This is getting ridiculous!

Okay, I want to be safe when I travel the same as the next person.  I appreciate the people who work hard everyday to make sure that my family is safe in our homes, on the road, at our businesses and schools, etc.  HOWEVER, I do think that the whole TSA pat down of a 4 year old is a bit excessive.  Now, from one point of view, I understand that if you exclude children under twelve from security measures, then terrorists will use their children under twelve for bomb smuggling, or at least that's the argument I've heard.  From another point of view: this past weekend at SLC international airport, a small boy was patted down several times.  The father finally got frustrated with TSA and pulled the kid's shirt off, but TSA was still unsure and needed further handling of the boy to assure themselves that there was nothing under the boy's clothing.  SERIOUSLY!  This is awful!  How many background checks have been done on TSA agents?  Have they undergone rigorous training and sex offender backgrounds?  Would they be willing to show me these credentials if I asked them?  At what point is this too much security and not enough privacy?
I agree that something needs to be done.  However, this scares me.  I've supported the "random" flagging in airports, even when my family members are always "randomly" flagged (we happen to have a middle eastern grandfather and, therefore, last name).  I've supported the taking off of shoes, belts, hairbands, etc.  Even though this makes it miserable to travel - especially when you have little ones.  I've supported needing a driver's license and even bringing a copy of my daughter's birth certificate to prove she's mine.  However, if someone wants to pat down my child, then decide that they weren't sure of what they "felt" and need to try again, they can think again.  I better see credentials, background checks, and a warrant demanding the search.

72-hour Sanity - Week 6

Currently on sale for $3.33 at Cabela's: this 6-tool utility knife.  It comes in yellow, orange, red, green, black, and pink!  (If you order it online it's $4.99)  They also have a little nylon case that can hook onto a belt or fit perfectly inside the pencil box in our kits!  We got red for Dad, orange for Mom and pink for Kaity.

72-hour Sanity - Week 5

So I know it's been a while but hopefully I can once again continue with my once-a-week purchases for our family 72-hour kits.  Eddie Bauer had these cute little crank/solar flashlights on sale for $7.99 each with a purchase.  I bought a shirt on clearance and then 3 flashlights.  They can work either using their solar panel or by the hand crank.  You do have to remember to crank them once a month so the battery doesn't die, but you don't have to worry about storing extra batteries or what to do if one leaks.

72 - hour Sanity - Week 4

Whenever I go to Target, I always check out their Dollar section; they always have great stuff!  This week I bought some coloring books and flash cards to keep the little one entertained in case of emergency.  Also going in are some crossword puzzles for me and Jared, and a deck of cards in each bag (we're really big gamers at our house, so a deck of cards can keep us occupied for hours).  Usually you don't think of entertainment when you think of emergency preparedness, but think of how bored you get while waiting for a table at a restaurant and then throw in some panic/boredom/fear/etc from an emergency and you'll see why this is a good idea.

72-hour Sanity - Week 3

This week I bought a 5-pack of BIC lighters.  One went in each bag.  I also bought some pencil boxes from target to store all the little things that will need to be organized (such as lighters).  Total spent: $10.50.

72-Hour Sanity: Week 2

This week we bought bottles of hand sanitizer for $0.99 each!

72-hour Sanity - Week 1

This week for our 72 hour kits we bought backpacks.  Because it's getting close to that back-to-school time of year, some places are trying to get a jump on backpacks.  I got three backpacks for $15.00 at Ross.  I also saw some at Macey's grocery for $8.00 each.  Now we have something to put our 72 hour kits in!