So how does a perfectly normal person end up turning into a survivalist prepper?

I get asked this a lot because I come across as fairly normal and sane. But, despite my average-mom exterior, I've been a prepper for more than 20 years and there's most likely a gun tucked away in my girlie-looking purse.

So, let's dispel a few myths and answer a few questions, shall we? At the end, let me know if the how and the why make more sense than you thought they would.

How did you get started prepping?

Just about every prepper I know has a story about something awful that happened during which they felt helpless to take care of their families. And I'm no different.

My turning point occurred when my first baby was just over a month old. There I was, at home with that precious little bundle, when my husband walked in from work one night and told me he'd been laid off.

We didn't have much money saved up. We had a few groceries in the kitchen but were by no means stocked up. We had diapers to buy, rent to pay, and a car to keep on the road, and suddenly, not a penny of income. My husband applied for unemployment and desperately sought work, picking up some day labor here and there. It was dismal and terrifying. We ate bagels and peanut butter for weeks because I'd stocked up when they were on sale. We had some broccoli and tomatoes from our vegetable garden and that was absolutely it. I have no idea what we would have done for our baby if I hadn't been nursing when this all occurred.