Okay…..My eyes are open

I have to start out by saying I am a prepper because of my lovely husband. He is that guy that walks around with a “tactical” backpack at ALL times so that he has everything he needs in an emergency from a first aid kit to fix his daughters boo boos to water filtration and fire starters just in case.

In the beginning I thought he was a little crazy; he kept saying that he wants to be prepared just in case anything happens and kept telling me he believes things are going quite wrong in the world and we need to be prepared for it.

Let me also say he has had this mindset before even he probably realized. He’s an Eagle Scout and their motto is Be Prepared! He grew up camping, hiking, surviving with whatever he can fit in his pocket and knowing what to do in the great outdoors.  Scouting also taught him one of his passions--his way around a firing range.

So even though I knew he was skilled I resisted for a while. I’ve always gone camping with him, which I love, and I’m a couponer. I love finding a good deal and stocking up on those deals. I know how to survive in the wilderness with nothing but what’s on my back. We go hiking overnight regularly and I know my way around a gun and bow. I guess I  was training me without me even realizing it.

We recently became parents ;we have an almost 5 year old and another one that’s almost 3, and I would venture to say that most mothers would agree with me that once you find out you are pregnant you truly become a prepper. You prepare for all the different things that could happen. You get the room ready, make sure they have enough clothes, toys, bedding, car seat, and stroller and so on. You already start to worry and do the “what if’s”. You read the books and ask friends what to do when the baby comes. You learn all those important lessons so you are ready when your bundle of joy comes in the world. When they finally do get here the prepping doesn’t end. You prep each time you pack that diaper bag with enough diapers, bottles, change of clothes, burp clothes and their favorite lovely. You open a savings account for them to put away money for college and try to teach them the things they will need to know as they grow.

Now that our daughters will be starting preschool and kindergarten this fall, and we will be sending them into the world on their own for a few hours a day and not be with me 24/7, I started to realize we have to teach them what to do. You tell your children to not talk to strangers and run the other way, find a teacher, another mother, person in uniform someone to help them you religiously, teach them your phone number, address, full name of immediate family--just in case. Isn’t that prepping in some way? You are trying to prepare them for the “what if’s”.

For our girls prepping has become a lifestyle. We go tent camping with them on a regular basis;  we go geocaching and hiking  with them every couple of days so they get used to being in the woods and looking for certain things. My oldest cooks with me almost every day. They help me cut coupons so we can better our stockpile. We are teaching them to shoot--for now it’s just a BB gun--but we will get there. We plant a garden each year and grow our own food. For them it’s fun; it’s something special to do and for us too. It’s our family time.

Prepping is definitely a way of life and if you truly look at your life you will see we are all preppers in one way or another.  Watching the news recently and seeing what is going on in our world as opened my eyes to know that I should be preparing for whatever happens that will change our world as we know it. What I didn’t know is that I have been prepping for a while without even realizing but for that I’m thankful to my husband.  This is a recent realization for me.  My husband is grateful I’ve pretty much given him the green light so to speak on taking our prepping to the next level.

So I ask all of you, will you be prepared? IT could be prepared for something as simple as when your car breaks down, or if you get lost, to as severe as a natural disaster.

You’ve been prepping all along, now take it to the level….

J.S. VA

How to VOTE for the best Preppers Outreach Contest Entries:

If you think this entry merits one of your 5 allotted votes, then post a comment below. Do NOT post a comment if you do not want it to count towards one of your 5 allotted votes. If you want to award an entry more than one vote, you’ll need to leave a comment for each vote you want to cast.