by Flagship Staff | Oct 23, 2017 | Blog
This time of year, a trip to the pumpkin farm is a must for many people. Whether it’s a field trip for school or a weekend trip with family and friends, there’s always plenty to do.
Today’s pumpkin farms are even more exciting than when my parents took my sister and me. Our adventure was journeying through the pumpkin patch looking for the perfect one and cutting it off the vine. Fast forward to today and kids can enjoy corn mazes, bounce houses, haunted houses, pumpkin cannons, and petting zoos.
Unfortunately, for some families, a great day at the pumpkin farm leads to sick kids. Many farms have petting zoos and concession stands. The great thing about the concession stands is they sell a variety of food and drinks. However, if your kids forget to wash their hands after spending time with the animals, their tummies might get upset.
Here are some tips to keep your family healthy and safe the next time you visit your local pumpkin farm.
1. Hand sanitizer is essential. Take along a bottle of hand sanitizer. Apply the hand sanitizer after you leave the animal petting and feeding area. Apply it again before eating.
2. Visit hand washing stations. Some farms have hand washing stations. If the farm you’re visiting has them, make sure to stop by after visiting with the animals and before eating your lunch. While hand sanitizer is a convenient alternative, washing your hands with soap and water is best.
3. Keep your picnic lunch in the car. Many families load up their stroller or wagons with all the essentials for the day and head out on their journey. It’s best to keep your food and beverages out of the animal areas. Consider keeping your food and beverages in the car until your family is ready to take a break. Don’t forget ice!
4. Park the stroller. Instead of taking your stroller into the animal area, look for the stroller parking lot and park it. This will help keep germs from contaminating the stroller, bottles, pacifiers, and other items you have.
5. Supervise your children. When my kids were young, I made numerous trips to the pumpkin farm with my family and friends. There’s plenty of fun and excitement for people of all ages. Do your best to stay focused and keep an eye on your kids. Especially small children who are prone to touching their face and putting their hands in their mouth.
6. Respect the animals. Most of the animals are probably used to the commotion and love having visitors. However, here are a few things your kids should know.
– Approach slowly.
– Approach with their hand outstretched so the animals can smell them.
– Talk softly.
– Pet the animal(s) gently.
– If feeding time occurs while you’re visiting, stay out of the animal’s way. Like us, they love their food.
Do you have any information you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you. Please share them in the comment box below.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/Features/AnimalExhibits/
by Flagship Staff | Oct 16, 2017 | Blog
Do you like the new car smell or the shine of new paint? Buying a car can be exciting and stressful at the same time. Negotiations and paperwork can lead to many hours spent at a car dealership. Learning about the new technology and safety features available on cars today may require even more time at the dealership. Based on your insurance company, discounts may be available for these new safety features.
Here is a list of new safety features/systems that may be in your next car.
Forward Crash Avoidance – We’ve all been in a situation where traffic comes to a sudden stop or we approach a car too quickly. This system helps prevent those situations by alerting you when your vehicle is getting close to another auto or object. The system may automatically cause your car to brake in order to avoid the collision.
Lane Departure – Fatigue or distractions can cause you to inadvertently stray across lane markings. A lane departure warning system alerts you if this happens when your turn signal is not activated.
Blind Spot Monitoring – If you drive through rush hour traffic on a regular basis, changing lanes can be difficult. A blind spot monitoring system alerts you to the presence of an auto, or other object, in the vehicle’s blind spot.
Backup Warning System – Sadly, we’ve all heard of the stories of small children injured or killed by a vehicle backing up. By 2018, all new vehicles sold in the U.S. will have these systems installed. These systems are comprised of sensors and/or cameras that alert the driver of objects located behind the vehicle. These systems may also include an alert when traffic is approaching the vehicle from the side. These systems may or may not include automatic braking functionality.
Adaptive Headlights – As we approach fall, deer hits significantly increase. Adaptive headlights follow the path of the vehicle, adjusting the beam to the curve of the road, as well as the speed and steering angle of the auto. These new headlights may help spot animals that dart out onto the road. Please note: Daytime running lights or automatic on/off headlight features are different from adaptive headlights, and do not qualify for a discount.
Driver Fatigue Sensing System – Drowsy driving is a problem in the United States, which often has tragic results. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2013 drowsy driving was responsible for approximately:
72,000 crashes;
44,000 injuries; and
800 deaths.
This system will monitor driver steering patterns and other behaviors to detect a lack of attention and/or potential drowsiness. The driver is typically alerted by vibrations in the steering wheel or seat, or with audible warnings.
Please remember these discounts vary by coverage and a maximum vehicle discount is applicable based on the number and combination of discounts. Talk to your independent insurance agent to see if your car qualifies.
Do you have any tips you’d like to share? I’d love to hear your thoughts; please share them in the box below.
Source:
https://www.cdc.gov/features/dsdrowsydriving/index.html
by Flagship Staff | Oct 9, 2017 | Blog
October is Fire Prevention Month. Each year, an average of 370,000 reported home fires result in $6.9 billion in damages. When you add candle fires to that total, it translates to an average of 42 calls a day for a typical fire department!
At this time of year, I typically burn more candles. There’s nothing like walking into my home and smelling pumpkin spice, evergreen, or best of all, baked sugar cookies.
As good as they smell, however, candles can be dangerous, especially if you’re not careful. If you like to burn candles during these colder months and holidays, please keep these important safety tips in mind.
1. Keep candles away from children and pets: While candles look nice on the coffee table and add ambiance to your living room, a passing child or wagging tail can easily tip them over.
2. Keep matches and lighters in a safe place: Lighting materials should be stored up high and out of sight in a kitchen cupboard, pantry, or even a closet. When I was younger, my neighborhood friends and I were fascinated with fire. Fortunately, we never caused any significant fire damage to our homes … but we did come close.
3. Avoid using candles in the bedroom: Approximately one-third of candle fires start in a bedroom and one-half of fire deaths happen between midnight and 6:00 am.
4. Have several candle holders on hand: Candles come in many shapes and sizes so you should have the right-size holder for the candles you like to burn. And it’s important to make sure candle holders are placed on durable heat-resistant surfaces.
5. Toss the candle if it’s two inches or less: Replacing a candle more frequently costs far less than replacing your home. Don’t let a candle burn to close to the holder.
6. Avoid using water to extinguish the candle: Hot wax can splatter in all directions if doused with water. And the temperature change could cause a glass container to crack or break. Consider using a snuffer to extinguish the candle.
7. Never use candles during a power outage or as a night light: Flashlights, or other battery powered lights, are much safer than candles. Night lights are also much safer and fairly inexpensive.
8. Always keep an eye on the candle: Don’t leave a candle in an unattended room for a significant period of time. A few years ago an entire apartment complex was destroyed here in West Bend when a candle was left unattended.
9. Always follow the manufacturer’s safety recommendations: Manufacturers want you to enjoy their candles so follow their recommendations.
10. Use common sense: Make sure the area around your candle is free of clutter. Also watch for sporadic airflow around the candle which can cause the flame to shift direction. And always make sure the candle is at least 12 inches away from other household items that can burn.
If there is a fire at your home, make sure you and your family get out right away! When everyone is safe, call for help. Never return to a burning home for any reason.
by Flagship Staff | Oct 2, 2017 | Blog
When I was growing up, one of our family traditions was a trip to our local pumpkin patch. I always loved trying to find the best pumpkin, or at least one better than my sister’s. After finding the perfect pumpkin, we ventured into the store to buy caramel apples, homemade apple pies, and apple cider.
After a couple of hours, we jumped back into the family station wagon and headed home. Back in those days, there were no bounce houses, corn mazes, haunted houses, or pumpkin cannons. Just a good old-fashioned farm.
Fast forward to today. Many pumpkin farms are major attractions that draw people from near and far on a nice sunny day, especially when the favorite football team has a bye. If you’re taking your kids or grandkids to a pumpkin farm for the first time, here are some tips you may find helpful.
1. Research. If you’re going to a pumpkin farm for the first time, do your research. Visit their website to find out:
– What activities are available;
– Food options;
– Admission and parking fees; and
– Hours of operation.
I remember taking my kids to a pumpkin farm when we were a young family. It was so expensive that instead of enjoying the day, I worried about the money spent and not having enough.
2. Encourage your kids to walk. I know this can be difficult because before you can utter the words, they’re gone. Their excitement is too much to contain. Keep in mind that during the year farming operations occur. The ground can be very uneven due to the heavy farming equipment. The uneven terrain, along with corn stalks and pumpkin vines, could trip them along the way. While you’d never expect a broken wrist or a twisted ankle at a pumpkin farm, it’s certainly possible.
3. Discuss parking lot safety. The bigger the farm, the more traffic and parking headaches you’ll encounter.
4. Wash your hands. Some of the larger farms have portable bathrooms with hand-washing stations nearby. These stations are great after feeding the goats and before enjoying a picnic lunch. If you don’t know that the farm has hand-washing stations, bring hand sanitizer.
5. Don’t forget the cash. If you’re like me, the only thing you have in your purse or wallet are receipts. I never carry cash because I use my debit card for everything. Keep in mind, however, that smaller farms may only accept cash.
6. Apply sunscreen. A nice fall day can still be warm and sunny.
7. Wear the appropriate shoes and clothes. As I mentioned, today’s farms offer so many different activities, like hay bales to climb, zip lines, pony rides, and corn mazes. Jeans and long-sleeved shirts can help prevent cuts and scrapes. As for shoes, close-toed shoes are the best option. Again, these working farms have fields, gravel paths, and uneven ground. I remember my daughter once insisted on wearing flip-flops. It makes for an interesting time when the flip-flop breaks.
8. Pack plenty of water and light snacks. Hydration is always important when spending time outdoors.
9. Be patient and respectful. While everyone is there to have a good time, it’s possible someone may skip ahead of you in line, the person behind the counter is working slowly, or someone bumps you and you spill your soda. Take a deep breath and think about what’s important.
10. Don’t forget to enjoy yourself. Take plenty of pictures and enjoy the time with your family and friends. Some of my favorite pictures are of my family at our local pumpkin farm.
Do you have any information you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you. Please share them in the comment box below.
by Flagship Staff | Sep 25, 2017 | Blog
Public Wi-Fi is everywhere — such as coffee shops, hotels and airports, just to name a few. But this convenience comes at a price.
Public hotspots are an easy way for cyber criminals to track your online movements and steal valuable information. How? The same features that make free Wi-Fi attractive to consumers also make them desirable to hackers. It requires no authentication to establish an internet connection. This presents an opportunity for cyber thieves to gain access to unsecured devices on the same network.
Just how scary is unsecured Wi-Fi? Hackers also can use it to distribute malware. If you share files across a public network, the hacker can plant infected software on your computer. And that’s not just on single device. Because office devices are all connected through a network, a hacker with access to one machine through public Wi-Fi can make the jump to access all of the machines and information stored on that company network.
Below and on the following pages are five tips to protect data when using public Wi-Fi, courtesy of Christopher Roach, managing director and national IT practice leader at CBIZ Risk & Advisory Services.
1. Use a VPN
The best solution to prevent your data from being hacked is to use a Virtual Private Network, called a VPN, which creates a network-within-a-network encrypted tunnel to protect your data. Because some networks may block VPN traffic, the VPN should be sent across HTTPS, a protocol for secure communication, which is generally allowed on most networks.
A VPN is a must-have when connecting to your business through an unsecured connection, such as Wi-Fi. Even if a hacker is able to gain access to your data, it will be encrypted. “Since hackers are after an easy target, they’ll likely discard stolen information rather than put it through a lengthly decruption process,” according to Kaspersky Lab, an internet security company.
The expense is less than you would think. According to PC Magazine, the cost of 10 top VPNs is less than $12 a month.
2. Make sure to use encrypted websites
If you are unable to connect to a VPN, instead protect yourself when surfing the web by only accessing websites that begin with “https.” These websites are considered more secure (that’s what the ‘S’ stands for) compared to those that begin with “http.”
In short, “http:” provides a secure connection over an insecure network.
3. Secure your computer
Whether you are in a private hotel room or public coffee shop, Roach recommends selecting the “public network” Wi-Fi option on your computer and not the “home network” or “work network” options. The public network option locks down the connection, ensuring your computer isn’t sharing any files or other sensitive data with machines on the local network. It’s also important to be up-to-date on security patches and use a firewall, such as the one built into most laptops.
Additionally, be aware of your surroundings. If you are working on your laptop in a public place, such as a hotel lobby, someone may be observing your computer screen behind you. If it’s not possible to sit with your laptop screen turned away from everyone else, periodically look around to ensure that no one is watching what you type. Norton, the antivirus and software security company, recommends to purchase a privacy screen, for use in public spaces.
4. Be careful when shopping
Never store your credit card, bank account numbers or business information on a website, or even in your device, while using public Wi-Fi.
This includes using Apple Pay, purchasing an item on Amazon or accessing your online banking account on public Wi-Fi. Use different passwords for your business accounts and personnel accounts.
5. Limit access to social media websites
Social media can be a necessary business tool, but logging into Facebook or LinkedIn and clicking on links from social media sites from a business device may leave your proprietary data at risk, Roach says.
It’s very easy for someone with malicious intent to infect your laptop by merely connecting with you on social media.
In addition, hold off on visiting any sites that require you to log in with a name and password, such as financial institutions. Save visiting those sites until you are on a secure, private network.
