Preparing for an Emergency

A few summers ago my son broke his arm on the way home from school and my husband broke his shoulder due to a bike accident and ended up having two surgeries to repair it. After spending much of the summer in the waiting rooms of hospitals and clinics, I’ve come up with some organizational tips that will help you keep you prepared for these unplanned events.

Keep your pantry stocked with ingredients for healthy meals you can make in less than 30 minutes. These things can include:

frozen casseroles;
frozen or low-salt canned vegetables;
frozen or unsweetened canned fruits;
spaghetti (an all time favourite);
chicken strips;
fish sticks.

Keep a stash of healthy snacks you can toss in a bag and take with you such as:

100% juice or soy milk in tetra pacs (i.e. juice boxes);
frozen muffins;
granola bars;
cereals (Cheerios, puffed wheat etc);
raw vegetables (mini carrots, cauliflower, broccoli);
fruits (bananas, apples, pears, grapes);

You may want to keep a Swiss Army knife in your purse just in case one you need to cut things into pieces for those kids with braces.

Keep a few ice packs in the freezer for putting on injuries and stuffing in a bag to cool your snacks during the long wait at the Emergency Room and Walk-in Clinics.

Carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer and a pack of tissues with you because you’re sitting at the hospital with sick people.

Have an “entertainment pack” ready to go. Items that can be included are:

a deck of cards;
portable gaming devices and their chargers (eg. GameBoy);
some books;
a pack of crayons and colouring books;
a favourite stuffed animal or blankie;
You can also play “I Spy” or a rhyming game.

Do your laundry regularly so that you have clean clothes handy. If you’ve been called to the emergency room to pick up an injured child or spouse, take a clean set of clothes for them – even shoes. If your husband dislocated his shoulder while parachuting into a swamp (yes it DID happen) he’ll need clean, dry clothes to come home. Button up shirts and baggy pants are always the best as they cover casts and slings easily.

If one parent always has the health cards, the other parent should carry a photocopy of the card with them. Children should also know where to find copies of this information. We have ours posted on the fridge beside our emergency numbers so the baby sitter knows where to find this information.

Make sure you know who to contact at your spouse’s office should he/she be injured. Make sure your spouse’s office knows how to contact you as well.

Keep your cell phone charged in case you are out and need to call 911. Program an emergency contact number into your cell phone so someone can dial that number if you can’t do it yourself. Label it “I.C.E” (in case of emergency) or “A-Emergency” so it is on the top of your contact list.

If you go for a run or bike ride, take your health card and ID with you. We have printed up business cards with our home info on them (names, address, phone number and email addresses). They go in every backpack and wallet, including the kids bags and backpacks.

Have a friend or neighbour you can call on in a crisis to come and mind the kids in the middle of the night. Offer to return the favour.

Keep your first aid kit up to date. Make sure your antibiotic creams have not expired. Make sure your supply of band-aids is replenished regularly. Keep an assortment of band-aids on hand such as those for knuckles, finger tips and large scrapes. You can always use feminine protection products or diapers to stop the bleeding of larger wounds.

Are your first aid techniques are up-to-date? While you may not need to know how to put on a tourniquet, you should be able to give correct treatment for cuts, scrapes, burns, strains, sprains, fractures and animal bites. St. John’s Ambulance and the Red Cross offer first aid courses.

Make sure your car has enough gas to handle an emergency such as driving to the hospital in the middle of the night. Keep at least $20 cash in a secret place in your wallet in case you have to pay for a taxi or for parking in a cash-only parking lot.

If you have tips that help you to be ready in an emergency, send them along so I can share them with other readers!

Posted on May 3, 2010

Comments (4) Filed under: Life

Tips for the New School Year

Even though children may be enjoying their summer, parents are already thinking about “back-to-school”. It doesn’t have to be a stressful time. Households that have established routines are beneficial for children and parents.* Being organized means you spend less time doing what you HAVE to do and more time doing what you WANT to do.

Start the school routine the week before school actually starts. This is especially important for children who are just starting school or who will be starting a new school. By doing a few trial runs before school actually starts, you’ll be able to determine if there are any problems with the new routine before the first day.
Turn off the TVs and computers an hour before bedtime so that you can get organized for the next morning. Make lunches and gather school supplies together. You can even set the table for breakfast the next morning.
Create a pick-up/drop off zone for backpack and paperwork. Hang backpacks on hooks near the door so kids will know exactly where to find their stuff. Make an inbox where they can put all the paperwork for you to fill out and sign. You can create one inbox for all the children but one box per child may work better, especially if the children attend different schools.
Prepare for the paperwork. Every year the school requires information such as health card numbers, vaccination schedules, emergency contact numbers, etc. If you know where all this information is, you’ll be able to fill out all those forms quickly and easily. Once filled out, make a copy of the paperwork for yourself. It will be easier to find the information for next year.
Create an in-home pharmacy. Stocking up on supplies will save you from running across town to the all-night (and expensive) pharmacy. Items such as bandages, cold medication and lice shampoo may be needed during the first week back!
Create a homework zone free from distractions. While older children may benefit from doing homework in their bedrooms or in the home office, younger children who need parental support could do their homework in the kitchen or dining room while their parents are preparing dinner.
Make a “fingertip file”. Use a binder with sheet protectors to contain important information such as the school phone numbers, a list of phone numbers of friends of your children, the list of “soccer moms” who carpool, menus from the local take-out restaurants, etc. You’ll be able to find what you need when you need it.
Purchase transit tickets and taxi vouchers in advance. No more scrounging for loose change in an emergency.
Decide beforehand in which activities your children can become involved. Schedule everyone’s activities on a large wall calendar. Assign each person a different colour. “On-line” families may benefit from using a program such as Google Calendar.

* “A Review of 50 Years of Research on Naturally Occurring Family Routines and Rituals: Cause for Celebration?,” Barbara H. Fiese, Thomas J. Tomcho, Michael Douglas, Kimberly Josephs, Scott Poltrock, and Tim Baker; Syracuse University; Journal of Family Psychology, Vol. 16, No. 4.

Posted on August 5, 2009

Comments (4) Filed under: Life, Time Management

Fishing Lures & Snowblowers

Fishing Lures

While your mind is still thinking about fishing, take the time to discard all those rusty, unused fishing lures. Purchase a container that will hold all of your lures and fishing equipment. (Remember to leave some space for new lures). If you can’t find a tackle box you like, try looking at tool boxes or craft boxes. Stanley Tools makes some great organizers and Dollarama has some smaller boxes for when you only need to take a few lures with you.

Snow Blowers

Why would I talk about snowblowers when it is so sunny and hot? Now is the time to have your snowblower serviced. You won’t be in a rush to get it back and when you do need it, it will be all ready to go!

Posted on July 30, 2009

Comments (1) Filed under: Life

End of the School Year

Last Day of School

When school is finished, the kids bring home all their school work and artwork. What should you do with it?

Here is a list of things to keep:

Report Cards. You must show proof of education when you move. As adults if your children live in another province (or country), they must show proof of education in one language (either English or French) if they want to send their children to school in that same language.
Photos. It’s a good idea to keep a photo of your child for each of his school years. Also, keep the class photo. Help your child write the names of all his friends on the back of the class photo.
Certificates, awards for school work and extra-curricular activities (swimming lessons, piano lessons, etc.). Your child can look back on this and be proud of his accomplishments.
Examples of school work of which your child is proud: journal, tests that received high marks, projects on which your child worked extremely hard. If the projects or artwork is very large or too delicate to store for a long period of time, take a picture of it and note the details on the back of the photo.

School Supplies

Sort through the school supplies that your children come home from school. Get rid of anything that is broken or unusable. Keep those items that your children may be able to use the following year such as rulers, scissors, pencil cases or duo-tangs. Put everything in a bin labelled “School Supplies”. In August when you receive the list of required materials, “shop” in your own bin before heading to the store.

Creating Limits

The amount of clothing your children have should be limited by the amount of space they have in their drawers and closets. If you notice that the drawers are too full to close, take a few minutes and assess what’s in the drawers. Donate clothing that is too small or seldom worn. If you think that the winter clothing will fit them next year, keep it somewhere else such as a shelf in the top of a closet.

Teach your children to tell you when their drawers are too full and to put clothes they’ve outgrown in a basket in the closet or the laundry room. When the box is full, it’s time to make a trip to the donation bin.

Organize an activity for those who organize

Children don’t want to be cleaning their rooms all summer. Organize and activity for them as a treat for tidying up. For example if they organize their rooms in the morning, take a trip to the community pool in the afternoon. Remember, your house doesn’t have to be perfect, just functional. Enjoy the nice weather!

Posted on June 15, 2009

Comments (7) Filed under: Life, Paperwork

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