RETHINKING EMERGENCY PREPARDNESS AND THE 72 HOUR KIT

Will. I fell in love with that name. I bonded with my baby Will and envisioned his blue eyes and blonde hair and sweet temperament.

Only….Will turned out to be a SHE.


Adjustments had to be made.


Will is now Willma. :)

Yep—we’re having another girl! That will be four girls, one boy. {My husband jokingly asked the ultrasound tech for a second opinion.}

So, my only son will now grow up caged in by 4 sisters. At least for the future he’ll have firsthand knowledge of female hormones, mood swings, the definition of hell, tripping over a plethora of ‘girly’ shoes, and why moms buy chocolate in bulk at Costco. :)

{He'll have the girl version of the 'don't ask, don't tell' method down solid!}

He and his dad will have LOTS of ‘guy’s nights out’. They will have tons of time to bond on weekend camping trips, eating my hubby’s camp food, belching and passing gas without 5 females getting after them. Yes, the mountains will be their retreat. And they are going to need a haven of safety in ten years when ALL my girls are in full-blown puberty. If I were them, I’d begin planning an escape right away.

My poor boys….seriously, I just laugh when I contemplate the future with a houseful of teenage girls. I wonder if my hubby will have room in that tent for one more…? Can I hide too?

I can deal with gas.

I’ll bring the chocolate.

I’ll need to have a 72 hr. kit on hand. Not just any 72 hr. kit—one for special emergencies—one that has to be replenished monthly. Stocked with chocolate, Nutella, graham crackers, donuts, Cheesecake Factory desserts, cash, emergency cell phone, plane tickets, and Milky Way candy bars; ready for those future monthly moments when I need to flee.


Can you imagine our—how do I put this? Our sanitary napkin supply cupboard? There’s going to be a small dent in my hubby’s wallet every month, and the chocolate cupboard will need to be expanded.

And - the locks on my bedroom door will need to be reinforced with a fail-safe 12-lock system, complete with digital keypad and retina recognition.

At least when my son marries—if he decides to marry—he’ll go into that marriage with a full understanding of how a woman ticks—completely prepared with brand new camping gear that can withstand -32 degree polar temperatures.

It will no doubt be a wedding gift from his father.