5 Years Left To Live

Prepping generally means thinking about end of the world scenarios, like a zombie apocalypse, nuclear war, earth-destroying climate change, etc. So lately I've been seriously pondering this question:

If I only had five years left to live, what would I want to do with that time?

Who would I want to spend those five years with? What would I want to do? What would I want to experience? Who would I want to experience it with? How would I want to live?

These questions can really stir up some deep shit. But it's got me thinking: we really should live each day like it's our last, at least when it comes to loving the people in our lives. Maybe a zombie apocalypse will never happen. But tomorrow I could easily get hit by a bus, fall in the shower and crack open my skull, have a heart attack, or just keel over and die because the Big G has decided it's my time.

So I'm going to make more of an effort to be kinder, gentler and more loving toward all the people who matter to me. If I get eaten by a zombie tomorrow, I want them to remember me as someone who showed them all the love I felt in my heart.

I know, I know. It sounds like sappy bullshit, and it's not really my usual style. But I've been thinking that it's time for a change: less hardass, more heartfelt.

Thank You, Stranger

I'd like to say thank you to a stranger from the supermarket.

You were a male (presumably single judging by the contents of your shopping cart). We passed each other a few times in the aisles, and you always made eye contact and smiled at me. It wasn't a creepy I'm-going-to-throw-you-in-the-back-of-my-van-and-then-drive-to-a-deserted-spot smile. It was a nice I'm-a-man-and-recognize-you-as-a-woman smile. The last time we passed each other you gave me a wink, and I grinned back at you.

Even though I'm not wearing my wedding rings (can't fit them back on my fingers yet), I'm sure you knew I wasn't single (if you saw the diapers and man-food bratwursts in my cart). But it was still nice to be acknowledged as an attractive woman, especially since I feel mostly like a post-partum lump.

So thank you, nice stranger, for adding a little extra ego boost to my day.

Review: TheSurvivalistBlog.Net

I have a few survival/prepper blogs that I read on a regular basis, and one of these is TheSurvivalistBlog.Net. It's a nice comprehensive blog with lots of good advice, interesting opinion, and an overall adherence to the theme (unlike my blog, which intermixes parenting chat with prepper talk!).

M.D. Creekmore at TheSurvivalistBlog.Net does a nice job of staying on top of comments to his blog posts, thus creating a real sense of "community" among his regular readers. One of my favorite features is his "What Did You Do To Prep This Week" post, which gives me a little insight into what other preppers are doing on a weekly basis to add to their stockpiles, their knowledge or their skills. It also serves as a weekly reminder to me that I need to start doing something instead of just reading about it!

As someone who believes in the value of firearms (How else am I going to kill zombies?), I also appreciate M.D.'s occasional focus on weaponry. His posts are generally informative and interesting, and they give me a chance to think of firearms in survival terms (rather than just as recreation).

My only complaint--and it's a minor one--is that I'd love for him to focus on food storage a little bit more. I guess because that's where my interest is the most, and that's the thing I have the biggest problem organizing. Gear I can just toss in a corner until I need it, but food expires, and I haven't yet mastered the FIFO principle.

Overall, though, TheSurvivalistBlog.Net mostly keeps me inspired. Inspired to build my stockpile. Inspired to develop my skills. And inspired to expand my knowledge.

Water Storage

Most emergency organizations recommend that families keep 1-2 weeks of water on hand for possible emergency scenarios. Hurricanes, blizzards and other natural disasters could all interrupt the typical person's water supply.

Though I am always conscious that water is essential to life, Hubby is never really concerned about water storage. We have a well (though no backup generator), a spring within walking distance on a family member's property, a public creek within walking distance, and we live in an area of the country that tends to get at least some precipitation every month.

Nonetheless, I think we need to have some water stored for possible short-term emergencies. Why haul water from a spring for a short 2-week interruption in power?

I generally keep a case of water bottles on hand just for personal consumption. But to add to this water storage, I also purchased a few 5-gallon jugs of water (like the type used in water coolers in office buildings). In the near future I plan to get a manual pump that will allow me to pump water from these jugs without actually having to pour it out. These jugs are made from a safe plastic, they hold up well over time (as opposed to the gallon jugs of water sold by supermarkets), and they're easy to move. I think they'll probably be safe for 5 years or so before I have to replace them.

So for short-term water storage, I recommend 5-gallon water cooler jugs. They're convenient, portable and safe (though a bit pricey).

My Job

As a Stay At Home Mom, I sometimes feel like I don't have a "real" job.

And spare me the "Being a mom IS a real job" comment. Rationally, I know that being a mom is tough work. I'm expected to be a nanny, a chef, a nurse, a psychologist, a garbage collector, a maid, a personal organizer, a captive audience, a taxi cab driver, a coach, etc etc etc.

But understand this: when I was a teen, I always imagined myself going off to a big corner office dressed in a feminine but professional business suit and carrying an expensive but understated briefcase. I saw myself eating power lunches, managing big meetings, and making big deals... all with the help of my assistant, of course.

I did NOT imagine myself up to my elbows in my infant's poopy diaper while my toddler stuffs wads of toilet paper into her dirty potty and dinner burns to a black crisp in the oven.

I've decided that, to combat the blues I've been feeling lately, that I need a purpose. Some sort of job aside from "diaper changer" and "milk provider." So I've decided to focus on saving money. Since Hubby is taking a paycut anyway, we need to tighten our belts a bit. I'm going to start employing some smarter shopping strategies--and cut way back on my own spending--to help reduce our household expenses.

Thus, I am designating myself the CFO of my household. Hopefully, a little bit of focus on this job will result in a big reduction in our expenses.

Functional Versus Appearance

One of the reasons I workout is because I want to be physically prepared if the fecal matter ever hits the proverbial spinning blades. If I have to bugout on foot and pack-carry my kid for miles and miles or chop wood for my woodstove or grow my own food, then I want to be in the best physical condition possible. Running from zombies is a lot easier if you're already a runner. The slow ones turn into zombie food, you know?

But at the same time, a nice set of flat abs, shapely legs and a tight ass are also a goal for me.

So I've been wrestling with the question: which types of exercises should I focus on? Those that will help me develop my functional muscles, or those that will best sculpt my body?

I am thinking I'll try to have a mix of the two. So my workouts will consist of:

Cardio (which we all know is the #1 rule from Zombieland): Probably mostly running, maybe some swimming (not useful against zombies, but fun for me)

Weight training: It's the absolute best way to sculpt a body

Martial arts practice: Practical and fun

Bodyweight exercises (pushups, squats, etc): Helps develop functional muscles

Though at this point, it's probably moot. After a few glasses of wine last night, I'm in no shape to hit the treadmill today.

On The Road Again

Well, not the road. Technically, back on the treadmill.

My doc has given me the "all clear" (his words: "You have no restrictions"), so there seems to be no reason to avoid exercise. As a result, and because I am absolutely determined to get my old body back, I've been gearing up to start running again.

However, I am still babying my body a bit (I still feel some belly twinges on occasion), and it's been quite a while since I've really been exercising regularly. So I'm easing into it with the Couch-to-5k running program from CoolRunning.com.

My venture back into fitness luckily coincides with my recent new smartphone acquisition. So I've got lots of cool fitness and running apps I can download to totally geek-out my exercise experience.

I've also cleaned out my basement and set-up all my workout gear, which includes a treadmill, elliptical, recumbant stationary bike, a weight bench, Olympic weights, dumbbells, a stability ball and a lever machine. (I'm serious about my home gym.) I still need Hubby to hang the heavy bag and the speed bag, but I have enough gear ready to do some decent workouts.

Now all I need is the motivation to put down my glass of wine and lace up my sneakers...

Solo Savings at the Supermarket

I am convinced that the reason my grocery bill is so high--and damn, it's really high--has less to do with rising food prices and more to do with my husband.

My philosophy toward grocery shopping is this: stock up when it's on sale.

For example, yesterday 6-packs of bottled Coke were on sale for $2 at the store. This is pretty much as low as the price ever gets where I shop. Although we don't drink a ton of soda, we do keep it on hand for mixers and the occasional party. I would have bought at least 10 packs for that price, knowing that Coke doesn't expire quickly.

Hubby, on the other hand, is more of a buy-what-you-need shopper. To him, 10 packs seemed excessive. So we compromised with 3 packs, and I walked away knowing that I'll end up buying Coke at full price in the near future, because we'll need it before it goes on sale again.

Since we're typically shopping in a crowded supermarket with two cranky kids, I didn't feel like arguing with Hubby at the time about the merits of 10 packs of Coke versus 3 packs. But when the same situation happened with canned soup, I made a decision: it's time to shop alone.

I sat Hubby down last night and explained that I can cut our grocery bill by 25% if I tackle the supermarket alone. I described my shopping philosophy. He is skeptical, to say the least. But I am determined to make it work. Our grocery bill is starting to reach unacceptable levels.

Why My Kid Didn't Like Her Christmas Gift

For Christmas, P received a play kitchen. You know, the kind with an oven and refrigerator and stove, and a bundle of accessories like pots and pans and play food. It isn't a super fancy one, but it has all the basics plus a few bells and whistles.

Anyway, my kid barely plays with it. I mean, she hardly touches the thing AT ALL.

I was speculating as to the possible reason for her disinterest in her Christmas gift, when Hubby said, "It's probably because she has no idea what to do with it."

This, of course, was a jab at the lack of food preparation that occurs in my household. Unfortunately, he's probably right. Unless I'm struck by the rare and unlikely desire to cook, most of the meals I make involve spreading a substance between two slices of bread (aka PB&Js) or opening a take-out Chinese container.

I actually CAN cook. It would not faze me to make a homemade apple pie (with everything made from scratch), and a friend once referred to me as "the mac and cheese master." I can make a pretty decent batch of mashed potatoes, and comfort foods like tuna noodle casserole are a cinch. My soups are always edible, and they actually taste pretty good most of the time. However, I'm no gourmet, and I do have plenty of failures in the kitchen. About 50% of the time, Hubby's reaction to my cooking is "Yuck."

So I've decided to start cooking more. For one thing, this will save us money (a must since Hubby will soon have a pay cut). In addition, if the excrement ever hits the rotating blades, cooking will be a useful skill (especially if we end up living off of home-grown produce and wild game). And finally, I want my kids to learn how to cook, and they won't unless they see me doing it.

I did give Hubby fair warning: I told him he better get used to my cooking, because I'm going to be doing it more. His reaction wasn't exactly positive. Rather than enthusiasm at the money we'll save, I sensed...resignation.

Quick & Dirty Update

Been busy, but here's a quick and dirty update on my life:

• Hubby taking a new job soon. Shorter commute but less $$, so we're doing some belt-tightening around here.

• P's potty training is progressing nicely. She insists on being bare-assed all day long, but usually makes it to the potty (only 2-3 "misses" per day). As of now, she gets a "potty present" for every successful event in the potty. I'd love some advice for how to wean her off these rewards.

• R is still sleeping good at night (thank God!). She continues to be a pretty good baby (knock-on-wood), and I'm grateful for that.

• Prepping has basically been on hold lately. All of our extra income has been going to other things... the house, the kids, etc. I have been buying some small things for my EDC, like a little knife for my keychain, a split pea lighter for my keychain, and a new keychain flashlight.
  

A Haiku

A Blessing

Two kids both asleep
at the same time. Oh, the sweet
sound of quiet naps.