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It's time to get real. I am a Central Florida mom of two with a love for authenticity. Don't do this mothering journey alone. Find out how and connect with me: {more...}

Free Mental Health Resources for Teens

Jun 8 by Leave a Comment

There may be affiliate links in this post. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.

Access to mental health help is not always as available to teens as some might believe. There are many teens stuck on waitlists for extended periods waiting to get the help they need. In some situations, parents aren’t willing to get help for their teens. In others, it’s simply a matter of not having the financial ability to get the needed mental health help they need. Here are a few free mental health resources for teens you should definitely check out. 

Free mental health resources for teens to get through crisis situations such as suicide, sexual assault, trafficking, abuse, and more! (Crisis Phone Numbers Included)

Free Mental Health Resources for Teens

Before I continue, if you or someone you know is considering suicide please call the suicide helpline. In the U.S. the number is 1-800-273-TALK. Suicide.org has a list of lines for other areas in the world. You can also text the crisis text line. Text HELLO to 741741 to speak with someone. Right now, this post is not the answer you need if you are in the middle of a crisis. Reach out to someone who can help you. You are not alone.

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Emergency Binder

Feb 6 by 2 Comments

There may be affiliate links in this post. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.

Putting together an emergency binder can be a game-changer for any family. It is a fantastic collection of information you will need in case of an emergency. Having an emergency binder put together can help you in case of a fire, flood, or another emergency that might damage your information. For us, having an emergency binder put together was a huge help when we had a house fire and needed to get all of our information in a hurry. I have put together some tips for an emergency planner and an emergency binder printable pack just for you. 

An emergency binder filled with your vital information can be so important! Plan for an emergency with this binder with all important information. Includes Free Printables! #EmergencyBinder #Parenting #EstatePlanning #PlanAhead #Organization

Emergency Binder 

Disclaimer – Your emergency binder may need to include more or less of this information depending on your unique situation. The goal is to get things ready so that you will have them on hand. 

Index 

What information should go in an emergency binder? 
What personal information should be included? 
What medical information should be included? 
What financial information should be included? 
What end of life information should be included? 
What tax information should be included? 
Receipts and Warranties  
What professional information should be included? 
What personal mementos should be included? 
Should there be a binder for kids? 
What supplies do I need for an emergency binder? 
How can I print all of the printables in one place? 

Personal Information Checklist Printable for a Emergency Planner

What information should go into an emergency binder?

Your emergency binder will have a unique collection of information that fits your situation. The binder may have less information if you don’t have children or have shared custody. It’s important to customize your binder to your situation. That said, I have put together a basic checklist that will help you to better build your binder. Here are a few pieces of information that should be in your emergency binder. 

  • Identifying Information
  • Medical Information
  • Financial Information
  • End of Life Planning Information

Download your Personal Information Checklist 

This personal information checklist will go at the beginning of your emergency binder. This will help you to find the information in your binder more easily and help you to avoid forgetting items. 

Family Personal Information at a Glance

What Personal information should be included? 

When building your binder it is important to have personal information in a place that is easy to access. This will help if there is an emergency as you will be able to get to this information in a hurry. Take some time to consolidate all of this information to have a one-stop spot to find it if needed. Here are a few suggestions for what should be in your personal information tab of the binder. 

  • Information at a glance sheet
  • Social Security Cards
  • Birth Certificates
  • Marriage Certificate
  • Passport
  • Copy of Driver’s License
  • Titles for Property and Vehicles

Download your Personal Information at a Glance Sheet

Plan for an emergency with this Medical Information At a Glance printable

What Medical information should be included?

When faced with a medical emergency it can be hard to find necessary information. Having this medical information in one spot can make it easier to access information if needed. If you are going to an important appointment or even the emergency room, you can easily pull this information from your binder and take it with you. This is also the perfect area to keep updated medical records. Here are a few things that should be in your medical information portion of the emergency binder. 

  • Medical Information at a Glance Form
  • Insurance Information
  • Drug Allergies
  • Medical History
  • Current Medications
  • Living Will 

Download your Medical Information at a Glance Sheet

Financial Information at a Glance printable

What Financial information should be included?

Consolidating financial information can be stressful. However, it can also be liberating to have everything in one easy to access location. Having all of the information in one easy to find location will help you to get to it easily. This will also help whoever has to manage your estate when the time comes. While it’s not fun to think about planning for those times, it is so important. Here are some of the things that should be in the financial information portion of your emergency binder. 

  • Financial Information at a Glance Form
  • Bank Beneficiary Forms
  • Investment Account or Other Asset information
  • Home Owner’s Insurance Policy

Download your Financial Information at a Glance Sheet

Business Accounts and Logins form

What End of Life information should be included?

Handling someone’s estate can be stressful if you don’t know what they want. Taking the time to add the end of life information to your binder is one of the kindest things you can do for your loved ones. It will help them to know how to properly handle your end of life needs. This is the one area I will not provide a printable resource. However, here are some things to include in your end of life portion of your binder. 

  • Life Insurance Policy Information
  • Contact Information for all beneficiaries
  • Contact Information for Family
  • Will 
  • Asset List
  • Business Information (Info that needs to be provided if owning a business.) 

Download your Business Information Sheet

What Tax information should be included?

When you are filling out your binder, include any important tax information. This can be information you may need in the future and not have access to in an emergency. A crisis like a flood, fire, or natural disaster can take away these important documents. Whether you own your own business, file for your family, or just need backups, have this in your binder. Here are a few things to include. 

  • Prior Tax Returns
  • Receipts/Records Needed for Filing

Receipts and Warranties

Another thing that you will want in this binder are any receipts or warranties that you will need a record of. Items like warranties on an A.C. system or a large purchase can be stored in your emergency binder. This will help you to get to them quickly if something happens to that item. It avoids the constant search for items you might normally misplace. 

Work History form printable

What Professional information should be included?

When putting together your emergency binder it can help to add any important professional information. This could include a variety of information. Having this on hand will help you if you need to rewrite a resume or need it for an interview. Here are a few things to include in a professional information section. 

  • Work History Form 
  • Resume
  • Reference Letters 

Download your Work History Sheet

Personal Mementos

When there is an emergency it can be most heartbreaking to lose personal mementos. These items can be impossible to replace. Take some time to collect some of your most treasured mementos to include in this area of your binder. 

  • Photos
  • Cards/Letters
  • Awards and Special Papers

Should there be an emergency binder for the kids? 

While I don’t have a  dedicated binder for the kids, they do have their own section in my binder. I want to be able to send them into adulthood with their own binder when the time comes. I think that it will be essential as they navigate the early parts of adulthood. 

What supplies do I need for an Emergency binder? 

How can I print all of the Emergency Binder documents in this post? 

 

 

Teaching Kids About Emotions

Dec 16 by Leave a Comment

There may be affiliate links in this post. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.

Children can struggle with larger than life emotions. Not only are they feeling big feelings, but they also are not always sure how to communicate them. It can be easy to see children who are frustrated or overwhelmed by emotions and call it bad behavior. This can be the easy way out in the moment but could have lasting implications. Instead, teaching kids about emotions can help them learn how to properly process them and use them. 

Teaching Kids About Emotions - Real tips for parents. Help children understand emotions in a healthy way.

Teaching Kids About Emotions

The bear pictured in this blog post is the Whatsitsface Bear. The Whatsitsface Bear is a bear with faces that share a variety of emotions and can be changed to express six different emotions. We partnered with Whatsitsface to share some great tips for you on teaching kids about their emotions. All opinions are 100% our own. 

Whatsitsface Emotional learning bear angry face

Anger is a healthy emotion with boundaries

So many parents will see an outburst of anger and deal with the behavioral side of it. However, there are some important things to keep in mind with anger. Anger is a natural and normal emotion for children to feel. When there are not boundaries in place is when things get a bit less healthy. Here are a few tips for talking about anger with your kids. 

  • Teach them it’s ok to be angry. – Let your kids know that anger is a normal emotion. You get angry sometimes and so do they. It’s completely normal to be angry at a situation or a person. 
  • Teach them the boundaries of their anger. – Anger becomes a problem when there are no boundaries for it. Teach children that it is ok to be angry but hitting, harsh words, and damaging things are not acceptable outlets for anger. 
  • Give them an alternate. – When you take away the unhealthy ways to communicate anger, it’s incredibly important that you add in positive ways to process it instead. “When you are mad you can’t hit or hurt people. You can take some time in your room to yell into a pillow or draw a picture about why you are angry.” Find simple ways your child can vent their anger safely. 
  • Teach them how to apologize. – If they don’t handle their anger in the right way, it can be hurtful to someone. Teach children how to apologize if they are angry. 

Whatsitsface Emotional learning bear sad face

Their emotions are real to them! 

Sometimes when children get sad or upset it’s over something that parents may not see as a big deal. It could be over a broken toy, cancelled plans, or the fact that the jelly is on the wrong side of the bread. While these items may seem trivial, they are important to your child. Taking time to teach them to manage emotions with small things will help them to manage them when bigger things happen. Here are a few tips for honoring your child’s emotions. 

  • Teach them how to deal with big feelings. – Whether your child is sad, anxious, or scared, these are all real emotions that can feel too big for them. Take some time to give them healthy ways to handle sadness, fears, and other big emotions. 
  • Be willing to listen. – Let your children come to you with their big feelings and be willing to listen. Sometimes what kids need most is to be held while they explain why they’re struggling. 
  • Use feeling words when talking. – Using words like, “angry” “scared” “anxious” and other feeling words can help your child to connect to the feelings they are feeling and communicate them better in the future. Don’t be afraid to include these words in daily life. 

Whatsitsface Emotional learning bear happy face

Learn through play

Play is one of the best ways to teach children about emotions. Using items like the Whatsitsface Bear that show strong emotions can help children to better understand the feelings they are having. Using play to teach things to children will help them to understand how feelings could work and be processed. It’s important to do this when kids are not upset so they can have fun with learning. Here are a few more tips. 

  • Use toys to teach. – Playing imagination games with toys can be a great way to teach children about emotions. Using toys to teach children about emotions can be as simple as imaginative play that includes feelings. 
  • Play a game of emotion charades. – Charades is a great game for trying to pretend to be something else. Instead of naming a character, name an emotion for children to act out. This can help them to see an emotion or even pretend to have it. 

Whatsitsface Bear Surprised Face

Don’t hide your emotions

When many parents go through hard times, they are known to go to the room or a private place to feel big emotions. Sometimes children need to see parents cry to understand it is ok. Learning how to deal with emotions in a healthy way is part of growing up. Watching you process emotions and deal with them in a good way can help them learn how to better handle them as well. Find ways to let your children see you process these feelings in a healthy way. 

  • Let your children see you cry. – Crying is a natural part of grief or sadness. While some parents will want to hide this hurt from children, it can actually be a bad idea. Children need to see that these emotions are safe and healthy and that there are proper ways to express them. 
  • Let your children see you angry. – I don’t mean that you live angry, but if you are genuinely angry about something, it is ok to let children see that. The only exception I would put on this is, If you can’t be angry in a healthy and safe way, step away so you don’t teach children the wrong ways to process anger. 
  • Apologize if needed. – Sometimes emotions aren’t handled in the right way. Take time to apologize if needed. It will help your children to understand how to own their consequences if they don’t handle emotions in a healthy way. 

Whatsitsface Bear sleeping content

Give kids a comfort item. 

Sometimes big emotions need a safe outlet. A comfort item can be just what they need to be comforted when they aren’t in the mood to talk. Items like a favorite bear, warm blanket, or lovey can be just what they need. There are times when kids just want to process their emotions without having to explain them to parents. This is healthy and having a safe item can be a game changer. 

 

 

It’s time to get real. I am a Central Florida mom of two with a love of authenticity. You don’t have to do this mothering journey alone. Find out how and connect with me: {more…}

 

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