Safety Tips Archives - Jen is on a Journey

How to Have a Safe Halloween

October 25, 2016 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

I have the best childhood memories of Halloween. I remember excitedly choosing my costume weeks ahead of the big day, debating with friends about which neighborhood would give out the best candy, and of course greedily counting my candy and trading pieces with my siblings at the end of the night. But now that I am an adult with kids of my own I remember another key component of Halloween that happened every year of my childhood; the Halloween safety talk. This talk was given by my mother moments before leaving for trick-or- treating and was basically a rundown of rules that we already knew. We had to stay with whichever adult was taking us out, always keep our flashlights on so that cars could see us, not go inside any strange houses etc. As a child I saw this lecture as something that delayed my Halloween fun, but now I see how important these rules are for having a safe Halloween. This blog briefly outlines some helpful Halloween safety tips, brought to you by The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website, for parents to keep in mind this year in order to help have a safe and happy Halloween.

Halloween Safety Tips

Pumpkin Carving: Keep in mind that pumpkin carving often involves sharp knives and therefore can be dangerous for children. Be sure to supervise older kids while they carve, and help younger children make age appropriate jack-o-lanterns by drawing or painting faces on their pumpkins instead of carving them.

Costumes: Make sure that costumes are hemmed well above your child’s feet so that they can walk easily without tripping. If your child’s Halloween costume involves wearing a mask, have your child carry the mask while walking from house to house and then put it on after ringing each door bell in order to avoid tripping.

Halloween Candy: Although it’s sad to say, there are awful people out there who tamper with the candy that they plan to hand out to children on Halloween. Therefore, it is crucial to carefully check your children’s Halloween candy to make sure that it is sealed and has not been tampered with. This means that your kids will have to wait until you have checked their candy before they can dig into their sugary loot. In order to manage expectations, it’s a good idea to explain this rule/process to your kids before going out trick-or- treating.

Trick-or- Treating: Children should never trick-or- treat without adult supervision, so make sure that you or another responsible adult accompanies your kids from house to house. It is also a good idea to equip each child with a flashlight so that they can see where they’re walking after dark and so that vehicles can see them more easily. Also, be sure to remind your children to never get into cars with strangers or go inside homes while trick-or- treating.

Have Fun

Be safe, be careful and have a great time. Halloween is a great time to make some lasting memories with your children. Be sure to watch the amount of candy consumed and if you are going to steal some for yourself don’t get caught!

This important information on Halloween safety is a partnered post offered to Jen is on a Journey.

Ringing Your Small Bell: Neighborhood Safety Tips For Moms & More

January 11, 2013 by The Mom Jen 2 Comments

Have you ever been walking or driving down the street and seen something fishy? What did you do about it? We all want to be safe in our communities, but sometimes we don’t realize how much of that safety is up to us! Whatever kind of neighborhood you call home, here are some tips on preventing crime using your eyes, your voice, and maybe an indelible marker.

It Takes A Village
The idea of a neighborhood watch dates all the way back to the year 1700, when colonial Philadelphia passed a “safe streets” bill that authorized certain citizens to “go round ye town with a small bell in ye night time, to give notice of ye time of night and the weather, and [of] anie disorders or danger.” These brave volunteers with small bells kept things under control until 1751, when a paid police force was established. These days, neighborhood watch groups work together with official law enforcement to increase local crime awareness and serve as “the eyes and ears” of officials who can’t be everywhere at once. Search for your local watch group in this database, and consider joining up – besides the obvious safety benefits, it’s a great way to meet your neighbors and get involved in community decisions and events. If your search comes up empty, and you want to lead the way, check out the National Sheriff’s Association’s tips on how to get started.

Stay Alert!
Of course, you don’t need an organized group in order to discourage crime (after all, things worked out pretty well for the Lone Ranger). All you need is alertness, some safety-conscious habits, and the willingness to trust your instincts. Program your local police departments’ emergency and non-emergency numbers into your phone, so you can call in if you need to. Set your mental radar for different types of suspicious behavior or signals — strange noises, unfamiliar people knocking on doors, vehicles driving slowly with their lights off or pedestrians taking shortcuts through backyards. Get to know the area and your neighbors so you can recognize when something’s “off.” According to the National Sheriff’s Association, “communities in which citizens have observed and reported suspicious activity have enjoyed lower crime rates.” Take care of your neighborhood and it will take care of you!

Make Safety A Family Value
Even in the safest communities, it can be scary to let your kids out on their own, but a little pre-emptive education can make everyone breathe a little easier. Make sure your children know that they can and should talk to you if they ever see anything that makes them uncomfortable or scared. Even young children should know their own full name, home phone, and home address. Help them memorize the phone numbers of trusted adults, and practice making emergency calls with them just in case. Teach them to recognize trustworthy adults — police and security guards, for example — and to go to them if they get lost. Make sure they know which local places are ok to hang out in and which aren’t, and encourage them to walk with friends instead of alone. For more good advice, visit the Sacramento County Sheriff’s department’s Streetwise Kids page.

Help Your Neighbors By Helping Yourself
Just like you have to put on your own oxygen mask before you can assist others, good neighborhood security starts with good personal home security. Mark important possessions with your driver’s license number or another identification marker using an indelible pen — this gives law enforcement a much greater chance of recovering the property if it’s stolen, and can help lead to burglary ring busts. Invest in a home security system — besides the obvious personal safety benefits, a study by the Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice recently showed that neighborhoods with more home security systems experienced fewer break-ins, concluding that “security systems protect entire neighborhoods.”

This guest post was written by Cara Giaimo, a blogger for SimpliSafe. Cara covers issues regarding home security, safety, consumer technology, and crime; in her spare time, she likes running, jamming with friends, and making strange types of ice cream. SimpliSafe is a leader in the wireless home security field.

Safety Tips for Shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday

November 7, 2011 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

Now that Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is on the horizon, the official shopping season for Christmas in in full swing! Whether you are heading to the mall or your window shopping online, it’s important that you avoid any speed bumps during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

“Significant spending over such a small period of time can increase the opportunities for identity theft and identity fraud,” said Mike Prusinski, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications with LifeLock. “Simply being a smart shopper doesn’t necessarily ensure you have done enough to reduce all the risks surrounding identity theft this holiday season. Sometimes drastic times calls for drastic measures, and this season maybe it’s the right time to go beyond the normal tips and suggestions.”

According to the National Retail Federation, 212 million US consumers spent an estimated $45 billion over the Black Friday weekend last year. Also, the trend for shopping on Cyber Monday has increased dramatically over the past 5 years and surpassed the 1 billion dollars in spending mark in 2010!

Tips

Credit – One Size Fits All – Cancel your debit card and use only a credit card or a gift card. If you’re the target of an identity thief, you’re not losing your money but the lenders. If you don’t have a credit card, consider purchasing a pre-paid credit card to limit the amount lost if you are victimized. Don’t give the criminals direct access to your funds.

Smarter Savings –Don’t open store credit, even if they are offering you 20% savings. By opening store credit you are creating more opportunities for your personal information to be exposed and/or lost and chances are good that you can find a similar discount code just with a few clicks online.

What’s Your Frequency?– If your card has the volume symbol on the front or back, your card is emitting a signal just looking to connect (radio frequency identification) to a card reader– and a thief knows this. RFID credit cards reduce the need for the consumer to scan their card, instead the card just connects. Identity thieves are creating devices to electronically pickpocket you if you’re carrying and RFID card in your purse or wallet. Call your lender and request a credit card without the RFID chip.

Swipe in Style – Don’t swipe your credit card at the checkout, instead, hand it over to the cashier to run through on the register. Identity thieves are compromising point of sale terminals and capturing your personal information.

Wi-Fi Worries – When browsing online, avoid shopping on public Wi-Fi networks and shared computers. You cannot guarantee the security of the computer and you are placing your personal information at risk whenever you use a public or community computer to make a purchase online.

Thanks to my Lifelock membership, I feel secure this holiday shopping season and I hope you will too!

I am a Lifelock Blog Ambassador and I’m being compensated for this post, all personal opinions are my own and are not influenced by compensation.

Bike Safety 101: How to Lock up a Safe And Happy Bike Ride

July 1, 2011 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

Now that the weather is great, dust the cobwebs off your bike and get out with the family for some healthy exercise and fun memories. My youngest daughter is 5 now, and oh-so close to getting those training wheels off! When we leave the house to go cycling, we make sure that all our bikes are safe if we stop at a park with our Master Lock bike locks! The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that more than 1.5 million bikes are stolen each year, according to Bicyclesource.com, and there’s nothing more sad than losing something personal!

For a safe ride, read on:
Master Lock Offers Five Essential Cycling Safety Guidelines

Select the right lock
When looking at security solutions to protect your bike, it’s important to weigh your needs. Heavy duty U-bars, like Master Lock’s 8170D, offer top-notch security and are ideal if you don’t already have a bike lock. If you are in need of a security solution that can lock up multiple items, a long, thick cable lock like Master Lock’s 8428DPS adjustable locking cable may be a better solution. Keep in mind, the thicker the cable or bar, the more security that lock will provide. If you have trouble remembering combinations, consider a keyed cable lock. If you hate carrying around more keys than necessary, an integrated, set-your-own password combination cable lock like Master Lock’s 8220D is ideal. Use the free Master Lock Vault (www.masterlockvault.com) to store log-in and password information for your lock combinations, key codes, and other confidential data for easy access via the web or smart phone app.

Gear up
Wear the proper safety gear every time you go out for a ride. Regardless of where you’re riding or how short the ride will be, a bike helmet is always a must. Fitting your bike and clothing with reflectors or lights will ensure you can be easily spotted day or night.

Map it out
Take time to familiarize yourself with the best bike routes in your city before heading out to avoid ending up on a dangerous trail or street. Consult an online mapping service, such as Google Maps, or your local transit authority or city website for an overview of streets with dedicated bike lanes, bike trails or other bike-friendly routes.

Remember the rules of the road
And follow them! Even though you’re on a bike, you still have to abide by the same traffic laws as drivers. This includes stopping at stop signs, driving on the right side of the road, yielding to pedestrians and signaling a turn. The three primary arm signals you should know are:

· Left turn: extend left arm straight out in the direction of the turn, parallel to the road

· Right turn: extend your left upper-arm out to the left, parallel to the road and angle your forearm vertically upward

· Stopping: extend your left upper arm out to the left, parallel to the road and angle your forearm vertically downward

Ride defensively
Remember that your bicycle is a small, inconspicuous vehicle, so make sure you are noticed while riding. Whenever possible, ride in a bike lane while on the road and stay in a single file. Avoid traveling along the side of cars when passing through intersections – cars may turn in front of you without warning. Use caution when passing parked cars as occupants may not see you when opening doors or pulling out of parking spaces. Keep your hands over the brakes at all times so you can brake quickly if a hazard presents itself.

For more information on bike security solutions, please visit Master Lock’s website at www.masterlock.com or the Master Lock Facebook page at www.facebook.com/masterlock. Visit www.masterlockvault.com to utilize the free, secure online data storage application and download a smart phone app for easy access on the go.
Lock provided to us in exchange for post.