Ten Essentials For Prepping With A Special Needs Child

Special needs is sort of a catch-all phrase. It doesn’t mean exactly the same thing from one individual to the next. That means we won’t prep exactly the same way. We all have to do what’s best for our individual family.

Regardless of your loved one’s diagnosis, here are ten things to consider when prepping:

1. Make an Accurate Inventory of Needs

What does your loved one need each day? Take time to make an accurate inventory of these needs. On a piece of paper or your computer, list:

• Daily meds (including dosage)
• Rescue meds
• Self-Care needs (diapers, wipes, gloves, etc.)
• Durable medical equipment (wheelchair, stander, walker, etc.)
• Other medical supplies (feeding tube supplies, bags, catheters, etc.)
• Special food (formulas, etc.)
• Anything else your loved one needs on a regular basis

Now that you have a list, you can use this information to help you prep. Look over your list. What are essentials to life, and what are niceties instead of necessities? Prioritize your list in order of most essential to least essential. That way you can start with the essentials.

2. Talk to Your Loved One

As you start prepping, be sure to talk to you loved one. I operate under the belief that my son understands a lot more than I realize. When I talk to the other kids about what we’re doing and why, Owen is there too.

I explain it in as age-appropriate terms as I can, and reassure them all. We talk about our fire escape plans, our family meeting place, why we’re stockpiling certain things, and everything else we can think of.

I explain to Owen that one of the reasons his bedroom is on the ground floor is so that he won’t have to try and jump through a window. It’s not something he could physically do. I let him know that we’ve thought about his needs, and will always do our very best to meet them.

Include your loved one in conversations and planning so they have an idea of what you’re thinking and can ask questions if possible.

3. Prepare for the Most Likely Event First

I live in the middle of nowhere surrounded by miles of timber in every direction. Wildfire is the most likely event I should prep for. The odds of having a fire come through my land are greater than other natural disasters.

I know that in a wildfire event, we’d have to bug out. It’d be much easier to stay put with all of Owen’s equipment, but it wouldn’t be safe to do so. So we make sure we’re prepared before wildfire season rolls around.

Owen’s wheelchair stays on our family’s minibus when we’re not using it inside. So does a dose of each of his emergency medications. Each year, I repack a plastic tote with clothes for everyone. I also include a couple days’ worth of meds for Owen, diapers, wipes, and disposable gloves.

There’s also some bottled water and storable food. It’s everything we’d need to survive somewhere else for ...

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How To Climb A Tree

There are plenty of reasons to need to climb a tree: to cut branches off, getting to safety, or eliminating a threat that could be at the top. Knowing how to climb a tree safely and effectively is the best way to protect yourself and those around you.

Some people believe that it’s as simple as one hand in front of the other, but it’s quite easy to lose your grip, and a fall from high enough can even kill you. There are safer ways to tackle the problem you face, depending on the equipment you have with you at the time.

Clothing is important

In order to stay safe when climbing a tree, it’s important to be aware of what you’re wearing. You want your clothing to be loose enough that allows for a range of movement. But be aware that clothing that’s too baggy can result in it being snagged on branches, and getting stuck is not only embarrassing but dangerous.

You want to remove any loose jewelry, such as necklaces or bracelets, and remove any unnecessary accessories, as they can also get snagged when you’re climbing. Shoes with good traction are also important in order to provide the grip you’ll need to stay on the branches you’re climbing. If you don’t have such shoes, then ...

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Best Portable Toilet

Have you or someone you know ever refused a camping trip because there wasn’t an appropriate toilet facility where you were planning to go? Some people take their toilet habits and comfort pretty seriously, but that issue can easily be solved by choosing the best portable toilet you can find.

Why do you need a portable toilet?

There are many reasons why campers think about buying camping toilets, and for some people this is the best option if:

1. You don’t want to use a whole in the ground

That would be very simple and cheap, but some people just can’t do it even if it’s the most eco-friendly option: with the use of a little shovel, you’d dig a hole in the ground, do your business and cover it right up.

2. You have enough space

Ask yourself if carrying a portable toilet suits your transport means. It’s one thing to go camping in an RV and a whole other thing to go backpacking. If you’re using a car to reach your destination, then adding a portable toilet to your luggage isn’t very difficult.

3. You’re in the wilderness for long

Being in the outdoors for days or even weeks at a time means that at some point it’s probably going to rain. Using a shovel to dig a hole when the weather is bad while being tucked in your raincoat doesn’t sound pretty appealing.

4. You can carry it to a dump point

If you’re not squeamish and can provide a proper, sanitary accommodation for your portable toilet when it’s full, then it could be a good option for you.

5. You can’t use a camp toilet

While most camping spots provide toilets, they might be pretty far from your tent or you may even find that they’re not in the best condition for use. Besides, some bush camps don’t have toilets of their ...

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Ten Natural Ways to Repel Spiders

I always try to repel any insect naturally instead of using store-bought chemical repellents. It’s safer for you and your family – and of course, your pets. Here are ten ways to repel spiders naturally.

1. Vinegar Spray

Mix one cup of white vinegar in a spray bottle with two cups of water. Spray this mixture around your house at the spider entry points such as windows, doors, air vents, etc.

2. Lavender Oil

Lavender oil is a great spider repellent. You can sprinkle a dash of lavender oil in the spider dominated areas. Also, to avoid spiders from entering your house, just fill a flower vase with a little bit of water and add 5 drops of lavender oil to it. The aroma of lavender oil stops the spiders dead in their tracks and they will not enter your home.

3. Peppermint Oil

Peppermint oil can also be used to ward off spiders. Non-venomous spiders and venomous spiders hate the strong smell of peppermint and it will keep them away.

4. Scented Candles

Scented candles are not just great for decoration, but they make a great insect repellent too! Light scented candles with lavender, citronella, lime, etc., and the spiders won’t ...

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How To Remove Pores On Your Face At Home

People who have oily skin usually also have big and visible pores. Also, they usually hate these pores and try to make them less visible and shrink them.

There are numerous products on the market that tighten the skin and that reduce the appearance of the large pores, but these products are usually over the counter. The good news is that you can now prepare your own natural remedies in your own home and eliminate the problem.

Here is what you should do:

Water and Baking Soda

Mix two tablespoons of baking soda and two tablespoons of water and mix well. You will get a paste which you should then apply onto your face and let it dry for about fifteen minutes. Once the mask tightens, wash your face with cool water.

There are other remedies as well that are also very efficient. The advantages of these remedies are that they are all natural and can be made of only 2-3 natural ingredients really quickly. Here are the ...

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What You Shouldn’t Forget

Camping is a great activity which brings you a ton of health benefits, like oxygenating your brain, improving your memory, strengthening your heart, and working your muscles. But we all know that if you go into the great outdoors without a comprehensive camping checklist, the benefits that wilderness has to offer to your brain turn into an actual hindrance for your peace of mind. So, if you’re planning a relaxing, fun trip you shouldn’t leave home without taking everything you need for that.

We’re here to give you an idea of what the essentials are when it comes to camping, but feel free to add the items you need the most on the corresponding category for this checklist. You’ll end up having more fun and make sure that everything is under control.

Besides this, we’ll also sum up by providing you a list of our favorite items on the market, since getting the right gear also means using high quality products.

The actual checklist

This list is split into 7 main categories, taking into account the basic necessities when it comes to shelter, eating, clothes, personal gear, miscellaneous items, as well as people who go camping with their kids ...

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Four Prepper Projects to Try

Spring weather has finally resurfaced in many regions of the country. It is time once again to begin working on our outdoor preparedness projects and practicing our survival skills.

After several months cooped up inside, we can now comfortably get back to embarking upon enhancements to our prepper retreat or homestead and preparing for the coming growing and livestock birthing season.

Learning new skills and cross-training other members of your family (or mutual assistance group) should be an integral aspect of your overall prepping arrange. If the only person in the family or group knows how to help birth a calf in distress, or how to reload ammunition, the anticipated survival chances of the clan decrease considerably if that one all-important individual is out of commission, or dead, when their skills are required.

Every single prepper I know looks at their retreat or homestead as a work in progress. There is always some new concept to check, repair to make, project to try, or ...

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Close Combat - What You Need to Learn to Save Your Life

There aren’t only decent people out there, and someday you too can be attacked by an armed thug who’ll kill you for a few dollars. If this situation arises, do you want to freeze and die, or do you want to learn how to protect yourself? Close combat is centered on survival in a violent situation, when people need to focus and employ their knowledge and skills to beat down an enemy.

As such, there are numerous examples of reality martial arts that are even taught in military training systems, like the Israeli Krav Maga and the Russian Systema. The thing is that every training program is very specific, and it takes into account our fight or flight instincts, but in this article we’ll tell you all the basics about how to fight and what moves you can use more successfully.

Overcoming fear in combat

When we’re in danger, we either tend to run or we confront our enemy head on, which produces numerous changes in our body, starting with the release of adrenaline. Our heart starts pumping blood even faster, our pulse accelerates and our breathing quickens. So we’re not calm and centered anymore, but we’re anxious or even frightened, which is perfectly normal.

Besides, if we get injured in a fight we may not see, hear or move as swiftly as before, and reality martial arts take all these changes into account.

The best thing to do is overcoming your fear not just by learning the proper moves, but creating a new mindset oriented towards surviving. If you’re attacked on the street by someone holding a gun, the truth is that chances aren’t in your favor, and that you’re in a life and death situation where you don’t even have time to think. That’s why you should learn how to act quickly, instinctively and proficiently.

Nevertheless, the purpose of your surviving is to get rid of your enemy even if that doesn’t mean winning. Sometimes it’s better to immobilize him and run, than return for a second round.

What are the best techniques?

There are many moves used in hand to hand fights, and it’s good to be familiar with all of them in case you may need to use them. However, we’ve made a list of the most effective and yet simple ones that actually work and that everyone can learn.

1. Eye gouge

One of the best hand to hand combat moves is the eye gouge. The purpose of this one is quite gruesome, since you should blind your adversary by crushing his eyes or by trying to scoop them out all together.

You’ve probably seen it in movies before, and it works like this: you push the eye sockets of your opponent with two of your fingers that you slide under the eyeballs. This is for crushing the eyes inside his skull.

You can also use your thumbs for this move, but this time you should target the inner corners of your enemy’s eyes. This is for when you try to push the eyes out of their occipital ...

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Is Your Pet Prepared?

A 2012 study from the Humane Society shows that 33% of all US households own at least one cat. It also shows that 39% own at least one dog. To some people, a pet may just be an animal, but to many, Fido and Fluffy are extensions of the family. With this being the case, it is fairly surprising to me how few preppers remember to pack an emergency kit for their pets.
I have heard too often that pets will be able to “make their own way” and that it is their natural instinct to survive. The truth of the matter is, most house trained cats and dogs don’t make it very far on their own. The average life span of a stray animal is cut nearly in half compared to that of a house pet.
With that being said, I urge any of you with pets to make sure that you consider them when making your preparations.
If you believe bringing your pet with you during an evacuation is not an option, there are other solutions for you.

1. Contact your veterinarian and ask for a list of their preferred boarding facilities.
2.  Ask your local animal shelter if they provide emergency shelter for pets.
3.  Ask trusted sources outside your immediate area if they would be willing to take in your pet.

Emergency Supplies and Traveling Kits

If you do plan on taking your pet with you, it is very important to create a Pet Evacuation Kit or PEK handy for your pets. This kit is not unlike your own Bug Out Bag and will contain all of the same basic ingredients.
Keep this PEK with your personal go bags and make sure that everyone in the family knows where they are. This kit should be clearly marked and easy to carry. Items to consider keeping in or near your pack include:

• Pet first-aid kit and guide book (ask your vet what to include, or purchase one online)
• 3-7 days’ worth of canned (pop-top) or dry food (make sure that you follow the first in first out rule with pet food as well as human food)
• Disposable litter trays (aluminum roasting pans work well, are inexpensive and usually come with lids to keep the smell down)
• Litter
• Liquid dish soap and disinfectant
• Disposable garbage bags for clean-up
• Pet feeding dishes ...

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