Being in the Know with Water Safety

According to NBCDFW.com there have been 41 drowning’s in Texas in 2015, 14 of which happened in the DFW area. Most of which have been children. One is too many but 41 is just way too many. What can we do to prevent any more of these tragic events? What if you are an excellent swimmer, should you worry about it happening to you?

If your children are like mine, summertime to them means swimming. Whether in a pool, an ocean, a lake or even a make shift pool in the backyard, if there’s water, they want to be in it. They’ve been swimming since they were little and swim well but of course I still worry about them. Whether you can swim or not, you still have to be careful.

Having a buddy with you when you go swimming is a wise thing to do. This way you can watch out for each other and in case of an emergency, your buddy is there to call for help. Never swim alone, no matter how well you swim. Accidents can happen so don’t put yourself at risk and take a buddy with you.

The American Red Cross had great information on their site about Water Safety. They too recommended using a buddy system. Some of the things they also suggested were swimming lessons, using life jackets on younger children and/or not so experienced swimmers, not leaving young children unattended and to be aware of the temperature and underwater hazards, especially when swimming in anything besides a pool. Speaking of underwater hazards, USA TODAY reported that currently the number of shark attacks is above average for this time of year. If you decided to swim at the beach, go with a buddy AND keep a very watchful eye out for sharks.

During our hot Texas summer month’s swimming pools have a very welcoming feel to them. When I see a clean, refreshing pool, I can almost hear, “The water is fine! Come on in!” It’s very enticing. To a young child, they may not be able to resist the temptation and jump right in. If you’re a pool owner, make sure you have a locked gate around it. The American Red Cross advises a 4 foot gate with a self-closing gate that opens away from the pool is a good way to go. Anything that prevents unsupervised access to your pool is high recommended. Having an umbrella is also an excellent idea! Not an umbrella to protect you from the rain but Personal Umbrella Coverage  to protect you and your assets in an event that an incident happens. Give the office a call today so that we can make sure you have the right insurance and are covered for incidentals.

Watch your children. That’s the best drowning prevention. Simply watch and be alert, especially if they are not experienced swimmers. Don’t leave it up to someone else to watch your kids. Although we appreciate lifeguards at public pools, they are watching everyone and doing the best they can. Help them out and keep an eye out as well.

For more information, check out The American Red Cross website on Water Safety. They have information on Beach, Home Pool and swim safety.

Keep an eye out for each other and happy swimming!

Circle of Drowning Prevention

Keep Burglars Out and Enjoy Your Vacation

Vacations are supposed to be about making memories, relaxing with our family and friends and taking a break from our busy lives. A time to recharge and not worry about anything, right? It shouldn’t be a time to worry about someone breaking into our homes while we're away. So what are some ways to have peace of mind while you’re away you ask? You’ve come to the right place for some helpful tips.

Most of us love to share pictures on social media of all sorts of events, especially when we are vacationing. Pictures of the kids building sandcastle’s at the beach, checking into a bed and breakfast for the weekend, or a picture in front of a landmark. Take all the pictures you want, however, wait to post them until you’re home. Don’t make a burglar’s job easier by posting your pictures while on vacation. This makes it clear that you aren’t home, so what a perfect time to “clean house”. It’s also a good idea not to announce that you’re on vacation. Keep that under wraps until you get back.

Home securities systems have come a long way. Some have features where you can set up a timer for lights inside and/or outside your home to go on and off at certain times of the day, making it appear that someone is home while you’re away. Safesoundfamily.com suggests calling your alarm company and letting them know you’ll be out of town. On a side note, Farmers ® offers different discounts to homeowners who have some sort of protective system(s) for their homes. Give the office a call and we can check your policy to make sure you have taken advantage of that discount.

Protecting your vehicles, while on vacation and at home, is important as well. Simply putting your valuables away, even your phone charger, can lower your chances of being a victim of car theft. Don’t give a car thief any reason to break into your car, so keep all your stuff out of sight. You can’t make your vehicle 100% theft proof, it’s about making someone else’s vehicle more attractive. That sounds bad to say but it’s the honest truth.

Before you head out on your vacation, always do a walk through of your house. Check all the windows and doors to make sure they are locked and secure. If you have sliding doors, as an added means of security, place a bat or a rod in the door channel. This will help reduce the chance of someone trying to take it out of the track to force it open.

A stuffed mail box and a pile of newspapers are other dead giveaways that you’re not home. Head to the post office and put a hold on your mail and put a hold on your newspaper as well. You can also have a trusted neighbor or friend grab your mail or newspaper for you until you get back, if that’s an option.

We are very fortunate to live in a time where we can control nearly anything from our phones. Set timers for lights to go off and on, make sure our garage door is closed and even fluctuate the temperature in our homes and not even be in the same state. If you have any or all those luxuries, take advantage of them, especially when you’re on vacation. It can help keep potential burglars away and maybe even save you on your homeowners premium.

For more information on how to make your home a smart home, check out Making Your HomeSmarter: Home Security. It’s a great resource to help make your home more secure and energy-efficient.  

Keller Community Event - Apollo Support and Rescue for Abandoned Dogs

Saturday, August 1st from 10am to 12pm, Farmers Insurance, Kirkwood Agency will be hosting a HUGE event benefiting Apollo Support and Rescue for Abandoned Dogs.

TCAP will be there doing low cost vaccines. Unleashed will be here with doggie pools and doing paw prints. The Freezing Frog will be there with sno cones. There will be a cake walk for the kiddos, raffle items and giveaways throughout the event.  And most importantly, Apollo Rescue will have dogs and cats available for adoption!!

Hope to see you and your fur babies there!

Baby Proofing for your Mischievous Little Ones

We seem to be more aware of the dangers around our homes when it comes to babies. There are all kinds of gadgets out there to secure cabinets, cover outlets, barrier gates, the list goes on forever. Over the years, these gadgets have evolved to keep your babies safer. There is so much more to baby proofing than just covering up outlets, putting locks on cabinet’s, and corners bumpers these days:

1.      New and improved outlet covers: Now this is pretty cool! The first ones I remember were the hard plastic flat ones that were nearly impossible to take off. So for protecting babies from sticking anything in the outlet, they worked like a charm. Once you finally did get them out, they then turned from a safety gadget to a choking hazard if you left it laying around. Now you can buy outlet covers with sliding doors. The door just slides back when you take the plug out. Genius! No more tugging and takes the choking hazard right out of the picture!

2.      Keep technology cords out of reach: Phone chargers, laptop cords, tablet chargers and not just those but all cords.  Plug them in high or behind things that babies can’t get to.  If your is a little Houdini and can get into the tightest spots, plugging your cords high is a better idea. Another thing to think about is, if you use an audio or a video monitor, make sure it is far enough away from your baby’s crib and their reach. Cords in general… not baby safe.

3.      Make sure your TV won’t tip over: It seems flat screen TV’s are what most  have these days which are lighter than the older box type TV’s. Although I’m sure the box TV’s could be tipped over, the flat screen TV’s are much easier to fall or tip over. Make sure your TV is secure either by mounting it on a wall or strapping it down.

4.      Make sure your furniture is secure: Like your TV, furniture can tip over as well, especially when your baby starts to pull up on everything as they get more mobile. There are also straps that you can buy to anchor furniture to the wall so they don’t tip over.

5.      Never let them out of your sight: We do need to blink every once in a while so it’s not always possible to never take your eyes off them. We all know how quick they can be and before you know it, they are somehow standing on the table. Be proactive, take anything that could hurt them and put up high or covered, buy toys that are less likely to be choking hazards (because everything goes in their mouths), and make safe places for them to roam and just watch them. Babies will be babies and love to explore so just make a safe place for them to explore.

In reality, nothing we set up will ever be completely safe. Little ones can find ways to climb out of barriers and somehow can get into or out of places we never thought they’d figure out. So just be on guard and prepared for anything with your little daredevil. They just can’t help themselves but to always be on the go, ready with an escape plan and will stop at nothing. Sneaky little people they are. 

If talking in movie quotes (or TV quotes) is wrong… Then I don’t want to be right!

How many of us use movie and TV show quotes in our everyday conversations? Think about it. I bet all of us use them, from Dirty Harry to Joey from Friends. You know what I’m talking about. 

I've set up a few situations below that a movie or TV show quote will fit perfectly into:

 

You’re on the road and someone is trying to cut you off… “Go ahead, make my day!” – Dirty Harry from Sudden Impact

Heading out the door for lunch, “I’ll be back.” – The Terminator

A greeting that has seemed to worked itself into everyday life, “How you doin’?” – Joey from Friends

I feel like I use this one more when I’m talking to my kids, “You’re killing me, Smalls…” –Ham from The Sandlot

You accomplish something so amazing that you end the conversation with, “It was Legend…. Wait for... DARY!!!” –Barney from How I Met Your Mother

Moments after you realize you were talking about one thing and mid conversation started another completely different conversation, “SQUIRREL!” – Dug the Talking Dog from Up

And no one can start a sentence with, “This one time…” without someone else saying, “at band camp…” – Michelle from American Pie

 

Am I right? And if you’re not saying them out loud, you have to be saying them in your head, especially “this one time… at band camp,”. I think that’s one of the most irresistible ones not to finish off…

 

Here are a few more oldies but goodies and a few from today:

“I pity the fool!” – Mr T.

“D’oh!” – Homer, The Simpsons

“No soup for you!” – Soup Nazi, Seinfeld

“Negative, Ghost Rider.” – Air Boss Johnson, Top Gun

“Earmuffs!” – Frank, Old School

“Run, Forrest! Run!”   - Forrest, Forrest Gump

“STELLA!!!” – Stanley, A Street Car Named Desire AND Elaine, Seinfeld (and if you’ve been to DeVivo Bros. in Keller, they have a ‘STELLA’ sandwich. You can’t ordered it without saying, “STELLA!” like Stanley or Elaine. Well… I guess you can but it’s not as fun.)

“You can’t handle the truth!” - Col. Jessup, A Few Good Men

“Alrighty then!” – Ace, Ace Ventura

Here are the offices personal favorites:

Eddie: “You’re killing me, Smalls!” Ham, The Sandlot

Donna: Besides finishing up the, "at band camp" quote, Donna's not much of quoter. She's loaded with all her own original quotes. 

Amanda: “Negative Johanson.” Highway, Heartbreak Ridge

Marti: "I'll be back." The Terminator

Candyce: “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” Johnny, Dirty Dancing

Lindsea: “Ya Nasty!” Raven, That’s so Raven

Brittany: “He touched the butt…” Tad, Finding Nemo

Steph: “I mean… You’re welcome.” Becca, Pitch Perfect 

There are so many more to choose from. What are your favorites? We encourage you to leave them in the comments! We would love to read them! 





Happy Movie/TV show quoting!!