72 Hour kits - the food

Back in April and October, around the first week (General Conference time), we rotate our 72 hour kits. Mostly just the food. (The other things don't need much rotation - occasionally, we'll update the medicines and the kids clothes get rotated down as they grow.)

Usually, my husband and I handle the rotation and the figuring out what I need to buy. Then, I do the shopping (trying to think of ideas for the things we rotated out and no one would eat). We work together to unload all 7 bags (with 3 food bags each) and reload those 21 food bags back into the 7 backpacks. We've tried to include the kids before, but instead of it being a learning experience, it was just chaos.

This year, I decided to do that with the kids...results would be uncertain. But they are older (ages 6 to 13) and hopefully could handle following directions this time?

How it went:
My husband and I had already distributed each person's bags around the table and evaluated what needed to be replaced. (I purchased these things and and had them available before the kids and I did the rotation.)

• Everyone sat around our big table and unloaded their food bags in front of them.
• We pulled out all food that was already expired or that would expire before our next rotation (6 months later). Some things get rotated every 6 months, other things last longer.
• These soon to be expired foods went to the center of the table.
• Then we went through each type of item (poptarts, crackers, fruit, "main dish", etc) that I had bought and replenished each person's piles.
• We checked the dates of each item in their kits and each child wrote on a notecard what would need to be replaced next time. (This will make creating a shopping list easier - I can shop without having to unload all the bags first.)
• Everyone loaded into bags and containers what was supposed to be in each.
• Bags and containers went back into the backpacks, zipped up, and done.

Our menu: (for each day)
Breakfast - 1 pack of (2) poptarts
Snack - 1 can of fruit (canned, plastic containers sometimes spoil before 6 months is up)
Lunch -  vienna sausages (for my kids. We have soup), crackers* & PB (no PB for me)
(*sometimes I buy those filled crackers, "nabs" by dad used to call them, lance is a popular brand now)
Snack - granola bar or fruit/grain bar or rice krispie treat
Supper - Canned dinner (pasta, beef stew, spaghttiOs, etc)

I list 2 snacks, but in the actual time of eating, those could be eaten as part of one of the 3 meals instead. We change the food from time to time depending on what the kids are willing to eat and how much things cost and what "convenience foods" there are available that season.

----I've never done anything that couldn't be eaten right out of the bag before (because I wanted to be prepared for being in an evacuation facility without the ability to cook), but I decided to throw in ramen this time because it's something I know my kids will eat, and if nothing else, maybe I could convince them to eat it like a crunchy snack?

----The biggest thing in selecting food that will last at least 6 months and is something I know my family will eat! Not only for if it's needed, but also for when it's rotated in 6 months.

Rotate every time: poptarts, granola bars, cereal bars, rice krispie treats, crackers (ritz, nabs/lance, any kind)

Everything else rotates at date. (If it expires in March and my next rotation is in April, it gets pulled out and replaced. If it lasts until May, I'll rotate it out in April.)

 And we all get a big water bottle per day. (Also have a canopener in each bag, spoons, and wet wipes.) I won't go into all the other non-food, but these are related to food items.

Right now, this is how we pack it. Things that squish easily are put into old containers (like yogurt containers, sour cream containers, anything that holds its shape). Things that have a hard container (like a metal can) or like ramen that is better smashed anyways just go in a bag by day. (Day 1, 2, and 3) The things packed in yogurt containers have 3 of each item, so we just know it's 1 per day of these things.

I've bought a gallon plastic container with a twist on lid and I'm going to see if I can fit everything squishable into that and if it is better for space.

There are hundreds of ways to do 72 hour kits and hundreds of opinions on what to include. I'm posting this to be another idea out there that might help someone trying to find ideas on what to buy or how to store it.

summer chart 2013

And so our summer vacation begins (school ended last week around here)...

Last year I made a calendar for June and July out of posterboards. Each day was labelled with an activity (handwritten) on a little piece of cardstock - with a hand drawn picture to match. (Some were rough...working on my art skills here!) :)

First, we had a countdown to summer chain - each day was labelled with the date and what was going on that day. They took turns cutting them off.

 off to the side of the calendar were posted these: (I think the drive in movie got added on the 27th later - I'd have to go back and check my calendar?)

But by July I was getting tired and the house was getting awful....

By August, I was DONE. 

They still asked every day, "What's the activity for today?" 

The activity is getting ready for school later this month!

I really liked the idea of a daily activity, but when the weather was too hot or we were tired or the house needed cleaning or errands needed to be run or I felt obligated to show up at the gym I was still paying for (well, I still am this year, but I don't care this summer)....the 'daily activity' sometimes got pushed to the next day and it would stress me until we completed it.

.     .     .        

Long story short - 

This year, I knew I needed to plan the fun but also list our 'normal life' along side it with room for more organization and planning. 

We'll see at the end of summer if this is over planning and what parts I want to keep for next summer! (Every summer I try something new - I had a few rejected ideas this year I may try next year.)

This year's summer chart:

I started with posterboard and cut three bright SUMMER IS HERE kind of colors to make it about 24x36 

(I relocated this later - which was a pain, but don't let the pictures confuse you.)

I stapled it right to the wall. (They're easy to take out and the holes are tiny that they leave.)

I covered the "seams" with ribbon and the border - the ribbon got glued down since the posterboards are temporary, unlike the wall. :)

I decided to use frames for two of my charts so I could write/erase as needed.

I did hang them "through" the poster, but when I relocated it, I also just hot glued them in place. (They're from the dollar tree...it was worth the $2 not to have them move all summer.)

And my months are smaller, but labelled with a weekly THEME rather than daily activities and the details of the week will be determined the week of.

That way if I'm busy or something comes up, I can alter the activities around that. If I have more time than we thought, I'll add something in.

I have activities in mind (some pinned on Pinterest, some in my head, some the kids have requested)...I just listed them on notecards under the heading for each week so I can remember my ideas when we get there.

And then, I added that to the board under the calendars so I don't lose them!

A closer look at my stuff....just in case anyone wants to use it too.

 I doubt this one will help anyone as it's got my kid's name on it, but the general idea might help someone...or you can just laugh at my over scheduling (which already failed on the first day as shopping for our 2-week grocery run took well past 11 am.) Ah, the joys of grocery shopping with 5 kids at multiple stores. :)

 It's not a super strict schedule, but more of an outline...and if we get behind, then something will have to be dropped...something fun.
"Choose a room sticks" means all the common areas will be on jumbo popsicle sticks and they randomly choose one and that is the room they have to straighten before Dad gets home from work. The 3 year old will get automatically assigned the hallway/foyer because it's the only one she's capable of doing without step by step instructions.

 Here's hoping this altered summer chore plan will work out better than last year's. :)
Chore sticks are jumbo popsicle sticks on the chore chart (pockets for each child) and labelled with specific chores that need to be done each week - like "vacuum girls room" or "organize dress up" or "clean playroom floor"...some are gender specific - like only the girls will have to vacuum their room - most are generic.

And just to make this even more longer :)

My themes this year:

One with Nature

(cub scout camp, nature crafts, whittling, pool time)

Head over Heals

(cartwheels and other acrobatics, hair flips/twists/braids, etc)

Framed

(photography basic lessons with my point-and-shoot)

Freedom Fun

(anything 4th of July related, red/white/blue - food, incl making homemade pvc weapons, outdoor movie)

Just beachy

(trip to visit my parents...at the beach)

Please pass the peas

(lessons in the kitchen on basics like homemade bread without machines, etiquette, making aprons, finishing in a dinner party to have a game about the Word of Wisdom - our law of health - and practice good manners...this passes off a requirement in my kids' booklets to earn their Faith in God award at church)

a stitch in time

(quilting, family history field trip)

Game on!

(classic indoor/outdoor games - marbles, checkers, hopskotch, cards, etc)

A day in the life of a kid

(good old kid stuff - learning to blow bubble gum, sleepovers, water fun, etc...last fling)

Reliving the memories

(scrapbooking, journals, video, maybe even a game of charades based on things we did...etc.)

Not all of those ideas will happen I'm sure and I may think of more...but that's why I didn't ink them on cardstock on use permanent scrapbook tape this year for my calendar! :)

random end of the (school) year tip

Before you toss the threadbare bottomed bookbags - cut off all the (still usable) hardware - it's like "free" hardware for future craft/sewing projects if you've already gotten full use out of the bookbag it came on.