1. Mike Bogden, inventor of the FlashLantern, is offering a $20 discount on his FlashLantern/LED flashlight combination for $69.95.  This offer runs through Memorial Day, May 28.
2. Sun Ovens International recently expanded its Group Buy Program to make it easier and less expensive for groups to obtain Sun Ovens. If you have ever considered a Sun Oven Group Buy, now is the time. With this Group Buy program one person can register a group and obtain a group discount. Group members can place an order online at the Group Buy and a SUN OVEN will be sent directly to their home. The savings is huge and no one needs to collect money or process orders for the group.

   To obtain additional information visit:  http://www.sunoven.com/sun-oven-group-buy-program

3. Our newest sponsor, Be Prepared Now, has a kit of 27 varieties of Non-Hybrid Survival Vegetable Seeds packed in a heat-sealed mylar bag available for $44.99.  They also have a Waterproof First Aid Kit, which includes sutures, for $22.49.  Shipping is always free.  Use the coupon code SURVIVALMOM for 10% off your purchase.

4. Speaking of sutures, my friends, Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy, offer suturing classes at all Self-Reliance Expos.  My husband took the class last weekend and was the star pupil, at least that’s my opinion!  Dr. Bones is an effective and exacting teacher and this couple is committed to teaching others about the importance of learning, “collapse medicine.”  They’ll be teaching this class at Expos in Dallas, Mesa, Arizona, and Hickory, North Carolina.
5. I’m currently working with Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy to produce a “Survival Mom Medical Kit”, and you can bet it will include clove oil!  Check out this article.
6. There are two new survival books out that would make nifty Father’s Day gifts.  I just received them yesterday, so I can’t give a full review, but The Ultimate Survival Manual is from the Editors of Outdoor Life.  It’s a very handsome book, with full-color photos throughout, and it offers “333 Skills That will Get You Out Alive.”  Fun!  The second book is, The Total Outdoorsman Manual.  It’s from the editors of Field & Stream.  This one offers, “374 Skills You Need.”  I don’t see  how you could go wrong with either book!
7. While I was at the Self-Reliance Expo in Colorado Springs, I got to meet Becky Brown, an enterprising young woman, who not only appeared in Doomsday Preppers but has started her own company that sells Grab n Go Buckets.  These buckets are super quick-easy 72 Hour Kits, not intended to be the ultimate in food storage, but still, something stored in a compact container that could be stored right next to your Bug Out Bag.

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

Next weekend, May 18 and 19, the Freedom Financial Services Center in Colorado Springs will be buzzing with thousands of families searching for strategies and tools to become more self-reliant.  I’m excited to be a part of this event, the Self-Reliance Expo.

The line-up of speakers is simply amazing.  Here is just a sample of what is scheduled for one of three stage areas:

Friday May 18th
10-10:45   Kellene Bishop: 10 principles of preparedness
11-11:45   Lisa Bedford: No Man is an Island: How to Get Your Whole Family Involved with Preparedness
12-12:45   Dr. David Christopher: Self Reliant Health- Healing through Knowledge & Truth
1-1:45   Alan Madison: National Geographic’s Dooms Day Preppers. Open Mic Q&A
2-2:45   Patrice Lewis: Going Country — Moving Rural for Self-Reliance
3-3:45   Jackie Clay: Living a more self reliant lifestyle
4-4:45   Ron Douglas: What is Self-Reliance…. and where do I even start
5-5:45   Darren Craddock: Staying Healthy in a Crisis Situation
6-6:45   Dr Bones/ Nurse Amy: The Survival Medic: Basics of Collapse Medicine

Saturday May 19th
9-9:45   Kellene Bishop: 10 principles of preparedness
10-10:45   Alan Madison: National Geographic’s Dooms Day Preppers. Open Mic Q&A
11-11:45   Women of Prepping: Key Note
12-12:45   Women of Prepping: Key Note
1-1:45 Dr Done/ Nurse Amy: The Survival Medic: Likely Medical Issues in a Collapse
2-2:45 Karen Hood: Instinctive Survival and Preparedness
3-3:45 Ann Haney: 4 Key Steps to Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur and Raising Entrepreneurial Children
4-4:45 Patrice Lewis: Going Country — Moving Rural for Self-Reliance
5-5:45 Appleseed: 3 strikes of the match
6-6:45 Jackie Clay: Living a more self reliant lifestyle

And that’s on just one of the stages!  I’ll be speaking about getting started with homeschooling on Saturday and other sessions include basic bread baking, using essential oils for health, heirloom seeds and gardening, and tons more.  I’m going to be very hard pressed to stay at my Survival Mom table, where I’ll be signing books. I hope you’ll stop by and introduce yourself!

In addition to all this great information and training, you’ll get to experience a huge exhibition hall filled with vendors and even a Kids Korner.  The whole event is just $10 per person for both days.

If you don’t happen to live near Colorado Springs, there are upcoming events in Dallas on July 28 – 28, Hickory, NC, on September 14 -15, and Mesa, Arizona on October 26 -27.

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

If you live anywhere near Northwest Arkansas, I hope you’ll visit me at the Popular Mechanics Home Safety Prep Show on Saturday, March 24!  I will also be at the events in Houston on June 2, and in New Orleans on June 23.

I’ll be talking about, “10 Things Every Mom Needs To Know About Preparing for the Worst” and would love to meet you!  My books will be available for sale, and I’ll be there to sign them!

Here’s the lowdown.

The Arkansas event will be at The Holiday Inn and Convention Center in Springdale, Arkansas, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  There is an amazing and impressive line-up of speakers (besides myself!): Colby Donaldson, host of Top Shot, Chris Grundy of Cool Tools, and Mykel Hawke, star of Man, Woman, Wild.  (Can you see why they also invited me??  They needed a calm, female influence!)  You’ll also be treated to a huge expo of products and services related to safety and survival.

Tickets are only $6, but if you order your tickets in advance and use the coupon code ‘survivalmom’, you get a $1 discount.  Kids under 18 are free!

I am beyond excited about being a part of this event and hope to see tons of my readers there!  Be sure to visit my Survival Mom table and introduce yourself!  (Look for the colorful banner!)

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by jurvetson

I’ve been waiting for today for nearly two years.  My book finally goes on sale.  I know you’ve heard about it, especially if you are on Facebook, but it’s now a reality, and you can’t imagine how much that means to me!

If you’ve already purchase the book, thank you!  Pre-orders are very much appreciated by my publisher.  If you haven’t bought the book yet but want to, today is Book Bomb Day.  I learned a while back from James Rawles on Survival Blog that the first day a book is released is key when it comes to Amazon rankings.  If my book has been on your wish list, today is the day to press, “Add to Cart!” or jump in the car and head for one of these bookstores.

You’ll find my book at Barnes & Noble online and in these bookstores around the country:

• Barnes & Noble
• Books-a-Million
• Brookline Booksmith
• IndieBound
• Politics and Prose
• Powell’s Books
• Rainy Day Books
• Tattered Cover Bookstore
• Watermark Books

A few bloggers have already reviewed the book, and I’ll be updating this list as I learn that their reviews have been posted.

• Leon Pantenburg of Survival Common Sense
• Angela at Food Storage and Survival
• Jim Cobb at Survival-Gear
• Patrice at Rural Revolution
• Tess Pennington at Ready Nutrition
• Jenifer at Fast, Cheap, and Good

If you want to learn more about the book, click here.

Thanks for your support, and I hope Survival Mom becomes a mainstay in your family’s preparedness journey.

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

We were on a nice little roll a year or so ago with my webinars, and then I took time off to write the book.  The book goes on sale Tuesday, March 13, so I’m back in the webinar saddle!

Here is the schedule for this month.  Remember, all webinars are free, no strings attached, no obnoxious time share presentation to endure.  All you have to do is show up!

March Webinars

Sunday, 3/11:  “Top Foods to Store”.  Some foods are more versatile and long lasting than others. We’ll cover the most important ones in this class.

Thursday, 3/15: “The 3 Layers of Food Storage”.  You want more than just cans of soup and SPAM!  I’ll explain how to put together a well-balanced pantry.

Sunday, 3/18:  “Let There Be Water!”  This webinar covers everything you’ll need to know about water storage, purification, and sanitation.

Thursday, 3/29:  “The Survival Mom Ask & Chat”  Show up just to ask questions, share your own ideas, and chat with other Survival Moms!

Set Your Alarm Clock!

Heads up!  Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 11!

Thursday webinars will begin at 7 p.m. CENTRAL time.  If you’re not sure what your local time will be, click here.

Sunday webinars begin at 2 p.m. CENTRAL.

How to Participate

A few minutes prior to the start time of any webinar, click on this link, http://www.gvowebcast.com/conference,11874699   That should do it!  You’ll be able to chat with others in the webinar, ask questions, and get some great ideas for your own prepredness plans, whether you’re a newbie or seasoned Survival Mom!

Put these dates and times on your calendar, and I’ll see you then!!

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

Comments for this giveaway have been disabled.  The winner of this book was Naomi.

Survival fiction must be a lot of fun for writers.  One non-fiction author I know has barely come up for air since he started his own survival novel!

This time, The Last Pilgrims offers a new twist and just by leaving a comment, you’ll be entered in a giveaway to win a free copy!  Here is a synopsis from the book’s official website and here’s a review by  Survivor Jane.

More than your typical post-apocalyptic faire, The Last Pilgrims could well be one of the most important and prescient novels of our time.  Twenty years in the future is five-hundred years in the past.  It is just two decades after the worldwide societal collapse and the Vallenses, an Amish-like “plain people” living and surviving in what was once Central Texas, are under attack by the King of Aztlan and his armies. The pacifistic Vallenses are defended by the shadowy Ghost Militia and their inspiring leader Phillip, a militant freeman who wages a guerrilla war with Aztlan.

This video clip gives you an idea of all the action packed into this book.

Leave a comment here for a chance to win your own copy of The Last Pilgrims!  It’s just one of many giveaways I have planned for you to celebrate the Grand Opening of the blog and the book launch on Tuesday, March 13!

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

Cholera, typhoid, and malaria may not exactly be on your medical radar, but over and over again these diseases, and others, raise their ugly heads when civilization collapses.  Poor sanitation, dirty water, rodents, insect infestation and crowded living quarters are facts of life in the poorest parts of the world and may become a fact of life for Americans in a worst case scenario.

The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases by the editor of the insightful Paratus Familia blog is one of the few books that I grew to like the more I read it.  I’ve consulted it for my daughter’s earache and searched it for remedies for a chronic cough.  The main intent of the book is to provide information about and treatment options for diseases we don’t see very often in our sanitized 21st century world.  However, the book also contains home remedies for symptoms such as dehydration, diarrhea, sore throat, and coughing.  In the appendices they’ve included a helpful shopping list of medical supplies, a conversion chart, and a list of recommended resource books.

One section has been written by a medical doctor, Dr. Grattan Woodson, and is devoted to influenza, a likely culprit in the event of a future pandemic.  Dr. Woodson shares suggestions for avoiding the flu in the first place, flu symptoms, and then how to treat the flu at home.  The information is excellent and helpful with any episode of the flu.

This book is particularly helpful for preppers and the survival minded because it’s written by preppers who understand the dangers of our precarious future, and it covers a wide gamut of diseases as well as everyday symptoms.  I give it a big thumbs up.

You can buy this book at Paratus Familiar Press for $21.94, which includes shipping.

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

Article by John A. Heatherly, Author of The Survival Template

image by Antonio Martinez

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to prepare is to read, and if you can find books for free on survival topics, that’s even better.

The book, Dead or Alive: The Choice is Yours – The Definitive Self-Protection Handbook, by Geoff Thompson is one of those books.  It is serialized chapter-by-chapter here at FightTimes Magazine.

Why is this book applicable?  While the subject matter is unpleasant (and not recommended for direct reading by young children) it is crucial that families consider that crime could be on the rise and predators could be increasing in numbers.  Dead or Alive addresses the PREVENTION of violent incidents by using awareness and avoidance techniques.

Thompson begins by discussing Avoidance and Awareness then continues with Attackers and Attack Rituals: Lessons Learned.  Throughout the book he discusses self-defense techniques, and closes with First Aid and Self-Defense and the Law.

The book is not intended to teach us as readers to be professional fighters.  Instead, the author presents valid, and sometimes frightening, material that can be considered in the protection of a lone person or of a family.  As a husband and father myself, my intent is to present the ideas to my family at my discretion and in a way that helps us to be prepared without being afraid.  As with any manual, a reader should take the ideas from the writings and consider what is practical for them.

Many thanks to Geoff Thompson, Paladin Press, and FightTimes.com for making this information available.

© 2012, John A. Heatherly. All rights reserved.

Guest post by Liz Long.

The American Apocalypse is a four-part series by author NOVA (NoVA), outside Washington D.C.   The main character lives in the general area of the city of Fairfax in the first book, and out near (but not in) Winchester in the second, although the author is less specific about the second locale.  The author also has made the odd choice to not use regular names for most characters. The main character is Gardner.  Ninja and Night are two of his friends.

This fiction series follows what happens to one normal, somewhat lazy guy when the American economy collapses. You learn about the early stages from backstory and exposition because it picks up at a point when it’s normal for people to be living in their cars or camping in the woods, and abandoned, vandalized housing developments are not rare.

The story is interesting and held my attention, although the lack of an editor left the first book with irritating punctuation errors and typos.  The characters and the environment they are living in grow and change as the collapse progresses.  There are a variety of personality types throughout the story, and it explores how they might react to the changes that occur. Everything is seen from the point of view of normal people, not commandos or survivalists or anyone with any particularly advance preparation, with the exception of one former Marine. As a side note, you can’t throw a stone in NoVA without finding military, retired or otherwise, so not having any in this story is more than a little unbelievable.

Much of what I find interesting about this series is how mundane most of it is.  For example, the author describes the waves of destruction that overtook a housing development of (formerly) million-dollar mini mansions that is about to be razed to the ground, and efforts by shopkeepers to keep their businesses open.  Unlike other books I’ve read in the genre, roadways are still generally open (depending on local conditions) and people can initially move about fairly freely.  The society that was there before is still clearly visible, particularly in the beginning when they go to a McDonalds that is still open for the free WiFi. That changes as things continue to collapse and the country becomes more third world than first world.

If you are a huge fan of hard-core TEOTWAWKI literature like James Rawles, this might not be your cup of tea. If you’re looking for a more realistic depiction of how an affluent urban area might rapidly fall apart if the economy falls apart, then you’ll probably enjoy this book.  I definitely recommend the series, although perhaps not to anyone who is driven slightly nuts by some random typos and other editorial errors.

The titles of the books in the series are American Apocalypse: The Collapse Begins, American Apocalypse: Wastelands, American Apocalypse III: Migrations, and American Apocalypse IV: Rescue.  There are also two related books, Gardener Summer, set early in the series and fills in some background, and The Chosen.  You can visit the author’s blog, here.

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.