Preparing our children for emergencies

There are few things worse than the feelings of helplessness - when your security has been taken from you.

Being a survivor of more than one close calls with a tornado - including one that hit my office - this Kansas girl has gone from spectator to safety nut. And being a parent makes preparation even more important.

But one thing I've noticed in my seven years of parenting is that kids need to feel that they can control what can't be controlled as well. I remember all too well as a child bringing every blanket, pillow and toy I owned to our basement twice a week in tornado season. My kids are showing that same need to prepare and take ownership.

And yes, even little ones can learn how to prepare for emergencies.

Just as tornado season was starting to kick up, our Brownie troop spent an evening talking about emergency preparedness: everything from what to do when you heard thunder (a considerable worry for many of the girls, who dived under the cafeteria tables as a response) to how you hear about weather - from the internet to TV to sirens to the weather radio. And key among this was the importance of learning information as close to first hand as possible - as the message gets diluted as it is passed along.

The great thing is the girls learned at an early age about basic weather safety - an essential thing. When last spring's devastating tornado in Henryville was still fresh on their minds, the girls took safety tips to heart.

The girls also practiced their emergency reporting skills, made a tornado, and even did a relay on "decontamination" - strange you may think, until you realize that last summer a local pool was evacuated due to a chemical spill. We also sent home activity books on emergency planning and building an emergency kit home with the girls to share with their families.

Yes, you can let kids know it's OK to be scared in a weather emergency. But it's just as important to teach them that they do have some control too.

Want to Try Essential Oils?

Essential oils have been a great blessing for our family these past months. From fighting stress to sinus problems, I've been impressed with what a few drops these pure essential oils can do.

Even better, we've hardly touched over-the-counter medications in months, and we got through this winter with one doctor's visit and none of the nasty flu that was circulating our school.

If you're interested in trying essential oils for the first time, I'm giving away samples this weekend to the first 10 people who respond. Email me at indyoils@gmail.com with your contact information and any health concerns you may want to address. I'll research protocols and research studies for you and send some samples of certified therapeutic grade DoTerra essential oils your way!

I should note that statements are not made by the FDA and I only share research studies and publicly made protocols - I am not a doctor. 

My affiliate link for DoTerra helps support my family's education. Please check out my online store.

Whole-Grain Blueberry Muffins

A trick I realized when  making this recipe: If you don't have buttermilk you can substitute the same amount of milk with two drops of lemon essential oil. These whole-grain muffins were eaten in minutes.

Whole-Grain Blueberry Muffins
1 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup wildflower honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups milk
2 drops lemon essential oil
1 1/2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 400.

In food processor or blender, pulse oats until resemble coarse meal.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a cup mix milk and lemon essential oil.

In another bowl, mix eggs, honey, oil and vanilla until well blended. Mix in milk. Fold into flour mixture. Fold in berries.

Divide batter into muffin cups. Bake 18-23 minutes.

Patience and My Pew

I confess: I am a Country Living kind of gal. I have wishes and dreams of old-fashioned furniture, modeled just so, like the pages of a magazine.

The reality is I live in a six-year-old nondescript house, dressed with a blend of old woodwork, cheap, packed bookshelves and worn-down sofas and chairs. 

Most of my finds haven't taken much effort at all: an old school desk and chair found at an antique store; old dressers that belonged to my husband's grandfather. But really, nothing that screams "me."

And then I found Freecycle. Or it found me.

Until this point, Freecycle had been just a novelty to me, a way to put out calls for strange things like the long-lost DVR remote or to get rid of the random item that just hadn't made its way to Goodwill as yet.

And then one day a magical moment happened.

Someone was giving away pews. Lots of them. Free for the taking.

I'd idealized having a pew in my home, more of a decorative element than anything functional. And I figured when the time was right - when there was no college or grade-school tuition to pay; our debts were paid down - we would get one.

But on this day, Broad Ripple United Methodist Church was doing a massive renovation, and pews - handcrafted in the 1960s - were free for the taking.

I have to say, I've been impressed with the coordinated sweep it took to get those pews out to the homes in just a few hours time. And even more impressed that they thought to donate the wood to those who were interested. Pews found homes in everything from start-up churches to homes like mine.

Right now, my pew has found a temporary respite in the front of my house, while I make arrangements to pass along an old love seat to a new home. And I haven't decided still whether to keep the original finish or to strip it and stain it a nice cherry.

And while it may not be picture-perfect, I've been pleased with the moments this pew has already found - from my children playing "church" to little boys sneaking under it to play. And that beats a picturesque magazine shoot any day.