Endless hot water without power! - YouTube

Endless hot water without power! - YouTube

Have to watch this video later with hubby. This is cool. Love the idea of having hot water. 

Food Storage Recipe - Hearty Bean & Barley Soup

Now that the weather is getting cooler here we have been making more soups. Make a huge pot and eat on it all day! This is a great one that is easy to make and is made from things that should be in your food storage.

Hearty Bean & Barley Soup

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 large carrots - chopped

2 stalks celery - chopped

1 medium onion - chopped

3 1/2 cups of vegetable broth

1 can of kidney beans - drained and rinsed

1 can of diced tomatoes

1/4 cup of uncooked pearl barley

a small pack of chopped frozen spinach -one of those small boxes. thaw it out and let it drain

pepper and salt to taste

Heat up the oil in a 4 quart pan - saute up the onions, carrots, and celery until they are tender. Add the broth, beans, tomatoes, and barley. Heat this to a boil than reduce the heat to low. Let this cook until the barley is cooked. Stir in the spinach and season it to taste. Cook until spinach is done. Serve.

The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster

New Freebies Daily: Dark Shadows DVD Giveaway

New Freebies Daily: Dark Shadows DVD Giveaway

Without Power For 2 Days!

We had a problem at our house and was without power for 2 days. It surprisingly went well. I was pretty prepared. We opened all of the windows and let the light in! I got out my coffee percolator and a sterno burner! had some pretty good coffee. Made the kids some lunch on our Coleman Two-Burner Propane Stove! I had some worries about starting it up , but I went and got the guy across the street to come over and show me how to do it. The little stove was my hubbies thing. But, now I know how to do it. Fried the kids some chicken. Kids were alright without the power. The only thing that my son had a problem with was when his cell phone started to get low on energy. He ran to the Arby's down the road with a book and sat there reading and drinking a coke while it charged. I am really not sure why we don't have car chargers for our phones. It got really dark fast that first night. LOL. Little man loved using the kerosene Lamp. Said that we were camping. The next day he was getting bored without his Wii! We played outside, read, played chutes and ladders, and I made a hopscotch thing on the living room floor out of blue duct tape! It was fun! Luckily, our freezer wasn't full. So we had no problems with that. When the lights came back on evreyone was kind of sad. The only thing I didn't like was that it took forever for the water to boil in the percolator for the coffee. But, when it did start to boil the coffee didn't take too long to cook up!!
I really don't look forward to there being a day where there is never any power again, but I think that we could make it alright. Need some more ways to cook things and heat the house. Ways to get to clean water.

The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster

Ultimate Family Preparedness Pak

120 Serving Breakfast Only @ $198 (120 Servings breakfast assortment. No entrees) - Order Now!

DIY Grill Out Of A Tin Can!

The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster

Ultimate Family Preparedness Pak

120 Serving Breakfast Only @ $198 (120 Servings breakfast assortment. No entrees) - Order Now!

How to Bake Bread on the Grill

How to Bake Bread on the Grill | eHow.com This is an awesome thing that we all need to know. I think that you can do anything on a grill. This just proves it.

Neon Tiki Tribe Party

This worked out so well. Got this awesome package of party items and ideas from Neon Tiki Tribe just in time for little man's birthday. Invited a neighbor over and grandkids and we had tons of fun. The kids loved the really cool super heros in the Neon Tiki Tribe! The Tiki’s, which is an acronym for Thoughtful Intelligent Kind Individual, originated from Tiki Island and were discovered by a young man named Greg and his dog Sniff-Sniff. Really fun set of books that teach the kids things about character. We had a luau and played games. After everyone got tired we sat and read one of the books.

The Beach Battle - where during a trip to the beach, the Neon Tiki Tribe discovers the ocean water turning a strange, dark color. Zeke(the leade who loves a challenge!) finds that someone has been dumping trash in the ocean! Even worse, Zeke meets some poor turtles that have soda rings caught around their shells. The Neon Tiki Tribe moves quickly to find the source of the ocean trash. They soon encounter a mysterious masked man in a boat. Who is this mystery person and what will happen when the Neon Tiki Tribe confronts him? Tiki Beach Battle teaches children what can happen when we are careless with our trash. All of the books teach positive lessons and the kids had so much fun with the story that they didn't even realize that they were learning a cool lesson. Plus the way the books are written - it is dyslexic friendly! That is so cool. 1 in 10 children has some form of dyslexia. So to have a book that is geared to helping them to read easier is great. I think that reading is one of the most important things that a kid can learn. If they can read than everything else will come easier. I think. I might be wrong, but if a books helps someone that is dyslexic to read than that book is number one for me. What parent wouldn't love books that give positive message and helps kids to read.

Mowah is my son's favorite super hero from the Neon Tiki Tribe. He said that it is just like him - The strongest one with the huge appetite! Yep, I would have to agree on the huge appetite. The cake and cupcakes were gone before I could even take a picture of them. It was fun for his birthday! The parents had fun also. My neighbor won the drawing for the Neon Tiki Tribe t-shirt and put it right on. Her son loved it. Said that his mom was a super hero now!! Really a fun birthday party for the little man. It was the first "real" party that we have had for his birthday and we all really enjoyed ourselves. All of us wearing leis and the kids in their super hero glasses that they Mommyparties had provided for the kids. They provided the t-shirt that was given away, too.

You can find out more about The Neon Tiki Tribe by going to - Twitter, Facebook,or Pinterest. Follow them to keep updated on any promotions!

By publishing this post, I received free products as part of a promotional program with MomSelect. All opinions are my own

The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster

Ultimate Family Preparedness Pak

120 Serving Breakfast Only @ $198 (120 Servings breakfast assortment. No entrees) - Order Now!

We Have A Winner!!!

We have a winner in the Milk Unleashed Giveaway. jeanine feldkamp I have contacted her and Hope that she enjoys her goodies!! This was my first giveaway and I hope that if I have more that more people will join in.

The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster

Ultimate Family Preparedness Pak

120 Serving Breakfast Only @ $198 (120 Servings breakfast assortment. No entrees) - Order Now!

Food Storage - Stockpile For Emergencies

Nitro-Pak is the World Leader in Emergency Preparedness Products & has the most complete selection of preparedness and food storage products anywhere. Nitro-Pak provides for all your preparedness needs. Be prepared BEFORE the flood, fire, earthquake, emergency, or terrorist attacks.

All products are subjected to rigorous testing standards since the company was founded 24 years ago. All products are backed by a 120-day satisfaction guarantee. Nitro-Pak maintains a complete inventory of over 800 products. Most orders ship within 24-48 hours.

Nitro-Pak provides top-rated customer service. They have been in business since 1985, and are current members of the Better Business Bureau. Visits to Nitro-Pak will make you happy and prepared!


Ultimate Family Preparedness Pak

120 Serving Breakfast Only @ $198 (120 Servings breakfast assortment. No entrees) - Order Now!The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster Ultimate Family Preparedness Pak

120 Serving Breakfast Only @ $198 (120 Servings breakfast assortment. No entrees) - Order Now!

Milk Unleashed Giveaway!!

RANDOM WINNER PICKED FROM COMMENTS - MORE INFO BELOW

One lucky reader will be chosen to receive variety pack of 4 shelf stable milks from these brands - Hershey’s, LaLa, Horizon and Organic Valley and a bunch of other goodies! To be entered all that you have to do is make a comment on this post about how a shelf safe milk would greatly improve your food storage. HURRY GIVEAWAY ENDS ON SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2012! Share your favorite On-The-Go games through the above app Or take the Family On The Go Quiz on the fun Milk Unleashed App!!. Great way to get more information and tips on shelf safe milk. Great addition to any food storage.



The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster

Ultimate Family Preparedness Pak

120 Serving Breakfast Only @ $198 (120 Servings breakfast assortment. No entrees) - Order Now!

Revolution

Well, the episode just ended. What did you think about it? I liked it, maybe just because there was nothing else on , I am not sure. Wonder how well it will play out later on in the season and if it will get too crazy and unrealistic. Not sure. Will have to wait and see.

The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster

Ultimate Family Preparedness Pak

120 Serving Breakfast Only @ $198 (120 Servings breakfast assortment. No entrees) - Order Now!

Food Storage Recipe - Homemade Granola

We love granola , but to buy it in out small town is hard to do. For one thing , it is expensive! Have to get a small loan to be able to buy it. LOL and another reason , they only have one style , brand, etc. So I decided to just make my own. It is yummy and I know what is in it.

Homemade Granola

3/4 cup of brown sugar

1/3 cup of vegetable oil

1/3 cup of honey

5 cups of oatmeal - I get mine in bulk from Honeyville Food Products

1/2 cup of raisins - These you add after you are done cooking!

1/2 cup of dried milk

3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

a pinch of salt

Mix the brown sugar, oil and honey in a saucepan. Heat it through until the sugar is dissolved. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a big cake pan and pour the sugar mixture over the dry mixture and mix together well. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. Let this cool in the pan. Store this in a very air tight container. You can also add nuts, wheat germ, coconut, dated, etc into this. Make it anyway that you like it. Easy and cheap to make.



The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster

Ultimate Family Preparedness Pak

120 Serving Breakfast Only @ $198 (120 Servings breakfast assortment. No entrees) - Order Now!

What Will You Miss Most After SHTF??

I always try to have in the back of my mind "what will we miss after anything happens?". That way I will try to plan for that and then when something does happen we will be more comfortable. I seriously think that the one thing that I will miss the most will be ready heat and air conditioning. I have fibromyalgia , so I can't take drastic temperatures very well. The running water will be missed. So try to plan for a way now that you will have plenty of clean water. Make a solar shower so everyone can stay clean and feel "normal". I will miss being able to run to the store to grab something little that I need. So , I am trying to stockpile the little stuff that is needed. Stuff that you run out of quickly because it is used a lot. You know what I mean, like razors, batteries, toilet paper(I have been making a huge stockpile of cloth for this!), etc. Another thing that a lot of people will go crazy over not having will be no cell phones, TV, or internet! A lot of people will go so crazy that we will actually think that a zombie apocalypse is happening! LOL

Actually, we will all probably become more healthy after SHTF, if we make it through the worst part. We will have to walk every where and that will make us in better shape. We will have to garden so our food will be better. No more trips to a fast food place to grab something that most likely isn't even food. We will be doing more by hand. Cooking will all be done by scratch! No more nasty preservatives and Lord knows what else is put into the food on the grocery store shelves. We stopped eating out a few years ago so we won't miss that part, but sometimes when we are all busy , I do order a pizza! :( My Little Man will miss that a lot. He loves when we have pizza night!

We will read more books and play more games after SHTF! We will forage and think more about what can be done and how to do it. Using our brains more. Thinking for ourselves instead of running to the internet to find the answer. Eating healthier and homemade food. Gardening , fishing, hunting, walking, etc. There are a few things that will be missed, but other than those few things , it won't be too bad. We will be closer to our family and friends, sharing more. Learning how to do stuff for ourselves. I think that it might not be too bad. I am so jealous of others who have already decided to go totally off-the-grid! I want to live like that now. Not dependent on anyone or anything. That is the perfect life. Depend on God and nothing else. Most people have lost sight of God today , I think, and most likely because of all of the technology that we "depend" on. It does everything for us. Even thinks for us, tells us where to go and when, how to do anything, etc. We need to get back to living with no computers etc. Living for something. Living for ourselves. Sorry for the rambling. I get to thinking about stuff like this and it kind of makes me mad that we have let technology take over our lives and don't focus on the most important thing- GOD! So, yeah , I might miss a few things after SHTF , but not for long! We will all be better after a while. Our brains will kick in and remember what it felt like to not have a damn computer or GPS telling it what to think, do, or where to go and we will all be smarter for it!!!

HEY EVERYONE - TELL US WHAT YOU WILL MISS MOST AFTER SHTF IN THE COMMENT BELOW!!!

The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster

Ultimate Family Preparedness Pak

120 Serving Breakfast Only @ $198 (120 Servings breakfast assortment. No entrees) - Order Now!

How to Successfully Homeschool Kindergarten

Many parents have an interest in learning how to successfully homeschool kindergarten. There are numerous reasons why a family may elect to utilize a homeschool curriculum. This is especially true when it comes to parents of children that old enough to enter kindergarten in their state of residence. Many feel as if their children lack the maturity to enter traditional school, while others may want to provide a gentle introduction of the school system by starting in the home. Then, there are many that elect to homeschool kindergarten because of their religious beliefs.

Whatever your reason for electing to educate your kindergarten-aged child in the home, it is essential that you learn a few strategies on how to make the most of your school year. The ABC's, the core curriculum and even time management are all important aspects of the homeschool environment for school-aged children. But let's begin with the importance of kindergarten..

The Importance of Kindergarten

Before delving into the core curriculum requirements and skills that a homeschool kindergarten student should be introduced to, we feel it is critical to express the importance of kindergarten. In 2010, an economist from Harvard named Raj Chetty conducted a study alongside five other individuals. They followed the life paths of approximately 12,000 individuals that were part of an educational-based experiment in the 1980's in the State of Tennessee. In this research, he discovered that the individuals that learned a high amount of skills in the kindergarten classroom were most likely to pursue a college education, less likely to become single parents, more likely to save money more effectively and were earning more money annually than those that were not successful in kindergarten or did not attend kindergarten. According to the research surrounding this study, it was concluded that an effective eduction in the early years of a child's academic life has the potential to establish skills that may be used all through the child's life for their greater good.

Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum

Based on the report of the organization known as the "National Research Council and Institute on Medicine" called "Neurons to Neighborhoods", it has been established that early educational programs - such as kindergarten - should enhance not only the linguistic competence and cognitive competence of children, but it should also enhance the emotional development and the social development of children. However, the academic reforms that were started in the year 2002 under President George Bush pushed to endorse the fact that by the time a child starts a kindergarten curriculum, they should know their letters and their numbers. Additionally, they should also possess an exceptionally high vocabulary. The organization known as the "National Council of Teachers of Mathematics" states that children should have an exceptionally high amount of knowledge in basic mathematics when starting kindergarten.

As a parent interested in designing a homeschool kindergarten curriculum, it may prove to be exceptionally challenging to determine the skills and lessons that should be included in that core curriculum. Various organizations, schools and educators seem to vary from one degree to another on the subject. Ultimately, the questions is... should a parent focus on academic and cognitive based skills, or emotional development skills and mental health skills? The truth of the matter is, you have an advantage over traditional schools that are limited in instruction time, resources, one-on-one interaction and finances. As a parent of a homeschool kindergarten student, you have the freedom and flexibility to create a curriculum that covers emotional growth, mental health skills, academic growth and cognitive skills. Honestly, it will be in your child's best interest to focus on all of these types of skills.

Core Academic Curriculum

When creating the core curriculum for your homeschool kindergarten student, there are certain basic skills and concepts that should be covered. These are the skills that will build as your child moves through each grade level. Below you will find some of the most basic core requirements according to most states:

Mathematcis:

Your child should be introduced to numbers 0 to 100, and ideas associated with those numbers.

It is essential that your child be introduced to all basic geometic shapes are are educated on patterns.

The basic properties associated with addition and subtraction should be introduced...

Reading:

Phonics should be introduced to the homeschool kindergarten student so that they are able to learn the sounds associated with consonants and short vowels.

Rhyming is an important concept that should be introduced in the homeschool kindergarten curriculum.

Logical and chronological sequencing exercises should be provided to enhance your child's skills...

Vocabulary Enhancement:

Common word beginnings should be taught.

Common word endings should be introduced.

Children should learn to scan for key words when reading and learning to spell...

Writing:

Children should be encouraged to copy and print letters.

Children should be encouraged to copy and print words.

Children should be encouraged to copy and print sentences that are simple in nature...

Conclusion:

There are many different subjects and skills that should be introduced in the homeschool kindergarten curriculum, and I touched on a few of them above. In addition to the above-mentioned skills, children should also be introduced to science, grammar, poetry, music, communication skills, spiritual studies, technology, and social activities. The goal is to develop the child academically, emotionally and spiritually. By creating a well-rounded curriculum for your homeschool kindergarten student, you will find that they achieve greater levels of academic and personal successes throughout their lifetime.

Carolann Henderson, homeschooling mom, website editor and researcher. You'll find lots more on homeschooling kindergarten, general homeschooling information, free resources, tips and encouragement on my website. I also have a free gift for you that you will find instrumental in getting and staying organized in homeschooling and all areas of your life along with a free ebook to help you homeschool holidays. You can claim your free gift by visiting my website Homeschooling Road Map. and signing up for our free newsletter "Homeschool Helping Hands".



The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster

Ultimate Family Preparedness Pak

120 Serving Breakfast Only @ $198 (120 Servings breakfast assortment. No entrees) - Order Now!