Paid In Full

Here's another story about the kids with an important lesson:

A few months ago Row and Ant were finishing up dinner while Mom and Dad cleaned the kitchen. Row decided that it would be fun to use his straw and flick a few drops of tea on his brother. Now,any four year old doesn't take kindly to his big brother getting him wet. Ant protested, and Row got in a little trouble, after all they are boys and brothers! Row was sent to the bathroom to take his bath, and Ant got to watch a little Netflix before it was his turn.

About ten minutes into Ant's bath we hear Row yelling at Ant to "Stop it...Don't", with whiny mode in full effect. I get out of my chair and headed to the bathroom to play bad cop, but the scene is too funny for me to be upset. I walk into the bathroom and see Ant leaned on the bathroom tub's edge with his cheeks puffed out and full of water. Ant is pretending to be a fountain cherub, just punishing and soaking Row, who is sitting on the toilet.  

Row was safely allowed to finish his business while Ant got the talk about how "We aren't supposed to do that."

After Row left, Ant got a high five from Daddy.

Lesson: Make sure the scene is safe while your pants are down.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Sweet Child O' Mine

Nope, the title doesn't mean that this is about Guns-N-Roses, but rather my oldest son. I picked up my parents at the airport last night, and remember a story about Row and his best friend in the whole world. Dalton and Row have been friends for along time, almost their entire lives, went to the same daycare and now elementary school.

Row and I went grocery shopping about a week ago, and as a thank you, he was able to pick out a candy bar for his help and good behavior. He chose a Kit Kat.

The Kit Kat went into the next day's sack lunch. His School Age Summer Program was going to a local water park. When he got home that same evening, our conversation went like this:

K: How was the water park?
Row: Good.
K: Did you eat all of your lunch?
Row: Yep, ate it all.
K: Did you share your beef jerky or candy?
Row: Dalton and I split the candy bar, and I won!
K: What do you mean?
Row: I got the small piece (smiles).
K: So how is that winning? (puzzled look)
Row: You know. Like Thanksgiving with the bone.
K: You sure did win.

I love my sweet child of mine. The world needs more Rows.

-K

Ron Paul Quote of the Day

"My understanding is that espionage means giving secret or classified information to the enemy. Since Snowden shared information with the American people, his indictment for espionage could reveal (or confirm) that the US Government views you and me as the enemy." - Ron Paul

 SOURCE: (https://www.facebook.com/ronpaul/posts/10152515892046686)

Comments welcomed and encouraged.

Keep Right On Prepping - K 

I also pulled this from Reddit and couldn't resist...

 

MRE Monday - Hash Browns With Bacon

Since we had such good luck with last week's review, we tried another potato side dish.

Nutritional Information:

Serving Size: 5.0 oz.
Calories: 220
Calories from fat: 100
Total Fat: 12g or 18% DV ( Daily Value )
Cholesterol: 15mg or 5% DV
Sodium: 550mg or 23% DV
Total Carbohydrates: 22g or 7% DV
Dietary Fiber: 2g or 8% DV
Sugars: 1g
Protein: 8g
Vitamin A: 0% DV
Vitamin C: 15% DV
Calcium:  2% DV
Iron: 2%

Expectations:

My hope was that it would be like the local breakfast shop that serves my favorite hash browns. These are MREs, so I'm hoping that they are pretty good.

 

Realities:

Row was the first one to try the hash browns and on the first bite, he was a little disappointed that he couldn't taste any bacon. He dutifully took another small bite, and decided that he didn't like them. Later on during dinner, I asked him if that was the only thing to eat while camping, would he eat it? He said that he would, but only if there was nothing else.

Red Ant was more discriminating and told us that he didn't like it even before taking a bite. The small bite that he did take only confirmed his prejudice. I am really going to be surprised when he says that he likes something...and I'll order a lot of it too!

MIL was over for dinner, and she was thrilled to sample the potatoes. She summed up her critique that "There's hardly any potato  you can feed me that I won't like."

Sweetheart noticed the smell of cheese and bacon, but the package didn't mention any cheese in the MRE. She liked the potato texture and commented that it was really good. She liked it.

I was rather disappointed in the whole experience. The hash browns were firm, but covered in a creamy potato goo that had a slight chemical/preservative taste. I actually prefer rehydrated hash browns, and the texture didn't match up to my expectations. The bacon was lackluster. The hash brown's color was an off-white color, which in my mind equates to old.

Final Thoughts:

In this case, I would recommend making your own MRE pouches with dehydrated potatoes and possibly some dehydrated onions. A trimmed down mylar bag with an oxygen eater would also give you more bang for your buck, and a better product. The only downside is the time to hydrate the homemade MRE.

Stars: * (1)

 

A Deleted Comment Makes A New Post

The original Post

UPDATE: This is the deleted post ( that I didn't delete ) from Pioneer Preppy. I pulled the text from my email account, since I get notification about new posts. Here it is...

 "PioneerPreppy has left a new comment on your post "A Must Read Article":

I just don't know. I mean I certainly do not think Obummer and the Left wouldn't want this to go down but there are certain things I do not think they can beat and they are NOT taking them into consideration.

Yes Democracies or what some claim were democracies always declined into dictatorships but we have never before seen a Constitutional Republic thrown into this mix. Also the Left has control at the Federal level but they do not have numbers at the state level and that is important.

I am reminded of a line from that movie "Kingdom of Heaven" where the slimy Bishop asks Orlando's character if he thinks making a man a knight makes him a better fighter. Orland says yes it does.

Well does giving a population a Constitution to look at and see what their rights are make them unable to bear the yoke of Tyranny? Yes it does because to make the move the article talks about the people will finally feel the tyranny at last. Not just those of us who pay attention, even the beer drinkin, sports watcher will feel it."

@PP: I have a healthy dose of skepticism for doomsday paranoia, but have followed what the DHS Insider has been saying. So far, he/she has been correct about the early indications for the controlled police state exit strategy for the United States.

Plus, if a plan is in place for a power shift within the US, then I'm hoping that at least one person would be brave enough to step forward such as Snowden did with the NSA spying on the American people. Anyone remember the Fourth Amendment?

 "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Seems to me that the NSA is seizing everything. I also find it ironic that someone that blows the whistle on the liars is considered a traitor instead of a patriot. Since when did defending the Constitution become a litmus test for treason? It's also ironic that Cheney defines a traitor as one who tells the people the truth; a patriot is one who lies to them and even to the President, as he did often after 9-11. I guess it all depends on who controls the spin on the media, which the current President has done through wiretaps and intimidation.

The Federal level will always has some sort of control as long as it still controls the pocketbook of America. An economic crash would certainly allow a great number of states to tow the line just to get money. A trickle-down dictatorship, instead of economics, if you will.

I've gone off on a few tangents, but I'm sure that Rome also had quite a few Senators that would stab their wife in the back to remain in the elitist category, rather than a has-been. Hopefully, we may not see it in our life time, but a one world governement is going to eventually happen. What better way than to create a crisis, take control, and the people are happily giving away their freedom for a slice of bread. Hitler rose to power with this method, even though he didn't create the crisis, but rather took advantage of the situation.

Most people are apathetic to politics, on the dole, or too stupid to see the writing.

Anyways, thanks for listening to my rambles, and comments are always welcomed.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

A Must Read Article

DHS Insider on SHTF Plan

Link Here

I remember when the first DHS Insider report came out, and I've followed it. Seems legit.

Step the prep level up a huge step - it's coming down the pike at a fast clip.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

NSA Article

NSA surveillance is an attack on American citizens, says Noam Chomsky

"Governments should not have this capacity. But governments will use whatever technology is available to them to combat their primary enemy – which is their own population," he told the Guardian.

Full Article Here and source

47% Is A Failing Grade - My Outrage

NEWS FLASH:

CONGRESS FAILS U.S. CITIZENS...

 Our elected officials in the Senate decided to take an early weekend and skip the NSA hearings on the spying of American citizens. Granted, the hearing was set for a late Thursday afternoon of 2:30 pm, and I understand that is much too late in the day for our Senators to uphold their sworn obligations (sarcasm).

The current oath for Senators that was enacted in 1884 is this:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."

 

Well, it seems to me that the 53 Senators that decided not to attend the hearing are in violation of their sworn duty. The NSA domestic spying is a clear violation of the Constitution. These 53 Senators need to be held accountable to their lack of interest in upholding the Constitution of the United States, and need to be impeached for their negligence in "faithfully discharging the duties of their office." 

Furthermore, the absence of these Senators ensured that any meaningful actions will not be taken against the NSA. The Hill was also unable to get a record of who was in attendance of these hearing. Hopefully, the negligent  Senators will be ferreted out and exposed for their lack of duty.

It is no surprise that Congress is not concerned about the citizens of these United States, but rather special interest groups and other monied interests. The inept example of government leadership is just another reason to prepare for the collapse of our society. When the producers are outnumber in the electorate, and the government is only concerned about their power, then the patriots need to take heed.

Panem et circenses, when the citizens of Rome only became interested in bread and circuses, the fall of one of the mightiest empires was all but certain. Patriots and preppers take note, prepare, and stay vigilant for I fear that the end of our empire is all but certain.

Keep Right On Prepping - K (I'll start packing my bags for the reeducation camps)

 

SOURCE : http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/305765-senators-skip-classified-briefing-on-nsa-snooping-to-catch-flights-home
SOURCE: http://uspolitics.about.com/od/usgovernment/a/oaths_of_office_4.htm

MRE Monday - Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Today's review is a pretty safe one...

Nutritional Information:

Serving Size: 5 oz.
Calories: 200
Calories from fat: 80
Total Fat: 9g or 15% DV ( Daily Value )
Cholesterol: 30mg or 10% DV
Sodium: 500mg or 21% DV
Total Carbohydrates: 25g or 8% DV
Dietary Fiber: 2g or 9% DV
Sugars: 2g
Protein: 3g
Vitamin A: 6% DV
Vitamin C: 8% DV
Calcium:  6% DV
Iron: 2%

Expectations:

Mashed potatoes aren't that hard to prepare, and not that many variations, so white, creamy are my expectations. Hopefully real potatoes were used for this MRE rather than instant.

Realities:

Row was the first one to sample this MRE, and he took his usual small cautious bite. "Hmmmm", was the first word out of his mouth followed by, "I like these". Well, thank goodness one of my boys has my meat and potatoes taste buds. If it ever hits the fan, both boys had better like rice and potatoes, because they are going to be the main staples at our house. He also finished his sample which was his seal of approval for this side dish.

Red Ant, the younger one, was saying that he didn't like it even before the spoon hit his tongue. We didn't press the issue, and I took over his sample dish.

MIL was over and really liked the creamy taste, and really "liked them."

Sweetheart, who is on a detox diet, took a small bite and liked the garlic flavor and creamy texture.

I was impressed with Row's reaction to the MRE. I'll order more just for the positive response I got from him. The color was a little off-white, and I was expecting a more pure white mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes had a creamy texture, and a good garlic flavor like the other people noted. There were bits of the peel in the mashed potatoes, which would account for the fiber grams. Overall, the mashed potatoes were good.

Final Thoughts:

These will make the A-list for reorders just for the fact that Row liked it. It's really hard to screw up mashed potatoes, and these are actually pretty good. The creamy texture, and garlic flavor are the two biggest traits going for this MRE, so if you like those, then order away!

Stars: * * * (3)

Happy Father's Day Grilling Tip: Rule of Thumb for Steaks

As steaks cook, the meat becomes progressively more firm as the muscle fiber in them tightens.  By pressing on the center of the piece of meat, being careful not to burn yourself, you can tell how firm, and therefore how cooked, it is.  This isn't a very exact method, since it will vary depending on the cut and thickness of the steak and other factors, but this is the general method.

When you think the steak is approaching the degree of doneness you are looking for, using the muscle at the base of your thumb as a guide, check the firmness of the meat.  Here's how:

*RAW: First press on the large muscle at the base of one of your thumbs with the hand completely relaxed.  The firmness of that muscle is a little tighter than a raw steak. 
*RARE: Compare the texture of the meat to the firmness of the muscle at the base of the thumb of your completely relaxed hand.  If they feel the same, the steak is 'blue-rare' to rare.
*MID-RARE: Touch the tip of the index finger to the tip of the thumb of the same hand.  Feel the firmness of the muscle at the base of the thumb. Check the meat to see if it is the same firmness.  If it is, the steak is medium-rare.
*MEDIUM:  Press the tip of the middle finger against the thumb of the same hand and feel the muscle at the base.  That is what a medium steak will feel like.
*MEDIUM-WELL: use the ring finger, as above.
*WELL-DONE: Use the pinky, or in other words: Burn the hell out of it.

This is a rough guide, and it will take some practice, but remember that you can cook the steak more.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Yearly Low, A Visual Example Of Saving Money

At our household, we watch the prices at the grocery store and jump on the lowest prices of the year for our favorites. The picture below shows 67 packages of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese shaped pasta which at full retail would cost us $99.83. The discounted cost is $32.83.

Sixty-seven boxes

We watch for the cyclical low price and purchase and entire year's worth of it. The picture below shows that we saved 67% off retail. This is the advantage of buying in bulk, having a pantry, and keeping a log book of grocery store prices. One of my first articles dealt with grocery store strategies which can be found here.

To give you another idea, once prepared (with milk and butter) it will provide 38,860 calories or enough to sustain one person for 19.43 days at 2000 calories/day. 32.38 days if you are on a ration diet of 1200 calories/day.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Welcome - How to Save Money

I'd like to welcome my newest follower, Adventures In Cord Cutting to my little part of the blogsphere.

This is a newer blog about cutting the cord, which is dropping your cable bill, but still having entertainment on the TV.

A Roku player and Netflix is all we have at our house. The Roku cost us $99 and the Netflix cost us around $9/month. No commercials and we save about $50-60/month that would have gone towards a cable bill. I'll be reading all the new information about cutting the cord, and not missing a thing.

Saving Money.
No Commercials.

What does a cable bill cost you anyways?

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Just a short post today. I've mentioned in a few posts that another classmate and I are taking the Advanced Patient Care and studying together at least one a week. Well, it turns out that we are both fairly very competitive. The leader board [grades] has been a see-saw battle since class began. He was beating me by two points from the quizzes before the first exam. I made up those two points, and we each have 134 points out of 144 points possible.

Well, tonight I pulled ahead by one point after our first quiz. The lead didn't last long, he tied it back to even after the second quiz. We are enjoying a healthy competition, and pushing each other to do better.

We chuckled and laughed that our professor probably thinks that we are cheating because our scores are tied. We'll invite her for a study session if she asks, plus the last exam was captured on video in our tiny cubicles. She can watch our testing styles, and hit rewind! Testing proctor style by Big Brother.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

MRE Monday - Honey Barbecued Chicken Sandwich, Shelf Stable

I really needed to dig through the MREs to find a suitable one for the boys. Quite a few of them are spicy, and the boys don't like spicy. So, to keep the boys from automatically saying that they don't like the MRE we needed to find some blander ones.

Nutritional Information:

Serving Size: 3.5 oz.
Calories: 290
Calories from fat: 80
Total Fat: 9g or 14% DV ( Daily Value )
Cholesterol: 15mg or 5% DV
Sodium: 680mg or 28% DV
Total Carbohydrates: 41g or 14% DV
Dietary Fiber: 2g or 10% DV
Sugars: 8g
Protein: 12g
Vitamin A: 4% DV
Vitamin C: 0% DV
Calcium:  8% DV
Iron: 8%

Expectations:

A lot of the MREs have the same type of bread so I knew to expect something Poptart shaped but the filling is always the wildcard.

 

Realities:

Row, the resident seven year old, took a small bite, and followed it with a long pause. He finally reached the verdict that "It is okay." We talked a little bit about camping and asked if he would eat one if nothing else was available. He said yes, so that counts as a star for the review.

Red Ant, the resident four year old, is a harder judge on the MREs than anyone else. He took a small bite, and I do mean small, and said that it was too spicy. Now, spicy for him is black pepper on his fried eggs. Plus, I think he has learned that we don't really press him for a reason on why he doesn't like an MRE.

Sweetheart noticed a tangy smell before taking a small bite. She also commented on the small bits of real chicken and thought the sandwich was nicely filled. She also noted a slight chemical taste, she after all a "super taster." She did award it a star for the review.

I was impressed with the amount of meat that was included into the sandwich, but it would still take at least two sandwiches and a few sides to make it a meal. The bread had a nice moist texture as all the sandwiches have had in my past reviews. The BBQ sauce wasn't real spicy nor was it comparable to any others that I have tried. Maybe if Chef-boy-r-dee made a BBQ sauce, it would taste like this MRE. You'll have to try it  yourself.

 

Final Thoughts:

If I was to take two of these and a small bag of chips, it would make for a good lunch. This is probably one of the bigger filled sandwiches that I've tried, and it has a decent taste. The sauce can be described as a mild flavor with hints of honey and a smoky aftertaste.

Stars: * * * ( 3 )

Tidbits

This weekend was made for playing catchup. The summer clinicals of Monday through Friday have left me with little time to study and take care of chores. I really hate being behind the curve.

The back yard was finally mowed yesterday after a two week growth spurt. It's in good enough shape to let the  boys out into the back yard without worry of them getting lost in a jungle.

I also had the grandiose idea that I would be able to do an hour of homework every night after clinicals, but that didn't quite work out either. This weekend has been spent doing quizzes and the study guide for my first module test in Advanced Patient Care.

J and I are the only people in our class taking this third year class, and I dropped the ball on getting my portion of the test guide done on Friday. We are trying to knock out the course in about a month instead of the eight week summer semester.

The good news on taking this class is that the final exam can be substituted for passing the ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) examination. The ACLS is a must have for Interventional Radiology and Heart Cath jobs, which are some of the higher paying ones. We are going to take the class, at $235.00, and not worry about the final. Plus, it gives us an edge when applying for jobs over the other people in our class.

We've started working on our end game on employment against our classmates. The job market is tight here.

Enjoy your Sunday afternoon and keep right on prepping - K

Video: Two Shots To Zero Your Sights

With the high cost of ammo, when it's available, it makes sense to have your rifle zeroed in with as few shots as possible. Here's a Youtube video worth watching.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

American Courage

I did the Tienanmen Square picture yesterday about courage. Today, I'll post a picture about American courage.

I'd like to thank "The Greatest Generation" for their courage, especially to Granddad James (my Mom's Dad). My Grandfather-in-law (my Sweetheart's Grandad) gave his live after D-day on or around July 4th,1944. The events surrounding his death are still cloudy and inconsistent.

The following was taken from the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. I have personally been there and highly, very highly recommend it as a New Orleans must-see.

The D-Day Invasion at Normandy – June 6, 1944

Invasion Date	June 6, 1944 – The D in D-Day stands for “day” since the final invasion date was unknown and weather dependent
Allied Forces	156,000 Allied troops  from The United States, The United Kingdom, Canada,Free France and Norway
Areas of Invasion	The Allied code names for the beaches along the 50-mile stretch of Normandy coast targeted for landing were Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. Omaha was the costliest beach in terms of Allied casualties.
The Armada	5,000 ships and landing craft 50,000 vehicles 11,000 planes
Commanders	United States – Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley The United Kingdom – Bernard Law Montgomery, Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Arthur Tedder, Miles Dempsey, Bertram Ramsay Germany – Erwin Rommel, Gerd von Rundstedt, Friedrich Dollmann
Casualties	Numbers represent total killed, wounded, missing or captured United States – 6,603 (1,465 killed) United Kingdom – 2,700 Canada – 1,074 (359 fatal)Germany – Estimated between 4,000 – 9,000
The Outcome	By June 11, with the beachheads firmly secured, more than 326,000 troops had crossed with more than 100,000 tons of military equipment. Paris was liberated on August 25. Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945.
Veterans Today	The number of remaining D-Day vets is estimated anywhere between 8,000 and 60,000. The Veterans Administration has detailed numbers on total WWII vets remaining available at www.nationalww2museum.org/the-greatest-generation

This is What REAL Courage Looks Like

June 4th , 1989

Keep Right On Prepping - K

MRE Monday - Apple Pieces In Spiced Sauce

Even though it is Tuesday, it is officially MRE Monday here! I'll have to get on the ball and sandbag a few MRE reviews for the blog since my time management has been lacking this summer semester.

Nutritional Information:

Serving Size: 5 oz.
Calories: 150
Calories from fat: 25
Total Fat: 2.5g or 4% DV ( Daily Value )
Cholesterol: 0mg or 0% DV
Sodium: 120mg or 5% DV
Total Carbohydrates: 33g or 11% DV
Dietary Fiber: 2g or 8% DV
Sugars: 25g
Protein: 0g
Vitamin A: 2% DV
Vitamin C: 35% DV
Calcium:  4% DV
Iron: 2%


Expectations:

From my previous experience  with MREs, I was looking forward to tidbit sized pieces of apples. The spice is a different story, since there are a number of ways to spice apples.

Realities:

I'll combine the kids this review because both of them had the same response to the spiced apple pieces, "I don't like it." Hummm...seems like we have been hitting a mantra for the MREs lately.

Mother-in-law was able to sample this one too, and her comments were favorable towards the MRE. She liked the tartness of the apples which was attributed to the ascorbic acid ( Vitamin C ) that is used as a preservative in this MRE.

Sweetheart thought that the texture wasn't bad and it didn't have the typical sour flavor. She described the flavor as an almost "tangy." The ascorbic acid was also a noticeable flavor profile.

My first thought was that I hit the apple cobbler jackpot! The spices used for the spicy sauce was listed as only "spices" which didn't help narrow down the exact flavor. The spice is either pumpkin spice, allspice, with maybe a touch of nutmeg. The ample amount of brown sugar helps to offset ascorbic acid.

Final Thoughts:

While the spiced apples are decent, the price point puts them out of range for most of my uses. For the long term, dehydrated apples with a few spices added into simple mylar bag could provide an acceptable substitute. On the flip side, if you have the money to burn, then by all means order a few for the backpack or cache.

Stars: * * ( 2 )

2013 Challenge Update - May Accountability

*Increase our families preparedness food supply to 6 months of long term storage.

We rotated a few pantry items: First In, First Out.

*Get into better physical shape - diet and exercise.

Jan 1st : 182.2 lbs.
Feb 1st: 179.4 lbs
Mar 1st: 184.2 (Too much birthday cake!)
Apr 1st: 186.2 (Okay, wrong direction!)
May 1st: 184.6
Jun 1st: 186.0
Jul 1st:
Aug 1st:
Sep 1st:
Oct 1st:
Nov 1st:
Dec 1st:

*Get better organized in the home.

During my time off between semesters, I was able to clean and organize a few rooms. Row's room got a good cleaning and organizing, and Red Ant's room only got a good cleaning. The kitchen, living room, and main bathroom were also cleaned real well. Granted, it currently needs to be touched up a bit, overall the house is in good shape. We also had another couple with kids over for Memorial Day, so the house was extra clean. Maybe we should host a get together every weekend?

*Complete some long standing projects - Kitchen and downstairs bathroom.

*Reorganize our food storage into a better logical format.

Still in good shape - need to bring canned goods back up to par level.

*Get better grades in school ( 3 A's 3 B's last semester ).

*Procedures: Final Grade -A
*Procedures Lab: Final Grade - A
*Exposure: Final Grade -B
*Exposure Lab: Final Grade -A
*Imaging: Final Grade -B
*Clinicals: Final Grade - A

Mission Accomplished:  4 A's and 2 B's

Summer session: Advanced Patient Care and Clinicals III. I'll also be taking Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification during the summer session to substitute the semester final for Advanced Patient Care. The final is 20% of my grade, plus I can use it towards Intervention Radiology or Heart Cath Lab jobs.

 *Go to the range more often with Sweetheart.

We didn't get to go to the range as a couple, but I got to go with a classmate. He has quite the collection of revolvers of all different calibers, and I was able to fire all of his revolvers. The .44 Mag really hurt with a heavy load in it! I mainly practiced my off-hand shooting with about 200 rounds through the Ruger SR9c.

*Teach the kids new practical survival skills : outdoors skills, common sense camping

We went camping during the semester break, and got the kids away from electronics and back to nature. We didn't practice any survival skills, except for practical knowledge. We also tried to make it fun for the boys, because we want them to look forward to camping.

*Learn to bake better bread.

I got to bake a few loaves of bread. The garlic hoagie rolls seems to be my favorite.

*Pick three skills to work on with wife.

*Be more consistent with the MRE Monday reviews.

We missed one review, so 16 out of 19.

*Improve our family's water plan.

I bought another bottle of bleach, and used part of the old one to rotate out stock.

*Do a monthly review of each for the blog to hold myself accountable.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec