What did you last buy?

[Natasha]

Secrets or tips.. hmm. We are mother/daughter and best friends. The trick is knowing when I need to be - have to be mom and when I can be her best friend. Correct any bad manners or bad behavior at an early age... seems harsh but it totally works. I never tell her "do as I say, not as I do". Always try to lead by example. At an early age instill the importance of a good education (she's already preparing for college.. at age 10!) Be active in every aspect of the childs life. I don't hover and I don't attend every outting (if there are other adults) but I think it's good for her to know that I'm interested in her life. I'm willing to stop whatever Im doing if she needs me... especially to talk. Keep it real. I don't allow my daughter to know the nitty gritty details of certain situations.. she is a kid afterall... but she does need to know that sometimes life is going to get hard... be it with family, school, friends and there ways to positively handle those situations. Having bad feelings or thoughts isn't wrong. We're all human, we all have them. The difference is knowing how to handle it. Everyone makes mistakes so I don't let her feel bad is something goes wrong... but I do try to make sure she's learned a lesson from that mistake. Charity work is a wonderful positive way to remind us of what we have and to be grateful for it. Plus seeing the gratitude from others is such a blessing. Teaching kids financial responsibility is very important. I opened a savings account for her when she was 5. For the past couple of years, shes had an active part in every aspect of that account. We have our own little system worked out. She has two piggy banks in her room. One for fun, one for the savings. She earns her money then divides it into both piggys. When they fill up I drive her to the bank to deposit her bank money. Then we leave there so she can go crazy with her fun money   which leads me to fun. She's a kid and I want her to enjoy that as much as possible. After the seriousness of school and/or chores is over, it's time to just be silly and be a kid.  I know it seems like I'm overloading her but it's really not like that at all. She only has chores on non-school days. On school days I prefer she concentrate on shcool stuff only. This way she spends so much time on the priority for that day and the rest of the day is fun.  

For the most part, I'm just blessed. She's always been an easy going kid, easy baby to care for, has a good heart, kind spirit. Most of what she is isn't because of me. It's because Jesus gave her to me that way    She's everything I've prayed for and more. I let her know everyday that I  love her all the sky, I'm here for her no matter what happens. I guess love is what it really boils down to. Everything else is just simple guidance.

[purelife]

I totally agree with you and I hope to have a friendship with my son as well as being his mother.  I also don't believe in terrible two's and when I tell other parents that, they give me the "are you crazy?!" look.  I know children act up, have tantrums and such but I believe there is a reason.  They are either learning from their environment or about themselves or testing their parents.  It's a matter of how we handle these situations.

  I'm a firm believer of being patient and calm whenever possible around my child.  If he is crying or fussing in the mall due to being tired, I remain calm so that he doesn't scream even more.  If I yell at him, it would just make matters worse.

  I've been lucky with having a child who doesn't have tantrums and is a happy-go-lucky, calm and quiet kid.  

[Natasha]

I never understood the "terrible twos". They seemed pretty normal on my end. I even tell people they were more like the "terrific twos"  

[DDD]

Natasha wrote:
 I never understood the "terrible twos". They seemed pretty normal on my end. I even tell people they were more like the "terrific twos"   [/DIV]
 Same here I think it is all how you look at it....................I wish I could go back to that time was great

[Orik]

2 bags of corn chips.
2 cans of re-fried beans
2 cans of kidney beans

4 cans beef consume
3 cans of tomatoes
3 large onions

1 bundle of green onions
10 1 liter bottles of peach sparkling water
12 355 ml cans of orange soda

2 lbs extra lean ground beef
2 lbs regular ground beef
3 lbs sausage (british bangers)

5 lbs chicken wings
2 lbs chicken thighs
12 hot dogs

9 mini peperoni sticks
2 packets of cheese slices
1 instant taco kit

9 packets of beef mr noodles
1 900 gram packet of spaghetti
2 jars of ragu pasta sauce

16 hamburger buns
8 dinner rolls
1 loaf of bread

that's all I could cart home in 3 trips by bicycle.  I also ran out of money. My fridge and freezer are looking nicely full now but there is not much in the cupboards. I still need about 5 lbs of rice and between 2 to 3 kg of corn, and 2 - 3 lbs mixed veg. dish-washing soap,  laundry detergent also still required is

[Gopher]

That's quite a list.

[Orik]

Gopher, That's just the beginning of the shopping trip. I will still need to spend about 150 to 300 dollars on basic staples.  Which will be the usual dehydrated  fruits and vegetables. Then there's the frozen goods plus the sundries, lets not forget the salted or canned goods.

I still have to refill the pantry it is completely barren.

I like to have between 2 to 3 months worth of canned & dried food in my storage cabinets and about 1 months worth of frozen meats.  I really do try to be well prepared.  I like to keep approximately 1 months worth of water on hand. i keep a decent first aid kit & necessary medications. Then there is some other things I keep. A Sewing kit for clothing & 1 for people.

I seem to have misplaced my portable propane stove and that is going to cost a pretty penny to replace. A portable radio and flashlight.with hand crank. By doing 3 minutes of cranking it will give you 2 hours of light or 1 hour light and radio. I also have the solar power recharger.

Gopher in case of an emergency can you support your family & self  for a minimum of 7 days ?

I like to think I can do so and for longer than 1 month when I plan the shopping correctly.

Survival is the name of the game and I for one wish to survive. You may also wish to think about having some form of device for self defense against the worst sort of animals. a scared and hungry man. A hunting slingshot, a crossbow or a shotgun are all great for self-defense. only the shotgun needs to be registered.

[a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?Emergency-Survival-Kit---Get-One-Ready-Today%21&id=5593825"]further information on survival in all kinds of situations go here to find links to other guides.[/a]
 

[Gopher]

Gopher in case of an emergency can you support your family & self  for a minimum of 7 days ?
......................


Yes, two freezers are packed to the limit.

[Orik]

 Excellent. I trust that you already have a few pounds of dried beans & rice on hand to go with the freeze dried  and dehydrated goods. A good mixture of fruits, vegetables & meats is vital to maintain health.

I trust you have enough emergency medications for the family's medical kit and basic equipment such as a sterilized kit containing a scalpel scissors gauze needles and thread. You probably have Bottled water on hand for drinking and taking a field bath then.  

What about a generator and the fuel to run them for up to 1 month? You may need to run those freezers if you drop off the power grid for a while. If you want to plan for a worst case scenario then you should have enough fuel to last a minimum of 3 months. Depending on the storage method you choose to use, you may need to filter the fuel before using it.

What about B.O.B? Do you have the family's bug out bags on hand if you need to evacuate for whatever reason?

Initial costs to start up a family survival kit, are a bit high but once you do have it built. It then becomes much easier to maintain and for next to nothing. You will need to remember to swap out certain food items every 3 months or so to keep the kit in good order. Other things like the drinking water will need to be swapped out every 6 months if it is water you bottled yourself or once every 2 years if bought from a local water company.
   

[Gopher]

Apples, salmon, butter and corned beef.

[Natasha]

DDD wrote:
Natasha wrote:
 I never understood the "terrible twos". They seemed pretty normal on my end. I even tell people they were more like the "terrific twos"   [/DIV]
 Same here I think it is all how you look at it....................I wish I could go back to that time was great I totally agree. Before too long she'll be off doing her own thing with her own people and having her own life so I try to stay mindful of the precious time I have with my girl.


 Last thing I bought... clothes.

 

[DDD]

insulation

[Natasha]

Lunch

[DDD]

web cam soon

[Natasha]

PJs