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Guest post by John A. Heatherly, author of The Survival Template

For many years preparedness never concerned me.  Military survival training, survival/backpacking gear, and a small collection of firearms sufficed as all the “prepping” I may need.  Armed with a plan that included the “Sacred Order” of survival – Shelter, Water, Fire, and Food – I never worried about much.

Author John Heatherly and son.

Fast-forward to 2010. My amazing wife gave birth to our son, our first child, and my view rapidly started to change.  Circumstances led me to quit my job to stay home with our baby while my wife continued to work.  I transformed from “Survival Expert” to “Survival-Mom-in-Training!”

Fortunately the TheSurvivalMom has helped me to update and expand my plans for the Sacred Order.  Here are some examples:

Shelter

From finances to firearms to homeschooling, the “At Home” tab has become part of my weekly routine.

Water

My family now owns a Steri-pen Sidewinder for water purification, and we are looking at the Flojak solution for well-water.

Fire

Here in sunny Florida our main use for fire would be for cooking.  The EcoZoom stoves and the Sun Oven are both attractive options for us, and in time I would like to have one of each.

Food

The tab on the upper-right entitled “The Basics” leads to the “Food” page, and it is a treasure trove:  Long-term food storage, cooking methods, recipes, food products for emergencies, and more are all listed.

In short, my philosophy of survival has always led me to seek simple, effective solutions.  Now that I am a Stay-at-Home Survival Dad, this web resource is helping me to learn and develop with my family’s needs in mind.  I probably should stop writing here – it is time to warm up another bottle of milk and execute today’s first diaper change!

Lisa’s note: You can read my review of The Survival Template here.

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