Category Archives: Teaching The Kids

Product Review: Meal Kit Supply MREs

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After Momma Bear’s post on MREs (meals ready to eat) we decided we wanted to add more MREs to our preps. We have a couple of cases but, with a family of six, those would go quickly. We decided that we should have one case for each person — eating two MREs a day, this would last six days.

The ones we currently have I bought from a military surplus store. They were already a couple of years old, I have no idea what conditions (temperatures) they had been stored at, and they cost $70 a case. So I was looking for another source when, coincidentally, I was contacted by Meal Kit Supply (after they saw Momma Bear’s post), and asked if I would consider reviewing their product. I said that I would, and a few days later a case of MREs arrived in the mail.

Like Momma Bear said, MREs have improved substantially over the years. My first MRE was in USMC boot camp in February 1986, and if you were starving (and we were) they were…okay. When I went back into the National Guard in 1996, it was obvious they’d done some work to improve them — and they were better. (The last MRE I ate was in 1999.)

When we opened the case from Meal Kit Supply the first thing I noticed is that they were packaged in clear, heavy-duty, plastic bags (instead of the tan military ones). That was kind of cool.

I wanted to get the whole family in on the sampling/reviewing. I wanted them to be familiar with the meals, including how to use the Flameless Ration Heater. So we randomly grabbed six out of the case (case of 12). Instead of trying to explain to them how to use the Heaters I chose to let them watch the video on the Meal Kit Supply website and then see how easy it was to follow the instructions.

Then, in the kitchen, we each opened an MRE. I explained that each had an entrée, side dish, dessert, bread/cracker, spread, beverage, spoon, and condiment packet, and I had everyone identify what they got in their meals. We then, without any issues, activated our Flameless Ration Heater to heat our entrée and then set it aside (it takes about 10 minutes to warm up). We sampled, and then let everyone else try, our bread or crackers with the included peanut butter, jelly, or cheese spread. Once the meals were warm we each went around and allowed everyone else to sample our entrée and side dishes so we each tried everything.

Now I need to mention that my kids (ages 18, 15, 13, 11) aren’t that picky when it comes to eating; they know if it’s put in front of them that’s what’s for dinner and there’s no “I’m not eating this” nonsense. But, overall, Sarah and the kids liked them, and were pleased with the diversity and flavors. Personally I was very impressed with the freshness and overall quality of the food and flavors. Maybe it was the years since I’d last had one, but I remembered them being much less flavorful and more stale tasting.

Once we were done eating we discussed each of them, recorded comments, and rated them on a scale of 1 to 5 (1=terrible, 3=not bad at all, 5=pretty darn good). So of the random six we had eaten, here’s our menus (menus may vary), comments and average scores:

  • Spaghetti, Potatoes Au Gratin, Carrot Pound Cake, Cracker, Cheese Spread, Grape Electrolyte Drink Powder (EDP), Cocoa Beverage Powder (CBP): “Spaghetti wasn’t bad, but noodles were kind of mushy” / “Cheesy potatoes were pretty dang good” — SCORE: 3.58
  • Chicken with Noodles, Fried Rice, Vanilla Pudding, Cracker, Peanut Butter, Grape (EDP), CBP: “Not bad” / “Chicken tastes normal” / “Chicken was really good” / “Rice was flavorless and mushy” / “Vanilla pudding was pretty darn good” / “Grape beverage was very good” — SCORE: 3.67
  • Vegetable Lasagna, Applesauce, Fudge Brownie, Wheat Snack Bread, Cheese Spread, Orange (EDP), CBP: “Slightly disappointed with the lasagna” / “Lasagna didn’t quite taste right” / “Need to add flavor to lasagna” / “Brownie wasn’t bad” / “Brownie was pretty tasty” — SCORE:  3.25
  • Chicken with Feta, Potato Cheddar Soup, Chocolate Pudding, Cracker, Peanut Butter, Orange (EDP), CBP: “Chicken with feta was really good” / “Chicken entree was very good” / “Soup was very good, yea very good” / “Pudding was yuck” / “Pudding wasn’t great, but would be better warmed up” / “I like the juice” — SCORE: 4.08
  • Pork Sausage Patty, Hash Browns with Bacon, Strawberry Toaster Pastry, Wheat Snack Bread, Peanut Butter, Orange (EDP), CBP: “Pork was too sweet” / “Pork tasted like real sausage” / “Bacon was nice in the hash browns” / “It’d be a nice breakfast.” — SCORE: 3.58
  • Apple Maple Rolled Oats, Hash Browns with Bacon, Nut Raisin Mix with Chocolate Chips, Wheat Bread Snack, Blackberry Jam, Fruit Punch (EDP), CBP: “Oatmeal had good flavor” / “Mixing in the nuts and stuff in the oatmeal was a good idea” / “Oatmeal was mushy” / “It’d be an odd dinner” / “Blackberry jam was good” — SCORE: 3.33

So Chicken with Feta was the top score and the Vegetable Lasagna was the bottom. But nothing was below 3.25 which is in the “not bad at all” range. Everyone commented that there was nothing they wouldn’t eat, and with some time and creativity they’d be even better.

Pet Approved!

There are many sources for MREs. My only hesitation about Meal Kit Supply’s is that they are a little bit more expensive than some others, at $124.95 for a case of 12 (though that price does include shipping the 22 pound case). But their MREs are guaranteed to be fresh, they are built to military standards but use premium components. And they actually make them themselves overseeing each step of the process, they’re not just the distributors.

MREs are the perfect ‘Week 1 Food’ in a disaster: they’re pre-cooked, mobile, and ready to eat. Meal Kit Supply MREs are 100% U.S. Military food components — the same as the military uses. Now I suppose you could say that’s good or bad, but at least there is a consistent base to compare them to. I was happy with Meal Kit Supply’s service, their MRE’s taste, and was very pleased with the freshness.

 

 

Teaching The Kids (& Learning More Myself) – Practicing With Escape Ladders

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Recently we purchased two second story escape ladders. As previously mentioned we have two bedrooms with windows that are about 14 feet off the ground, our master bedroom and Emily’s room. We bought a ladder to keep in each room.

Because buying stuff is easy and it’s a good idea to practice with emergency items before you need them, we pulled the ladder out of the box and actually used it. I had Emily do most of the set-up because it will be in her room. I had to start off by explaining to the younger girls how to remove a window screen (don’t assume). Emily then hung the ladder handles from the window ledge and released the ladder to fall, against the side of the house, to the ground. Once I determined everything looked right and was secure, Emily climbed through the window and down the ladder. The rope ladder moved around a lot as she climbed down it, and she was more than a little nervous, but she did it. She was followed by Alison, also nervous, and Ryan, not nervous (Brynn was away at camp). We discussed that, in an emergency, Ryan would go last after ensuring everyone was out okay.

We then went to Alison and Brynn’s room which opens onto the roof above the garage (Ryan’s is next to theirs and opens to the same area). The screen was removed and the kids climbed out onto the roof. I was on the ground. My original plan was to have them hang from the roof and drop to the ground; having Ryan go first so that he can help the girls. After looking around I realized there was nothing safe to hold onto, the gutter was too weak and there were no other suitable edges. We decided to try the ladder, attached to the girls’ window down the roof and off the side. That worked okay and the kids were all able to climb down. I considered getting more ladders for those rooms but decided they probably weren’t necessary. We came to the conclusion that they could get out the windows, away from any potential danger, and wait on the roof for assistance; if they had to they could hang and drop from the gutters (but we didn’t want to practice this because we believe the gutters would be damaged from the weight).

It wasn’t rocket science to figure out how to use the ladder, and yes had there been an emergency we could have figured it out then. But the best time to learn a new skill, or a new piece of equipment, is not when an emergency is happening. There will already be anxiety, stress, and fear; possibly darkness, cold, and rain to deal with. Knowing how to use your emergency equipment will give you, and your family, the confidence needed to get through the disaster. And while a sudden life-threatening fire while we’re in the house–the most likely threat to cause people to escape through a window–is not a likely event, it is possible. We decided it was worth the purchase and practice to allow us to be prepared for that–or another similar–eventuality.

(Friday: What We Did This Week To Prep)

Teaching The Kids (& Learning More Myself) – Lights Out Drill

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When the lights go out (power failure) it tends to be during the worst times. Hopefully each of us has a plan, for our household, about what to do for light, heat (or cool), backup power, and entertainment. But does your family know your plan? Unfortunately many of us have a loose plan in mind and assume we’ll figure it out when it happens. But what if you’re not home or unavailable to help?

This week, during a calm time, we had a “lights out” drill. Sure the power was out, for real, in January, but Ryan was the only one of the kids at our house during that time (the girls were with their mom, and chose to stay there). The girls insisted that they’d be fine and had been through it all before, but I asked them to humor me.

We waited until it got dark, so things would be a more realistic. I started by showing them where the circuit box was, and briefly explained it’s function and how to reset the circuits. We then turned off all the power (except to the refrigerator). I had them go get flashlights, carefully because it was now dark; they thought that was easy because they all know the flashlights are kept in the table drawer.

When they returned to the garage, I tried to show them how to open the garage door manually if the power was out. (Let me preface this by saying we recently got a new garage door opener.) I pulled the red cord to disconnect the garage door opener and it wouldn’t come loose. Sarah and I spent a few minutes trying to figure it out and were unable to get it to release or open the door. At that point we left it for later–and I still need to figure out why it didn’t work–but that was much better time to find out it didn’t work, then to find out when we NEEDED to get a car out of the garage and the power was out.

I then gave them a brief overview of our inverter and battery bank (with some hands-on) and showed them how to: check the battery levels, connect to to the inverter, turn it on, and reset it if necessary. I showed them which extension cords to use, how to plug-in the furnace, and then pulled the extension cord into the house. We discussed what we could power with the battery bank: lamps, TV/DVD, phone chargers, limited microwave, and what couldn’t be powered: refrigerator, oven, dishwasher, Tivo, coffee maker. We plugged in the standing lamps (with the LED bulbs), so we had light again. For practice, we got out the kerosene lanterns and lit them (and got out the fire extinguisher and set it nearby, just in case). Sarah then plugged in the TV and DVD player and we watched the movie Up, while the “power was out”.

After the movie I turned the power back on; I figured they already knew how to sleep in the dark. I finished up the following morning having Ryan make coffee without power, he used the hand grinder and the french press. I had meant to pull out the generator that morning and show the girls how to use it, but I forgot. Next time.

(Funny story though: A few weeks ago I got out the generator, in the middle of the afternoon, and started it up for our quarterly testing. One of the neighbors was working in his yard and asked if our power was out. I told him we were just practicing and checking the equipment, he replied, “That’s probably a good idea, easier now then when you really need it.” I couldn’t have agreed more.)

Our lights out drill went well. I tried to keep it simple and relatively painless. The kids were pretty good sports and are now more familiar with our procedure.

Teach your kids–and spouse–the skills you know; you may not be around when they are necessary. And remember, “To teach is to learn twice.” (- Joseph Joubert)

(Friday: What We Did This Week To Prep)

Teaching The Kids (& Learning More Myself) – Trauma First Aid

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Teaching About Pressure Dressings, Tourniquets, QuikClot Bandages, and Israeli Battle Dressings
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Because of my background–as an Army medic and civilian paramedic–I sometimes forget that not everyone understands the basics of first aid. To me it’s very logical: if there’s bleeding – you need to stop it; if they’re not breathing – you need to try and restart it; if they’re pale and dizzy – lay them down and keep them warm, etc. I forget that hurt and/or sick people frequently make others uncomfortable. I forget that blood can be scary and that people don’t know it’ll be slippery, then sticky. I forget that crying out in pain isn’t as easily ignored by others, as you’re calmly and systematically evaluating the source of that pain. And the list continues.

However, I do try to remember to teach first aid skills to my family. Not to make them experts, but so they will know the basics and recognize the major symptoms. Also, since in most collapse situations I’ll be the medic for whatever group I’m with, maybe one of them will learn enough to help me care for others (or themselves, or me…)

I’ve recently made personal trauma FAKs* for Sarah, Ryan, and Brynn (Emily and Alison have less space and a much abbreviated version), and I want them to know how to use the contents when they’re needed (and I’m not around). This week we reviewed pressure dressings and tourniquets (I’ve taught them before), then introduced stopping bleeding with a QuikClot bandage and how to apply an Israeli Battle Dressing.

Pressure dressings were a review (with varied amounts of correct recall). To create an effective pressure dressing, to stop moderate to heavy bleeding, I taught them (using a “wound” drawn on my forearm) to start by folding up a piece of gauze and putting it directly over the wound. Then, while applying direct pressure, use a tightly rolled cravat (aka triangular) bandage to apply more pressure over the initial dressing. To make the actual pressure dressing, take a second cravat and, folding it so it covers the pressure cravat, wrap it around the limb. Wrap it tightly and then tie the ends, in a square knot, on top of the pressure dressing. A pressure dressing done this way will stop all but the worst wounds, i.e. one’s with arterial bleeding (remember arteries are deep blood vessels, coming from the heart, carrying oxygen, under pressure).

For “the worst wounds” I’ve taught them to apply a tourniquet. Again we use cravat bandages, this time two (or three for a leg wound). This is hard to show (maybe I’ll make a YouTube video, if there’s interest – never done that before). Tie it securely around the limb about two inches wide and about two inches above the wound. Make sure it is secured tight enough to stop the artery from flowing (and thus bleeding). Then tie off the tourniquet, placing the knot over the artery. To check that it’s effective, when practicing, see if you’ve stopped the distal pulse.

I recently bought QuikClot bandages at the gun show. I hadn’t used them before, so I read reviews and watched YouTube training videos. Then, using an accordion folded three-inch gauze roll to simulate the (rather expensive) $14 QuikClot, we practiced. I had them feed it directly into the (simulated) wound, right into the bleeding, until the bleeding slows; then use the rest, rolled tightly, right on top of the wound as a pressure dressing and secure it with a cravat. I also had everyone watch the training video.

Lastly they each applied the Israeli Battle Dressing (IBD), aka the Emergency Bandage. I love IBDs, but I feel they are too big for easy day-to-day carry in a small FAK (and a pressure dressing or tourniquet can be made with cravats). But we do keep them in our BOBs and our larger home FAK. I’m not even going to try and describe how to put one on (you need to watch the video). They are a great tool to stop heavy bleeding and I highly recommend them (but again, they’re just another tool).

We’ll continue practicing these skills–medical skills are perishable and easily forgotten–until they can do them competently, in a dark room with their flashlight. Each time I will introduce new ideas and scenarios.

Teach your kids–and spouse–the skills you know; you may not be around when they are necessary. And remember, “To teach is to learn twice.” (- Joseph Joubert)

(Wednesday: Sarah’s View)

*For my list of abbreviations and other information, open the above ‘Check Here…’ page tab.

Teaching The Kids (& Learning More Myself) – Fire Building

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Fire Building 101: An Introduction
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Fire building is an essential survival/prepper skill. Of our five basic needs, fire is energy. In the wilderness fire may be the ONLY type of energy available. I decided this would be the first prepper skill I formally teach the kids (after chainsaws of course…).

Last summer, when we were talking about building fires, I realized that Emily and Alison had never used a lighter or even lit a match. Somehow I had taken for granted that they had. But since we don’t have a fireplace or go camping very much (though this summer we hope to do more), and simply because they are the younger ones and have had fewer “outdoor” opportunities, they had never been taught. So I got out matches and lighters and demonstrated the safe way to use them. I had them both do it, then sent them outside to practice with the lighters and light as many matches as they wanted. In the interim months we’ve continued practicing with both, and now they feel pretty confident.

Yesterday I sat all the kids down in the family room (including Chanse), and discussed how to build a fire (classroom portion). We started off by reviewing that fire needs three things: 1) fuel, 2) oxygen, and 3) an ignition source. We briefly discussed hypothermia and how fire can literally be life-saving. I talked to them about the dangers of fire and how it’s important to keep your fire contained. Then, while still inside, I used some kindling to show them how to set up a small teepee-style stack (with pieces not much bigger than toothpicks), and how I’d leave an opening toward the wind. I laid out additional kindling, of gradually larger pieces, I’d have on hand to use to build the size of the fire. After all had practiced making their kindling teepee, we went outside for the ‘lab portion’ of the class.

It was a gray, chilly, and wet outside. They took their kindling and set it up on the grass. Since I wanted to maximize success, and teach them to use what we have in our kits, I had them use vaseline soaked cotton balls to start the fire (they had previously helped make them for our fire starting kits). They each built their kindling teepee, with the opening facing the wind, over top of their cotton ball (first pulling it apart to separate the fibers). They could use either lighters or matches; we discussed using your body to block the wind and cupping your other hand around the fire to protect it more. They got their fires going, then added larger kindling to make it just a little bigger. All were successful, though it took some longer than others (it’s hard with an age range of 10 to 17 in the same ‘classroom’).

Next time I’ll have them find their own kindling, including making a pile of shavings to get the fire started. Eventually I plan to get them, and Sarah and I, to the point of confidently making a fire with flint and steel.

Teach your kids–and spouse–the skills you know; you may not be around when they are necessary. And remember, “To teach is to learn twice.” -Joseph Joubert

(Wednesday: Sarah’s View)

Teaching The Kids (& Learning More Myself) – Chainsaws

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An Intro To Chainsaws
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“To teach is to learn twice.” Joseph Joubert

One of my favorite things to do is teach. Though I was never a full-time teacher, I have taught in the military, law enforcement, and emergency medicine. But the place I believe I have been the most influential teacher is as a father. Others I taught maybe sat through an hour-long class, or perhaps rode with me for several shifts in a police car or an ambulance; my kids have learned from me all their lives.

There are many ways to teach and learn. A Chinese proverb says, “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.” My kids have–hopefully–learned from my good and bad examples, my successes and my failures. In addition, I try to deliberately teach them what I believe they need to know. Things like how to: have good manners, do laundry, change a tire, cook, clean a clogged drain, and stop bleeding.

I try to teach the kids new skills on a regular basis. I’m now going to formalize this process; one Sunday a month I will teach them a prepper-type skill.

This month we had a, somewhat impromptu, introductory lesson to chainsaws. During our recent ice storm one of the many trees that fell landed on my kids’ mom’s (my ex-wife’s) fence. So, to help out–and reap the firewood–I volunteered to remove the tree.

I borrowed a chainsaw from a friend (thanks Rick) and Ryan, Chanse and I headed over. When we got to the tree, I did the bigger/risky cutting. We brought the large branches into the yard and I let the boys, under close supervision, limb off the smaller branches. Chanse had used a saw once before, but Ryan never had. They listened closely to my instructions and then carefully followed my direction. It’s hard not to feel kind of manly when using a chainsaw, and both boys thought it was pretty cool.

While we were there the girls came out and I asked if they’d like to learn, and all wanted to try. So starting with Brynn, then Emily, then Alison they each limbed one branch. They didn’t do a lot but, especially for the two younger girls, the saw was  heavy and they wouldn’t have been able to do much more. But they were successful and could at least say that they’d done it – and smiles were had by all.

Remember to teach your kids–and your spouse–the skills you know. You may not be around when they are necessary.

(Wednesday: Momma Bear: Momma Bear Is The Prepper, by our new contributor Leah)