Prep Your Family, Stock Your Emergency Kit and Check out these 3 Great Tips for Emergency Preparedness Week

May 8, 2017 by Kathryn 5 Comments

Back when my boys and I lived in Lumsden, I had a stash of emergency supplies in the basement that included non-perishable food, bottled water, a flashlight, batteries, candles and a few other essentials just in case of an emergency.

But when we moved to an apartment in another city, then a townhouse and then another townhouse, my emergency kit ended up disassembled and in disarray. Sure, we have canned goods in the house, a few bottles of water by the door and a flashlight stuffed in a drawer of junk. But in case of an emergency, I no longer have my easy-to-grab kit full of every essential my family might need.

And I’m not alone! Even though it’s recommended that families keep an kit ready to get them through a 72-hour emergency if needed, only 34% of Canadians have such an emergency kit in their home. But if you’re like me and don’t currently have an emergency kit, there’s no better time to remedy that than right now!

May 7th to the 13th is Emergency Preparedness Week in Canada, and Duracell has teamed up with the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs to help raise awareness about the importance of being ready for an emergency. Check out these three tips to help ensure your family knows what to do in an unexpected situation! [Read more…]

Give Your Favourite Traveler the Gift of Safety with These 3 Master Lock Gift Ideas-Giveaway

December 2, 2016 by Kathryn 93 Comments

Almost everyone has at least one die-hard traveler on their holiday shopping list and if you’re wondering what to get your favourite wanderer, Master Lock has some great choices for helping to keep travellers safe as they wander the world! Here are my top three choices for travel gifts this Christmas:

1) Master Lock 5900D Safe Space

The Safe Space has always been one of my favourite Master Lock products. It’s portable, durable and is sized just right for keeping cash, passports and insurance paperwork secure, whether you’re heading out on a road trip or flying to another country. The cable cord lets you lock the Safe Space to an immovable item for extra security, while a simple four-digit code provides quick access to the contents when you need it. [Read more…]

Protect Important Items During the Holidays with the SentrySafe Privacy Lock File

November 3, 2016 by Kathryn 24 Comments

The holiday season is coming up fast, and that means fun, food, parties and visitors. But all that merriment also brings some extra safety concerns! Whether you’re travelling to visit family over the holidays or you’re just worried about safeguarding all those fun packages you’re bringing home, a few extra precautions can help set your mind at ease throughout the holidays.

Personally, I’m a big believer that every family needs a home safe of some sort. While you might not need a large, sophisticated machine bolted securely to your floor, having some secure place to store your insurance papers, birth and marriage certificates, jewellery and even those USB drives full of memories is a must! That’s where the SentrySafe Privacy Lock File HD4100 comes in. This heavy-duty lockbox is small enough for an apartment but still big enough to secure those essential precious items when you’re away from the home. Best of all, it’s both fire and water protected*! Check out my review of the SentrySafe Privacy Lock File HD4100 below. [Read more…]

The NETGEAR Arlo Q HD Security Camera is an Easy Way to Add Security to Your Home

September 20, 2016 by Kathryn 2 Comments

Making the switch from a small town to a small city has been an interesting experience for me, and it’s one that I’m still adjusting to in some ways. Not letting my boys have free run of the surrounding streets is strange, but they do still have all the space around our townhouses for playtime (especially when they’re with a group of neighbour kids). Remembering to always lock the door when leaving the house took a few days but I got into the habit fairly quickly. Yet occasionally there are still things about city life that surprise me…like when I hopped into my car a few weeks ago and realized somebody had broken into it.

Luckily, nothing had been taken and I quickly cleaned up the mess that was made. But the experience did make me want to add a little extra security to our home. There wasn’t anything of value in my car and rarely is. But our house is another matter! Luckily, I recently received the NETGEAR Arlo Q HD Security Camera with Audio to review and I knew it would be the perfect solution for adding some extra monitoring to our home.

Since the Arlo Q is a battery-free AC outlet-powered camera, it’s best suited to indoor use. It connects directly to a home’s router so that constant monitoring is quick and easy. Best of all, it has all the features you need to be able to keep your home safe, from night vision to audio capabilities! [Read more…]

Prepare Your Yard for Winter in 3 Simple Steps #LSSS

September 14, 2016 by Kathryn Leave a Comment

September is often a warm and beautiful month here in Saskatchewan, but the cool nights and shorter days always get me thinking about winter nonetheless. And that means that I start thinking about how to prepare our yard and outdoor area for the cold winter months ahead. Saying goodbye to summer is never one of my favourite moments, but making sure all our favourite things are ready for next year is worth the work!

Step One – Cleaning

Back yard preparation always starts with some yard cleaning for me. Getting all the boys’ smaller outdoor toys into the house and packed away in a box for next year is my first step. Then I treat any weeds that have sprung up in between our patio stones in the back yard. Finally, a quick spray-down of the concrete and a fall flower beside my favourite bench ensures I can enjoy the yard during cooler fall days as well! [Read more…]

Make Sure These 4 Items are in Your SentrySafe Home Safe, and Tweet to Win a Master Lock Prize Pack in the #MasterLockProtectsSweeps Sweepstakes

August 16, 2016 by Kathryn Leave a Comment

Being prepared in case of a natural disaster isn’t something that’s always on a family’s mind…but it should be! From forest fires to floods and earthquakes to severe storms, there’s no way of knowing what kind of unexpected event might cause damage to irreplaceable items. That’s why having a home safe is a must, and the SentrySafe SFW123TTC Extra Large Digital Alarm Fire Safe is my personal top pick for keeping important documents and items secure in case of emergency. But what should go into that safe? Personally, the four items in this video are ones that I think should always be kept secured, yet ready to grab when needed.

What items would you most want to protect during a natural disaster? Until August 31, sharing your answer to this question on Twitter has some great benefits! Tweet about what items you’d protect in an emergency using the hashtag #MasterLockProtectsSweeps and Master Lock will donate $1 to the American Red Cross. And as an added bonus, you’ll be entered to win one of five great Master Lock prize packs too! [Read more…]

Stay Safe All Summer with 5 Tips from Master Lock-Giveaway #LSSS

June 20, 2016 by Kathryn 175 Comments

June is National Safety Month and that means I always like to take some time to ensure my house and family are ready for the unexpected. With kids out of school and vacations being planned, safety may not be at the top of a family’s mind. But it should be! A few simple precautions can ensure that families are safe at home and on the road. Master Lock, the makers of my very favourite security products, have five tips to help families stay safe this summer.

[Read more…]

Make Moving More Secure with the Master Lock 4401DLH Outdoor Bluetooth Padlock and More! #LSSS

May 10, 2016 by Kathryn 15 Comments

Last summer, I made one of the biggest changes of my life by selling the house in which I was raised and moving out of the small town in Saskatchewan that was my home for my entire life. My two boys and I moved to the city of Moose Jaw and now live with my fiancé in a cute two-bedroom townhouse. But even now, we’re in a transitional phase, with a move to either Thunder Bay or Saskatoon planned for the fall.

And that means that once again, I’ll be making plans to pack up everything I own and transfer it to a new house. Since this will be our “forever house,” I can’t wait to make that move. But I know that it will also be a lot of work! And there’s no better time to prepare for the big event than May, which is also National Moving Month!

Master Lock has always been my first choice for products that keep my house secure, and the company has just as many great choices for keeping items safe during a move as well. From cargo nets for secure transportation to padlocks for securing valuables, I have more peace of mind during a move knowing that I’ve got Master Lock on my side! [Read more…]