image by Liz Long

Wabi Sabi is a Japanese concept that just may help you get through life with a little more joy and a little less stress. This isn’t about buying things or learning a skill you can show others. It’s about a mindset.

I learned a little about it when I bought the children’s book, Wabi Sabi. The idea interested me, so I bought the grown up book Living Wabi Sabi.  It doesn’t translate exactly but it is about appreciating the beauty in imperfection. If you can manage to live wabi sabi, it is easier (not necessarily easy, but easier) to accept when things go wrong, or fall apart completely.

How does this relate to prepping? I find that if you accept imperfection, it is much easier to try new things. No one is perfect the first time you try something. It takes practice, and patience. I will never be a gourmet cook but that doesn’t mean I can’t make any foods well. To my shock (and my husband’s – we aren’t newlyweds), my tortillas aren’t bad. An elderly Mexican woman would probably look at me pityingly, but my family isn’t that picky.  We had lumpy ebelskiver (pancake puffs, As Seen On TV) with the filling barely inside the second time I made them – no need to discuss the first try. They tasted good, but looked weird. Next time, they’ll be even better. I could have left my worry that I would suck keep me from even trying anything more than box mixes, but I decided to try something new, no matter what the results.

image by Liz Long

Not being perfect, or even within shouting distance of it, is no reason to avoid trying something. You can love doing something you suck at, and you can hate doing something you’re great at. Don’t let your fear of failure or lack of skill keep you from trying! Just because I sing so badly that my cat has left the room in disgust doesn’t mean I should stop singing. (It does, however, mean I should sing very quietly in public and never, ever join a choir.) My general ignorance has not kept me from starting to garden. I just took classes, read books, and went online to learn about it.

Wabi sabi means appreciating that your chipped tooth (or your child’s) is a reminder of falling out of a tree. There is no reason to rush out to get it ground down to “perfect.” It means enjoying the wildflowers that grew where you didn’t expect them to, a dead tree lying across a stream, and the site of the snow melt running down a hillside. It also means savoring the imperfections that come from handmade items, whether it’s the rough texture of a clay tea pot, the bubbles in blown glass, or the unevenness of something hand knit.

image by Liz Long

A dead tree covered in fungus lying across a tiny stream sounds, well, kind of gross, but if you look at it, it is really a lovely part of the scenery. The fungus is oddly beautiful in its own right and the light color contrasts with the dark bark. It is far from perfect, and yet that is what makes it worth looking at. Would a perfectly plain, perfectly round, perfectly clean concrete pipe in the same location be worth looking at? I don’t think it would be half as interesting.

Does it matter if your herbs and vegetables get all mixed up and aren’t in neat rows? Does it matter if your “tortillas” look more like pancakes because they’re so thick? Does it matter if your loved one gets a small stack of presents, or even just one, on their birthday if they get what they really want?

Does it matter if your kids plant the garden seeds and they are all mixed up instead of being in neat rows? Does it really need to be perfect, or is good enough really good enough?

To be clear, wabi sabi definitely is not an excuse for slovenliness, but it is a much more relaxed world-view. Some things do need to be perfect or darn close to it. Can you imagine if the plumber almost finished your whole-house re-pipe or the doctor read half your chart? But for the rest of it, can’t we all use a little less to worry about, and a little more to enjoy?

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money at the nursery buying seedlings for your spring garden.  With some advance planning, you can sprout your own seedlings at home, which is cheaper and will provide the greatest variety.  Here are some of Kay’s best tips.

Do a bit of research to find seeds of plants you’ll love. I go with heritage seeds but if you want to use hybrid and just stock their heritage seeds that works too.

Each year I mix up a few new varieties. I love the Black Krim Tomato it has an awesome sweet flavor. It’s pretty hardy weather wise but it’s really susceptible to blight.

I live in North East Massachusetts so I usually start my seed starting process in Mid February. I use the peat moss pellet trays by Jiffy. You can get them at Home Depot or Lowe’s for about 8.00 each.

Just wet the pellets down according to directions. Let each pellet absorb water for a few minutes then take a spoon and open the mesh on each pellet.

Sort out the seeds you plan on planting by how long they take to sprout. This will determine which plants you will put together.

I then label the trays so I know which row has what plant in it. Then I will poke a hole in each pellet ( the seed packs will tell you how deep) . Depending on the seed I will either put 2 or 3 seeds in each pellet. 3 for smaller seeds 2 for larger (cucumber or pumpkin)

When the whole tray is full place the clear dome back on top and tape in place then put in a warm dark place. I have a hallway on my top floor that is dark and has a corner of baseboard heat my seeds love it.

I then stack the trays on top of each other. My garden is decent in size and I gift plants so I usually have about 5 trays of seeds.

I then keep an eye on the seedlings. The peat pellets should always be damp, but the taped on plastic greenhouse domes should keep the moisture in. When the majority of the tray is sprouted, uncover the tray and put it in direct sunlight. I use a TV table and put it right up to a window this will hold 2 trays this way. Every other day rotate which tray is closest to the window pane.

Keep the trays like this, watering them carefully every other day. You want them only slightly moist not wet. Don’t let the peat moss get dry. I just take the tray to the sink and turn the water pressure on a little and use the water sprayer. It’s easy and fast.

image by derrickpubliclibrary

Once the plants have 2 sets of real leaves (besides the leaves that sprouted) you can transplant the seedlings. For Tomatoes, zucchini and pumpkins I go to the dollar store and get one gallon pots, all my other plants go in the large party cups you can get at any party store, target, or grab the leftovers from family parties. I think they are 20 oz or so. They are the perfect size for all the other plants.

This is where you have to pick your plant. Where you planted 2-3 seeds earlier you may have 2 -3 plants. Oh no. Well pick your champion. Pick the biggest leaves, greenest plant or just go with your gut but pinch the others off. The 2 plants will not be happy together.

Some plants may be “stemmy”. Say you have a tomato with a really long thin stem. When I transplant it I will put a tiny scoop of dirt in the cup then I put the pod in the cup then I will fill the cup to the top. Don’t try to bend the stem it will most likely snap. (I’ve learned this the hard way)

This year I splurged on growing lights. Don’t bother. The cups I put on the window sills grew better. So I literally line every window sill in my home with cups of plants. The cups I use fit perfectly. By the time the fear of frost is over your plants will be huge! You will be the envy of the neighborhood.

The important part is getting your plants use to the outdoors (hardening). Day 1 take the plants outdoors and put in the shade and in a less windy area of your yard for a 2-3 hours. Day 2 another shady spot out of the wind increase to 6 hours. Day 3 -7 the same. Then slowly start allowing them to be exposed to more direct sunlight.

Some suggest the hardening process should take up to 2 weeks some say a week. I usually go towards the 2 week limit; watching the plants and weather. If it’s really warm or cold adjust how long the plant is outdoors.

If the plant starts to look white don’t worry just take it back indoors. It’s usually either windburn or sunburn and the plant can easily heal itself. It just means that the plant was not ready to be exposed directly to the elements yet.

I would say on a whole from a pack of seeds I usually see a success rate of 70%. Every once in awhile I will see a whole pack of seeds do nothing so you can get a “dud” as I would say. That’s why when picking a veggy I usually get a few varieties.

Also always keep the envelops your seeds come in,when you go to plant them follow the planting guide. It’s tempting to fit more plants in but you will regret it when you are in peak season and trying to squish in between your plants.

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by ginnerobot

Here’s a fun way you can replicate that idea in a budget-friendly gift idea.  Put together a collection of your family’s own favorite things and items that represent the best parts of the past year.  These could be favorite foods you’ve discovered, a gift card to your favorite restaurant, photos of some of your family’s favorite memories for the year, a favorite CD or DVD or a product you’ve fallen in love with.

My own box of favorite things for this year will include:

• a box of Kodiak Cakes mix
• Patriotsby James Wesley Rawles
• photos of my kids on their swim team
• a gift card to Chipotle. On all our family travels this year, we ate plenty of Chipotle burritos and loved it!
• waterproof matches.  Sounds silly, but the kids and I tested them, and they really work!
• a pillowcase sewn by my daughter.  She learned how to sew this year and loves it.
• a gift card to a bowling alley (We re-discovered this fun sport just recently.)
• half-pound of See’s California Brittle
• a copy of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.  Our family has loved the entire Percy Jackson series.
• recipes for two favorite main dishes I discovered this year

Get the idea?  This can be a whole family project with each person contributing and there’s no limit when it comes to creativity.  The gifts can be handmade or homemade and don’t have to cost a dime, and if you’ll be mailing this across the miles, it’s possible to put everything in a flat-rate envelope. Plus, deciding what to include brings back lots of fond memories.

There’s still time to put this together.  It might be the best gift your family has given!

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by tarap

Every week, it seems, I get questions from readers asking how they can connect with other preparedness-minded people in their neighborhoods and towns.  It’s not an easy dilemma because most preppers don’t want to be found!

Over the holidays it’s likely that you’ll be spending time with more friends and family than usual.  This is an ideal time to find out if any of them are like-minded.  Try one of these conversation starters and see what happens.  We’d love to hear the results, so please report back in the comment section!

1. We watched “Doomsday Preppers” on TV the other night.  Have you seen it?  What did you think?
2. I’ve been thinking about learning how to can my own vegetables.
3. Do you happen to know if our town allows backyard chickens?
4. Some of the Christmas grocery store sales have been so good that I’ve been stocking up on a lot of things.  Have you been doing that?
5. Have you ever thought about what your family would do if you (or your spouse) ever lost your job?
6. I’m thinking of joining a Meet-Up group of people who are into preparing for the next hurricane/tornado/disaster.  Would you want to come along?
7. …Be creative!  What conversation starter can you come up with?

And, if these questions are met with ridicule or a blank stare, you can quickly fill in that awkward silence with one of these:

1. What do you think of Snooki’s weight loss?  Doesn’t she look awesome??
2. So what do you think?  Was Beyonce really pregnant this year or was she just faking it?
3. Are you excited for the next American Idol season?
4. Are Bella and Edward the most romantic couple ever or what?

Some people will never, ever be able to admit to themselves that the future is uncertain.  They’re the ones who believe the news reports telling us that the recession is over and the housing market is on an upswing.  They’ll continue to believe in a mirage as long as possible. Don’t waste your time trying to convince them otherwise.

The smartest thing to do is sort through your friends and family members, find out who might be on board and to what extent, and then begin spending time together.  Sharing ideas and information will help you extend your circle of prepper friends, and ultimately, those people may be the key to your family’s survival.

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

Not everyone has the means or ability to decorate, however.  Is there a senior citizen in your neighborhood or a family struggling to make ends meet who would love a strand or two of lights scattered around their front yard?  An inexpensive wreath and window decals can add a touch of extra Christmas spirit to a hospital room or the smallest apartment.  You might even have an unwanted artificial tree sitting in the garage or attic that might be an appreciated gift to someone who won’t be able to afford a real one.

photo by krisdecurtis

And don’t forget families who celebrate Hanukkah.  Blue and white lights, a box of Hanukkah candles, and, of course, a plate of homebaked goodies spread the real meaning of the season.

Another way to enjoy the holiday lights is to give a homemade certificate to the “First Place Winner” among all the homes decorated in your neighborhood.  Last year we handed out two certificates, left them by the front doors, actually, to the two homes we thought had the best light displays.  It was fun biking around our neighborhood, and then having a family pow-wow in the freezing temperatures to make our final choices!

This season can be one of beauty, warm memories, and excitement, but this year, there are thousands of newly unemployed people, and more families than ever who won’t have money for gifts and all the other holiday traditions of the past.  This Christmas, more than ever, let’s all look for ways to light up someone’s holiday.

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by stuartpilbrow

Our kids always look forward to unpacking our collection of holiday books.  During the month of December, we keep them in a basket in the family room, ready for a read-aloud or a quiet read-alone.   This is the season to enjoy some really terrific books as a family.  Trust me.  Your kids will love a nightly reading time as they cuddle up in blankets, nibble on popcorn or cookies and listen to Mom or Dad read.

If you don’t have many, or any, holiday books, you can visit the library, borrow from friends, download on Kindle, or purchase.  Any day now, your library’s shelves will be emptied of every book related to Hanukkah and Christmas, so don’t wait!  Grab your library card and make a book run!  Not surprisingly, Amazon has a huge selection with prices generally lower than bookstores.

One more way to enjoy these books for free is to use your library’s electronic audiobooks.  Depending on the book, you can either download it onto your computer, turn up the volume, and listen, or burn your own CDs. You can read all the details here.

The nice thing about these books is that they never get old.  We read them only during the month of December, and pack them away until next year.  Here are a few books my kids have been enjoying for years.

• The Christmas Crocodile by Bonnie Becker
• The Polar Express by Chris van Allsburg (the movie creeps them out, but we watch it anyway)
• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
• The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg
• Who is Coming to Our House? by Joseph Slate
• Louisa May Alcott’s Christmas Treasury
• The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
• Bah!  Humbug?  by Lorna Balian
• The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by ReUse Photos

Marjory Wildcraft of Backyard Food Production knows pretty much all there is to know about gardening and has just produced this video, “Cheap and Simple Worm Composting.”  If you’re a beginning gardener, a compost pile is a good place to start, especially now since it can sometimes take a few months for the compost to develop, depending on your climate.

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

Day 1, A new craft for your kids

Make the most of your kids’ Christmas vacation …or Winter Holiday or Solstice Observation Days or whatever term your local school district is using these days!  Your kids have about fourteen uninterrupted days at home, and no doubt you’ll start hearing complaints about boredom and how there’s nothing to do.  Start planning ahead right now to teach them at least one new craft skill that might also help them create gifts for family members or friends.  Don’t worry about being an expert yourself.  It’s even more fun when parents and kids learn something new together!

image by shaletann

Some of the practical skills you might consider are sewing, ” target=”_blank”>knitting, macrame, leathercraft, woodworking, and string art.  I’ve seen beautiful works of art by kids of stained glass, ” target=”_blank”>mosaics, and punched tin, and many kids enjoy making their own silk flower arrangements.  Quilting, crochet, carpentry, and calligraphy are worthwhile skills that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

For supplies, check out eBay, garage sales, and Craigslist and watch for craft store coupons.  Even better, find a family friend or relative who can teach a new skill to your kids.  Before your young’uns even say the words, “I’m bored!”, be ready with craft supplies to keep them busy and productive!  If the craft has practical applications, such as knitting, so much the better.

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by jimmiehomeschoolmom

When I first began homeschooling, I thought my chosen curriculum (KONOS) would be the one to see us through high school.  It was activity based with lots and lots of great ideas for every unit, as well as an emphasis on character building, which my 5 year-old daughter needed at the time!  (Our first unit was ‘Obedience’!)

I think we were about halfway into our second year when I noticed that one of our next assigned activities was to make handmade deerskin moccasins and pemmican.  Now, I have nothing against either of these but at the time I was running a business and had to draw the line somewhere.  Moccasins and pemmican was that line.  I simply didn’t have the time for grandiose crafts and projects every week.   I also wasn’t convinced that we were covering the most important basics by building a “castle” out of the dining room table, chairs, and bedsheets.  So, I began searching for the next “best” curriculum.

It took a couple of false starts before we found Ambleside Online, a curriculum we all love.  First, the curriculum is free.  I didn’t have to pay money for a weekly schedule of assignments in addition to a collection of books and workbooks.  Rather, we use the schedule online and track down the books we need via eBay, Kindle, and Amazon.  Since my son is following in his sister’s footsteps, I only need to buy her set of books once and then sell the books once he’s finished with them.  That’s not all, though.  My kids help put together this list of reasons why we love Ambleside.

Daughter

1. It’s a lot of reading and history, and I like both of these subjects.
2. It’s easy to understand.
3. If I work hard, I can get all my work done in four days.
4. It’s a Christian curriculum.

Son

1. It’s easy and fun.
2. I get to read a lot of adventure stories.
3. It doesn’t get boring.

Mom

1. My kids are reading real literature, like the original Mary Poppins, Oliver Twist, King Arthur, and other top-notch books that are rarely used in the public school system anymore.  They aren’t intimidated by these titles or under the impression that anything more difficult than Captain Underpants is beyond their ability.
2. Their written and verbal vocabularies are amazing.
3. I use the weekly schedule online to create individual, daily schedules that I can adapt to whatever is going on in our lives at the moment.
4. Four-day school weeks are entirely possible.
5. The curriculum includes art history, drawing lessons, classical music, foreign languages, hymn/folk song studies, physical education, biographies, memory work, nature studies, Latin, Shakespeare, Plutarch, and poetry.  Got all that?  The variety of what my kids are learning is impressive, and there are no workbooks!
6. Ambleside is based on the techniques, practices, and in some cases, the actual books used by educator Charlotte Mason in her schools.  The more I read of her philosophy, the more I found myself nodding in agreement.  For example, she believed it was important for kids to verbally summarize what they learn and have read long before they’re assigned written summaries.  Coming from the public school system, I was exceedingly familiar with the difficulty kids have with summarizing information in their own words, and Charlotte’s method makes so much more sense.
7. My kids scarcely know what a textbook is.  They learn most things from “living books” written not by a committee of adults who haven’t taught real kids in a real classroom in more than a decade.  They do use textbooks for math (Math-U-See) and Latin.
8. I’m learning right along with them.  I’ve been reading the original Marco Polo to my son, and I love learning something new!

If you’re considering homeschooling or are taking a second look at your own curriculum, spend some time learning about Ambleside Online.  I’ll be happy to answer questions via email or your comments.

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by D'Arcy Norman

Sometimes I find myself taking on more responsibility around the house than I really should, especially with kids who are 10 and 12 years old.  Now that most kids around the country will soon be on holiday break, or Christmas break, if your school is politically incorrect, there’s no reason for they can’t jump in and help with your preparedness efforts.  After all, within just 2 or 3 days, they’ll be whining, “I’m bored!”  Here are a few tasks that will keep them busy and build a sense of teamwork and shared responsibility in your home.

1. Put them in charge of organizing your pantry and food storage areas.  If you have boxes of #10 cans from one of the many food storage companies out there, such as Shelf Reliance, they can easily write a list on the outside of the box telling what’s inside.
2. Assign them the duty of rotating groups of food by bringing the back cans to the front.
3. Along the same lines, hand them black Sharpies and tell them to circle the expiration dates on food and other supplies.
4. Older kids can find new recipes that use only foods in your pantry and prepare them for meals.
5. Kids of all ages can go through their closets, drawers, and pile of shoes and look for items that are too small or that they don’t like.  Decluttering is a huge step in being better prepared, and why should you do all the work?
6. Have each kid prepare their own Bug Out Bag.  They can use this list and get your approval before actually packing the duffel bag, backpack, or other satchel.
7. If you live near sporting goods stores such as R.E.I., Cabela’s, or a Bass Pro Shop, older kids can go to their websites or call the store directly and find out what classes might be scheduled during the holiday break.  Typically, these types of stores offer classes in Dutch oven cooking, orienteering, fly fishing, wilderness survival, and a lot more.
8. If your kid is tech-savvy, have him or her transfer favorite tunes from CDs to an MP3 player or iPod.  Then, store the player in a Farraday cage.
9. Assign them the task of putting together a vehicle emergency kit.
10. Every day is a good day to begin learning a new skill.  Boys and girls can learn to knit, sew, embroider, and so much more.  Look for training videos online, acquire the necessary supplies, and then tell them to get busy.  You, as the parent or grandparent, don’t need to know everything.  Instead, think about skills as a pool that everyone contributes to.

Assign several of these tasks and then sit back, relax, and eat a few bonbons.

*I heard my mom use this phrase, “No rest for the wicked,” throughout my childhood, but it wasn’t until just this week that I bothered to research its origin.  Turns out it’s a quote from the Bible as well as the title of songs, short stories, books, albums, and even a webcomic.

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.