Grain Mill Suggestions?

I have been wanting to buy a nice electric grain mill. There are so many kinds on the market now, in various price ranges, so I am looking for a little guidance.

For now, I have a wheat grinder attachment for my KitchenAid, But it does not grind the wheat as fine as I like for baking. Even when I run it through twice! It is also very time consuming and messy this way. You can't run it for very long, because you risk burning out the motor - and I don't want to kill my KitchenAid! I need it! I also don't want to get stuck with another bad investment.

If you have a grain mill, please tell me what kind you love (or hate!)?

$10 Gift Card to Emergency Essentials

The Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness company is giving away $10 gift cards to those who will try their new food storage analyzer program and review it on their blog. Go to their website if you are interested in the details.

Once a month cooking

Have you ever considered (or tried?) once a month cooking? or once a week cooking? If so, I need your advice.

If you've never heard of once a month cooking - essentially, that just means you buy a big load of groceries and spend a day or two of marathon food preparation. The food goes in your freezer and voila, you have meals ready to pull out for the next few weeks. There are several cookbooks and websites with discussions and recipes for once a month cooking.

I think I am going to give it a try. I requested one of those cookbooks from the library and I'm making up a big shopping list. It will probably take me more than a day or two to get stocked the first time, but hopefully I will be able to go a few weeks without much cooking. We have a busy few weeks ahead as April hits. I think eliminating the stress of meal preparation will make things go a lot smoother. Hopefully it will keep be from being too grumpy when my husband leaves town one week and then has big qualifying exams the next week!

here are some ideas of recipes:

http://www.momsbudget.com/freezerrecipes/

http://www.dinnersinthefreezer.com/

http://www.frugalmom.net/recipes.htm

http://www.recipelink.com/rcpmenus.html

http://www.menus4moms.com/bulk/thriftyhomeschooler.php

please send me your favorite sites/ideas for bulk food preparation!

Resist Aggression Defensively

To help your children be prepared to resist aggression defensively. Check out the radkids website.

I heard about this on tv when watching an interview of Ed Smart. In case you do not remember the case, his daughter was kidnapped from her bedroom near Salt Lake City in 2002. She found with her kidnappers 9 months later.

Roadside Emergency Kit

Do you have the essentials in your car you might need in an emergency?

here are some ideas to help you evaluate:

jumper cables

spare tire

drinking water (and purification tablets?)

hand crank powered flashlight (with radio?)

first aid kit (and burn ointment?)

hand sanitizer

compass

map

medications

emergency phone numbers

some cash

paper and pencil

light sticks

emergency blanket

extra clothing

energy bars (or snack foods with a shelf life)

baby: diapers, wipes, formula

what other items do you think are a must for the car?

Create a Fire Escape Plan

Are you and your family prepared for a FIRE? Here are suggestions from the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association):

1. Draw a floorplan of your home showing all doors and windows.

2. Label 2 ways out of each room.

3. Label smoke detectors, check to be sure there is one near each sleeping area, and on each level of your home. Test smoke alarms, replacing batteries yearly.

4 Choose a place outside and away from your home where your family can meet.

5. Practice your plan each year.

for more information on fire safety and games for kids.