Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Fall Safety Reminders and Master Lock GIVEAWAY!!!

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Darah has been asking me recently why the sun isn’t awake yet when she is getting ready for school. There’s no denying that the sun is coming up later and later every day. It’s just that time of year! And once daylight saving hits in a few weeks, it will be dark SO EARLY! Fall and Winter are on their way!

It is important for us grownups to remember that we are also heading into the two biggest seasons for burglaries. I know the topic isn’t tons of fun to think about, but trust me, it is so much better to think about your family safety and security plan and to beef it up in a few areas now, than to play Monday-morning quarterback after your things have already been stolen. It’s also important to make sure that every family member is on the same page about expectations for things like children’s weeknight and weekend curfews, and if your children are old enough to ever be home alone, what processes your child might need to go through when they get home (locking the doors right away, sending mom/dad a text message that they arrived, not answering the door, etc.).

While the weather outside is still nice, take a bit of time to do any home improvement projects that can help with overall safety matters. Make sure your front and back porch lights are in good working order, and note if they provide sufficient lighting. Think about if additional lighting might help deter would-be intruders from targeting your home. Also be sure to prune your hedges and make sure that your house number can very clearly be seen.

If you haven’t already put your outdoor grill and any other outdoor pieces that could theoretically be picked up and moved on lock down, I can’t stress enough how important this is (remember my post about how our weed eater was stolen? ). Master Lock has a 3 pack of red, blue and green cable locks that we are definitely loving and that we would recommend to anyone. I especially like that they are keyed alike for easier access (on the part of the owner, NOT on the part of the person who wishes they could steal it!). I love that there are several ties to go around, so every child, for example, could have their own secure bike lock, and can get in the habit of locking it up every day. Should a key get lost during this learning process, it is also not as big of a deal, since the remaining keys will also work.

Finally, take a moment to write down some ICE (in case of emergency) information for you kids to keep in their backpacks or wallets. Most people do not have phone numbers memorized since our phones do that for us. If your child ever needs to get in touch with you and doesn’t have his or her cell phone on hand, this could be a problem! This simple step will only take a minute or two but could make it so much easier for your child to reach you when needed.

What are you doing this season to make your home and its contents more secure?

Giveaway! One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a set of cable locks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I am a member of the Master Lock Live Secure Safety Squad, and as such, I receive complimentary products as a thank you for my time. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own, however. 

How We Let Our Guard Down Once and Lost Our Weed-eater

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You guys, I’ll be the first person to tell you that a life lived in fear is not one worth living. It’s not healthy to constantly be looking over your shoulder and to be certain that you are about to be a victim of a natural disaster, a random accident, or even an intentional act of crime. Statistically, the odds are that you AREN’T.

But there IS something to be said for keeping your wits about you, and being very consistent with protecting yourself and your property. A few weeks ago, when we were scrubbing and sealing our back deck, we made a misstep, and it cost us.

Our weed-eater had been on our back deck, just by our door. We had to move it in order to beautify the deck. Well, for one night, Tim moved everything from the deck into the back yard, itself. That was all it took for someone who had obviously been watching our stuff all summer to take action. I suppose that stepping onto our deck was not something they were willing to do, but once the item they wanted was just in the yard, it seemed easy enough to steal.

And steal it, they did.

I cannot begin to tell you how mad Tim was at himself for his mistake.  He was actually confused at first because he really thought he had brought the weed-eater inside. He had every intention of doing so. But he’s a human. He makes mistakes. And this time, he forgot to take that important step.

I think the scariest thing for me is the realization that someone had been watching our stuff every single day, waiting for their one opportunity. This reminds me of the time that my best friend had her car stolen the one time she forgot to lock her car doors. That meant that someone had been casing her car every single night, waiting for it to be just a little bit easier to steal. Same situation here (though I guess I’m glad we lost a weed-eater, and not a car!).

The lesson I hope you learn from this is NOT that you should be scared, or that you should never even have anything in your front or back yard, but that you should assume that folks who are up to no good are paying a bit of attention, and are waiting for you to be careless. One way to keep thieves at bay is to lock up your stuff. Our big and beautiful grill wasn’t touched, for example, because it is locked to our deck with a Master Lock device. We had it locked even when it was in the yard (just kept it right next to the deck). I’m imagining the thief thinking he was about to have two awesome items, and being really bummed when he saw that Master Lock device around the grill. I only wish we had a lock around that weed-eater, too.

So pay closer attention to what you are leaving laying around this fall. I’m not trying to sound creepy, but I promise you, someone else is watching and waiting for their chance. Don’t make it easy for them.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Master Lock Live Secure Safety Squad, and as such, I receive complimentary products as a thank you for my time. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own, however. 

Keeping Your Home and Your Stuff Safe and Sound This Summer

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I’m excited to announced that I’m part of the Live Secure Safety Squad for Master Lock! That means that throughout the year I will be bringing you great information (and great giveaways!) about products that can help you keep your home and your possessions safe and sound.

I think the timing of this campaign is excellent, because summer is an especially important time of year for us all to be mindful of safety. Our children are likely home more in the summer than they are during the school year. We might be doing things like opening up our windows at home to enjoy the wonderful weather outside. Perhaps we’ve got toys, a grill and other valuables sitting outside in our front or back yards. I’ll be showing you steps we take over the coming months to enjoy the weather, enjoy our yard, and still feel safe and secure (no more grills being stolen…lesson learned!). I’ll also share how to have more peace of mind about leaving your house if you are planning any vacations (we are hoping to take a trip to Atlanta sometime this summer).

Why is it so important to take a bit of time and think about such security issues? Well, everyone has different reasons. I happen to have 2. Want to know what they are?

They are my two little girls. They are my heart, beating outside of my chest. It is my job to do everything in my power to keep them safe and to create a safe environment in which they can thrive. If mommy is always stressed out/worried about the safety of our home and things, that anxiety will be known by my girls (children pick up on this type of thing quite easily). That’s one of the reasons that we decided to move away from Memphis, where crime and theft were much more of a price you just had to pay to live in the city. It was never a question of if anything would be stolen from you, but when. We made a major change by moving to a different city, but now I want to have a home that is as stress-free as possible. Part of making that happen includes taking the time to make some necessary precautions.

What about you? Do you live in a community with major theft problems? Any summer plans that will take you away from home and are making you a bit nervous? Any particular security needs you want me to talk about this year?