As 2014 comes to an end, it’s been nice looking back at the Mom with a PREP blog to see everything published. As our family continues on our journey to become more PREPared for whatever comes our way, I’ve been sharing those lessons here on the blog with you. Here are the blog posts that have seemed to resonate the most with readers everywhere.
TOP POSTS OF 2014
#14 – Off-Grid Cooking with a Rocket Stove
You know those DIY projects you always see on Facebook or Pinterst? The ones that you think, “Hey, I can make that myself!!!” Then you pin it. And…you never go back to it again? READ MORE….
#13 – PREParedness Items to get in After-Winter Sales
It’s the end of winter (YAY!!!!!!) and all across America there are all sorts of clearance sales going on to get move out winter stock and prepare for next Christmas (joking, but only a little. Retailers are a wacky bunch!). Like we did for after-Halloween sales, and after Christmas sales, let’s make sure we’re keeping our eyes peeled for those post-winter clearances! READ MORE…
#12 – Build a Better Pantry: The Series
I’ll lump this entire series into one. Learn how to build a better PREPared pantry for your family with how I build mine! READ MORE…
#11 – 101 Gardening Tips & Ideas
As with my 101+ Dehydrating & 101+Canning posts, here is a new 101+ Gardening Tips & Ideas package to help you get ready for gardening season! READ MORE…
#10 – How to Make and Use Mushroom Powder
(This is my favorite post from 2014!)
Umami – that ubiquitous flavor that no one can really pin down that is best described at a ‘meaty’ flavor. It’s prized in Japanese cooking, it was all the rage in the food world a year or two ago, and STILL has a place in our food storage and everyday cooking. How do you get it without necessarily using beef products? Mushroom powder, that’s how! And I’m going to show you how to do it yourself! READ MORE…
#9 – 10 Reasons to NOT be PREPared
Being prepared is more than the Doomsday Zombie Apocalypse Survival Scenario. You’ve seen me talk about how it’s about the little things. Be prepared for weather things (Polar Vortex, Hurricane Sandy, Moore, OK anyone?). But really, why bother? READ MORE….
#8 – Six Ways to Dehydrate Foods
Dehydrating food is a great way to be able to preserve your garden bounty or great find at the produce stand. You simply remove the moisture from your produce or meat to give it a much longer shelf life. This is not the same thing as freeze-drying which is a more mechanical process. This is simply allowing nature or low heat to dry out food. READ MORE….
#8 – A Guide to Using Essential Oils for Your Body
After reading so much in the Essential Oil movement, and scoffing at it for so long (though I am a HUGE fan of Tea Tree Oil), I’m beginning to start the research on REAL uses of EO’s instead of just all of the promised uses. READ MORE…
#7 – Make Your Own Emergency Toilet
Consider this: You’ve had a major local disaster where the water has gone out. There is no water available to your house because water mains have been broken, the city water supply has been tainted and shut down, or one of the various other reasons that cause city-wide services to be shut down. What happens when Little Susie says she has to go to the bathroom? Read more…
#6 – How to Make Watermelon Candy (Dehydrate Watermelon)
Summertime is prime time for watermelon. In fact, I can’t even imagine buying watermelon in the middle of winter that came from across the earth. It’s just wrong. So wrong. We eat as much watermelon as we can get, not only for it’s dietary contributions, but because it just tastes so darned good when it’s perfectly ripe and in season (but a mealy watermelon? ICK!). We invariably end up with watermelon fatigue, though, and need to find a way to store the leftovers in a way that doesn’t end up as a fuzzy science experiment in the back of the fridge.
#5 – How to Make Toothpaste Dots for Your Emergency Kits
Here’s one more of those “We tried it for you” posts. Toothpaste dots. You’ve seen them all over Pinterest, especially related to camping. But do they really work? READ MORE…
#4 – How to Create Pill Bottle Firestarters
One of the best things that you can do for your kids is to teach them to be more self-reliant and knowledgeable about their own survival at an early age. Make it a part of everything that you do and it won’t seem like such a weird concept. Each week, we tackle one skill, one activity, one refresher to do during our home school time (hey, might as well take advantage of the credits, huh?) that helps us learn more. In doing that, I am very Pro-Kid-Led activity, so I tasked my kids to come up with a way to use some old leftover pill bottles we had and create something for our bug out bags. They each did a little research and this is what they decided to share.
#3 – Off-grid Alternatives to Everyday Kitchen Tools
It’s 4:30, you’re just getting ready to begin supper for the evening, and the power goes out. Without calling for pizza delivery, how are you supposed to cook dinner without your favorite mixer, your microwave, your electric stove, and all of the other modern conveniences you’re so used to? READ MORE…
#2 – 10 Ways to Keep from Freezing in the Winter
This post is a guest post by my amazing friend, Rhonda Van Zandt. She lives in Alaska with her husband out in the wilderness. They shop in town once a year, they provide their own food and meat through gardening, foraging and hunting. She amazes me with all of her knowledge of things preparedness, survival, off-grid and more! Here are her tips to staying warm in this frigid weather!
#1 – 10 First Aid Skills Every Parent Should Know!
Besides being able to kiss a boo-boo away, and put a bandaid on an ouchie, and stop the rush of a nosebleed with our shirt sleeve, what first aid skills do we really have? If an emergency arose, would we be able to stand in the gap and help out, or wait silently by hoping that an ambulance gets there in time? Not all of preparedness is about collecting stuff, but learning skills to take care of our families and community when we can! Make these a priority for you to learn!!
What’s been your favorite post of the year?
Want to know my top 10 posts of all time? Here’s the list ranked in order from starting from the top!
- 101+ Dehydrating Recipes for Food Storage, Hiking and Paleo Diets
- 10 First Aid Skills Every Parent Should Know
- How to Freeze Fresh, Raw Kale
- 10 Survival Skills Every 12 Year Old Should Know
- 10 Ways to Keep from Freezing in the Winter (or How Not to Die at 40 Below!)
- How to Make Kale Powder and Use It!
- 500+ FREE Camping & Dutch Oven Recipes
- 46 Ideas for Building Your Chicken Coop
- How to Dehydrate Kale for Kale Chips
- Off-Grid Alternatives to Everyday Kitchen Tools
Here’s to wishing a safe, happy and well-PREPared 2015 for all of us!
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Becky is a wildlife enthusiast and pet and livestock care expert with a diploma in canine nutrition. With over a decade of experience in animal welfare, Becky lends her expertise to Simple Family Preparedness through insightful info about pets, livestock, bee keeping, and the practicalities of homesteading.