Emergency Essentials #1

I am beginning a new segment on Emergency Essentials. So in this very first one, I want to talk about being prepared. To make sure that your family is protected, no matter what happens, you need to start by having a 72 hour kit for each member of the family. You can purchase these ready made or you can customize one to fit the needs of each family member.

To create your own 72 Hour Emergency Kit follow the list below:

Immediately Available

• Battery powered radio
• Flashlight and extra batteries

Emergency Needs

• Instruction manuals on emergency preparedness
• Water storage (There are custom water bottles you can buy that are like sports bottles, but they filter the water for you as you need it.)
  
• Sleeping bags & blankets

Sanitation Kit

• Plastic bucket with tightly fitted lid
• Plastic bags and ties
• Toilet paper
• Disinfectant
• Improvised toilet seat
• Feminine hygiene needs
• Paper towels
• Soap
• Paper cups
• Paper plates
• Plastic utensils
• Can opener
• Utility knife
• Stress Factors
• Children
• Coloring book
• Crayons
• Adults
• Books
• Needlework

A Class ABC fire extinguisher is recommended for each home.

Some families may need a large container (32 gallon garbage can) to hold all the items. Other families may be able to use the plastic bucket from the sanitation kit for this storage. You may choose to use backpacks. They make it easier to take the items with you.

This 72 hour kit should meet the needs of your family. Pack hobby and entertainment items that appeal to your family. Use foods that your family will eat. Include any special medications that is required by family members.

Food

• Meats: tuna, sardines, spam, vienna sausages
• Fruit cocktail
• Peanut butter
• Powdered milk
• Infant care: canned milk & bottles
• Canned juices
• Dried fruit (caution: drink plenty of water): raisins, prunes, fruit leather
• Crackers (drink plenty of water)

Stress Foods

• Sugar cookies
• Sweetened cereals
• Hard candy

Standard First Aid Kit

• First aid manual
• Aromatic spirits of ammonia
• Water purification tablets
• Table salt
• Baking soda
• Eye drops
• Safety pins
• Matches
• Adhesive or paper tape
• Bandages
• Telfa pads 4" x 4"
• Triangle bandage
• Telfa pads 37" x 37" x 52"
• Roll of gauze
• Coban elastic bandage
• Splints
• Popsicle sticks
• Shingles or thin board
• 40 page newspaper
• Heavy string
• Individual's medication

Car

• Standard First Aid Kit
• Blanket
• Flashlight and Batteries
• Reflectors
• Change of clothes
• Extra shoes
• Food
• Water (There are custom water bottles you can buy that are like sports bottles, but they filter the water for you as you need it.)

This information is provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross

Natural Acne Treatment

I've always heard that a simple egg white mask can do wonders for your face, skin and complexion however, I had never heard that it could work as an acne treatment until just recently when I went in search of natural alternatives to beauty products. Simply wash and dry your face. Separate one egg white from the yolk (save the yolk and add it to 1/2 avocado, 1 tsp olive oil and beat in a blender. Then add 1 tbls. sugar and massage into your scalp. Pin up your hair and allow it to rest while your egg white face mask dries. Wash it off in the shower with Shampoo and Conditioner when you are ready to wash off your face mask.) Add 2 tsp honey and mix. Apply to your face and allow to dry. Wash off with warm water.

This will provide a wonderful "toning feel" which will last only a few hours, but it will clear your skin of bacteria that cause acne as well as make your skin soft and smooth. This has to be the top acne treatment of the homemade remedies.

Why am I in the Kitchen?

I am a mother of five children. I love to cook. And I love to eat. It really is as simple as that. When I was growing up I allowed a school counselor to persuade me that I did not in fact want to grow up to be a Mommy and that I needed a "real career". So I started working towards jobs in health care. I tried Sports Medicine, but soon lost interest. I tried Nursing, I was within 3 months of getting my LPN, I already had my CNA and my HHA and was doing my clinicals at the local nursing home. Let me tell you, I hate nursing!

Then I became a Mommy and reality set back in. This is what I had always wanted to do and nothing had changed. So I set about being a Mommy. But when the need arose for me to find some time outside of the house, find a new skill and earn some extra money, I found myself in the loving presence of two friends that I will forever consider family. They owned a kitchen supply store and asked if I would come work for them. I immediately accepted, we worked out a schedule around my kids and There it was. I was happier than I had ever been and I learned that I LOVE to cook.

So here I am, LOVING my job, loving my family and loving my life. Does it really get any better than this?

Beauty in the Kitchen

I have been trying out some new ideas around the kitchen lately just to see what I can come up with. Through lots of late night research and some tips from friends, I have started creating natural beauty products from stuff in my kitchen. I started with a simple Sugar Scrub and found out that I loved it SO much that I immediately tossed out my store bought brand and have used this exclusively. It is so simple, less expensive and works better than anything I have ever used!

Try this out:

1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Melted Coconut Oil (Found at KitchenKneads.com)
4-5 drops Essential Oil (Optional)

Mix and allow to cool. Keep in a Tupperware container in or near your shower or sink. After soaping apply approximately 2 teaspoons to your legs or arms or hands and rub to exfoliate. Rinse and dry.

I use this in the shower on my legs and after washing dishes, on my hands. The sugar exfoliates and the coconut oil softens and moisturizes. It really is amazing!

So I have moved on to things like lipbalm, which I am having trouble getting it soft enough to my liking. And more skin care products since the sugar scrub was such a success. Also I am trying Hair Care Products. I found that I can make 16oz of hair gel for about $0.03 and it works very well! Hair spray is my next venture. If you have any ideas, tips, hints or suggestions, please drop me a comment!

Eat More to Eat Less

The biggest and fastest cure for any diet is hunger. I don't care what kind of diet you are on, whether it be diabetic, weight loss or gluten free, as soon as you start to feel like you are starving your natural instincts to feed yourself kick in and your self control goes out the window!

So how in the world are you supposed to lose weight if you are hungry all the time? The truth is, you can't. So what do you do? You can stuff yourself full of prescription, over the counter or herbal appetite suppressant drugs to help curb the cravings. Or you can try some of these natural appetite suppressants.

Let start with yummy!
Small amounts of Dark Chocolate has been shown to curb cravings, suppress appetite and increase happiness! Dark chocolate has been thought of as a healthy snack for 1000's of years. It's also high in antioxidants to help keep you healthy. But beware the high calorie, high sugar varieties! That won't help anyone!

And moving on to probably the #1 best appetite suppressant, Apples. Do you ever find yourself craving a Twinkie, a cupcake, doughnut or a candy bar? Usually that is your bodys way of telling you that it needs sugar. So replace the candy bar with an apple and you are going to kill two birds with one stone. The natural sugar in apples will suppress your bodys need for sweets while the high fiber content will trick your body into thinking that it has just eaten a whole lot more than it really has. It does this by making you chew and chew, giving your body time to register that you are full before you over eat, as well as by spending some extra time digesting which will make you feel fuller longer.

And obviously second only to the apple is Celery. Celery has long been known to burn more calories eating it than it actually has. Add all that chewing to the high water content and celery will fill your belly and suppress your appetite for a long time.

Breakfast time is a great time to take a bite out of hunger with a bowl of low calorie, high fiber, stick to your ribs Oatmeal. High in carbohydrates, which are burned slowly as energy, you will feel fuller longer and the fiber helps it to last even longer. Throw in a handful of dates, rasins or dried cranberries and you have a wonderful, tasty breakfast that will stick with you well past lunch time.

Add a little Omega-3 Fatty acids to your diet and suppress your appeteite too with tiny little Flax Seeds. While your body can not digest them whole, if you crush or roll them to expose the inside of the seed, you will release a whole new world of nutrition and health to your body as well as suppressing your appetite as you do it. Flax seeds are high in omega-3's and fiber and you wont even notice them in your breads, oatmeal, yogurt and trail mix.

So take the drugs out of your diet and add some of these healthy and delicious alternatives to your weight loss routine.