Provisions is happy to now offer family emergency kits.  Being prepared can be overwhelming for some people.  Where do you start?  Well, I’ve come up with a solution!

FAMILY OF FOUR KIT INCLUDES:

2 Mountain House Entrees (serves 4)

1 Mountain House Breakfast (serves 2)

4 Packs 2400 Calorie Datrex Rations

12 Packs 4oz Datrex Water

Water Purification Tablets

First Aid Kit

4 N95 Masks

5 Light Sticks

1 Maglite LED Flashlight

1 Survival Candle – 36 Hour

5 Regular Candles

4 Boxes Matches

2 Emergency Blankets

20 Feet of Paracord

All of this in one box for only $89.99!  Ships anywhere in the US for $15.  Email today to get yours and prepare your family.  Getprovisions@gmail.com

Hopefully by now you know that you need to have a bag ready to get you home, or out of the city in case of disaster or emergency.  It’s always good to reevaluate your items and make sure your bag is complete, easy to carry and ready to go at a moment’s notice.

I use a list that’s a hybrid of the Red Cross’ list and James Wesley, Rawles’ from SurvivalBlog.com.

THE BASICS

Blankets

Boots

Solar Panel Charger

Canteens

Copies of Personal Papers

Easy to Carry Food

Extra Batteries

Extra Cash – small bills and change

Extra Socks/Undergarments

Fire Starting Kit

First-Aid Kit

Gloves

Hat

Insect Repellant

Jacket

LED Flashlight

Maps

Multi-Purpose Tool

Personal Hygiene Items

Poncho

Sleeping Bag

Small Tarp

Utility Knife

Water

Water Filter or Tablets

I also carry a length of paracord with me at all times, along with a couple of collapsible cups and a 36 hour candle.  My kids’ bags have the same, along with some little playthings and a few candy bars.

If you want an ultralight bag with just the basics, think:  Water, Food, Shelter, Light, Hygiene and First-Aid.

The number one life-saver is not on this list.  Can you think of what it is?  A PLAN – know what you’ll do, know where to go and know how to take care of yourself and your family ahead of time.  It could save your life!

“If I could not walk far and fast, I think I should just explode and perish.” – Charles Dickens

Emergencies take on many faces.  Earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods;  all are just the different personalities of disaster.  Preppers are generally of two schools of thought – one, they plan on staying home or bugging in or two, they plan on bugging out away from danger.  Possibly they’ll travel to a family member’s house outside of the affected area.  Maybe they have a vacation home in the country to flee to.  Whatever your preferred form of keeping safe, if there are disturbances to roads and highways, be prepared to do lots of walking.

You may think you have all your supplies at home and will just hunker down.  It’s a defensible shelter and probably has everything you need to survive for awhile.  What if your supplies run out?  What if someone forces you from your home?  Are you ready to walk?  Do you have proper walking shoes?

This is something I think about often.  Maybe it’s because I need new hiking shoes.  I have tennies, but they’re for running and aren’t waterproof.  I swear even if it’s drizzling, my socks get soaked.  Leather or vinyl tennis shoes would work and provide support.  Hiking boots would be ideal as they can take lots of punishment and still provide good support.  It’s useless for me to buy my boys boots.  It hardly rains here in Southern California and they’d outgrow them in a couple months.  I do however buy them high-quality athletic shoes.

Think about this too.  What if you’re stranded at work, or the mall, or Aunt Julie’s house when disaster strikes?  You’ll want to go home and you may have to walk.  Your boots won’t do you any good sitting at home in the hall closet.  Keep them in your car, or wear appropriate shoes when you go out.  I’m guilty of wearing flip-flops all the time, but if push came to shove I’d walk in them.  Dress shoes are another thing.  I know you ladies love your 5″ heels, but keep a sturdy pair of flats with you just in case.  You don’t want to walk miles home teetering, stumbling and hurting yourself.

Since I’m in the market for a pair of hiking boots, I’d like to get suggestions from you!  I like low boots that are comfortable.  Leather isn’t a must but they definitely need to be waterproof.  Comment and share your picks!

My hometown paper, The Delaware Gazette wrote a very flattering article about me, my store Provisions and Survivallady.com.  Thanks to Kate Liebers, staff writer for the Gazette, for being interested and helping to spread the word about preparedness.

Gazette Page 1

Gazette Continued Article

Remember:  water, food, shelter, first-aid.  Preparedness is the point!

As a prepper, I often think of ways I could die.  Okay, not in a morbid way.  I don’t think about the dying part, just the ways.  I always think to myself that I’d rather know how I could go.  I don’t like surprises.

What are the chances?  Do you ask yourself that in respect to emergencies that could happen?  Do you know what the leading causes of death in the United States are?  Here’s the list:

1.  Heart disease

2.  Cancer

3.  Chronic lower respiratory diseases

4.  Stroke

5.  Accidents

6.  Alzheimer’s disease

7.  Diabetes

8.  Influenza and Pneumonia

9.  Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis (kidney disease)

10.  Suicide

You must live in a cave if you don’t realize how dangerous heart disease is.  Survival Lady recently started on a new healthy living plan and I’m happy to report that I’ve lost six pounds so far.  You know how I’m doing it?  I’m not following a diet.  I eat Greek yogurt for breakfast – some days I treat myself to a Sonic burrito.  Okay, how many of you love those like I do?  I have a microwave meal for lunch, either Lean Cuisine, Kashi or one of those types.  Then I eat whatever I want for dinner.  It’s the in-between that’s the key.  I bring bags of frozen vegetables to the store.  Zap them for a few minutes and you have a healthy, filling snack that you don’t have to prepare.  You could cut up carrots and celery at home, but frankly I have a streak of laziness in me and I always end up not doing it.  Even the veggie packs with “sauce” are around 100 calories.  If you’re hungry, eat two!  I always treat myself at night with a small piece of chocolate or a cookie.  I also eat a lot of fruit throughout the day.  Bananas and kiwi are the best for sweet cravings.

So, seeing that health issues are the leading cause of death, should you just forget about disasters, emergencies and the like because they happen so infrequently?  Only 1:3357 are killed by natural forces yearly.  1:246 die just falling down.  Shocking isn’t it?

Just as we all need to eat a healthy diet, we also need to be prepared for disasters.  Since you can prepare, it would be tragic if you lived without ever killing yourself by falling down and then died in a disaster.  The odds are in your favor, keep them that way.

When looking at bags for my store I came across the Tough Traveler brand.  They’re made in New York, by a woman owned company.  What’s cool about them is they’re made strong, are chiropractor recommended and they don’t look like men’s bags.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to look like I’m in the army.  I wanted a bag that had lots of carrying space, but still looked feminine.

Today, I’m offering an all-in-one evacuation pack.  Everything you need to evacuate your home for a few days.  Add your own personal items and you’ll be ready whenever disaster strikes.

You get all this for $198.99:

Tough Traveler Super Padre (size medium)

Mountain House Entrees – 3

Datrex 2400 Calorie Ration

Datrex Pouch Water – 4

Katadyn Water Purification Tablets

N95 Masks – 2

Waterproof Matches and Case

Emergency Trowel

Mini Travel Fishing Kit

Fire Starters

Emergency Whistle

Klenz Bath Towel

Hand Warmers – 2

Toe Warmers – 2

Gatorade Rehydration Powder

LED Flashlight

OFF Insect Repellant

Sun-x Sunscreen – 2

Emergency Blanket

Emergency Poncho

If you’re interested in this custom made evacuation kit, email your name and address to getprovisions@gmail.com.

I will send you a paypal invoice right away.  Or message me on the Provisions’ Facebook page.

Provisions’ Facebook Page

Hard Winter Wheat is a favorite among preppers for it’s long storage life.  Most have also bought an accompanying grinder, hoping to make bread during a survival situation.  Often people stop by my store bragging about how much grain they have tucked away, just waiting for an emergency so it can be transformed into bread, the cornerstone of a Western diet.  But is it?  How often do you have bread on the dinner table?  With us, we always have bread with pasta.  We might have meatball subs or some other sandwich type meal once in a while.  We’re just not huge bread eaters.  I often throw away moldy bread because we were busy eating rice or pasta instead.

This makes me wonder if bread is the way to go with all those wheat seeds.  I love homemade bread as much as anyone.  That fresh, yeasty smell filling the house.  The steamy, soft inside contradicting the crusty exterior.  Eating it right out of the oven is blissful, add some butter and it’s an event.  Yeast is not even necessary.  You can bake outstanding bread using a simple sourdough starter, which makes it disaster friendly.  But…there’s always another side to every story.

Baking bread takes a lot of energy.  It also takes heat.  You can bake your bread in a solar oven, which makes sense.  You can bake your bread in a dutch oven over a fire or wood stove.  There are even collapsible ovens that fit right over your propane stove burner.  You must expend some energy to bake bread.  Usually the results are well worth it, but what if you are in a situation where your fuel is limited?  This is why sprouting should be in your preparedness repertoire.

Sprouting is healthy, easy and fast.  Dried grains are seeds.  Any seed can sprout if it’s healthy.  Don’t forget oats, rice and other grains.  Just as planting seeds in the dirt produces seedlings, you can start the process in your own kitchen and benefit from the results.  We all have cans and packages of processed food, whether store bought or canned at home.  The one thing missing in a survival diet is fresh greens.  Your body needs them.  You’ll stay healthier if you eat them.  It makes good sense.

There are sprouting kits available online, especially from Sprout People.  They do a great job of walking you through all the steps.  I have no affiliation with them, I just love their site.

A glass jar with a wire mesh lid, seeds, a warm area and water and off you go.  My mom used to sprout alfalfa seeds.  She’d use a paper towel in there too, but now they have special mediums for the sprouts.  Kits are inexpensive and you can make your own very easily.  Soaked seeds have begun the germination process and are called wheat berries.  They’re just as nutritious as the actual sprouts and make a good breakfast.

Check out sprouting and add this method to your food storage plan.  Staying healthy is so important to your survival.  Prepare now and be aware.

I’ve posted a lot about CMEs (Coronal Mass Ejections), so hopefully you know the basics.  If you aren’t signed up to receive email warnings, I urge you to do so.  NASA has a great system as do other independent sites.

CMEs are not only dangerous to our delicate electrical grid and devices, but they’re harmful to our skin and eyes.  Ultraviolet rays from the sun cause direct damage to our DNA.  The body tries to replace that DNA and in the process may cause harmful malignant growths.  This is VERY serious.  There is no healthy way to color your skin with the sun.  Over time as you expose yourself, you increase your risk of certain skin cancers.

Protecting your skin is important in day-to-day life, and especially during emergencies.  There is quite a lot of debate regarding sunscreens.  Frankly, anytime you put a man made solution on your skin, there are certain risks.  But, I do advocate the use of sunscreens when necessary.  Keep it in your emergency evacuation bag and your car.  There are several handy products such as wipes and individually wrapped doses available.

One of the most important things you can carry in your bag is a sun hat.  One with a wide brim that covers all the way around – don’t forget your neck and ears!  Survival Lady made a mistake last summer and went to an outdoor event without a hat.  I received a second degree burn to my neck and the skin still hasn’t returned to normal – that was in August! Think hats, long sleeved breathable shirts, lightweight pants and don’t forget your feet!  Clothing with SPF built in are available, but regular clothing will limit the rays you receive.

Be cautious during emergencies and be aware daily to your exposure.  I limit my time outdoors when I know a large CME is expected.  Be prepared by being aware.  Simple survival.

One day late with this post.  Did you eat for survival last week?  I did, at least for the two days following my original post.  No junk food here!

Today I’m offering the amazing Emergency Padre Backpack.  Made in the USA by a woman owned company, this bag is perfect for an emergency evacuation pack.

Built with the same incredibly comfortable mini-internal frame suspension system as Tough Traveler’s chiropractor-recommended backpack series, this is very back-friendly.  Organizable pockets, superior workmanship, and premium materials make this an excellent small to mid-size backpack for search-and-rescue, first response, or events.

Regular Price:  $358.00

SPECIAL SURVIVAL LADY OFFER:

$308.00

Hurry, only one at this price.  Email through this site or getprovisions@gmail.com

SHIPPING IS FREE!

One area that I’m lacking in my preparedness lifestyle is fitness.  I’ve had three children.  I like donuts.  Enough said, right?  I’m sure there are a lot of women out there like me, that in addition to slimming down, need to increase stamina and strength.  A friend and I worked out with a trainer for a few weeks last year.  I loved it!  Unfortunately, I can’t afford to pay a personal trainer, especially for something that I could do myself with the right focus and dedication.

We all know what the key to being fit is.  Healthy eating and exercise.  For some reason the words appeal to us.  Looking at the food appeals to us.  Exerting energy to actually eat healthy and exercise, not so much.  It is true though, from my own experience, once you start exercising you want to keep going.  I find it easier to exercise and eat healthy if the people around me are doing it too.  Peer pressure is awesome!

I’d like you to join me on my journey to Get Fit For Survival.  Basically I’m weighing my desire not to embarrass myself in front of you all with my desire to keep eating donuts.  Don’t laugh – embarrassment is a powerful tool.  Every Friday I will post my progress and how I’ve eaten for that week.  If you too want to use the power of embarrassment, feel free to post your own progress in the comments section.

I’m not going to follow a diet plan.  I’m going to eat healthy foods in healthy portions.  There are countless plans you can follow on the internet.  Basically you can eat whatever you want as long as your calorie intake is less than your calorie output.  My first step will be to stop eating junk food.  It’s not like I crave donuts or chips, they’re just easy.  So, for this first week (I’m counting from today, do you think I can make it two days without junk food?) I’m giving up junk food.  Starting now.  Darn, I should have gotten a cupcake at lunch!

SURVIVAL LADY STATS

Height:  5’3”

Weight:  Stomach of a woman who’s had 3 children

Problem Area:  Middle

Exercises:  Hiking, Cardio

Goal This Week:  Give up junk food

Since my hair looked good – I’m using this as my “before” picture!