Going Off-Grid

We are very close to going totally off-grid. Have a piece of land lined up , a camper, and a truck. We will be all set. We have been looking for Solar Power items online and are going to have to get a Composting Toilet. We will be ok with that. The place we are looking at has awesome cell phone service and we will have the solar power for lights etc. I can't wait! In my mind we are already moved. It will be so great to live off the land and be free of utilities. Have a home where we can have freedom!

Very Surprised At How Well This Heats

I bought one of these a while ago and first thing that my hubby said was, "There is no way that will heat the whole house!". Well , it has been really unseasonably warm here and we just now got to try this out. It was 29 the other night and windy. I turned this on in the kitchen before we went to bed. I got up in the middle of the night, dreaming I was in a desert dying of thirst. This Duraflame DFS-450-2 Carleton Electric Stove with Heater, Black really worked. Now , I do have to say - we are in a very small house. About 1000 square feet. If that much. So if you have a bigger house I would get 2 of these and have at the ends. Or just have in a room and keep door closed. We haven't even gotten our gas turned on yet. This is surprisingly working so well. I had bought 2 of these Lasko 5307 Oscillating Ceramic Tower Heater, 16-Inch to put in the bedrooms just in case the "fireplace" didn't heat well enough on its own. But, these Lasko 5307 Oscillating Ceramic Tower Heater, 16-Inch work very well, also. A couple of weeks ago we had our first frost warning overnight and we just used the small one in bedroom and it actually kept the whole house warm.Very surprised how well electric heaters work now. I can remember when I was a kid we had a heater for the bathroom and it never did even knock the chill off. It was awful. They have really come a long way in making these heaters work very well and they have great safety features also.

Woman's Survival Guide

Woman's Survival Guide: 8 Things You Must Know to be Ready for Any Disaster (Survival Guide books, survival guide for beginners, survival guide for the modern world) was a free kindle book when this post was written. Fill your kindle with survival books. Learn more about Off-grid Kindles here!

Typically underrated during times of disasters, women are the backbone of communities and families. Throughout history and in many cultures, women are looked at to perform passive roles. It is now known that women are more than just nurturers and providers during disasters—they stand alongside their male counterparts or even, at times alone, actively being the glue to keep their families and loved ones out of harm’s way.

Being prepared for a disaster can determine how you act during the real situation. Survival Guide for Women: Get Your Family Ready for Any Disaster not only identifies potential disasters, but is also a step by step how to guide on what to do should you find yourself in disastrous situations with your family. Arm yourself with the knowledge of what to do before, during, and after any situation.

With this manual, women will find themselves ready for any situation, regardless of the severity.

Topics discussed include the following:

• A brief discussion on women’s roles during times of disasters
• What is a disaster
• How to prepare your home for any disaster
• Hurricanes and major storms
• Tornadoes
• Earthquakes
• Cold Weather Disasters
• Fires
• Road Accidents
• Key Elements of a Circuit Breaker

Security LIghting

My step-son just moved out into the boonies and has no security lighting at all! When the sun goes down it is pitch dark. So, we are getting him one of these Sunforce 82156 60 LED Solar Motion Light to help him out a bit. With being out there all by his self most of the time and then having his kids on the weekends , they have to have something out there to at least give them a bit of lighting outside and to let him know if someone walks up to his house.  Plus, if the power ever goes out , he will still have this light. I think that would shock someone who might walk up onto the house , if they know the power is out , and it is pitch dark. They would walk up there thinking that they could get in and BAM, this would light up and make them think twice about it!!

14 Stocking Stuffer Ideas that Encourage Learning

Getting a letter from Santa would be the greatest to have happened to me when I was a child. Just the thought that Santa was thinking about me would have been so cool. You can give your child that feeling this Christmas. It is an easy thing to do that would mean so much.

Personalized Letter from Santa

Gone are the days of trying to write in “Santa’s handwriting.” Educents has made it so easy to make your child feel special and loved by Santa! The personalized letter comes straight to your front door from the North Pole in a beautiful red envelope, and highlights your child’s exciting accomplishments this year. The letter also includes some fun Santa-approved activities for you and your kiddo to spend some sweet holiday time together, like a recipe for Mrs. Claus’ Famous Cookies, two snowflake craft templates, a packet of reindeer food (glitter!) and a sheet of festive stickers. This special letter will make for an imaginative and exciting addition to the very top of our Christmas stockings this year! This letter will make for an imaginative start to any Christmas morning, but there’s more pressure now to keep the fun going! Here are some other easy stocking stuffers to keep the magic going for your kiddos this year!

Educational Stocking Stuffer Ideas

1. FREE DIY Crystal Christmas Tree Experiment - An opportunity to spend more time together as a family is one of the best gifts you can give! These directions for a DIY salt-crystal Christmas tree can get the whole family involved and teach everyone something new! 2. DIY Push Light Planets - Create these amazing lights for your kiddo's bedroom. Each light is decorated to represent one of the planets. To encourage planet recognition, even paint the names of the planets onto each pushable light! 3. Show Me the Kwan - Looking for a great, fun game for the whole family to play after all the presents have been opened? This clever and upbeat word game gets kids excited about vocabulary, word construction and more and is the perfect size for a stocking! 4. Matching Games for Little Learners - These handmade wooden matching games from Mama May I are a very sweet stocking stuffer for little learners. Choose from Zoo, Trucks, Vegetables, Space and more ! 5. The Familia Craft Kit - This craft kit has all the tools for your kiddos to decoupage little wooden peg dolls to create their own story or to include in a new adventure! They come in a slim tube that’s easy to fit in a stocking! 6. DIY Domino Set - This homemade domino set is one you and your family can play for years to come. To make this set special for the holidays, use green and red puff paint! 7. DIY Pop-Up Alphabet Sponges - This simple gift is a low-cost way to make baby's bath time fun and educational! Cut sponges into the shapes of alphabet letters and numbers. 8. DigiPuppets - This adorable animal finger puppet acts as a touchscreen-sensitive stylus for phones and tablets. Use them on their own to keep kids engaged with digital learning tools, or head to the app store to download DigiPuppet’s educational games. 9. Just Add Milk Science & Art Kit - This kit is filled with fun science and art projects you can do along with some at home ingredients, and it’s just the size of a milk carton! If your child is lactose-intolerant, don’t worry, the experiments work with non-dairy milk as well! 10. DIY Telling Time Clock Pillow - Crafty family members can take a few hours to create this comfortable accessory for kiddos learning to tell time! 11. Clever Catch Math Balls - These inflatable balls make math-learning fun with active games you can play with 2 or more people. Just keep it deflated, and this blow-up Clever Catch is ready for the stocking! Choose from: Numbers 0-25, Money, Multiplication, Addition, or Subtraction. 12. DIY Hopscotch Mat - Here's a fun game you can make yourself, roll up into a Christmas stocking, and then play on Christmas Day and many, MANY days after that! 13. DIY Bongo Rice Shakers - Use some household materials to make shakable, musical instruments for little ones to use while Christmas caroling on Christmas Day! Looking for more ways to make your Christmas stockings and holiday gifts extra special this year? Head to Educents' Give the Gift of Education page for more ideas, tips, steals and deals!

Preparing Your Home for Wind Damage Before the Storm

Back in 2008 we had a major wind storm here in Indiana, really the whole east did, because of a hurricane that then brought the wind to us. We lost our roof, a few outdoor toys, and our power ( for 3 days)  because of it. There are things that you can do to keep the damage down to a minimum.


How to Avoid Wind Damage

• Know your risks. Do you know the hazards in your community? How often do floods or wind storms occur?When there is a wind storm in your area will power go out?
• Ensure that your roof sheathing is properly installed. The roof sheathing is the boards or plywood nailed to your roof rafters or trusses. During a heavy windstorm, wind forces flow from the roof down to the exterior walls and then the foundation. Homes are damaged when wind is not properly transferred to the ground in a storm. Properly installed sheathing helps to ensure wind is transferred correctly. Make sure the sheathing nails haven't missed the rafters. If they have you'll need to redo them.
• Make sure end gables are secured to the roof. 'In a hurricane or other wind storm, the side walls of the roof (end gables) take a real beating and can collapse. Gable bracing often consists of 2"x4"s placed in an "X" pattern at both ends of the attic: from the top center of the end gable to the bottom of the brace of the fourth truss, and from the bottom center of the end gable to the peak of the roof,' Federal Emergency Management Agency.
• Check that your garage door is properly secured. In a windstorm the garage door can be easily ripped off allowing wind to enter your home and blow out doors, windows, walls and even the roof.

• Protect your windows with storm shutters. Installing storm shutters is one of the best ways you can protect your home from high winds. You can purchase these in wood, aluminum or steel.

If you take the measures to secure your home, than you should be able to weather any storm.

Food Storage Recipe - Cake Mix Cookies

Easy enough your kids could make them!

I stock up on cake mixes everytime they are on sale.

NEED:

1 package cake mix

2 eggs

1/4 cup oil

Mix all together.

It will be a thick dough.

Roll into small balls and flatten onto a cookie sheet.

Bake for about 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

Tons of styles of cookies to make with any of the different types of cake mixes. One of my favorites uses carrot cake mix and are iced with white icing!

Food Storage Recipe - Homemade Rice A Roni

This is a great thing to be able to make. A lot healthier than the boxed mix. The prepackaged mix is full of items that can't even pronounce. Plus, good to be able to make for yourself when you can't get to the store.

NEED:

4 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup of rice

1/2 cup of spaghetti that you have broken into tiny pieces

2 cups of chicken broth

2 tablespoon parsley

salt and pepper to taste.

In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the rice and the spaghetti.

Cook it until it is slightly golden brown.

Add the broth and bring to a boil.

Turn the heat down to allow it to simmer covered.

Cook it until the rice is tender.

Fluff and add the parsley, salt and pepper. .

Organizing Everything With Totes

Since we are organizing everything and getting prepared to move we are repacking anything that we have into Rubbermaid Roughneck Tote.  They have been a huge help. They hold a lot of things. The items inside are protected a lot better than just being in a box. I have gotten the boxes for the donation pile and the Rubbermaid Roughneck Tote are for the stuff that we are keeping. These pack easy together and really help with the decluttering.  Stack them in the closet, shed, or wherever and they will stack to the ceiling.

Decluttering - My Prep This Week!

See this huge pile of boxes? I covered it to try and hide it. It is everything from bedrooms. My goal this week is to cut this pile by half! The boxes in front right are empty to help me repack and sort. Decluttering is a great prep for us right now. I am on hunt for some land and then a truck and camper! Need to get down to where everything we own can fit in a full-sized truck! It is hardest with all the homeschool items, but we are doing it! Feels good!