People that are being evacuated, 900,000 by some reports, from the wildfires in California are being told to do so immediately. They are told to leave their homes, and everything in them. They aren’t given time to think about what to bring with them. It’s gotten me thinking, what are the things I would bring if I had to pack up and only had 5 minutes to do so. Here’s my list:

1. People
2. Pets
3. Personal objects

• Wallet/Purse
• Documents — we keep important papers like insurance information, a video DVD of our possessions, and other key papers in one place
• Journals - these aren’t replaceable. Simply not replaceable. They chronicle my life and are a really important part of my life as a writer. These are very high on my list.
• Jewelry — hopefully, I’m already wearing my wedding rings. But I’d also like to take a few other sentimental and/or valuable pieces of jewelry. Pieces that came from my mother, grandmother and one from my great grandmother.
• Favorite toy — my son doesn’t really have a favorite toy, not yet, but I’m sure he will one day. One that will be worn and loved.
• Computer hard drive — we backup our computer onto a small, external hard drive that includes all of our work and photos.
• Wedding album

I think I could grab all of the above in 5 minutes, at least I hope I could. Melody Hobson, “Good Morning America’s” Financial Contributor was on this morning taking about what you should take. Her suggestion for what to take in a disaster can be summarized like this:

1. Photo ID
2. Copy of recent utility bill. Hobson says it is the universal proof of residence. Unlike a driver’s license, which doesn’t require updated addresses.
3. Cash.
4. One credit card.
5. Take photos or record a video diary before you leave your home.
6. Important documents — “birth certificate, wedding certificate, stock certificate or mortgage papers, should all be stored in a safety deposit box at a bank.”

The unfortunate fires in California are giving residents a huge challenge as they not only try to survive the current situation, but as they eventually will try to rebuild their homes and their lives. Let it be a motivator to the rest of us to get our homes in order and prepare for the worst. Ask yourself this question: What’s on my 5-minute list?

The other night as I was putting my son to bed he wanted to take the strangest items to bed with him — magnets. He’s formed a new friendship with these old, colored button-shaped magnets that have been on our refrigerator since before he was born.

The first night I almost (read, ALMOST) let him take them to bed. I didn’t want to deal with taking something away from him right before bed, causing a tantrum which could result in me loosing my evening “free time,” or worse, sleep. But, I thought twice about it (actually, my husband thought for me, but I am sure I would have had this same second thought if he hadn’t been home) and realized that it could be horrible if he swallowed them. Especially if he swallowed two of them. So, we took them from him and he went to bed.

Last night I didn’t have to think twice. I knew immediately to take them away, but that is soooo much easier to say than to do. It was like not letting him take his stuffed teddy to bed. I made him put the magnet (earlier, I had sneakingly, narrowed the group of magnets down to one, kitty-shaped magnet) and asked him to leave it on the dresser. Then, I put him in bed and left the room.

Crying begins.

Crying continues as I jump on the computer and write an email to a friend.

Cut the email short because he’s still crying; back into the room I go.

He’s standing up, pointing to the dresser. I get him out of the crib, discretely steal the kitty-shaped magnet and take him out of the room. He quickly became more interested in what was going on in the living room that he forgot about the magnet. After about 10 minutes he went back to bed — this time with three extra stuffed animals. And, THAT I don’t have to think twice about!

The other day, I stumbled upon a Mom’s blog (Finding Balance in San Francisco) and found a great resource. It’s Pop-A-Lock Emergency Door Unlocking – a service to unlock car doors. The service is offered for FREE when there is a child inside the car. It’s information you might want to tuck away in your wallet — just don’t leave the information in your car.

Check its location page to see if there is one near you.

I wasn’t going to keep writing about all the recalls, thinking that Moms get that information in our everyday news sources, but then I decided to offer some links in case there is a Mom reading this who hasn’t heard this news yet. In the past week, there have been two crib recalls — one for a regular crib, one for a play yard (aka pack ‘n’ play). And, there is a recall on children’s jewelry that contains lead.

Here’s a list of the recalls from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Don’t forget, as I posted earlier, you can sign up to get email notices of all recalls, here.

Mattel announced yet another toy recall. This one includes:

• GeoTrax™ Engine (2 products)
• Barbie® Accessory Sets (7 products)
• It’s a Big Big World™ (1 product)

Read the Associated Press story here.

Visit Mattel’s Voluntary Safety Recall Web site.