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Who finds it tough to believe it’s already June! I know right?! Where did the first half of this year go? Generally by this time of the year, my family has already been away traveling once or twice. This year though, besides my trip to the Kentucky Derby, life has kept us at home.
I don’t know about your summer plans, whether you’re planning a road trip, international travel, day trips or just visiting locales in your area – but our summer is going to be low key, mostly due to something that we’re hoping will transpire with our family later this year, when the details are a little more firm I’ll share that with you.
One of my favorite times of summer is Independence Day. Getting together with good friends, watching our kids play and have a good time, enjoying the fireworks and s’mores…it is all a great reminder of what a bountiful country we live in and the freedoms we enjoy.
We’re blessed with friends who host us each year at their home outside the city limits, which means we get a great fireworks show to watch. The fun starts early as the younger kids shoot off their “army parachute guys”, fire up the tiny trains, and throw down those noisy caps, and the older girls take a ride on the ATV and climb on the roof to get a great view of the evening sky – but all of that comes with hazards, and safety is priority one.
I’m all about safety and security (I’d be the mom bubble wrapping my daughter if it were an acceptable practice) – and because of that I’m proud to be a part of Master Lock’s Live Secure Safety Squad. So below you’ll see how we stay safe while having fun on Independence Day.
Since we’re city dwellers, we don’t keep fireworks around in our home. But if you do, and especially if you have children at home, you might want to consider locking them up some place where little hands can’t get to them. Master Lock has many products that would keep them secure from combination padlocks to hasps and hasplocks.
The kids (and adults!) are reminded to turn the fire starters away from themselves when lighting any pyrotechnics. And if they’re responsible enough to light them, to step away a fair distance after they’ve lit them to be safe.
All kids love sparklers, and one of the things they like to do is wave them around. That could be a recipe for slight burns – so parents need to supervise and kids need to always be aware, what and who is around them when they’re wielding sparklers.
S’mores, so delicious – and hot – both when making and when eating! Roasting marshmallows over an open fire is fun, but can be dangerous. Making sure there is an adult around to help the kids and make sure they’re an acceptable distance away from the fire, and to help them get those sticky treats off the poker onto their chocolate and graham cracker safely, is always a good idea.
The older girls ALWAYS wear helmets when on the ATV and an adult sturdily holds the ladder while they climb up to the roof, and while they’re up there, they sit…yup just sit . There’s no standing, jumping, dancing – they know they’ll lose their prime seating if they do that!
Over the years we’ve noticed that if we lay out our expectations before the event begins, we all have more fun. The kids know what they can and can’t do and so there are fewer meltdowns and whining to be had when we decide that something just isn’t safe to do and say no to.
What kind of summer plans do you all have this year and what sort of safety and security tips do you take while engaging in them?
As part of the Master Lock Live Secure Safety Squad I have received products for my family to use in my home for our safety and security. Any opinions I share in posts related to the Live Security Squad and Master Lock are my own and aren’t influenced by products I’ve received.
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