I'm one of those people that you hate to see in front of you in a grocery line. Yes, that person with the heaping huge cart that takes almost forever to get through the line. What most people don't realize is that being able to get their cart to this state is an organizational feat that takes years to perfect. It all depends on the store though. When I go to Costco, I have a list. I also know I am going to have to fit a huge amount of "stuff" in my cart. I start organizing my cart with the first item and every subsequent one has a specific spot to maximize the amount I can fit. Even the Costco checkers are amazed at how much I can fit. My Target trips, on the other hand have zero organization. As much as I try to stick with my list, extra things inevitably jump into my cart, until it is all a heaping mess as I head to the checkout. Personal experience tells me it is always best to have a list, and organize along the way.
Now that we have finished the first month (Find January's goal: Plan, here), here's the next step! 3-month preparedness, here we come!
February's goal: Organize
(1) Recipe Compilation. Get all your 3-month plan recipes in one spot and make a soft and hard copy. Put these both somewhere where you can find it again.
(2) Ingredients list. List everything you need to make your meals, along with quantities.
(3) Multiply your ingredient quantities by 12--yes you will be buying enough to make each meal 12 times.
(4) Make a master shopping list. This is based on your multiplied ingredients lists and will include everything you need to make all your meals and snacks. Some find it helpful to put the items in categories: Spices, canned meat, canned vegetables, canned fruit, etc. Don't forget the small things, EVERYTHING should be on your list. Print (or copy) this list and put the original somewhere where you can find it again, and place the copy in your purse.
(5) Clear a spot where these items will be stored when you buy them.
(6) Report. Send me an email (raelynstoddard(at)hotmail(dot)com), text me 7six0-two24-721seven, or leave a comment on my blog post to let me know you have done this. I want to hear!
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Thursday, January 25, 2018
THE FIRST THREE MINUTES
I vividly remember my first earthquake. Shortly after we moved to Escondido in 2011, I was sitting at my computer getting stuff done. At about 11:00 p.m. I heard a noise and the ground shook just a little. It was as though a semi truck drove behind the house. I remember thinking, "Wow, that was a big truck...except there is no road in my backyard..." I googled 'earthquake San Diego' and my suspicions were confirmed. Since then, I have felt a few more minor earthquakes, each one just a little different.
Identifying our most likely natural disasters is an important part of being prepared. Fire is our #1 threat, with Earthquake probably being #2. Are you ready?
San Diego County has a website, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, which gives great guidelines for emergency preparedness.
What do you do if you have 3 minutes to get out of your house, day or night? Neighbors helping Neighbors says it better than I, "We recommend you assemble a 'First Three Minutes' kit for each member of your household and attach it to their bed. This kit is simple: it’s made up of a plastic drawstring bag containing sturdy shoes, a flashlight, leather gloves, a whistle, and lightweight clothes. All of these items are easy to get, and you probably have many of them already in your home. Get prepared for the first three minutes!"
I thought this was a great idea...it gives every member of your family what they need to safely get out of (and possibly away from) the house. I plan to use my kids' shoes they have just about worn out and old clothes We don't care about (as I hope this kit never gets used). Amazon has pretty cheap flashlights--don't forget the batteries--that would work in an emergency. Grab a pack of inexpensive gloves from Lowe's (they come in packs of 3 for about $5). Whistles can be bought on Amazon or in the party favor section of Target or Party City. Throw it all in a white plastic drawstring garbage bag and tie it to the bed frame. If you have kids, the clothes will need to be rotated about once a year or so. Plan to do it at the end of the summer after back-to-school shopping. This is so do-able.
I challenge you to put together 'First Three Minutes' Kit' for your family...and don't forget to tie them to the bed frame--it would take more than 3 minutes to find it if it is swimming under the bed!
Identifying our most likely natural disasters is an important part of being prepared. Fire is our #1 threat, with Earthquake probably being #2. Are you ready?
San Diego County has a website, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, which gives great guidelines for emergency preparedness.
What do you do if you have 3 minutes to get out of your house, day or night? Neighbors helping Neighbors says it better than I, "We recommend you assemble a 'First Three Minutes' kit for each member of your household and attach it to their bed. This kit is simple: it’s made up of a plastic drawstring bag containing sturdy shoes, a flashlight, leather gloves, a whistle, and lightweight clothes. All of these items are easy to get, and you probably have many of them already in your home. Get prepared for the first three minutes!"
I thought this was a great idea...it gives every member of your family what they need to safely get out of (and possibly away from) the house. I plan to use my kids' shoes they have just about worn out and old clothes We don't care about (as I hope this kit never gets used). Amazon has pretty cheap flashlights--don't forget the batteries--that would work in an emergency. Grab a pack of inexpensive gloves from Lowe's (they come in packs of 3 for about $5). Whistles can be bought on Amazon or in the party favor section of Target or Party City. Throw it all in a white plastic drawstring garbage bag and tie it to the bed frame. If you have kids, the clothes will need to be rotated about once a year or so. Plan to do it at the end of the summer after back-to-school shopping. This is so do-able.
I challenge you to put together 'First Three Minutes' Kit' for your family...and don't forget to tie them to the bed frame--it would take more than 3 minutes to find it if it is swimming under the bed!
Thursday, January 18, 2018
THE MOST IMPORTANT DISASTER PREPARATION
After a natural disaster, destruction and devastation can be seen. The blackened landscape, melted fences, or a lone chimney without a home from our recent fire reminds us of the destructive power of the elements. Debris after a hurricane or earthquake likewise is a physical reminder of a recent disaster.
There is one disaster we can guard against, working each day to insure it never occurs. The disaster I am speaking of is a spiritual disaster.
Being spiritually prepared is just as important, if not more important, than being physically prepared. After a disaster occurs, we often want to run out and buy things we need to be prepared. But to prepare spiritually against life's winds and ravages, it takes time and effort.
Picture a sign on our church building that reads:
“Spiritual Fuel Available—No Rationing—No Stamps—No Quotas—Come and Prepare.” We may automatically think of the New Testament parable of the Ten Virgins. 10 were invited to the wedding ceremony; 5 were prepared with extra oil for their lamps, 5 were not. Referring to those who were not ready, Marvin J. Ashton (a former member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) said, "Today thousands of us are in a similar position. Through lack of patience and confidence, preparation has ceased. Others have lulled themselves to sleep to a complacency with the rationalization that midnight will never come. The responsibility for having oil in our personal lamps is an individual requirement and opportunity. The oil of spiritual preparedness cannot be shared. The wise were not unkind or selfish when they refused oil to the foolish in the moment of truth. The kind of oil needed by all of us to light up the darkness and illuminate the way is not shareable. The oil could have been purchased at the market in the parable, but in our lives it is accumulated by righteous living, a drop at a time" (Conference Address April 1974).
President Eyring tells us how to spiritually prepare ourselves to meet "The great test of life [which] is to see whether we will hearken to and obey God’s commands in the midst of the storms of life." He continues, "What we will need in our day of testing is a spiritual preparation. It is to have developed faith in Jesus Christ so powerful that we can pass the test of life upon which everything for us in eternity depends." President Eyring also gives us four specific ways to develop this necessary faith: "One is the command to feast upon the word of God. A second is to pray always. A third is the commandment to be a full-tithe payer. And the fourth is to escape from sin and its terrible effects. Each takes faith to start and then to persevere. And all can strengthen your capacity to know and obey the Lord’s commands" (Conference Address October 2005)
I encourage you to follow these four steps and practice them over and over to fill our oil lamps. This faith and preparation is essential to our salvation and avoiding spiritual disasters in our lives.
Sister Beck, former Relief Society General President shares that this personal spiritual preparedness helps lead to the ability to receive personal revelation, shared so eloquently in this Mormon Message.
Make your own Spiritual Preparedness a priority, to see you through winds that may come and to avoid a personal spiritual disaster. It is worth it.
There is one disaster we can guard against, working each day to insure it never occurs. The disaster I am speaking of is a spiritual disaster.
Being spiritually prepared is just as important, if not more important, than being physically prepared. After a disaster occurs, we often want to run out and buy things we need to be prepared. But to prepare spiritually against life's winds and ravages, it takes time and effort.
Picture a sign on our church building that reads:
“Spiritual Fuel Available—No Rationing—No Stamps—No Quotas—Come and Prepare.” We may automatically think of the New Testament parable of the Ten Virgins. 10 were invited to the wedding ceremony; 5 were prepared with extra oil for their lamps, 5 were not. Referring to those who were not ready, Marvin J. Ashton (a former member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) said, "Today thousands of us are in a similar position. Through lack of patience and confidence, preparation has ceased. Others have lulled themselves to sleep to a complacency with the rationalization that midnight will never come. The responsibility for having oil in our personal lamps is an individual requirement and opportunity. The oil of spiritual preparedness cannot be shared. The wise were not unkind or selfish when they refused oil to the foolish in the moment of truth. The kind of oil needed by all of us to light up the darkness and illuminate the way is not shareable. The oil could have been purchased at the market in the parable, but in our lives it is accumulated by righteous living, a drop at a time" (Conference Address April 1974).
President Eyring tells us how to spiritually prepare ourselves to meet "The great test of life [which] is to see whether we will hearken to and obey God’s commands in the midst of the storms of life." He continues, "What we will need in our day of testing is a spiritual preparation. It is to have developed faith in Jesus Christ so powerful that we can pass the test of life upon which everything for us in eternity depends." President Eyring also gives us four specific ways to develop this necessary faith: "One is the command to feast upon the word of God. A second is to pray always. A third is the commandment to be a full-tithe payer. And the fourth is to escape from sin and its terrible effects. Each takes faith to start and then to persevere. And all can strengthen your capacity to know and obey the Lord’s commands" (Conference Address October 2005)
I encourage you to follow these four steps and practice them over and over to fill our oil lamps. This faith and preparation is essential to our salvation and avoiding spiritual disasters in our lives.
Sister Beck, former Relief Society General President shares that this personal spiritual preparedness helps lead to the ability to receive personal revelation, shared so eloquently in this Mormon Message.
Make your own Spiritual Preparedness a priority, to see you through winds that may come and to avoid a personal spiritual disaster. It is worth it.
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
3 MONTH MEAL PLAN--MONTH 1
Life is about adjustment...When we moved to Stoddard Valley almost 5 years ago, I found myself at least 20 minutes away from any grocery store (even Daniel's). Those quick trips to the store for the forgotten or unplanned-for item were simply not an option anymore. I learned to plan a little better, or adjust to meals we could make with what we had on hand. Luckily I had a fallback. Can I tell you how amazing it is to have family living next door?! I knew that I could borrow a can of tomato sauce, a package of graham crackers, or just about anything else, anytime. It was like having a grocery store next door! Awesome. Then, adjustment came again when my grocery store family next door moved away. I cannot even begin to tell you what a bummer this has been, but we move forward.
The church is amazing, they have given us a plan to get in place to totally solve my dilemma. It is called a 3-month supply and all we need to do is follow it. The short version is that we are supposed to have food in our homes to last our family for 3 months. Brilliant. During 2018, I invite you to follow along as I challenge myself to build an amazing 3 month supply. The blessings will be many-fold! Some of them include: less last-minute trips to the grocery store, knowing you can always make a meal, food on hand in case of need, and much more! LET'S DO THIS!
January's Goal: PLAN
(1) Finances. Determine an amount you can spend on Food Storage every month and incorporate it into your budget.
(2) Make a list. Come up with 7 breakfast meals, 7 lunch meals, 7 snacks, and 7 dinners that can be made entirely from non-perishable food (think: cans and pantry items).
(3) Gather Recipes. Make a recipe file (binder, cards, etc.) of these recipes. If you need ideas, Pinterest has a plethora of them. I searched for "LDS 3 month food storage recipes" and got more ideas than I can use! I shared one dinner recipe for Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup awhile back, so you can for sure use that! The #1 rule for this step is you can only list and gather recipes you KNOW your family will eat (and love).
(4) Follow up. Visit my blog and leave a comment at the end of this post with a recipe or an item you have on your list (then check back to get ideas from other people).
The church is amazing, they have given us a plan to get in place to totally solve my dilemma. It is called a 3-month supply and all we need to do is follow it. The short version is that we are supposed to have food in our homes to last our family for 3 months. Brilliant. During 2018, I invite you to follow along as I challenge myself to build an amazing 3 month supply. The blessings will be many-fold! Some of them include: less last-minute trips to the grocery store, knowing you can always make a meal, food on hand in case of need, and much more! LET'S DO THIS!
January's Goal: PLAN
(1) Finances. Determine an amount you can spend on Food Storage every month and incorporate it into your budget.
(2) Make a list. Come up with 7 breakfast meals, 7 lunch meals, 7 snacks, and 7 dinners that can be made entirely from non-perishable food (think: cans and pantry items).
(3) Gather Recipes. Make a recipe file (binder, cards, etc.) of these recipes. If you need ideas, Pinterest has a plethora of them. I searched for "LDS 3 month food storage recipes" and got more ideas than I can use! I shared one dinner recipe for Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup awhile back, so you can for sure use that! The #1 rule for this step is you can only list and gather recipes you KNOW your family will eat (and love).
(4) Follow up. Visit my blog and leave a comment at the end of this post with a recipe or an item you have on your list (then check back to get ideas from other people).
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