52 Weeks, Week 7

 

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness for Two

Week 7

President Ezra Taft Benson: "Concerning clothing, we should anticipate future needs, such as extra work clothes and clothes that would supply warmth during winter months when there may be shortages or lack of heating fuel. Leather and bolts of cloth could be stored, particularly for families with younger children who will outgrow and perhaps outwear their present clothes. (He then quoted Wilford Woodruff) "The day will come.....when, as we have been told, we shall all see the necessity of making our own shoes and clothing and raising our own food."

Food Storage and Preparedness Challenge Of The Week:

Food Storage Purchase 6 lbs. Jam

Extra Item Purchase 20 lbs. Oats - click on the picture to find out some great info about why you should store and eat oats.

72 Hour Kit Flashlight and AM/FM radio with extra batteries.  Here is a great pdf on 72 hour kits

Family Preparation Take a few minutes to plan what your family will plant in your garden this year.

Spiritual Preparedness Memorize at least one verse of hymn #131, More Holiness Give Me. Every time you need a spiritual boost this week, sing it.  In case you don't have the words at home you can find them here. 

Educational Preparedness  Here is a great article from Gordon B. Hinckley on why it is so important that we keep gaining education.  And education comes in so many different forms.  It isn't the same for everyone.  Some can go to school.  Some can go to libraries.  Some can learn online.  And some can learn from others.  What do you want to learn?  How can you go about doing that?  And why should you do that?  Read this article and get motivated to do whatever it takes to reach your goals and make your dreams a reality.  Go here to learn more about  BYU independent study courses. 

Emotional Preparedness  Sometimes it is so hard to keep smiling.  It is all we can do to just face the day ahead and keep going.  Here is a great page to check out if you have ever felt like that or know someone who is feeling that life is hard.  It is fun and will make you smile.  Smiling is contagious.  Watch this video...

Financial Preparedness Needs vs Wants........Something that might be different for each person.  However if we want to be smart with our finances, we will sit down with our families and discuss what exactly are our needs.  This is a great little video that you could share with your family to help teach kids the difference between needs and wants. 

Calgary Preparedness Fair

Just an update.....

Thanks to everyone at the Fair today.  Your support was awesome and as soon as I can I will have the recipes and things posted here from my display.  So keep checking back to find them or email me and I will gladly email them back to you.

For those following my 52 week preparedness plan, I will be back in full swing this next week.  Thanks for being patient!

52 Weeks to Preparedness

Sorry for missing the last couple of weeks, life has been a bit crazy! But here goes.....

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness for Two

Week 6

Food Storage and Preparedness Challenge of the Week:

Brethren, learn. You have learned a good deal, it is true; but learn more; learn to sustain yourselves; lay up grain and flour, and save it against a day of scarcity. Sisters, do not ask your husbands to sell the last bushel of grain you have to buy something for you out of the stores, but aid your husbands in storing it up against a day of want, and always have a year's, or two, provision on hand. (discourses of Brigham Young. p. 293)

Food Storage Purchase 8 Cans of Vegetables

Extra Item Purchase 30 lbs. Rice Health Benefits of Rice

72 Hour Kit Food for 72 hours: non-perishable and easy to prepare

Family Preparation Make sure your house number is large and visible for Emergency Responders to see easily.

Make sure all family members know their address and directions to get there.

Spiritual Preparedness Read Ether 12:6 and consider one area in life where you can increase your faith.

Educational Preparedness Statistics show that 1 in 5 adults cannot read fluently. Creating a study space in your home will actually help you remember better the things that you read and study. Create your study space wherever it makes the most sense, and equip it with the things you need to facilitate learning:books, pencils, paper, etc. Maybe reading in a window seat helps you remember more, or sitting in a porch swing. Do you need total silence? Or do you prefer a noisy center? Learning and studying can happen anywhere, but be creative to what you have available, and what works best for you.

Physical Preparedness One of the very best things that you can do for yourself, is to get healthy. Most of us could stand to lose a few pounds, and in so doing we would be much healthier. Spring is upon us and walking is free!! It is good for the body and the soul. It is GREAT for the heart both physically and emotionally. The Walking Site is a great place to get info on walking. Go for a walk, and make it a goal to walk at least three times a week. You will be amazed at how much healthier you will feel in no time at all. Heavenly Father needs us to be healthy, in all ways to be His hands.

Emotional Preparedness Stress.....we all feel it. We all have it. It affects all of us at some point. Here is a couple of great sites that have excellent information that we can all use.
Canadian Mental Health Association Kids H

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness for Two

Week 5

David O. McKay "To be alive only to appetite, pleasure, pride, moneymaking, and not to goodness and kindness, purity and love, poetry, music, flowers, stars, God and eternal hopes, is to deprive one's self of the real joy of living."

Food Storage and Preparedness Challenge Of The Week:

Food Storage Purchase 8 Cans of Fruit

Extra Item Purchase 8 Rolls of toilet paper (1 per week)

72 Hour Kit Outer gear- correct for the season. Winter coat, rain gear, hat and gloves per person.

Family Preparation Pick two meeting places: Have A Plan!

1. A place near your home in case of fire.

2. A place outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home after a disaster.

Choose an OUT OF AREA friend as a "Check in Contact" for everyone to call.

Spiritual Preparedness Prepare at least one family name for temple work.

Emotional Preparedness Hymn #142 "Sweet Hour of Prayer" I love the words of this hymn.

...Sweet hour of prayer! That calls me from a world of care And bids me at my Father's throne make all my wants and wishes known. In season of distress and grief, My soul has often found relief And oft escaped the tempter's snare By thy return sweet hour of prayer!

In our time of distress and grief, in the trials of life, let's not forget the power of prayer and our Father in Heaven who really cares!

Financial Preparedness We can all save a bit of money on our utility bills by being wise in a few things in our home. Unplugging electronics that are not being used can actually save a few dollars a month here and there and over the year even a few hundred dollars. Electronics that are not turned off and unplugged continue to use power without us even knowing it. Make use of natural lighting especially during the summer months. Use the sun to heat or light your house and use your blinds and curtains to keep your house cooler. Make use of a clothesline to hang dry your clothes during the nice weather. Just look around your home and think smart utility saving sense!

Physical Preparedness I think that too many of us relate this category with being the super sports star or being the super model. Really, it is all about being healthy. And of course with being healthy, we must start with baby steps. We can't expect to change all of our unhealthy habits over night. We all have unhealthy habits, so pick one and start working on it. This week, how about checking out our dental health. Do we and our children brush morning and night? Have we had a regular dental checkup within the last six months? Are we flossing daily? Dental health is an important part of our physical health. What would we be without our teeth? Well I think you get the picture - and it isn't a pretty one!

Educational Preparedness Gardening season is upon us. We should all be thinking of what we can do this year to help put a bit more surplus into our food storage, whether through freezing, canning, dehydrating, or even just eating fresh out of our own gardens to be more healthy and save money. And don't forget the value of teaching our families to be a bit more self reliant through gardening. There are so many sites out there that have amazing info on this subject, so I won't repeat, just point you in some of these directions. Learn, plan, and grow!

Square Foot Gardening

Container Gardening

Small Space Gardening

52 Weeks Week 4

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness for Two

Week 4

"The foolish virgins were not averse to buying oil. They knew they

should have oil. They merely procrastinated, not knowing when the

bridegroom would come. The day of the marriage feast approaches.

The coming of the Lord is nigh. And there are many among us who are

not ready for the great and glorious event." Spencer W. Kimball

Food Storage and Preparedness Challenge Of The Week:

Food Storage Purchase 30 lbs. Wheat or other grain, such as pasta, flour, rice, etc

Extra Item Purchase 8 lbs. salt

72 Hour Kit Flashlight with extra batteries

Family Preparation Fire prevention: Test smoke detectors weekly. Change batteries every six months (for example General Conference time). Date batteries. Smoke detectors should be on each floor and outside a bedroom door.

Spiritual Preparedness Make a commitment to study the Gospel Doctrine lesson to prepare for Sunday School Class

Financial Preparedness President N. Eldon Tanner (1898–1982) taught: “Those who structure their standard of living to allow a little surplus, control their circumstances. Those who spend a little more than they earn are controlled by their circumstances. They are in bondage” (“Constancy amid Change,” Liahona, Feb. 1982, 46). We should make a plan to get ourselves out of debt, and the first step in this process is to pay an honest tithe and fast offerings. If our tithing is the first obligation met, our commitment to this important gospel principle will be strengthened and the likelihood of financial mismanagement will be reduced.

Educational Preparedness BYU offers many free online courses that will enrich our lives. Take a look here to see what they have to offer. There is no reason why each of us should not constantly be learning and improving something in our lives.

Physical Health Preparedness Sleep is so important for proper body and brain function. In fact studies show that a lack of proper sleep can lead to many other dis-functions and diseases in our bodies. Here is a link that gives us some sleep tips, so we can teach our bodies to get proper sleep.

Social and Emotional Preparedness I have listed a site here that is done by the LDS church to help people who are dealing with pornography or know someone who is struggling with it. This site also will be helpful for any kind of addiction, from prescription drugs, to financial, or what ever it may be. Addictions are something can be a part of our lives and we may not even know it. Check out the valuable information and learn what you can do to help a friend, and perhaps even see something in yourself that you can improve upon.

Week 3

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness for Two

Week 3

"There is an old wise saying; Eat it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. Thrift is a practice of not wasting anything. Some people are able to get by because of the absence of expense. They have their shoes resoled, they patch, they mend, they sew, and they save money. They avoid installment buying, and make purchases only after saving enough to pay cash, thus avoiding interest charges. Frugality means to practice careful economy." - James E. Faust

Food Storage and Preparedness Challenge Of The Week:

Food Storage Purchase 20 lbs. White Sugar or Honey

Extra Item Purchase Enough dish soap to last 3 months

72 Hour Kit 1 change of clothing (pants, shirt, socks, underwear). Place in Zip Lock Bag

Family Preparation Obtain a family utility box- Action Packer, cooler with wheels, cardboard box, etc.

Spiritual Preparedness Read Elder Bednar's article in the September 2007 Ensign; Seek Learning by Faith

Social and Emotional Preparedness This link here takes you to a site that you can find a library of information that will help in any area of this kind of preparedness.

Educational Preparedness “As Latter-day Saints we believe in education, and we have a philosophy about how and why we should pursue it. Our religious faith teaches us that we should seek learning by the Spirit and that we have a stewardship to use our knowledge for the benefit of mankind.” —Dallin H. Oaks, “Learning and Latter-day Saints,” Liahona, Apr. 2009. An excellent article well worth reading. Some educational things that we could look into learning are some basic preparedness and survival skills. There are so many sites out there on the internet that can help us with these. I will start to go over some of them in the coming weeks. For now check out this site about self sufficient living.

Financial Preparedness Here is a pdf file One For The Money, put out by our church that talks about family finances. And here is some resources for online budget calculators.

52 Weeks to Preparedness

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness for Two

Week 2

"Our emphasis on this subject is not grounds for crisis thinking or

panic. Quite the contrary, personal and family preparedness should be

a way of provident living, an orderly approach to using the resources,

gifts, and talents the Lord shares with us. So the first step is to teach

our people to be self-reliant and independent through proper

preparation for daily life." Victor L. Brown, Ensign, Nov 1976

Food Storage and Preparedness Challenge of the Week:

Food Storage Purchase 8 cans of Cream of Chicken Soup

Extra Item Purchase Laundry Soap to last 2 months

72 Hour Kit Obtain a blanket (wool is preferred) or

sleeping bag per person. Also - sleeping mat

Family Preparation

By your night stand place a pair of gloves, flashlight and shoes in case

of an emergency in the middle of the night.

Spiritual Preparedness

Read John 5:39, Mosiah 1: 7, and Alma 17: 2

Have personal daily Scripture study

Social and Emotional Preparedness

“What is the great strength of this Church? ..... It is the emphasis which we place on families....Keep your families close together and love and honor your children.” President Gordon B. Hinckley Parenting is one of the greatest and most challenging aspects of adult life. Whether a father and mother are coping with responsibilities of a young family or a challenging teenager, they can gain insight and perspective from these articles found here Parenting Issues – One of the Ten Common Challenges Facing Families

Physical Health

Maintaining the best possible physical health has been a gospel ideal throughout the ages – from the strict dietary laws of ancient Israel, with the example of Daniel and his associates, to the Word of Wisdom in this dispensation and the counsel of today’s prophets and apostles. By maintaining good physical health, we become more self-reliant and are better prepared to progress personally, strengthen the family, and serve in the Church and community. Work this week to plan eating a variety of food groups regularly. Plan them into your weekly menu plans. Here is a great pdf file all about Nutrition and Diet

Education

When we have knowledge and wisdom, we are better able to discern truth from error and make good choices. Education is also a key to encouraging personal growth, preparing for suitable employment, building strong families, serving in the Church, and making a meaningful contribution to the society in which we live. One are we can become self-reliant in our education is to improve our communication with others. (providentliving.org) This week work on your communication skills. Even if it is just a simple “hello” to someone you normally would not speak to, or a visit to that neighbor you have been missing, take the opportunity to communicate to someone. It will help them as well as you.

Finances

Today is Fast Sunday. On fast day, we go without food and drink for two consecutive meals, if physically able, and then give to the Bishop a fast offering at least equal to the value of the food not eaten. If possible, we should be very generous and give more. The Bishop uses the fast offerings to care for the poor and needy. (Found on providentliving.org) Fast with a purpose and pay fast offerings with a generous purpose as well. The blessings received will astound you!

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness for Two

Week 1

Here are suggestions for a 52 week plan to help us all achieve preparedness in many areas of life. Amounts given are for two people. Adjust the quantities you purchase for the number of family members in your home. I hope to cover the basics, in all areas, throughout the 52 weeks, if you have already done one thing, focus on another area. But do something! Take the challenge to become Prepared.

Food Storage and Preparedness Challenge of the Week:

Food Storage Purchase - 8 cans of Tuna

Extra Item Purchase - 8 rolls Toilet Paper (1 roll per week for 2 months)

72 Hour Kit - Obtain a backpack or small suitcase with wheels for each family member

Family Preparation

Store enough water for 72 hours

Preferred water storage – 2 weeks – 14 gallons per person. Also store purifying agents.

Spiritual Preparedness

Read D&C: 137 and 138

Have Church magazines in your home and study the words of the modern day Prophets

Social and Emotional Preparedness

How can I help my children fulfill their divine potential? Do some pondering and help your child or children set one goal this week that will set them on their pathway to fulfilling their divine potential. If they are old enough to have their Patriarchal Blessing, do they? If they do, review it with them in your process of helping them set a goal. If they do not, perhaps offer to give them a Father's Blessing, these can help greatly with this planning process as well. Encourage them to prepare to receive their Patriarchal Blessing when they are old enough and ready.

Physical Health

“Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated” (D&C 88:124). Review this scripture and choose one area in your life that you need work on. Set one simple goal that you feel is realistic, and work hard to accomplish it.

Education

“We live in a world where knowledge is developing at an ever-accelerating rate. Drink deeply from this ever-springing well of wisdom and human experience.”
—Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley (1997), 171

One way to do this is to make use of the library. It is full of good books and it is free! The internet has vast resources available at the click of a mouse, and many of them are free also! Think of something that you have always wanted to learn, and do some research this week to find some resources available that will help you accomplish this goal.

Finances
“We encourage you wherever you may live in the world to prepare for adversity by looking to the condition of your finances. We urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt. … If you have paid your debts and have a financial reserve, even though it be small, you and your family will feel more secure and enjoy greater peace in your hearts” (All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Finances).

52 Weeks Starting Again

“Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to ‘prepare every needful thing’ (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others.

“We encourage members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.

“We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve.” www.providentliving.org

I will be starting again my 52 Weeks to Preparedness again. Some of the things will be the same, however, I will be changing it up a bit. Keep watch every Sunday for the the updates!

One last site

http://www.survivaltop50.com/  


Here is one last site for now.  They cover every topic of survival that is out there.  Keep in mind they are not all LDS sites.  But they have some very valuable information regardless of religious affiliations!  Plan on spending some time browsing. 

Another Excellent Site

http://peaceofpreparedness.com/

Another excellent site with vast resources about preparedness.  Plan to spend some time in her resource library.

Excellent Blog

http://www.gottawannaneedagettaprepared.blogspot.com/

I found this excellent blog.  Check out her great information.