A New Month- Almost Over

Well, call me a statistic. The flu totally kicked our tails this year. Three weeks of jello, Netflix, and tylenol have really taken its toll on our daily routine. But now we are better and back to doing school, laundry and wearing clothes that aren't pajamas.

I can't believe that February is almost over already. Time flies when you are having fun sleeping through a fever. Well, even though its a late start for a short month, I've decided that this month's theme is ...

*Preparedness*

Doesn't that sound fun?

For the first post, we will talk about making a Family Emergency Binder. Basically its a binder for all your important information that you would take with you if you had to leave your home in an emergency. I'm sure there are other things you could call it, but thats what I call mine.

1. What kind of emergency are we talking about here? Well, we live in Missouri and we tend to get a lot of tornado watches and warnings in the springtime. And we don't have a basement, so in case of a tornado threat, we would have to leave the house and go to my in-laws in a hurry. Depending on your location other emergencies could include earthquakes, power outages where you would have to go stay someplace else, fires, floods, train derailment and subsequent evacuation, or any number of things.

2. What is in this Emergency Binder?

In ours, I have a page for every family member with a current individual photo ( for the kids I am also getting an older photo of each one with both parents in it). Each page includes ss# birthdate, hair and eye color, current height and weight, allergies, medications, parent contact info, alternative contact info,identifying moles/birthmarks,pediatrician info,school and work info,

 and I will be adding fingerprints also.

I also have pages for each of the following:

copies of drivers licenses, birth certificates, copies of passports, social security cards

info on doctors, dentists, pediatricians, etc

copies of most current utility bills, mortgage, etc

copy of statements from all bank accounts

current family photos

kids immunization records

copies of health insurance cards

a cd with our wedding photos

a cd of our family photos

a contact list of family and friends, and a special list of who to call to watch our kids if needed

a copy of all our adoption paperwork

car titles

photo documentation of important items around the house

instructions for turning off gas, etc

list of things to take with us if we have time

list of things to do to the house if we have time

some things you could also put in if they apply to you:

current credit card statements

pet info- vaccinations, photo, ver info, etc

lists of medications

rental agreements

copy of last paystub(if you get paper ones)

Basically, anything I would not want to have to rack my brain for in the middle of chaos and confusion is what I have in our binder. This way, I can grab it and go and have everything I need to know at my fingertips. Also, it would be helpful in proving ownership or residency in case of evacuation.

To order a birth certificate in Missouri go here

 Here is an excellent list for emergency binders with printables for child id kits