilizing food stuffs available at the cannery, a savings of 42% on their grocery bill was realized....especially beneficial during these hard economic times.

I am excited to review the information presented, and make plans for this next year as it pertains to Las Flores Ward preparedness plans, and I already have some new easily attainable goals for my own family...including stocking stuffers that are not made of chocolate. :) (I loved those pop-up emergency lights!)

First goal...get the 72 hour kits delivered to friends....to make way for my Christmas Tree.

Flour

Hi Friends,

Anyone need flour? 5lb flour for only 2 dollars at Target today. I couldn't believe it. I think that is a real deal...even unbleached too. Also, canned cream of chicken and mushroom for about 50 cents a can. Incredible. :) Jenny

72 Hour Kits

Hi Friends,

Please bring by your checks for the 72 hour kits, if you have ordered them. I am feeling much better...with just a lingering cough. I would like to finish preparations this week before Thanksgiving...and I think I will just deliver the kits at our RS dinner or Ward Activity or you may stop by the house by appointment.

I thought you might like the following list of ideas for Car Preparedness and Safety. I Received it from EmergencyPreparedness.com. I thought it was a great reminder.

Thanks. :) Jenny

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Car Preparedness and Safety

The following is a recommendation of items to put into an emergency car kit:

* Water for drinking and cooking
* Food and snacks (compressed high energy snack bars are excellent because of their ability to withstand most car temperatures)
* Flashlight with extra batteries, or handcrank charging flashlight. (batteries last longer in LED flashlights)
* First aid kit with burn care dressings and gel
* Sanitation and sundry items including soap (hand sanitizer is a great idea because it does not require any water)
* Maps and compass
* AM/FM radio. We recommend having a radio with more than one source of power, or hand crank radios,(now come with flashlights also).
* Chemical lightsticks are recommended because of their safety
* Road flares can be used but are not as safe as the lightsticks
* Candle with windproof/waterproof matches (remember, in some cases it is not wise to light a match in case of a gas leak)
* Emergency blanket or bag
* Extra clothing

Other useful items to remember:

* Jumper cables
* Car repair kit
* Try to always maintain at least one-half tank of gas
* Cell phone to report any emergencies (many disconnected cell phones may still be able to call "911" when charged)
* Fire extinguisher
* Paper and pencil for leaving notes or recording any thoughts
* Toys and other special consideration items for children
* Books and games for entertainment
* Short rubber hose for siphoning

There are many ways to customize your emergency car kit. It is also important to consider special needs such as those with diabetes or hypoglycemia, babies, elderly, and people with allergies or chronic illness (always consult your physician). For a person with diabetes, remember to have extra insulin on hand. For a person with hypoglycemia, store high energy snacks in addition to their ration of food. For babies, store extra diapers, formula, blankets, and clothes.

If you have no way of calling for help, tie a bright red piece of cloth on your antenna. This is generally recognized as a call for assistance. Remember to always let someone know what time you left and what time you expect to arrive at your destination.

By taking these precautions, you can prepare your family for an emergency and feel more confident in your travels.

Successful Blood Drive

Sharon Cleveland from Mission Viejo Stake sent this note to us in Las Flores expressing appreciation for all those who volunteered and gave blood on November 5th:

"Thanks for all you did to support the Mission Viejo Stake blood drive!
54 pints of blood were donated!

Please thank your ward members who gave so freely of themselves and
their time to help save lives.

Our next stake blood drive will be on April 1st, 2010 - no fooling!

Great Job!