Survival for Blondes

We're on Pinterest!

In case you haven’t heard … Pinterest is the new hugely popular social photo-sharing site that fills the void left by Facebook & Twitter. It’s simple and fun and all about the visuals … SOMETHING SHINY … YAY!!

We’re thrilled to announce that SURVIVAL FOR BLONDES has joined in on the Pinterest fun.
http://pinterest.com/survivalblonde

Pinterest’s goal is “to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting.” Think going to the world’s biggest shopping mall without leaving home. A virtual bulletin board where you PIN stuff you like … with magazine-like quality images.

We hope you’ll use it to find and share really cool stuff. Create BOARDs and name them yourself. Give your boards a Pinterest CATEGORY so other exquisite creatures can find them. LIKE and REPIN the pins you like.

Not only can you collect your favorite Survival stuff, you can plan your vacation, remodel your home, find a recipe, or put all your Stupid Pet Photos in one convenient location. It’s really easy to upload images too. When we run out of Pinterest pins to re-pin, we right-click on website images and save them to our desktop. Then upload to one of our boards.

We posted our first boards – Survival Checklists, Survival Advice (with links to these blogs), Survival TV Shows / Films / Books, Firearms, What to Wear – along with repins from folks like SurvivalCache, Zombie Survival Guide & South Florida Survival.

We will continually add new Survival for Blondes pins and boards and fill them with our survival picks. And we’re hoping you will RE-PIN and LIKE our pins.

They are doing this weird “INVITE ONLY” thing. Rather than wait for Pinterest to get back to us (blondes/exquisite creatures are not known for their patience), we just had someone who’s already on Pinterest invite us.

Do you use Pinterest? Please go over to our Facebook page, and let us know what you’d like to see and which boards you like the most.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Survival-for-Blondes/287648871262354

Water, Water ... Everywhere

Any natural or human-caused disaster may restrict your access to fresh water. SURVIVAL BLONDE asked the American Red Cross for their advice on the subject.

How much water do I need?

• At least a gallon / per person / per day (pets count as people).
• Store at least a three-day supply of water for each member of your family.
• So one person with two cats = 9 gallons

In case of emergency drink at least two quarts of water a day, 3-4 quarts a day if you are in a hot climate, pregnant, sick or a child. DO NOT ration the water when supplies diminish. Drink your quota and find some more.

How do I store it?

• Preferably, in store-bought, factory-sealed water containers.
• Alternately, in food-grade quality containers made for storing water and available from sporting goods and surplus stores and other retailers.
• These containers must be thoroughly washed, sanitized and rinsed.
• The water you store in them, if it's from your tap, may need to be treated before being stored.
• Ask your public health service or water provider for information on whether and how to treat the water. Follow those instructions before storing any.

 Where do I keep it?

• In a cool, dark place in your home, each vehicle, your workplace, and in your backpack

 What should I avoid?

• Store-bought water past the expiration or "use by" date on the container.
• Containers that can't be sealed tightly.
• Containers that can break, such as glass bottles.
• Containers that have ever held any toxic substance.
• Plastic milk bottles and cartons. They are difficult to clean and break down over time.

 How long can I keep it?

• Change stored water every six months, unless it’s a product specifically designed for survival (see the links below).

 LINKS

LET’S GO SHOPPING:  http://pinterest.com/survivalblonde/water-water

YOUR COMMENTS & SHOPPING TIPS:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Survival-for-Blondes/287648871262354

FOR MORE INFORMATION

http://www.redcross.org/preparedness/cdc_english/FoodWater.asp

http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/f&web.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/emergency/safe_water/personal.html

The Foraging Foodie on The Joy of Milkweed

Marie Alessandro, a dedicated and passionate foodie, will join "Survival for Blondes" on the 2^nd Wednesday of every month, to share with us the Joy of Foraging. Marie is the social media consultant/coach for organizations such as The Mayor's Office of New Bostonians, The Mass Transgender Political Coalition, Latin Syncopation Entertainment, Boston Tango Society, and Salsa Libre of East Boston. She has a background in theater and entertainment, is a student of Certified Ethical Hacking, and was an early adopter of internet development and technology in the mid-90s, including blogging, media sharing, and social media, 

Marie Alessandro

Milkweed? I know what you are thinking …. Wait!! Is she talking about that WEED that grows in my yard? The one that seeps the sticky white sap that ruins my clothes? Did she say she EATS them?

CAUTION:  Milkweed could be the “gateway drug” that lures you into the realm of foraging … WELCOME.

Why yes, you heard correctly. In fact milkweed is one of my favorite, foragable summer foods. If you want to try them, first and foremost, research a bit on plant identification (link provided at the end). Dogbane, which is poisonous, looks similar when it’s young, so be sure you have the correct plant!

Next you ask, what PARTS of the plant can I eat? When they are new shoots in spring, the whole plant, except the tougher bits of root, can be cooked and eaten. That time frame is narrow however, and by this point in summer, we are starting to see the flowering buds appear. These may be eaten, as well as the younger leaves and the thinner, upper part of the stem. Later, you can eat the immature pods, and even the silky part of the plant.

Let's say you want to go and try some now. Grab a bag or basket, a pair of scissors or a sharp knife, and perhaps gloves to keep the sticky latex sap from messing up your hands. Wear clothes you are not bothered getting milkweed sap on.

COLLECTING THE MILKWEED

• Look at the tops, and in between the flowers and tiniest leaves, for bugs.
• Clip the top 1/4-1/3 of the plant. 
• Bag it and tag it … and bring them babies home to eat

HOW TO COOK THE MILKWEED

1. Heat some water on the stove while you clean up your green treats.
2. Rinse well under cold water, especially the top flower and leave clusters … unless you WANT the added protein of wee bugs.
3. Pull off the leaves, use the scissors or knife to nip off the flower clusters and to snip the still-soft parts of the stem into small segments. Discard anything that feels too fibrous or is darker green than the tender bits higher up on the stem.
4. Toss them in boiling water, add salt, and let simmer 3-5 minutes.
5. Traditionally, you would then drain the water off the milkweed, and refill the pot with more hot water, to be sure you have drained off the icky latex toxins, so let's do that.
6. Bring it back to simmer for a few more minutes.
7. Drain it, butter up and enjoy with a touch of salt and pepper!

Your milkweed will be tender and sweet. Try them again later in the season, as the pods begin to form. You'll be hooked.

For help in identifying milkweed - http://www.tacticalintelligence.net/blog/how-to-eat-milkweed.htm

Survival's Lighter Side: The Year of the Teen Driver

*Please note that this blonde, Jen Tucker, recognizes her issues can cross hair color borders. She welcomes all people, with open arms, that have ever suffered from blonde moments, blonde jokes, or ate a Blondie brownie, regardless of the color at their roots.*

Summertime is here! Maybe not according to the seasonal calendar, yet it’s true according to the school calendar here in West Lafayette, Indiana. We are only a few days into June, yet in my mind I have already moved mentally into July. Most people think of July as the month we celebrate our freedom as a country. There are concerts under the stars and dancing fireworks in the night air, vacations on sandy beaches collecting seashells, and hot, sticky days with drippy popsicles just waiting for you. July is all of those things to me and more. The extra bonus July brings to our family is my oldest son, Wil, turns sixteen and I am not prepared for this in any way, shape or form *Jen grabs a tissue; blots watering eyes*.

Have you seen this classic 80s movie? I pray it never becomes my reality!

I do not feel I am possibly old enough to be the mother of a sixteen year old. So already, you know I have delusions I should seek professional help for. We are facing the music playing on the car stereo: driving permits, driving lessons, and the dreaded *cue the da-da-daaaaaaaaaaaa music* insurance for male, teenage drivers. Be still my aching wallet. I would really prefer to crawl into my happy place hole right about now. Back to the times Wil and I laid on the floor, racing Matchbox cars for hours would be a lovely place to visit right about now. The extra layer on the cake is that we, as parents residing in the state of Indiana, are required to spend 50 hours supervising Wil driving. Fifty hours. Five with a zero. Upon hearing that tidbit from a fellow parent in my shoes, I thought, piece of cake! Immediately after that thought rolled through my brain, I began dissecting how long 50 hours of driving is. Yeah, it’s a long, long, loooong  time. It is also something we are tardy commencing.

I want you to be prepared when educating a new driver in your family, and please learn from my lack of being on the ball. Here are tips to help you through this time of transition in your life, and your child’s.

This baby is not my baby, yet this is the image in my head when I picture my children behind the wheel 

1. Have “The Talk”: Mike and I never formally sat Wil down previous to this looming birthday to seriously discuss about driving preparation. That is something we should have done last year at this time. Yeah, we chatted in passing. “Hey, when you are 16, I am totally sending you to pick up a gallon of milk every time you scarf one down; that means daily. Won’t that be fun for you, Wil?” We failed to ask Wil how he felt about this privilege he was eligible to earn. Was he ready? Did he understand that with driving a car comes great responsibility? Make no mistake, it is a privilege to command an auto, and your children should know that.
2. Seek and ye shall find: Every state has different rules for obtaining a driving permit and the education required to smile for your license photo. By the way, my eyes are closed in my license photo, much like they are in all our family photos. I take after my grandmother in that respect. Check out http://www.dmv.org where you can search for information on anything from driver’s permits to insurance rates for your state.
3. Do not go the road less traveled: Ask friends residing in your state that have been through prepping a teenager for driving their advice. It is important to learn what worked, and what didn’t work, in their particular situation and take away what pertains to your child. Although the legal hoops to jump through are the same, everyone learns differently. Your child might feel more comfortable in a one-on-one situation with a licensed instructor versus a large class room. Find out the educational options in your area.
4. Haste does not win the race: You might think there is no way in the world you would give your child keys to the car because you’ve seen how they roll first playing Mario Kart. Just the thought of backing out of the driveway, might cause your offspring acid reflux. Driving must be a mutual decision. Your child may not be ready at the age of 16 to secure a license, and that’s okay! It shouldn’t be a sprint to reach the finish line in this situation. According to car-accidents.com, “over 5,000 teens ages 16 to 20 die due to fatal injuries caused car accidents. Around 400,000 drivers age 16 to 20 will be seriously injured.” That is 405,000 accidents too many. Know your child. Know their strengths and weaknesses. Make tough decisions with their best interest at heart.
5. If you hear the phone, leave it alone: Your car is not a beauty parlor, so don’t curl your eyelashes while driving. Your car is not the place to write your first novel, so don’t text while driving. What kind of example are you setting as a driver for your kids? I am not without fault; I bragged on occasion, in high school, about steering with my knees while putting on lipstick. Today, I rather fancy lip gloss and apply it before I leave the house; never when lives are in my hands.According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 3,000 people were killed in 2010 due to distracted driving incidents. Again, 3,000 deaths too many. Make serious rules with serious consequences for your teen if they are broken. It goes without saying; your child is precious. Keep them safe and smart out on the road.

For more information visit these websites:

            http://www.distraction.gov

            http://www.teendriving.com

            http://www.teenatthewheel.com

            http://www.slideshare.net/drivewithcare/tips-for-parents-with-teenage-drivers-2866033

Author Jen Tucker wrties women's nonfiction and also children's books. She describes her most important roles in this life as that of Jesus freak, wife, mother, daughter, friend, and pizza consumer. Mostly in that order! Thanks for stopping by to spend time with her.