The Gamma Seal Lid

As a follow up to the food storage post from Brianna (Thanks Bri), I thought I'd share an awesome invention. My mom gave me a couple of these lids for Christmas. I believe she picked them up at the cannery in Las Vegas but I know you can also order them at various sites online. They are awesome! The outer lid fits onto the bucket and the inner lid screws on and off so you can easily access your items and keep them in rotation while still keeping your food safely sealed. My mom has several of these to keep kitchen essentials in like flour, sugar, and rice. When you run out you put your lid on a full bucket and start over. This is also a great way to store those Costco and Sam's Club 5 lb bags of food.

Family Home Storage - Simply Begin

Food prices are going up and so is the cost of everything else. That is enough to restore my thoughts to "being prepared."

I am a Food Storage novice. Some of you may be sailing in that same boat. Below are some quick and easy steps to steer your coarse to preparedness island. Believe me, in the days coming forth, to those looking from the outside in...it will seem as though they wished they were on that island. Few will be prepared.

Start slow. Take a week to do each of the steps or take more than that. This is not meant to overwhelm. It is meant to prepare us so we are not overwhelmed and in need.

Where do I begin?

1. Know Your Family/Individual Needs
A great resource for knowing how to determine your needs is this free pamphlet (available online) created by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints:
All Is Safely Gathered In

Here is another helpful tool:
Food Storage Calculator

2. Budget for Preparedness
Now that you know the amount of food you will need, it is time to prepare a budget.
$5/week is a decent and simple way to begin. Now, with the rising costs of food you may need to up that amount. But I say keep your goal simple. It is quite overwhelming to think you have so much to buy.

3. Where Can I Store It?

This is something I considered while making changes to my track home when we purchased it. The powder bathroom had the option to become a full bath if I made the office into a bedroom. Instead I opted to keep it an office (no closet, but I can always add one) and the space where they would have installed a shower in my powder bathroom is now a large closet that I use for food storage.
Do not use your garage unless you plan on stacking your food storage on 2 x 4's and installing a swamp cooler (or something similar). All of your hard-earned money will go to waste because your food may likely spoil in extreme temperatures.
If your storage is minimal, find products that would be easy to store in the area you designate. Know what your limit is. There is no point in living in a home where your food takes over all of your living space. Set limits and reach for them.

Storage Options to Consider:

• Under the Bed
• Re-purpose a Closet
• Storage Room (add-on to your home or convert a bedroom)
• Book shelves (these should be very sturdy and anchored)
• Add an air conditioned shed/unit to your backyard
• Attic (for non-perishables like diapers, toilet paper, etc.)
• Convert any empty/unused Space
• Pantry or cupbaords (if you can spare them)
  

Recommended Temperatures

3. Where Will I Buy?
There are many ways to purchase food storage. If you are a Latter Day Saint you have a Food Storage Specialist in your Ward. They are there to educate you and provide you with upcoming lists of items that are prepared at the LDS Cannery (now called Family Home Storage Centers). Some Relief Society Enrichment activities include food storage classes, taste testing and demonstrations. If they do not you can request such a class to begin from your Enrichment Counselor/Food Storage Specialist.
**posted 1/13/09** I failed to mention that Costco & Sam's Club now sells these Emergency Food Supplies like this one (I have also seen them for sale inside the store). The price is reasonable for what you get. And it is comforting to know I have a good start.
Buying Schedule: Write out a schedule of what you will buy. You can sit down weekly/monthly or even yearly to plan. It may take extra time but will be well worth it if you already have a plan. Remember to keep track of what you do buy and what the expiration date is. Enter it into your Food Storage Tracker*.

The best thing to do is just start! As with anything we strive for, begin with small accomplishments. A one week/one month supply is better than nothing. See you on preparedness island!

Some Helpful Resources:
www.providentliving.org
www.internet-grocer.net

*If you are interested in a free Food Storage Tracker Excel Workbook to track of your food storage progress please e-mail me, galaxceee@gmail.com . The program is amazing and was made by an LDS stake in California. Please do not sell this program. It is intended to be a help to those serious about tracking their food storage, it is not for sale.

Please add your comments below. What tips do you have for food storage?

Free Classes

I was just on the Whole Foods website and noticed they offer classes, most of which are free! Here's an example of one at my store:

"Saturday, January 10th

KIDS CLASS with Heidi: Fun Snacks the Kids Can Make for the Big Game

Noon FREE

Kids love to cheer their favorite team on with the family on game day, and they especially love the snacks! Join Heidi for a fun Kid's Class where they can learn to make fun snacks for game day that are also good for them (but you don't have to tell them that part!) The class is free and take home recipes are included."

Just type in your zip code to find a store near you!

KidZui

Check this out!!

Taken from the Lifehacker site:
"KidZui is a child-safe internet front end that calls upon an enormous whitelist of websites, pictures, videos, and games that have all been reviewed by a group of volunteers composed of parents and educators."

Read more about it and how to enjoy it here.

Children's Music Review: Dr. Jean Sings Silly Songs

I randomly picked this out at the library. After reading about Dr. Jean on her website it is clear that she is well qualified in the area of teaching children but I couldn't help but notice she had no achievements in the area of singing. Sadly, it is evident on her CD "Dr. Jean Sings Silly Songs".

There are several catchy and adorable songs on the disc like Katalina Matalina, The Moon at Night, and Pepperoni Pizza. My 2 year-old asked to have these songs repeated, and they are quite fun to sing. If you find these songs sung by someone else it would be worth checking them out.

Pros: A couple catchy songs, kids like it
Cons: May be annoying for adults to listen to

Indoor fun!

I was going to title this "Winter Activities" until I remembered that a number of those reading this live in Vegas or other warm-weather areas where winter is the time to go outside! I, however, live in the midwest, or the "heartland", but it might as well be the arctic as far as getting my kids outside to run around is concerned. So, I've tried to get creative with ways I can have fun with two active boys while staying indoors. I'll post my favorite from this week and look forward to your comments with more great ideas.

Bathtub Fingerpaints

1/3 cup clear liquid soap

+

1 Tbsp cornstarch

+

food coloring

=

40 minutes of harmonious playtime in the bathtubBecause this is made mostly of soap it washes off kids, the tub, and the ice cube trays perfectly. A great indoor pastime...and your kids get clean!

Too Much TV?

"The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no television or videos for children under the age of two (and no more than two hours per day of educational and nonviolent programs for older children)".

I can't tell you how many times I have read this statement (or something very similar). But what I can tell you is that I feel a degree of guilt every time I do! You see, I introduced my first son to Baby Einstein when he was very young (2 months maybe?). I was working from home at the time and found that these convenient little dvds allowed me small windows of time to send necessary emails and other things that couldn't wait until naptime. Then I wasn't working anymore. But by this time, I had my son doing the "hot dog dance" with Mickey Mouse and patting his legs to give Rocket power. My son doesn't even reach the AAP's recommended age of two until next month, but I continue to turn on the TV more days than not. Sometimes we watch Disney in the morning, but mostly he asks to watch a "moo-nie" (Disney or Pixar or his current favorite: How the Grinch Stole Christmas).

Now my purpose in posting this is not rat on myself. Nor is it to justify my actions. Nor is it to tell you you're wrong. Or that you're right! I'm merely curious as to how much TV/movies other "real moms" let their kids watch (okay, I am kinda sorta secretly hoping I'm not the only TV-allowing mom. Wait, it's not a secret anymore). Also, I'm interested in any comments you might have on the subject. Perhaps your take on the statement by the AAP? Or alternatives you've found to buy you some time around the house? Or how to say no? Or why you don't say no? Any thoughts you have, please share! And take my poll. Responses are anonymous.

NOTE: If you get an error after submitting your responses, try refreshing the page. You should then be able to see the results.