Stuff Parents Need

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

How I Accidentally Started Dating My Husband on Valentine’s Day (Plus a Paris Trip GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Valentine’s Day: most folks either love it or hate it. I honestly have never really been a huge fan. But it does have a special place in my heart because Tim and I started dating, quite by accident, on Valentine’s Day of our freshman year in college.

I started crushing on him about a week after I met him, and I met him my very first day on campus. We because very good friends, but all of my Southern charms seemed to fall flat on this kid from Washington. He was a tough one, which of course, made me work even harder to get his attention. I’d like to tell you that he was super strategic and knew exactly what he was doing, playing hard to get and all, but the truth is that he was just clueless. Ha!

Anyway, I asked him out on several dates throughout our first year of college, and each time I would realize about halfway through the date that he didn’t know that we are on a date. Oh man…this guy was dense! I finally realized that I was going insane, and certainly making my roommate and hallmate insane with my over analysis of all our conversations. So I just told him one night after we had enjoyed some Japanese food, a terrific play and a trip to one of our favorite greasy spoons for a slice of pie (isn’t that so obviously a date?!…I still don’t know how he didn’t realize it!).

After professing my deep and abiding like of Tim, he admitted that he thought I was fantastic, too. And then we shared a very awkward moment where neither one of us had any idea what to say next. At that point, my Resident Assistant came by the social room we were in on her rounds and said, “Happy Valentine’s Day, guys!”

It was after midnight, and so it was, in fact, Valentine’s Day. I wanted to barf. Except for that I was also REALLY excited that Tim and I were now an item, even if that meant it had to happen on a Hallmark holiday.

This Valentine’s Day will mark 13 years that we have been together. Don’t you think that’s deserving of an extra special celebration Perhaps something like a trip to Paris, the most romantic city in the world?

LLGetaway-btn-LARGE

Master Lock is currently hosting a giveaway in honor of both Valentine’s Day and American Heart Month. When you send a love lock through MasterLoveLock.com, you will be entered in their “Lock Up Love & Getaway” Sweepstakes! Additionally, each lock sent and received through the website will generate a one dollar donation to AHA, courtesy of Master Lock. And someone is going to win a trip for two to Paris, France. I’m going to go ahead and state that I think it is going to be me, or should I say, moi, who will win.

But try your luck. Maybe Cupid has his arrow pointed in your direction today! Even if you don’t win the big trip (you know, the one I will be taking), you can also win a $1,000 Visa gift card and Valentine’s Day themed gift packs such as flower arrangements, luxury candles, romantic DVDs, chocolates, the super cute Master Lock 1509DLOV Love Lock and more.

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.

Master Lock Vault: Safe, Secure Online Storage (dialSpeed GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Are you finished with your holiday shopping yet? I think I might be, actually!

Which probably means that I’ll realize something important is missing about an hour before the Christmas Eve service and find myself at Walmart panicking with throngs of other people. Ha!

I actually just crossed an important hurdle related to the holiday season for me, and that is paying a credit card bill. My bills for November and December are usually pretty rough since Christmas purchases are all over them. They are painful to pay, and I’m happy to report that November’s has been paid. While I was online paying it, Darah asked me what I was doing. My response, “Mommy’s slaying a dragon, sweetie.” It sort of felt that way!

As I was going over my statement, though, it occurred to me that I’m definitely not very organized. I don’t have all of my receipts in one place where I could go back and double check purchase amounts. I was going off memory alone.

It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Master Lock has a virtual “safe deposit box” called the Master Lock Vault. It is a safe place online where you can store important documents, digital receipts, and passwords for various online accounts.

Oh don’t get me started about losing online passwords. You would simply not believe how many times I have had to change my iTunes password. I finally have changed it to something so bizarre and different from everything else I use. But now I have a place where I can keep it and other passwords and know that they are completely safe. The vault has 256-bit encryption, 24/7 monitoring and authentication controls. They also have an app to pair with it so that you can access the information you need safely from your smartphone.

Did I mention that the basic plan for Master Lock Vault is FREE??!! Yes, indeed!

In addition to having all the great features listed above AND being free, the Vault also can be used in conjunction with Master Lock’s sleek dialSpeed (which I reviewed back in August). If you don’t remember, the dialSpeed is the first electronic combination lock to have connectivity online.

I’ve been so impressed with the dialSpeed that I’m actually giving one to my brother-in-law this Christmas. It makes an awesome gift for anyone who values safety and security, and who also loves the cutting edge of technology.

Whether you own a dialSpeed or not, the Master Lock Vault is something I strongly want to encourage you to check out. If you need a safe place online to store some documents and passwords, look no further!

Win it!: One Lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a dialSpeed lock! Woo hoo!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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.

Master Love Locks GIVEAWAY!!!

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Did you know that it is an international custom to affix padlocks to well known gates and bridges to symbolize your love for another? I’ve never heard of this, but apparently, it’s a thing!


Master Lock has a really fun program happening now called Master Love Locks, which allows you to virtually lock up your affection for your loved ones on various iconic bridges throughout the world.

In addition to the $10,000 donation that Master Lock has already made, an additional dollar for every heart lock created and sent through MasterLoveLock.com from now until December 31, 2012 will go to the American Heart Association.

I just sent Tim a sweet note and a love lock on a bridge in Paris…one we walked over together on a trip there in 2007!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a Love Lock just like the one shown on the home page of MasterLoveLock.com!

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. 

 

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. 

Master Lock dialSpeed Electronic Combination Lock GIVEAWAY!!!

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Just in time for back-to-school (and back-to-lockers for many kids!), Master Lock has brought forth an innovation in combination lock security. It is my pleasure to introduce you to dialSpeed Electronic Combination Lock.

Electronic combination lock…what the heck, right?! Well, there are lots of handy dandy things this cutting edge product can do!

It offers an electronic interface which makes it quicker and easier to use than a standard combination lock.

It comes with a resettable primary code and the option of creating 3 additional guest codes. If you share a locker space with someone at the gym, for example, you can both access the locker without having to memorize the same code! That’s especially cool if the code you use happens to be used elsewhere for you.

There is also a permanent backup master code at masterlockvault.com for your device. This means that as long as you can get online, you won’t be locked out forever if you forget your code!

This lock comes with a CR2032 battery that has an estimated 5 year life span before it needs to be replaced. There’s also a low battery reminder so that you aren’t ever surprised to find a dead bolt (snort! snort!) on your hands.

I just got my dialSpeed in the mail, and it looks pretty darn slick! I’m impressed with this new way of approaching how to work a combination lock. I think the generation of kids currently in high school would really love it, too! It speaks to their electronic sensibilities!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a dialSpeed from Master Lock!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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. 

 

Be a Smart Tourist This Summer!

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Are your summer plans taking you out of your home town and to a place where you’ll be a tourist?

Are you REALLY hoping to avoid looking like a tourist?

There’s definitely a lot to be said for blending in to your surroundings, whether you are visiting Paris, Texas or Paris, France. Nobody likes to stick out like a sore thumb, and if you are visiting a larger city, it’s important to remember that there are people who make their living by pickpocketing or stealing your belongings when you put them down for just a second. So you don’t want to draw attention to yourself and become their next target.

(the vineyards of Versailles, November 2007)

When I visited Europe, for example, I was advised to avoid wearing jeans and especially avoid wearing sneakers. I packed every pair of black pants I owned and managed to find some black flats that had surprisingly good arch support so that I could walk a lot in them.

But who am I kidding? I doubt I passed for a native European for even a second! What is probably more likely, though, is that most folks failed to notice me at all. I blended in just enough.

I also got the advice to NEVER EVER EVER wear a backpack. That’s a dead giveaway that you are a tourist. I managed to carry what I needed in my purse during that trip, but I also didn’t have any kids at that point in time.

If you asked me now to do some serious traveling without a backpack to carry all my kids’ accouterments, I’d tell you to forget about it. It just isn’t possible!

If you are like me, and you know that your cover will likely be blown by having to carry around a backpack as you see the sights at your vacation destination, there’s still a way that you can quickly get the targets off your back from would-be thieves. PLEASE get a lock for your backpack! I’m a fan of this one from Master Lock, and it retails for just $6.71. That’s precious little to pay for peace of mind! It has a combination lock so you don’t have to fumble with keys. And if someone is thinking about trying to steal or get into your backpack, once they see that lock, they’ll move on to easier prey.

That doesn’t mean you should be foolish and leave your backpack laying around, though! Try not to take it off your body until you are back at your lodging, safe and sound.

While you may not pass for a native of whatever locale you choose to visit this summer, you can still be a smart tourist that will likely be left alone by the folks who want to steal your stuff.

Disclosure: I’m a member of the Live Secure Master Lock Safety Squad. As part of my participation in this program, I do receive complimentary products for review and giveaway. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

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? 

Tips for Keeping Your Home Secure While Traveling: Master Lock GIVEAWAY!!!

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Are you getting ready for Labor Day weekend, that “last hurrah” before the fall season officially begins? If you have travel plans then, or if you are planning on traveling during the fall/winter  holidays, I’ve got some tips to share with you to help keep your home secure, courtesy of Master Lock.

Before you load the family into the car or hop on a plane, Master Lock has developed a series of travel tips to ensure your vacation is an ideal time spent making lasting memories. To help avoid stress and frustration before, during or after a trip, follow these four guidelines:

1. Secure all points of entry to your home, including dead bolting doors, windows, sliding glass doors and garage/shed doors to bolster your home’s security. If you have an alarm system in place, be sure it is activated before departing. Leaving just one of these areas open or unlocked can lead to theft.
2. Keep your home active. Whether you’ve hired a dog walker or a neighbor is headed over to water plants and pick up deliveries, ensuring your home still appears to have people coming and going regularly can deter thieves. Store your house key in a key safe such as the Master Lock 5400D Key Safe to allow these individuals to easily enter and exit your home, locking it up as they leave. Make sure these approved visitors know the code to your home alarm system, if applicable, so they can deactivate it and reset it after finishing their tasks. If you do not have anyone visiting your property while you’re away, consider placing lights on a timer and stopping your mail delivery by visiting www.usps.com.
3. Lock up your luggage. Airports are full of people and distractions. Items can be easily stolen from bags while awaiting your flight’s departure, or before you pick up checked luggage from the baggage claim area. A TSA-accepted lock like the Master Lock 4688D luggage lock will help keep your possessions safe while in transit and allow you to move through security lines with ease. 
4. Secure important items in your room. Whether you’re staying in a hotel, cabin or resort — it’s important to lock up valuables when not in your room. A secure document storage or cash box will help ensure your passport, traveler’s checks, cash and jewelry safe while you and your family enjoy the sights and sounds of your destination. If you’re taking your small valuables out and about with you, consider a Master Lock 5900D Safe Space to keep your belongings secure while you’re on the go.

 

About Master Lock
Master Lock is the world’s largest manufacturer of padlocks and related security products providing innovative security solutions for home, automotive, campus, power sports, bike and storage security needs for consumers and contractors alike.

Win it!: Just in time for end-of-summer travel plans, one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the Master Lock 5400D Key Safe which is mentioned in tip #2! The contest will run until September 3rd at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Share any tip you have for keeping your home or your possessions safe when traveling. What do you do?

My answer: We use light timers to keep lights turning on and off at different times in our house.

Additional entries:

1. Sponsor love: Follow Master Lock on Twitter

2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter

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

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.