What a Trip to the ER Taught Me

Recently, my husband had to go to the ER due to severe back pain which, as we learned that day, was being caused by a bulging disc.  We had to take the boys with us to the hospital for the "day".  I semi-frantically packed for a "who knows how long" of a stay at the hospital so we could get on the road.  On a side note, this is one of those times I was so thankful my boys are now potty trained.  No diapers; diaper changes; grossness etc.

 I was grateful to find a very small kids area that entertained my kids for like 5 minutes.  That gave us enough time to get in and find a place to camp out for awhile. 

 I did think to pack some things for me that my kids ended up using - paper and pen.  Even with cartoons (the kind we don't watch at home due to the scare factor) on TV, they wanted to draw. 

 This is what I carried around most of the day!

 Crazy Nate and the camera!

The "sicky" - he's a little drugged up at the moment :-)

So, now, what did I learn?  I need to have an "emergency" plan.  It doesn't even have to be a trip to the hospital - it could be an unplanned road trip, a trip to someones house, or a dentist appointment.  That plan needs to include:
1) A bag.  Our diaper bag is no longer a diaper bag but a cute 31 bag that can now be used to carry anything.  I call it our "travel bag"
2) Inside the bag I need the following: 2 pads of paper; 2 containers of washable markers (crayons melt); and a couple of pens; Stickers; a couple of toys - right now that would be dinosaurs and cars.  Oh and wipes - hospital waiting room personal give out suckers to kids . . .sticky, sticky suckers.
3) Food - snacks and drinks are HUGE.  So from now on there will be the following on my shelves (which I happened to have on hand today)  A Box of juice boxes in my kids favorite flavor.  A box of Fruit and Grain Bars and a bag of crackers. Plus a special treat - my kids like Smarties - they don't melt and aren't sticky so I think those need to go in the bag!  Oh, and some kid friendly cups and Crystal light lemonade pouches for individual bottles of water (those are a life savor in a restaurant too!)
4) I also need to have a change of clothes in the bag for each boy.  Last year, I picked up some very inexpensive pants and shirts that just stayed in the bag all of the time.  I need to do that again - just the $3.00 stuff at Walmart.  When I can plan the bag, I usually take a nice outfit for each kid but I need that backup outfit in case someone spills, pukes, or any other bodily function that may happen.
5) Blankets need to be in the truck too - Josh has one that is supposed to stay in the truck and I have the fleece to make one for Nate - I need to do that soon!
6) The last thing that is a must - I need to stick a little money in my wallet that is for emergencies.  Enough to put gas in the truck if needed and to buy snacks/lunch/dinner if needed.  The boys and I enjoyed lunch in the hospital cafeteria and I was surprised by how affordable it was - the three of us ate for less then $10.00 and we had left over food.  

So, that's my plan.  Now to work on getting that stuff together.  Months ago I posted about vehicle organization - I've yet to do my version but I think now is the time and I need to combine it with this list - some of the items on my list can just be in the truck all of time, not necessarily in the bag.  :-