If you’re like a lot of us out there, you probably feel like your entire life is tied up inside of your purse. On some days, it may feel like you are carrying Mary Poppins carpet bag of nanny goodies, able to open up your purse and pull out a wallet, checkbook, umbrella, diapers, and wipes along with the unimaginable and unrealistic like a case of water, an emergency kit, and a the ark of the covenant from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
But, if you’ve ever had your purse lost or stolen, then you know that it can be a nightmare of epic proportions. So, here are some of the things I am definitely not carrying in my purse anymore:
Extra credit cards
There was a time when I used to have every major department store and credit card on me at all times, just in case I needed to fly into action and do some emergency shopping at the local Macy’s. This isn’t necessary.
Instead, keep just one credit card and your debit card on hand and leave the rest at home.
Think about if you do lose multiple cards to a thief, then you have to cancel all those accounts which can be a major pain. Many people are getting the “phone wallets” that give them a cardholder on their cell phone. This can be a great idea since most of us keep our phones on us at all times and usually in our hip pockets, which make them much harder to steal than the average purse snatching.
Checkbook
This absolutely has to stay at home from now on. If you think about it, most of us only use checks now when we are mailing in bills. (And some of us not even then.) Everywhere you go now takes plastic, so leave the checkbook at home.
My former self-defense instructor (a retired cop) pointed out that your checkbook has your home address on it which not only makes you easier to track down, but it can also be used to order more checks and destroy your credit rating and bank account.
Limited Cash
Again, why take the risk when you carry your debit card? If your card is stolen, you can shut it down before it is used. But if your cash is stolen, that’s it; it’s gone.
It’s also a good idea not to carry cash or limit the amount you have with you because (as many people will point out) if you carry cash, then you are more likely to spend it. When you pass by a soda machine or snack machine, you may think to yourself, “Oh yeah, I’ve got some money” and then you spend it. But if you don’t have it, then you can’t spend it on things you don’t need.
Quick tip to help in case your purse is lost or stolen.
Before you leave the house next time, take a picture of the front and back of your credit cards. This will give you the information you need to call the right number quickly to report the card stolen and to have the credit card number handy. You can write this information as well, if you prefer.
Can you afford to lose your purse?
The important thing to decide when you are packing your purse is this: “If someone were to steal my purse or if I should lose it, how dangerous or problematic would it be for me to no longer have these items?” And for many of us, our purses have become such a “catch-all” for junk that we might not even know what was in there if it did go missing. It’s better to play it safe and keep it simple.
He is a big part of the operations here at PreparaMom and PreparaKit and I thought it might be nice for our audience to get to know what he does as a firefighter.
What Does a Firefighter Do All Day?
First, a little background. Some have mentioned to me that they have this totally inaccurate picture of firefighters as guys who sit around the station and wash the fire-truck while they just wait for a call to come in. That couldn’t be further from the truth!
Firefighters have to stay in peak physical condition because their lives and the lives of others depend on it. That means two hours a day of mandatory gym time, plus constant training and practice to maintain skills and competency.
Staying in Peak Condition is Part of the Job for Firefighters!
Inspections, community help and outreach, as well as equipment checks and maintenance, means no real time to yourself because at any moment, it’s expected that you have to be out the door within two minutes of a call and to the scene of the emergency within five minutes. Let’s just say they learn real quick to use the potty quickly! ?
What Advice Does a Firefighter Have for Parents?
Dave has a pretty good idea of how to be prepared at a moment’s notice to be on the move. Trust me, I know first hand!
I specifically asked him to share any unique advice for parents from a firefighter perspective to help parents be better prepared for emergency situations.
Dave’s main emphasis is on preparation and awareness. Seeing as this is the main part of his job, it is no wonder that he would be keen on these areas!
Being Prepared Means Staying Calm In Emergency Situations
Preparation as a parent can mean making sure you fill up your gas tank as soon as it gets near a quarter tank, ideally half a tank. Having gas in your tank means you can be assured to get as far away as you need or get to the help you need. This is something he is always on me to keep up with.
Dave always makes sure to keep supplies in the trunk of our car for emergency situations. Supplies such as water, first aid kit (this is a really good one!?), blanket, disposable gloves, utility knife, and flashlights.
Be Aware of Your Surroundings
With awareness, you need to be alert to what is going on around you at all times. Kids usually do fire drills at school and now they’re adding active shooter drills as well. But sadly, these alarming situations can happen anywhere and at any time.
I never realized this but whenever we fly on an airplane, he is already checking out the exits and talking to our son about the exit plan. If you’re on an airplane, prepare your child by talking to them about what they would do if there was an emergency and where they would go if they had to exit the plane quickly. (Don’t blow off those instructions before the flight given to you by the flight attendant.)
If you’re in a restaurant or movie theater, you need to be able to find two different exit points you can use. Head for the nearest one; but if it’s blocked, you should be able to adjust and switch to a different exit.
He is always telling our kids that it’s fine if you get scared in a situation. But don’t lose your head and start panicking. This is when you’re going to get into a serious problem. As long as you know in advance what to do, you can fall back on that and stay calm and collected while you get out of harm’s way.
Thank a Firefighter for the Work They Do!
Firefighters have a tough job as evidenced by all the work and training that they do. I couldn’t be more proud of my husband.
This year, for Firefighter’s Day, thank a firefighter for all that they do in the community. And spend this time talking to your children about what they can learn from firefighters so they can stay prepared and be safe year-round.
Children are natural-born explorers. They love going out on their own so they can experience the world and have adventures.
But, many parents are faced with the nightmare of what happens when your child wanders off and gets lost. It’s a scary situation that no parent wants to think about, but you do need a plan in place if it happens.
Here are things you can do to prevent your child getting lost:
Be Proactive
First, realize your child can wander off and get lost almost anywhere at any time, so you need to be prepared and proactive. Have a conversation early on with your child about what to do if they get lost.
Important Numbers
Make it a game for your child to memorize your cell phone number. Give them a copy of the number as they may not be thinking clearly if they’re panicked. This can be on an ID bracelet or a personalized “dog tag” they carry with them.
What To Do If Your Child Gets Lost:
Dress your child in bright clothes
If a child is lost and they’re wearing something bold, they’re much be easier to spot. Take a picture of your child before you go out to the park or the mall so you’ll have a picture of exactly what they look like. This way, if he or she gets lost, you can share this photo easily with security guards who can be on the lookout for them.
Designate a meeting spot
If you’re going someplace that’s especially crowded, like a theme park or shopping mall, explain to your child that they should look for you at a designated spot. This should be someplace easy to find like the main entrance or at a specific ride or store.
That way, if they get lost, they can find you quickly and easily. If you don’t have a designated meeting spot, tell them, instead, to not move at all. Explain that once you realize they’re missing, you’ll instantly start looking for them. If they’re looking for you while you look for them, you could end up chasing each other for hours. If they stay in one place, they’ll be easier to find.
Stay calm
This sounds impossible, but no good is going to come from being frantic and terrified. Try to keep a level head so you can rationally search for your child.
Teach your child about “safe people.”
If you aren’t there within a few minutes, have your child let an adult know that they’re lost. Have them look for a security guard or a store employee with a name tag. These people can do a better job of helping to reunite you with your child than the average person off the street.
Imagine walking through the mall with your child only to turn around and not see them there. Terrifying, right? By preparing ahead of time, you and your children know what to do in this event and you’ll quickly reunited!
Be Prepared for the Unexpected!
A child can go missing in the blink of an eye. If that happens, I know you want to be as calm and as prepared as possible to locate and reunite with your missing child. Let us help you do that by sending you a FREE Child Safety Identification Kit. You can get your FREE kit by clicking here.
Whether you’re a soccer mom, a football dad, or a volleyball grandparent, you know how important it is to show up for your kids’ games and sporting events.
Here are must pack items to bring along with you to sport events:
Water
I can’t say it enough: You’ve got to stay hydrated, no matter what you’re doing. Even if you think you’re just going to be sitting on the sidelines, remember that the sun can really sneak up on you and get you overheated.
And let’s face it—you aren’t just going to be sitting on the sidelines a lot. You’re going to be on your feet, running with the action, and yelling and cheering your kid on to victory.
Sporting event concession stands are notorious for being overpriced and full of unhealthy, sugary sodas and juices. Water will keep you hydrated during the games and keep your throat from drying out, so you can continue to yell your support. If your child runs off from the sidelines to join you, they’re also going to need plenty of water as well.
If you haven’t been to a sporting event for kids in a while, let’s cue you in on one big tip. Chances are the field will NOT have any kind of bleacher seats for you to use, and if they do, the seats are going to be hard metal that will kill your back.
Go ahead and head this off with some comfy captain’s chairs so you can sit in style. I personally like the type that folds up into the easy-to-carry bags and comes with a cupholder for your bottled water.
Shade
Soccer, baseball, and other outdoor sports can be brutal underneath the spring-time sun. You’re absolutely going to need shade to keep from roasting.
An absolute must-have is sunscreen. SPF 30 sunscreen will block 97% of the sun’s rays and SPF 50 will take that up just a notch to 98%.
Besides the sunscreen to ward off burns and potential skin cancer, stay safe while outdoors by also bringing an umbrella. (It can double to block out the sun but also to be on hand for any random thunderstorms.) A big floppy hat and a nice pair of sunglasses will round out your ensemble and keep you comfy during the game.
Getting ready for a kids’ sporting event should not require all the packing and preparation as if you’re getting ready to storm the beach at Normandy. But it does require some preparation so that you can be comfortable and safe during the game.
Just recently in the news, a woman was forced into the back of her car by gunpoint after shopping at Walmart.
Thank goodness she didn’t have any kids with her and she was later released.
Could this have been prevented? I believe so and I’ll explain.
As awesome as it would be for every mom to know some self defense skill to not just protect themselves but their kids too, it’s just not realistic.
I’ve taken a street tactical self defense class in the past and some of the moves I learned were amazing, but unless you lived and breathed it, it’s very difficult to be proficient at it.
And with two kids with multiple after school activities to juggle, and my firefighter hubby’s inconsistent work schedule…it was just too much of a stretch to maintain it.
One thing for sure though…
There were many eye opening and ah ha moments that I learned from it.
So the instructor that I had was an ex-military, ex-policeman/undercover agent.
Pretty impressive right?
He had so many crazy stories of things that people do.
The Man Hiding Underneath Your Car
One story in particular that I still remember until this day is a case where someone was hiding and waiting underneath a person’s car with a knife.
He’ll wait for the perfect moment to then cut the back of your lower calf area (aka your Achilles Tendon) to cripple you so that you cannot run away.
That person has now fallen to the ground and the guy gets out from underneath and throws you into the back of the trunk. Next thing you know, you wake up in a different country and you have been sold to be a sex slave.
Unbelievable, dumbfounded, shocked, outraged, astonished, speechless…everything I felt when I heard that.
It’s a scary world we live in.
So next time you come back to your car, take a peek underneath JUST to be on the safe side.
Here’s another one..
Groceries or Kids First
When you go grocery shopping, chances are when you’re done, you are pushing your cart full of groceries with your kids as well.
So upon reaching your car, what do you do first? Put your purse and kids inside the car so that you can put away the groceries away quicker and your kids are out of the parking streets? Or put your groceries away first?
For those of you who say you put your purse into the car first, you might want to reconsider, ESPECIALLY if you are also having your kids get into the car too.
Apparently, there was a case where a mom put her purse and kids into the car and then proceeded to put her groceries away in her trunk. Someone stormed into her car and drove away, with her purse and kids inside of the car!
Sounds so far fetched right? I still cannot believe someone would do something like that
But then again, I cannot explain many of the crazies that goes on in this world.
So if it is not realistic for moms to take the time out to learn physical self defense skills, then all that we can do to protect ourselves and our kids is make sure we do everything in our power to PREVENT it.
My biggest take away that was drilled into us over and over again is to…
“Be Aware!”
No matter where you are at and especially if you are in a parking lot at the store or mall at night time, always keep your eyes peeled for any suspicious activity or people who may be walking towards you.
In the example of the woman I mentioned earlier, it was stated in the article that she spotted a man crouching alongside the car next to hers.
Hindsight is 20/20 but that activity does seem slightly suspicious doesn’t it? If she had any gut instinct that it was kind of weird, then following it by going back towards the store could have saved her from that attack.
With the holidays right around the corner and more people shopping, it is vital that we stay vigilant and aware of our surroundings.
10 Tips That Can Make All The Difference
Get into the habit of walking around your car before getting in so that you aren’t surprised by any lurkers.
Get into the habit of locking your doors as soon as you get inside of your car.
Don’t wear a backpack purse to go shopping, especially now during the shopping season. And if you do, move it to the front. It’s much easier for someone to grab your bag from behind when you least expect it.
On a similar note, don’t carry around a checkbook because if that gets stolen, your home address will be known and that may bring forth unwanted visitors.
If you go to a club or bar, don’t leave your drink. If you do, go buy another one. Apparently, this is a common tactic for pimp sex traffickers to capture their next victim.
Don’t unlock all the car doors when pumping gas. Thieves have been known to open the passenger side door and take your purse in the front seat without you even knowing.
If you’re up to it, watch the TV series Forensic Files. Criminals have confessed/bragged about being able to be a copycat of the cases that gets portrayed on there. It’s not to get you paranoid but to help you be informed of what’s possible.
Stay aware. Scan your surroundings as you walk to your car. The moms more likely to get attacked are the ones distracted by their kids, are on their phone or are juggling too many bags in her hands.
Be aware of vans that are parked next to you. It’s easy for perpetrators to slide open their door and grab you or your kids without anyone even noticing.
Last but not least, trust your motherly instincts. If something feels off or not right about the situation, remove yourself and your kids from it.
These are just a few things that have been shared with me as well as from what I have learned over the years and I hope they are also useful for you to know.
The best form of protection is always going to be prevention.
Your chances of becoming a victim is lessened if the perpetrators can see and sense that you will catch on to them before they can get to you and the only way for that to occur is for you to…
Be and stay AWARE at all times.
If you found any of this information helpful, please share it. The more we can help to spread this message, the more empowered us moms can be to keep ourselves and our kids safe.
Ever get a random text from a friend out of nowhere?
About 2 months ago, I received a group text from a good friend of mine who lives in Kansas. It was sent around 10pm at night, which meant it was midnight for her. It went something like this:
“Hey are you guys available…?”
“I have something very important to tell you?”
Now of course when someone says something like this, you start immediately speculating on what all the different possible things it could be.
In my mind, I had these thoughts pop up…
”Oh maybe she’s moving back to California” or “I wonder if she’s having marital problems” or “maybe it’s something with her kids?” or better yet,”Maybe she’s pregnant!”
So we anxiously hopped on a 3 way call and…
Never in a million years did we expect to hear these words come out of her mouth…
“My husband passed away last week and his funeral is in a few days.”
My friend instantly became a 39 year old widower overnight.
How do you even respond to something like? There’s nothing anyone can say or do. All we could do was sympathize with her and console her the best we could.
Two very important lessons came to me after we hung up. 1) Spend more quality time with your loved ones WHILE you still can and 2) make sure you have plans in place on how your loved ones will be taken care of, especially if you have little ones.
For some of us, the thought of planning ahead for our loved ones after we pass has probably never even occurred and for others, we know it’s important but have yet to put the time and effort into making it happen.
But Why is this so important?
As parents to two little ones, my husband and I asked ourselves, “If we were to both pass away today, what would happen to our kids?” We realized that if we didn’t start discussing how our kids will be taken care of if when we were no longer here, then our kids that we leave behind would only suffer.
And So it was time….time to outline our wishes into a will & trust.
Now there are lawyers who specialize in estate planning and it really is a huge deal, especially if you have lots of assets.
But if you’re like our everyday family, it doesn’t have to be that complicated. There are online services like Legal Zoom that you can use to start this process if you don’t want to go the route of hiring a lawyer.
For some of you, planning something like this is overwhelming. You’re probably asking yourself, “How am I going to know what my kids will need or even what events will happen after I pass?” “What if things change?”
The simplest way to approach and plan this is to keep in mind one thing.
The present moment.
Image by Lonely Planet via Unsplash
Plan for what your kids need now. Plan for what you have in this current moment. Plan with the current people you have in your lives right now. This is something that is not set in stone because as your life changes, your wishes will change.
And every year or every few years, you just update it to what is currently going on in your life.
To give you some context, these were the 3 main areas that my husband and I had a conversation around when we were planning this:
Healthcare Directive
Who do we want to make medical decisions for us in the event that we can no longer do it for ourselves. Typically this would be our spouse but whoever that is, they need to know what our wishes are. Especially around end of life care.
I know for myself, if it ever came down to the point where I was no longer able to take care of myself and would end up being bedridden, I would not want my life to be prolonged. Having this very difficult decision made ahead of time saves my family from having to decide because inevitably, you will have family members who will disagree.
Our Kids
The second topic is going to be around our kids. Who will become their legal guardian? Who will love them and take care of them? Who will make sure to raise them with the same, if not similar values to what we have? How can we make sure their lives continue with as little disruptions as possible? How are we going to make sure our assets are distributed to them in a responsible manner?
Even though they are our kids, there is no way I would want them to inherit any funds unless they are mature and responsible enough to handle it. So we have specific milestones and instructions in place that dictates how and when we want them to receive any financial inheritances.
Our Assets
The third thing is how do we want to handle our assets? Who can we trust that is financially responsible? How do we want our kids to receive their inheritances? We knew we did not want them to receive everything all at once. Especially since they are still in elementary school right now.
We had to decide how we wanted to distribute things to them using different milestones. We also wanted to to be clear that if the kids weren’t in the position to be financially responsible, they wouldn’t see any of it. We also have instructions on using a certain percentage to donate to a charities.
What I ended up doing was I listed out every single asset that we owned onto a single document and included all the information like account info, contact numbers, and login information so that our family would not have to scramble around searching for these things.
An optional thing to do:
Now on top of those 3 areas, I even took it a step further and wrote out a letter to my kids.
It was a very difficult letter to write. Be warned that you may have tears as you write this. It definitely isn’t necessary to do but I wanted to leave my kids with some last words of encouragement and a reminder that we loved them very much.
At the end of the day…
I completely understand why this is a topic that gets put into the back burner. Who wants to take time out of their busy lives to plan and prepare for something that may not happen for quite some time? Who wants to discuss death and dying, especially our own.
We would much rather plan the next vacation or what fun things to do this upcoming weekend. Some of you may even feel like you barely have time to plan for what to eat for dinner the next day, let alone what should happen after you pass away.
But listen, we’re not invincible. Anything can happen to any of us, at any given moment.
If you could care less about what happens to you, your kids, your loved ones, or your assets after you pass, then for sure, no need to spend any brain power thinking about this.
But if you’re a little like me and want to make sure your loved ones are taken care of no matter what, then i would urge you to schedule into your calendar to sit down with your spouse to discuss this.
Remember, it doesn’t need to be complicated. Recall the 3 areas I mentioned earlier. 1) Making sure your healthcare wishes are known ahead of time 2) Decide who you want to be your kid’s legal guardian and 3) Plan out how you want your wishes and assets to be distributed.
I’ll leave you with these final thoughts to consider.
If all your hard earned assets that you have worked your whole life ended up just sitting in their accounts till the end of day, or even worse, the government got their hands on it instead, wouldn’t that be such a waste?
Or if you got into an accident and no longer are capable of making your own decisions, would your family know what your wishes are if they were faced with a life or death scenario?
And if the last person on this earth that you would ever want to take care of your kids, ended up being the one that did, how would that make you feel?
Struggle with staying on top of your bills and budgeting?
Do you stress out and dread when the 1st of the month rolls around?
Tired of living paycheck to paycheck?
Have constant arguments with your spouse around the family finances?
Have no clue on how to even get in control of your financial life?
Download this FREE Monthly Budgeting Action Plan, which includes Worksheets with step by step instructions on guiding you exactly on what you need to do to set up your own family budgeting plan that works for you and your family.
Struggle with staying on top of your bills and budgeting?
Do you stress out and dread when the 1st of the month rolls around?
Tired of living paycheck to paycheck?
Have constant arguments with your spouse around the family finances?
Have no clue on how to even get in control of your financial life?
Download this FREE Monthly Budgeting Action Plan, which includes Worksheets with step by step instructions on guiding you exactly on what you need to do to set up your own family budgeting plan that works for you and your family.
Do you struggle with getting your kids to clean up their room?
Are you ready for your kids to be more responsible?
Would you like your kids to be able to manage their time better?
Ready for a simple way to teach your kids good money management habits?
Download this FREE Family Chore and Money System Action Guide. It includes worksheets with step by step instructions on guiding you exactly what you need to do to set up your own chore, schedule and money management plans.
