72 Hour Kits

Finally, we all have our emergency 72 hour backpacks! This has been on my "list" for a very long time. I have been doing a bit of research on them, and quite frankly it is soooo overwhelming for me. It just makes smoke bellow out of my ears from information overload. I never know what to do first, and the more I learn the more I realize that I NEED to learn. At some point learning needs to translate into doing, and blah, blah, blah. It's no wonder so many peeps don't have a 72 hour kit or a one year's supply of food storage. Well since no genie in bottle would grant my three wishes of accumulating my for storage, assembling my 72 hour kits, or bewitching my house to be self cleaning then I just had to start myself. Rude.
Emergency Essentials , which I really recommend, had a sale on 72 hour kits (It's still going BTW through the month of July), and so I just decided right then and there that it was time for action. I purchased five basic kits with backpacks, and bingo, the FedEx truck was on it's way!!!
The kits arrived in boxes, one kit per box, and it then took me about 30 minutes or so to stuff all five. Sweet! Each pack has water, MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), shelter, comfort, etc. I still need to add a change of clothes, diapers for Sean's, medicine, documents, some cash, and things of that sort.
Of course there is opposition in everything, and this experience has been no exception. I had to switch around some of Erin's MREs because of her shellfish allergy. I'm pretty sure the New England Clam Chowder isn't going to go over too well with Erin, and to be honest, I'm not sure my other two kids will like it either, but at least I won't have to worry about an allergic reaction with them. In fact, I'm not sure the kids will enjoy many of the particular MRE's that were randomly selected to be in our kits, but hey it's not like we will be staying a luxury resort if we were to need them. So, I'm gonna have to work on that. In the future I plan to order different types of MRE's, and once a month or so for family night we are gonna eat them. This way we learn how to prepare them, and which ones we like. Then we can just switch the MREs in the 72 hour backpacks with what we like, but for now everyone is just gonna have to deal with what we have if we should happen to need them before that's all done.
The other BIG problem is the packs are HEAVY! Sean can't even lift his, but that's to be expected he is 2. Shannon almost fell over twice trying to get her's on, and then she had to bend over almost to a ninety degree angle to walk and balance while wearing the loaded backpack! Oh mercy. Erin did better, but after a couple of laps around the house she asked if she would "have to" carry her own pack? I'm worried about this. Bill says that he doesn't plan to flee an emergency on foot, but I say "Since when do you get to choose your circumstances in an emergency?!!!!" Just when you think you gotta it all figured out or accomplished then surprise....a few more details to work out! Like I always say, "It could be worse!"
Even with the few wrinkles to iron out, I feel pleased about the things we have accomplished. We are trying really hard to be prepared. Like I said earlier, it is overwhelming!!! I have learned that a little here and there goes a long way, and the more we chip away at the the things we need to do or purchase the less overwhelming it becomes. I wouldn't say that we have hit the half way point yet, but we are making a noticeable dent and that feels pretty darn good. There is something to be said for peace of mind.
For me it's all about my babies. I want to be able to say "Don't you worry! Mom and Dad have you covered. We've got your back. We have all that we need!" Maybe if we're lucky we will have a little extra too! After all "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." said Seneca a roman dramatist, philosopher, & politician (5 BC - 65 AD). In this case, dealing with a situation that would require the use of 72 hour kits or food storage, I hope I never have the opportunity to use my preparations.