Prepping for Wintergeddon 2: Heating and Cooking Without Power

Last winter, our home was without power for a little under a week. We had snow outside and ice inside. Windows are single-paned, unfortunately. Since we rent, there isn't much we can do. We ended up having to go stay at my in-laws home to ride it out. We have been thinking about what that could mean for us if we have to go through that again in the upcoming winter months. From what we have read and heard, it sounds like they are predicting that this will be the worst winter in 7 years. Texas grid can't handle "rolling blackouts" as they tried last year. So what do we do? We started doing some research. My mom even helped! She sent several great videos that have taught me a thing or two about how to handle keeping my family warm without power, as well as cooking without power. I thought I might share some in case you are wondering where to start. Each of us has needs that vary from each other. So keep that in mind. What works in one case, might not work in another. 

Rocket Stove: 

I'd never heard of this concept. But it is pretty cool! Simple, effective and cheap. However, it does mean you can only have this outside. Last winter, I did not like being outdoors for long. It was way too cold and way too hard on my arthritic joints. But for cooking quickly, I think it would work perfectly. 

One room for all:

If the power goes out, my goal is to get all 4 children bunking in the living room. Far as I can tell, that is the room that can hold the most heat, fit them all, and have room to spare for them to play or do school in. There is also the fire place that we are stocking wood for. Little by little, we have been investing in wood and the storage of it. We bought a rack and some wood that we cover snugly with a tarp. I will be putting rolled up materials at door bases and windowsills. This should help with insulating better against the cold. Blankets will line the floor in the living room. For them - it will be like a camp out! Or maybe a slumber party... Either way, I'll do what I can to make it fun.

Clay pots and tealight candles:

I had heard of this before. But actually seeing it in action made a difference in my belief on how well it might work. This would do nicely for heating the room that I plan to have the kiddos bunk in. I could easily set it up on the table in the dining room, which is attached to the living room. It should provide plenty of heat to keep us going. 

 

Or this method:

10 ways according to a prepper:

This guy seems to know his stuff. I plan to check out more of his videos to see what other ideas he has. He gave great tips that could be helpful for different situations. 

Alcohol and toilet paper:

This is one I would never have thought of. Especially when we know about that shortage we had at the start of the pandemic age. However, I include it as it is unique and can be stored away for an indefinite time.

What else do you think I am missing? I'd love to hear from you. Are you prepping too?

Taking Game Night to the Zombies! (Discount included!)

Our family loves to play board games! We have quite the growing collection. But I always jump at the chance to try out new ones with my kids. PlayMonster teamed up with Tryazon to showcase a game just in time for Christmas shoppers! 

*Disclaimer: I was sent these two games in exchange for hosting a party and writing my honest review. I was not otherwise paid or endorsed. All opinions are strictly my own.*

I wasn't very familiar with PlayMonster. I knew only about the Spirograph toys as that is something I've enjoyed since childhood. However, since being a part of this party, I have learned about other products they offer. I highly recommend checking their website out and seeing what they have available! For now, I'm going to show you the two games they sent me and tell you what our family has thought of them. At the end, I'll also share a discount! So hang with me!

Zombie Chase - This is the main game they wanted to show off. And it was indeed the most fun we have had in a while. Even the little one enjoyed playing with us! We tested it out a couple times before sharing the fun with others. It was pretty simple to set up. Once you start the rounds, you will see how easy it is to play. The premise of the game is that you and your friends went to a theme park. You find yourselves locked in, in the dark, and running from the parks zombified maintenance guy! You have to get a flashlight, get to the maintenance shed, grab a gate key, and then get to a gate to get out. But you won't be taking a leisurely stroll through the park.

You will be running from the zombie. Every time you roll to move your character, you also roll to move the zombie. You better hope that your friends aren't caught! Otherwise you will be running from them as well. 

This game is for ages 7 and up. My 4 year old has played with us, however, and LOVED it! She just needed a little help remembering to take the right steps. My kids shared it with others at a church event recently. It was fun watching them play. It is about a 30 minute play depending on how many players you have. You can have up to 6 players. 

If you purchase it from their company website, it is $19.99. Don't forget to look below for the discount though! You can only use that discount on their website. However, should you not want to order it directly from them and save money in the process, you can also get it on Amazon or Walmart.

Next up!

Reign - This one is a little more advanced. At first, I wasn't sure I could keep up with the rules. However, once you get into it, you find the game play is pretty simple. You have a board that is split into various "land masses" that go together almost like a puzzle.

Each player, you can only have up to 4, sets out their army faction. It is the Final Battle Royale. As you move with each turn, you have a couple things you want to do. You want to collect the Power Stones.

These help in battle and with extra moving. You also want to get your characters to safety. You see, as you each take a turn, you slowly get closer to land masses being torn apart by natural disasters.

The board shrinks! Until all that is left is the center plot, where the final character standing is the victor. As you land next to each other, you can fight them. The one with the highest score wins the fight. The other person is eliminated. Our family really dug into it. We can be pretty competitive when it comes to gaming. I liked the factions. You have Samurai, Barbarian, Droids, and Super Soldiers. Oh and each group has various degrees of level. 1, 2, or 3. This diversifies the battle!

You'll understand better when you play. Until then, they show a little of what it is like in this video.

Want to get a copy for your collection? If you get it from PlayMonster directly, it is $29.99. Don't forget the discount below! However, you could get it at these other retailers too. Amazon or Target. 

Discount time! 

Okay, you patiently got through my talk, so here is the discount information you have really been looking forward to. 

As my reader, and by extension - a party guest, you are allowed to get 25% off your order on PlayMonster.com. It is not just on these two games! Anything you order from them. You need to enter the code at checkout. Ready for it? TRYAZON25 Important thing to remember - this offer cannot be combined with other offers or with free shipping. It also expires on November 30th (11/30/21). So if you are going to order, I suggest doing it soon. That also might help get your product sooner with how crazy shipping has been lately. 

Thank you so much for reading! I know you are busy, so I am thankful for those who hang in with me. Let me know your thoughts below. I love hearing from you all! What game would you want to try? Did you check out their website? Let me know!

We Are Nearly Through 2021!

Fall has arrived. Sounds crazy for someone in Texas! After all, it isn't quite October yet. However, weather in Texas has been unusual this year. It is already starting to cool off again. For me, this means that planning is in full swing. There are some birthdays in October I have to address - one of them being for my son who is turning 13! 

*insert a shudder here* 

I am about to be the mother of a teenager already. Scary thought! We laugh about it though. He's already breaking out with acne. His voices squeaks and breaks, even though he tries to force it to stay deep all the time. He mentions having "changes" that he is embarrassed about and that he needs to talk to his Dad about. When that happens, I immediately tell him that he's right. "Talk to your father, because I can't help you with that." More like I don't want to... unless I have to. I like having his Dad take over that responsibility. I'll handle the girls later on. Oh yeah, and he's growing a mustache. Well, more like the fuzz above his lip is becoming noticeable. So he feels quite proud of himself for that. 

But I'm getting away with myself, aren't I? After October rolls through, I will face November. My youngest is turning 5! Again, reaching a milestone for one of my children. She will be leaving toddler-hood behind in exchange for being a little 'kid'. This girl is something else. She amazes her father and I with her smarts quite often. Some days I think she's already on a head-start path for being smarter than he and I both! Since we started homeschooling this year, she has been on a fast track of learning her shapes, colors, numbers and letters. She can recognize her name. At one point, I would have sworn she knew math already. She can add plus 1 to numbers easily. But this one time in particular, she stumped her father and I by saying something like, "If I'm 60, then after 4 more years, I'll be 64." If she had spun her head around on her shoulders, I don't think we could have been more surprised! She says things like this to us often though! Makes me wonder sometimes just how high her IQ will get. After all, both her parents are triple digits. She is also an accomplished gamer. Can't tell you how proud I am of that! All my kids are gamers of some sort. All of them are accomplished readers. Even Megabits! That girl has her own collection of books that she likes to "read" or have read to her. She has me reading one to her now that is about a place called Dinosaur Cove. My mom had sent it to the kids. She will bring it to me, climb on my lap and sit still until a thrilling moment occurs while I'm reading. Then she will get excited, bring her balled fists to the sides of her mouth as she lets out a squeal. It is adorable! 

After her birthday, I'll be making our family's first only us Thanksgiving! I'm excited. I already have ideas of what we will have on the menu. Sadly, I have to include stuffing. Or dressing, if you prefer that word for it. Personally, I don't like it. Never have. But my husband does. So I'm getting the boxed kind just for him! 

Finally, we come to a great month. I have my moms birthday in that month. I'm making her a gift this year. Something personal for her new home in Florida. A way of showing off to her friends, how blessed she is as a Mom and a Nana. December is also a month that has a gift-giving celebration that will, hopefully, be held with extended family. I've already created my shopping list. Sadly, most of the people on it will have to be happy with gift cards. Seems to be the safe route to take with people who have everything, or are always talking about getting rid of stuff, or that you just don't know enough about to give them something personal. I guess some would argue that that has its own personal touch as you have to know a person well enough to know which one to choose, right? 

For those that are getting something more personal, I'm making some pretty cool things. I just finished my little sisters' gifts. She plays with Barbies and has a house for them that my daughters drool over. But she needed things to add inside. So I made them!

My daughters have even enjoyed some of my creations with their Barbies. I can't wait to see pictures of my sisters dollhouse after Christmas! 

What about you? Do you have your last months of 2021 in the planning stages already? What is your biggest plan so far?? Let me know in the comments below.

Beginning Preparations for the Next Wintergeddon

I don't know how many of you remember, but last winter Texas had a massive winter storm that some have dubbed Wintergeddon. Fast forward to September and we have only recently seen 100 degrees in central Texas. Crazy, right?? 

But even though the temperatures outside are about 98-100, I've noticed that I'm not the only one wondering what is going to happen when winter returns. We lost power during a rain storm recently. During rain! It was crazy to wake up to flashing clocks everywhere. Last I heard, they haven't fixed all the problems that led to days without power, and even some deaths during the frigid cold. 

Knowing this, my husband and I have started to prepare ourselves a little more. Last winter, we had needed to go stay with his mother and sister after waiting several hours for the power to return. Our home does not hold heat thanks to the outdated single-paned windows and gaps in the doors. But since we rent, there isn't much I can do to help that. Or is there?

Centralizing the heat

I've been doing some research. One way to keep from having higher bills, also works to keep heat or air centralized. You seal off rooms that you can do without. This got me thinking. Wouldn't be so bad to let the kids camp out in the living room, now would it? Close their bedroom doors, stuff towels in the window sills and door cracks. Then, make sure to close their vents. This works for having electricity or not. All the air will blow into the rooms being used instead. 

Firestarters

We have a great fireplace to utilize in winter months. I've been making homemade fire starters from dryer lent and toilet paper rolls. Simple, yet highly effective! I filled a shoe box so far and then have been saving dryer lent as well.Lesson learned - pack it lightly!

Wood is something that we will have to store up. We plan to get a wood stacking rack. I rather not just have it piled on the ground. Plus, we will be keeping it covered to keep it dry from the elements.

Propane or gas grill

We bought a wonderful 2 burner stove top. It has dual uses. We can use it during camping trips as well as when there is loss of power. It is small, so making meals will be time-consuming. But still totally worth it. If you are looking for what we got, it is Ozark Trail. We love their brand! We can grab the little camping propane tanks to use.

Food stocking

Canned goods are definitely the way to go! So our plan is to collect canned soups and maybe ramen for warm meals. Peanut butter will be another thing we will keep on hand. Bottled water will be a big deal for us. These are things we can stock up on little by little from each paycheck. 

Bringing out the heat

Lastly, we have talked about how to heat up the place in the event that the power does go out. How do we keep everyone warm? For the most part, I plan to keep all jackets, hats, gloves and blankets in the living room with the kids. It will be a giant, warm fort! Bundling up will be easy. We are looking into space heaters as well. And the fireplace will be kept stoked. 

Passing the time

Everyone knows we live in the age of technology. So what do we do with no power? How do we plan to pass the time? First off, we have a portable DVD player we picked up at an estate sale. We have 2 DS game devices. And even a tablet. But how will we charge those? Our vehicle comes with plugs, both USB and your standard wall plug! When we have to go places, we can charge them here and there. But those aside, we have a ton of board games! We can easily pass the spare time with that. We are all readers. So books will be at our disposal. Nerf gun fights and Barbies, Lego creations and hide-n-seek games. We can pass the time. After all, during daylight hours will be school too. 

Speaking of light...

Without power, we will be needing to pull out candles and flashlights. My favorites are the LED ones we picked up at Harbor Freight.  They have multiple options on the type of light and are easy for the kids to use. So don't forget those extra batteries!

What are your thoughts? How would you prepare? I'd appreciate hearing from you. Leave me a comment below!