Job well done PrepHer! That must be very satisfying, I am only averaging 50/50. One positive, one negative and one neutral.

Fantastic news PH.

We are a blended family with 6 kids.All I can say is that the kids now days are spoiled and selfish . The new generation became that way from having so called to many rights. Spanking is out. Even kids can be labeled as child labour if they have a large chor list. They all expect to have cell phones, a car, brand name clothing all given to them just because. Even mowing the lawn has to be done on their time when they feal like it. Our kids are ok with us preping but they seem to believe that we have enough stockpiled . They would rather hang out at a freinds than having a weekend out in the bush let alone chop wood.
Its hard nowdays being a parent compaired to the past generations. Life is getting to complex and fast pased. I do know that the kids would be the hardest to adjust to the old ways post appocolipse.

I Agree, my generation needs a good beat. most of these kids are spoiled and selfish, and wouldnt know what to do when SHTF. I am Ashamed of my generation. I only have 2 friends who know what to do when SHTF.

My generation deifinately needs a boot up the ass. although here in new zealand is a bit different to other more advanced countries the majority are still the play video games act cool and live off of the government benefit when they grow up. all my friends say if the end of the world happened they would rob a gun store and shoot people for food... thats one thing that made me sure i am bugging out. their life plans go like this Girls: Have lots of babies so she can get the government to pay her for them. Boys: live off the benefit and play video games or join a gang.
This generation is screwed up and twisted and needs to be fixed. but i think the majority of the bad ones will die out come shtf because they will be to high on drugs or trying to figure out why theres no power so they can play their games.

When the SHTF there are going to be alot of people who drug themselves to death so they dont have to deal with problems. thats 1/4 of the kids gone already. another 1/4 will die of ignorance thinking they are going to starve to death on the first day and they give up. then another 1/4 will be the lucky stupid ones which survive for a month or so until their pantry runs out and then they get shot trying to rob someone. then there will be 1/4 with houses on the coast or farms who will most likely survive the entire thing because they are sustainable.

sad but true.

New to the prepping and worried about one thing this winter, having to travel on foot:
My husband, Mother and Younger Brother (who live with my husband and I) all work during the day in various places around Calgary. If something went down and I needed to get out quick, I am by myself, Pregnant, with an 18 month old and a 3 1/2 year old and 2 dogs that will pull a sleigh. Great kids and dogs, well disciplined, listen well, however, the idea of traveling on foot in the winter is a very scary prospect. We have a meeting point with other people should something go down and we don't live in Calgary, (Thank God!) Should I walk with a stroller or go it on foot? Should I bring the dogs, or leave them (which would be very hard to do) Would it be safer for me to wait for my husband, or one of the other two to get to me? Or should I start off to the meeting spot on my own? I can carry 50 lbs on my back for a good distance and am in good shape for a pregnant woman but that is not including carrying my very heavy toddler and should the Lord terry, a newborn baby on my front. I know all these variables depend on the situation given to us, but being new to the idea I am looking for advice on survival with young children, wondering what other parents have done to prep for the needs of the little ones and any ideas on traveling as light as possible.

Hi Mountainjac!

Just my opinion here, but being pregnant with two kids is brutal enough at the best of times...never mind if you need to leave the city. If it was me I would never go it alone in that state. What if you went into labour early? What if (God forbid) you were set upon by people who want what's in your 50lb pack? Could you protect your children and yourself easily? Granted, with two dogs able to pull a sled, it might be a bit easier 😉 but hon, don't leave unless you have to. I would wait for backup from another member of your family. We have a rule that if my husband and I aren't together, we've got four hours to make it home before the person there has to start thinking about the possibility of leaving. We also got a MEC two-kid bike trailer for the little one and some of her gear and then have an older model for more gear. Leaving by foot will be a complete last resort for us...we're gonna bike it! However, even before that, we're going to try and stay if we feel we can. Bugging out with a little one (as you've probably read on this board already) is going to be big task...
As for travelling light, we're working on that. But even more than light, we're travelling WARM. If we're freezing and our little one is constantly screaming about the cold, we won't get very far. And if you've got two of them with another on the way, you'll more than likely not be travelling light...
Welcome hon!

Hey mamabear,

I never thought of a bike and carriage, that is definantly my next purchase! Thank you! Also a small easy to use gun! Also a surgical kit in case I am delivering this baby in an unconventional place. So much to do! And warmth/food/water is the number one thing on my mind. I found a Canadian sleeping bag maker that makes sleeping bags for below 30. Hot-core sleeping bags, they are a very reasonable price for such a sleeping bag. http://www.hotcoresleepingbags.com/ . A wait time is a great idea! Also maybe having a spot that isn't the house to wait for him would be good planning for us as well in case of looting, which, from the research I've done, seems to be a major imminent threat within the first 12 hours in a city as big as Calgary, hopefully longer because we are outside of the city and maybe shorter if a dirty bomb goes off in the city and people are trying to get out. Thanks for the advice! Glad that my whole family is on board and doesn't have there heads in the sand! Glad I'm not the only mother with young children getting ready! : )

HA!! I'm actually picking up those exact bags today! I ordered them from Edmonton because no one in the city had them. Call Totem Outfitters and ask for Jennifer, she's got the goods! I'll let you know what I think of them in a couple hours.
And yeah, there's quite a few of us with kids on here.

What size is your dog, is it big enough to haul a bicycle trailer. A bicycle trailer uses bicycle tires bolted at a frame, that can be use to carry a child or freight. Dogs have been use for a millenia in working this way, it might be time that we revert back to the way it was. There are dog service harnesses out there, when I was first married, we had a springer spanial that draged my wife through the snow chasing a cat. I was in trouble be cause I laughed but, the point is that a fifty pound dog was able to drag a 125 lb lady throught the snow. After my son was born I made a harness for him and he happily towed my son in the wagon when we went on walks.

Some dogs thrive on this type of work. Huskies come to mind.

My dogs are both just over 50 lbs, they really love pulling. One is a german shepard, husky mix, the other is an Akita border collie mix. They thrive in cold weather and with lots of work stimulation, I feel they would be a great asset in survival. We took them winter camping last winter and they brought 2 squirrels and a bird, untouched except for a broken neck, back to camp over the three days we were there. Both of there parents were working farm dogs so although they are in a bedroom community they seem to have a lot of that same instinct (like to herd, hunt, and pull.) They definantly could pull a bike trailer on wheels or skis, we have a sled and harness for the kids, but its not very big, I need to invest in something bigger, like a bike carriage. : )