Disaster Preparedness: Sick Mommy Kit

There’s hurricane season, tornado season, blizzard season, the list goes on. We are blasted with reminders everywhere, especially within our military communities.

“Are You Ready?”

“Do You Have a Kit?”

“What Will You Do When Disaster Strikes?”

Well, milspouses, disaster struck our house last week—sick Mommy! Really, we can evacuate, forage for food, cook on the BBQ, and boil water, but can we survive with a sick Mommy and two preschoolers?!

When I say sick, I mean all-out-vomiting-mess-of-a-mommy kind of sick. Fever, aches, pains—did I mention the vomit?

Luckily, my girls are really a good pair, and for that, I am very thankful (I treated them to milkshakes a few days later for all of their cooperation and good deeds!).

But, this whole situation made me even more thankful that my pantry was stocked with essentials that saw us all through a few very rough days. I do realize I could have called on any one of my fabulous military spouse friends to bail us out, but we survived!

Here’s a handy Sick Mommy Survival Kit Checklist that you can tailor to your family’s needs:

1. Ginger ale
2. Bagged pretzels
3. String cheese
4. Applesauce cups
5. Crackers (any type you like)
6. Juice boxes
7. Milk boxes (Lil’ Milks or Horizon Organic are good ones; they can stay on the shelf until needed.)
8. Fruit cups/canned fruit cocktail
9. Canned chicken
10. Pasta
11. Frozen peas and carrots mix

Note: Individual serving sizes of all foods are key. They last longer tucked away in the pantry/fridge!

With these few items, we were able to make some “homemade” chicken soup, snack on crackers, cheese and fruit, and stay hydrated.

Another key item was a new DVD that my girls had not seen and lots of free  shows when I simply couldn’t move.

I hope that, like a natural disaster kit, you don’t ever have to use these items, but it might be worth taking a peek in the pantry and stocking up!