How did I do?

 Last week I had a big list of things I needed to do.  Let's see how I did!

1.Last week I talked about how I needed to do some major organizing in our basement.  That didn't happen.  👎

2.  I wanted to get more shelving for our basement organization and for our pantry.  I thought about it and the husband and I talked about it while we were at Costco.  We even looked at the shelving, but decided not to get it right now.  👎

3.  I wanted to put the "general store" back together and organize it.  That didn't happen. 👎

4. I needed to stock up on a few things we were getting low on.  I got everything on my list except sugar and flour. 👍👎

5.  I made my bed every single day. 👍

6.  We ate at home each night (which is a big deal for us), because I had menu planned.  One meal we didn't like at all and opted for leftovers instead. 👍

I pretty much failed last week, but I have to say, that was a pretty big list.  However, it got me thinking about what needs to happen and how it needs to happen.  And that is a big start.  

This week the weather looks yucky.  So I am thinking that I will be able to get some of the organizing done in the basement while it is rainy outside. That is the plan.  We will see how much I get done. 👍

Plans for week of 6/12

 We got some news yesterday and we will be having our son and his fiance moving back in with us temporarily while they save for a house and wedding.  Soooo......that means a whole household of stuff will be moving in with them too.  This means I need to get on my basement organization.  I have a lot of things that are just laying around down there that I don't need or want and I just need to get that stuff gone.  I also have a bunch of my daughter's stuff that has been just sitting in piles from when she moved home from college a few months ago.  That needs to get put away finally and organized as she will be moving overseas in a couple months and won't be needing any of that stuff for a while.

We also just was gifted a TON of emergency gear from a "prepper" who prepped for his family of 12 for 3 years.  He is active military but moving and can't take this with him.  So he gifted it to us.  We have 4 to 5 pick up truck loads of stuff that I need to go though and organize as well. 

I am thinking I need more shelving at this point. Shelves on wheels so I can move them around too.  I a thinking 4 will help. I plan to double my pantry storage in the basement, reorganize our "general store" with some smaller totes and organizational boxes. 

This is going to be a big undertaking but I think I can at least start on it this week.  

Also this week I need to stock up on a few items. We are running low on sugar and flour, salt, pepper, and spaghetti sauce.

I will be, as always, making my bed.  I meal prepped and grocery shopped yesterday for this week until Thursday or Friday.  I am hoping we will have enough leftovers to carry over to the next night once or twice too.  

Am I a Prepper?

 Honestly, I don't know.  I don't consider myself a "prepper" in the sense that the media has defined a prepper.  I gather from the media (social media, tv shows, internet, blogs, etc.) that most people describe a prepper to be someone who prepares for invasion of their property and end of the world times.  This is SO NOT why I prep!

I like to be prepared.  We have a well stocked pantry and freezer.  We have emergency supplies for when the lights go out and are out for a while (like days), and we carry emergency kits in our cars.  Am I a prepper? Probably not.  Do we have similar supplies? Yes. Can I feed my family for several months without going to the grocery store? Yes.  Do I think the world is coming to an end? I certainly hope not!

As I have said in past posts, we have "planned emergencies".  These really aren't emergencies but they are times where we rely on our food storage to get us through a lean time in our year.   We also hate to have an appliance break or some household item break and us no be able to replace it.  We keep an emergency fund for those times.  We USE that emergency fund several times a year.  When it gets used, we immediately start saving it again.  I stock up on band-aids, cough and cold meds, and other minor medical needs.  I keep well stocked on toiletries, such as tooth brushes, soaps, shampoos, deodorant, and the like.  

I have long term storage too.  Wheat berries, ground flour, some long term freeze dried foods, dried milk, etc.  When I buy ground flour, sugar or coffee, I buy in bulk 25 to 50 lbs at a time.

So, am I a prepper? I don't think so.  I think I am just "prepared".  I am prepared for weather emergencies.  I am prepared for black out emergencies.  I am prepared for times when we need to rely on our food storage to get us through a tough spell.  

Meal Planning 101

Grilled pork chops are a
quick and easy meal.

Being prepared takes time and the more time you put up front the better the week will be. This means that you have to put in some planning time before the week begins to plan out your week.  Grab your calendar, let's do this!

Looking at my calendar I add anything I don't already have on it.  Then I look over each day and see where I will be and what I will be doing.  This helps with the next step.  I look to see if there are days I am going to be out for dinner or lunch.  Then I look to see if my last appointment buts up to a meal where I won't have time to cook or make it. I don't have a job where I am in an office.  If I did, then lunches would be easy.  When I did have a job in an office, I packed my lunch every day.  I usually packed leftovers from last night's dinner.  I planned dinners where I would have leftovers for my lunches. If I didn't have leftovers then I packed a frozen meal or a sandwich. 

Now, let's talk dinners.  On my calendar where an appointment buts up to dinner time, I try to plan a meal that cooks all day in the crock pot with minimal additional prep.  I plan those first. Next I look at what I have in our freezers or what needs to be eaten soon.  I make sure those items are on the menu somewhere. We are a "meat and potatoes" family so I plan the meat first then add in the sides.  This whole process so far takes me about 5 minutes.  If I know we are tight on money then I make sure I shop my pantry (this is where a well-stocked pantry comes in handy). 

One of our favorite dinners is
crockpot spaghetti sauce. 
See below for the recipe.

Once I have a menu planned.  I start my grocery list. 

Truly it is that easy.  That little bit of time will save you from my life right now.  It is 5:43 and I didn't plan dinner.  I have no meat thawed and have nothing that can be quickly cooked.  We tend to be an "ingredients" house.  We don't do prepared foods because 1. it isn't good for you and 2. it isn't that good. So whatever we eat we have to make, like actually make. Tonight might become "Pizza Friday" and that is okay.  Tomorrow I will meal plan for next week and grocery shop.  

A big part of being prepared is forgiving yourself when you have dropped the ball.  I see my mistakes and I see the results when I don't menu plan. When I fail I forgive myself and jump back on that wagon. So tomorrow I menu plan.

Quick Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef or (our favorite) ground Sweet Italian pork sausage

2 16 oz. jars your favorite spaghetti sauce.

Brown the meat in a saute pan. Drain any fat. 

Mix the two jars of spaghetti sauce and the browned meat in a crock pot.  Turn on low and let cook 4 to 6 hours stirring occasionally.  

Serve over pasta noodles with warm, crusty bread and a salad. 

Why put this in a crock pot and cook all day when you can quickly mix, heat and serve immediately?  Because the flavors meld together and take a mediocre jarred spaghetti sauce to the next level.  It tastes homemade and amazing!!  Give it a try!!

Being Prepared Takes Time: Make Your Bed

A beacon of light in the chaos of life. 

 This is a marathon, not a sprint!  It is also a two steps forward, one step back sort of thing. 

And I feel like I am starting all over again.  Because I am starting all over again, I thought I would blog about my journey.

First, let's talk about what it means to be "prepared".  "A Prepared Mom" started as my blog documenting my thoughts on emergency preparedness, mom tips for traveling with kids, quick meals, and such.  As I continued to blog, I felt like I was just reiterating the same topics over and over again, so I stopped blogging because I felt I had nothing additional to offer. 

Recently, I have been thinking a lot about our change in situation and where we are now. I thought I would start this blog again to perhaps help someone else going through this transition too.

So, here we are.  When I first started blogging, I had little kids.  Now my little kids are not so little anymore.  They are all adults.  One no longer lives with us.  One is on her way to grad school overseas, and one is still living with us but living her own life very, very independently.  We are experiencing this in between phase where sometimes we are almost empty-nesters and then other times we are back to a pretty full house.  I never know when people will be home for dinner.  I struggle with others making a mess and not cleaning it up or helping to clean up general family house mess.  So here I am.  Messy house. 2 growing puppies. 2 adult kids who can't seem to clean up after themselves.  A husband who works way too much.  Chaos.

I keep reminding myself that one day I will miss not having the kids around and without this constant craziness.

So today I will make my bed.  Since it is Sunday, I will actually strip my bed and change the sheets too. Why do I choose this one thing?  Some bloggers have chosen the "Fly Lady" method and pick clean your sink.  But I choose Make Your Bed as my one thing that I do every day.  I have a long laundry list of things I want to get done but today, I will make my bed. 

When I was a first year in college my roommate was awesome.  She was patient and so forgiving of my mess, my clutter, and me.  About 2 months into our year, I noticed that every so often she would make my bed.  One day she asked me if I would do her a favor and help her out.  She said that the mess around the room didn't bother her as long as my bed was made.  She said all I had to do was pull up the sheet and comforter and plop my pillow on top.  It didn't even have to be wrinkle free or sheets have hospital corners, just pulled up and pillow on top. I figured I was getting the better end of the deal.  I could not worry about my mess, clothes on the floor, books everywhere, piles on the desk as long as I made my bed.  She encouraged me to do it as soon as I got up. And I did.  For her.

To this day, I make my bed every morning. I have come to love this little thing I do for myself and my husband (though he pulls his side up when he gets out of bed too).  I find that no matter how horrible my day turns out, or how unaccomplished I feel at the end of the day, I can always climb into a bed that was made.  So I DID accomplish something.  Even if it was that one thing.

How does this relate to being prepared?  Moms have 50 thousand things going on and are pulled in 85 different directions all the time.  Moms also are tending to everyone all the time.  Making your bed is one little thing that takes all of about 15 seconds, 30 at the most.  This little thing prepares you mentally for the day.  It allows you to check one box right away.  This check will perpetuate into feeling more productive throughout the day.  But if you weren't all that productive, when you climb into bed you will look at your made bed and know you accomplished at least one thing that day and you will feel better for it. So why not spend the 15 or 30 seconds and straighten up your bed as soon as you get out of it?  Your future self will love you for it.

Stocking Up For Winter

 Like squirrels and nuts, this family stores away food in the fall for the winter.  I am sure I have talked about this before in previous posts but here is the long and short of the why we do this.  My husband and I own a lawn care business.  Well, he does; I just help out when and where I can.  Winter is a down time in the business.  Grass doesn't grow around here in the winter.  However, in the fall, we have two of our most profitable seasons, aeration season and leaf season.  So we are more fluid right now.  Because of this, we like to stock up on provisions for the winter season now. 

I have pretty much just finished stocking up.  I am proud to say I have about a three month supply of most food groups.  I have also added to my  longer term food storage. I also have at least a three month supply of all hygiene products that we use, as well as household cleaning supplies.  I will continue to increase my food storage and other supplies through December.

My logic on this:  Each year we have a "planned emergency".  This is the time from January through March, but really it lasts to the beginning of May. I have always been a "prepper" and it has proved essential to us time and time again!  So when I realized that we were tending to need to use our food storage during our off season, we chose to think about this in our preps. One fall, many years ago, my husband did a big job and handed me a bunch of cash (I think it was like $500) and he said, "Go out and get everything we need for food for the next month and include all the stuff for Thanksgiving."  I spend the next couple days making an enormous list.  I scoured the ads from the local grocery stores and made a plan of attack. That year I was not only able to get enough groceries for that next month and for Thanksgiving, but also was able to put away enough meat for us for another couple weeks too.  From that point on, we made a point to start squirreling away food and supplies in the fall. 

This is what my list structure looks like:

1.  Menu planning:  My first step is to sit down and think of all the meals we love to eat in the winter.  This includes, chili, soups, chicken and potatoes, spaghetti, tacos, pork chops, meatloaf, etc. I stretch this out and create a 25 day meal plan.  Some meals we will eat more than once in that 25 day period. I also figure we will eat out 5 days in the month for dinners and more often for lunches.  I do this meal plan for breakfasts (which often look like "breakfast bars, poptarts, frozen sausage biscuits, pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, omelets) and for lunches (which include a lot of planned leftovers, frozen entrees, ramen noodles, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches). I also make a list of grab and go snacks (microwave popcorn, chex mix, chocolate, peanut butter cracker packs, pretzels, nuts, cheese, etc). For the record, this is super hard for me because we eat pretty healthy and I don't have a lot of processed foods in our house. Stocking up on fresh foods is not in the plan, but I try to switch fresh for frozen.  I also do have three on-the-go teenagers/20-somethings who have classes and jobs still living in the house. {sigh} Meal planning is the hardest part.  My 25 day meal plan is for a month.  If I am wanting a 3 month supply of food then I might add a few more meals and multiply the number of meals by 3.  I will also include any holiday meals or birthday meals that might occur. Oh and think about a few desserts.

2.  Meal breakdown:  My next step is to break down each meal into the ingredients and amounts I need for each meal.   I also include spices and seasonings, too. 

3.  List making: I make a master list of all the ingredients from the meal breakdown step. I add all the same items up.  For example, if I am using  a pound of ground beef for each meatloaf I make and I am making it twice in the month then I need 2 lbs.  If I use a pound of ground beef for tacos and a pound for chili, then my total for the month is 4 lbs. Then I further this list to creating lists for each grocery store.  Some stores have specific products my family likes.  I also use the ads from each store, checking for sales.  If there is a sale on a certain product, I will include the sale price next to the item. This will come in handy when shopping.  

4. Checking inventory: Before heading out, I add anything else that we are getting low on.  Think about spices, seasoning packets, flour, sugars, coffees, other drinks.  This is the time when I go through my pantry and clean out expired, unwanted items, dust the shelves.  I pack up the unwanted items and send them on to the food bank. I sort and organize the drawers and cabinets in the bathrooms, and organize the cleaning closet. I add any additional items we are getting low on to the grocery lists.  While doing this, begin an additional list of little chores that need to be done.  These chores could include changing out the batteries in the wall clocks and smoke detectors, replacing burned out lightbulbs, swapping out baking soda boxes in the refrigerators, etc. 

Once the lists are made I head out.  I will shop one store a day. This gives me time to shop and not be in a big rush and come home and put everything away. While I am in a store if I see an item on sale and I have it on another store's list, I will compare the price at the other store with the sale price and then buy the better deal.  I keep all the lists with me so I can mark off any item found at a different store.  Remember when I said to put the sale price next to the item on your list?  This is where it might come in handy.  You can compare the sales. 

Things to remember when stocking up like this:

1. A place for everything.  You need to have a planned place for everything you buy.  I have a separate set of cabinets in my basement for our food storage.  This helps because for us, it is not up in my working pantry.  Out of sight, out of mind. Over the years we have acquired three refrigerator/freezers, one full size stand up refrigerator, one stand up full size freezer, and one chest freezer. We don't use all of them all year long but in this case, these will end up all pretty full.

2. What you bring home, family members will think it is all free rein.  It is best to remind family members that this extra food is not free for the eating.  This is for later.

3. Lots of items can be frozen.  Some items are better fresh.  For example, you can freeze milk but it separates and doesn't always come back together like it was fresh when thawed. However, butter freezes just fine.  In our "planned emergency" time, I still have a small budget for fresh items.  I buy those when needed not during this stocking up time. I focus on the meats, veggies, spices, seasonings, dry goods, bathroom supplies, cleaning supplies. However, if you are stocking up for winter or a time when you know you won't be able to get to the grocery store (like a big snow storm) I would consider adding shelf stable milk or powdered milk (blahhk).  Fresh eggs might be hard but you can include "Egg Beaters" to your freezer. Most cheeses will freeze just fine and so do yogurts.

Why would I want to do this?

Great question.  I do it because I know we have a poor time and I can alleviate some expense now with food storage. If you have a time where you know it will be difficult to get out then this might be a good method.  Perhaps you have a planned surgery coming up. Perhaps you know that each year you get snowed in for a period of time. Maybe you are having a baby.  Or more timely, maybe you may have to quarantine for a few weeks due to the pandemic. These are great reasons to stock up. My sister stocks up each month for the last week of the month when she and her husband are too busy with work and deadlines to shop. All these are "planned emergencies". 

What is different from this type of stocking up and stocking regular emergency food storage? 

Another great question.  For the most part it is not really that different other than the fact that you know you will be using your food storage.  I have our regular food storage and because I know I will be using our storage each winter, I stock extra so at the end of the winter I am not left with nothing in my food storage.  So this is a little extra because I know I am going to be using it. Do I then have double? Not really,  more like 1 1/2 times the normal amount. I continue to grab items when I see them on sale and put them in my food storage, but this is extra.  This also is funded by extra money, not my regular storage budget. 

Can't I just use what I have in food storage for my "planned emergency" without stocking up?

Yes, you can.  But a planned emergency isn't a REAL emergency.  Plus our additional income allows me to beef up our storage during this season.  If you use your emergency food storage during your planned emergency, you will just need to understand that your emergency storage will be depleted by the time you come out of your planned emergency time.  You will have to work to restock it quickly.  With this method, I am "restocking" ahead of time. Because I know it is coming, I can plan. 

What sorts of things do you forget?

I don't know....ha ha ha.... Honestly, Ziploc bags, aluminum foil, trash bags, dishwasher detergent, wine.  It is the little things.   But those little things are sorely missed when gone. 

Winterizing Your Car Emergency Kit

Each year around this time in my area, the leaves begin to change and the weather starts to get cooler.  There is always one evening where I am out and by the time I get home it is dark and quite chilly.  I shiver as I rush to or from my car. This is when I make a mental note to myself that I need to start carrying a sweater or jacket with me if I am going to be out.

Usually the next day I grab my car emergency kit and begin its seasonal overhaul.  In the summer we don't need extra blankets, hand warmers, or hats, gloves and scarves.  In the winter we do.  I also will toss in an extra old jacket or two.

Now that my  kids are older they all have their own vehicles.  I insist that they keep up their own emergency kit (bag) in their cars too. My car now holds less items as I don't usually have the whole family in the car with me. However, when they do go out with me, I insist that they grab a jacket on the way out and if it is really chilly, hat, gloves, and scarf too.

So let's talk about what is in my emergency kit (bag):

First let's talk about the bag or container.  I use an extra large canvas bag that had a zipper on top.  I could fit most all of the items in it and zip it up.  I tossed it in the back of my SUV where we could reach it from the inside of the vehicle.  Some people use a Rubbermaid or plastic tub with a top on it.  The idea is to keep it all contained and in one place. If you drive a sedan you might choose to keep it in your trunk.  That is okay too.

1.  Blankets: small, afghan size, usually fleece or fleece-lined.  I grab older blankets we don't use at home anymore and throw them in. One for each member of the family.  I can't tell you how many times the kids used these blankets while traveling in our car.  I would too.  My husband and I don't always agree on where the heat should be set in the car. 

2.  Extra Warm clothing items: hats, gloves or mittens, scarves, hand warmers, warm socks. A set for each member of the family.

3.  Food/Water: Look for food items like protein or breakfast bars.  You don't want anything that would explode or leak if it freezes. Peanut butter crackers are also a good choice.  Water bottles. No explanation but a caution here.  Place them in a ziploc bag and check them often because they will freeze and thaw throughout the season. 

4. Old Towel (s): with little kids, I always kept an old towel or two in the back of the car.  I never knew when I might have to clean up a mess.  Also, it gave my husband something to lay on if he had to lay on the ground under the car. So I keep an old towel in my emergency bag.

5. Portable Radio: I would choose one that is hand crank over battery operated so you don't have to worry about saving battery power or if the batteries are working.  This radio could keep you informed on weather alerts, news, and entertained while you are waiting on help. This is a new item not in my old posts about car emergency bags. If you are stuck in the car your gas and car battery will eventually run out and this portable radio will serve you well. You will be glad you had it. This should probably be in your regular emergency bag in your car.

Questions you might have:

I already have a car emergency kit.  Why do I need additional food/water and other similar supplies in my winter emergency bag?  You don't.  If it is already in your car then you might just want to refresh what you have.  No one wants to eat stale peanut butter crackers.  

I don't want to keep water sloshing around in my car.  Any other ideas? Sure, when I was working outside the home, I took my lunch each day.  In my lunch box (insulated small cooler), I kept extra water, extra snacks, napkins, plastic utensils, and small packages of condiments (salt, pepper, etc.)  I did not keep water in my car at that point.  When we would go out later in the evenings I would throw a bottle or two of water in our kids diaper/toddler bag.  I had water covered wherever we went, but it was not stored in the car.  I just kept it top of mind. Make your own plan. Make it work for you.  The idea is to be prepared.

I have read other blogs and they are recommending additional survival equipment. Why aren't you?  This Winter Car Emergency Kit (Bag) that I am talking about is what I switch in and out as the seasons change.  I do have some additional emergency supplies in my car all the time.  I don't want to double up on supplies.  For example, I have flares, a multitool, first aid kit, and other items already in my basic car emergency kit. The items I add are specifically to keep me and my passengers warm while we are waiting for help.

The take away:

A couple years ago my daughter and I were out running errands.  It was super cold outside. While we were out I noticed that I was really low on gas and began heading to the gas station.  Well, we ran out of gas.  I pulled off the road but wasn't able to make it into a parking lot and the gas station wasn't close enough.  I called my husband to come "save" me.  While we waited it was quite chilly in the car.  The wind was blowing pretty hard outside and the car got pretty cold quickly. Luckily, I had our winter coats in the car and my daughter climbed into the back and grabbed our winter emergency bag with the blankets. We bundled up and were warm while we waited.  Luckily we didn't have to wait too long but we were thankful we had those blankets in the car with us.

Your winter kit should have the items that you all need.  Think about what you might need if you ran out of gas or had car trouble and needed to stay with your car and wait an hour or two for help. Think about what you might need if you needed to wait overnight for help.  Think about who might be in the car with you.  These ideas might help you formulate your own kit personalized for you and your family.

Hope these ideas help. Stay safe.