As the new school year is just weeks away parents are scrambling to get everything their kids need to be ready when the big day arrives. While the essentials are still the first priority there is still one thing most parents don’t even consider looking into, a safe alternative way to get into the house should Suzie forget her key.

The safety of our families is always something to consider at all times. Often we worry about the stranger that passes by while our little ones wait for the school bus but what about if they get stuck outside after school? Having to wait unguarded for any length of time can pose serious safety concerns for children. Fortunately most children these days have the cell phones to use in case of such an emergency still the question remains, why not prepare for the worst case scenario before it happens? Who’s to say that for some unknown reason, call it a Friday the 13th moment, that not only was the house key left on the table in a scrabble out the door but the cell phone was also left behind on the charger? Or that the cell phone didn’t charge at all? It could happen.

As a responsible parent, hopefully you have a trusted neighbor that could if need be take your child in while they wait for your return but even that may not be enough if they aren’t home at the time of need. This is why it is so important that we leave no rock left unturned if our children have to return to a vacant home after school. Many of us have emergency plans in place incase of a natural disaster so why not safeguard our children anyway we can? Hiding a key outside is just one step toward ensuring your baby will be able to get out of the elements and into safety if they can’t otherwise gain access.

However, most hide keys do little to safeguard your key from others and as your child turns into a teenager this could be an important thing to think about. The question then becomes who do you want to be able to get into your home?

Say one day your 13 year old arrives home after school with a friend and realizes that they are locked out so they innocently locate the spare without keeping its location secret from their friend and the two proceed in as to be expected. What about 3 years later when they are no longer members of the same circles and that “friend” thinks petty theft sounds like a good plan? Cynical yes, practical definitely.

That is why it is so important to be wise in your hide a key practices by choosing a product that offers security. RocLok is a great way to go if you want to hide a key inconspicuously and maintain security at all times. Unlike that little plastic rock hide-a-key you purchased for $5 the RocLok is nearly 4 times the size, 9 times the weight, adapts to its surrounding and has a hidden combination lock that you set the code for and can change anytime! For the price of a full tank of gasoline you could make sure your child and you always have a back-up way to get in when you need to and that whoever his/her friends are now can’t get in later if you don’t want them to.

Friday, August 14th 2009, 9:50 AM

INFphoto.com Kate Gosselin checks into a Days Inn Thursday night after allegedly having a meltdown at the Gosselin household over an unapproved baby-sitter. After the argument, Jon locked her out of the house. 

The latest drama in the Gosselin household could be turned into a reality show named: “Jon & Kate Plus 8 … Plus the Cops”

According to a source at RadarOnline, Jon was enjoying the night with his kids at their Wernersville, Pa. home when Kate “showed up at the house unexpectedly.” Both Jon and Kate are entitled to their alone time with the kids, but when Jon wouldn’t allow his soon-to-be ex-wife into the house, things got so heated that an as yet unnamed party contacted the police.

“Kate couldn’t get access to the house,” a source said. “She was upset.”

But it was more than just that. Sources said that Kate, 34, was ranting through the family’s fence about Jon’s alleged affair with their children’s 23-year-old nanny, Stephanie Santoro.

Police eventually helped quell the argument, and Kate spent the night in a local hotel.

While Kate says she’s sleeping alone these days, Jon, 32, has made no secret of his recent romantic escapades - even in front of the kids.

Kate spoke with People about Jon’s relationship with his supposedly steady girlfriend, 22-year-old Hailey Glassman, saying, “It only really upsets me when the people he’s choosing to bring to the house and let, ahem, stay overnight effect our kids. That’s not the sort of example that I will ever set for them and that is where it really kills me.” 

Meanwhile, the new bachelor is gearing up for a Las Vegas pool party he’s throwing at the MGM Grand’s Wet Republic August 29. According to UsMagazine.com, Wet Republic’s reps announced Wednesday, “Jon Gosselin, America’s favorite father (“Jon and Kate plus 8″), is coming to Las Vegas for a little R&R and will be hosting poolside.”  But it’s more than R&R Jon’s looking for. He’ll also be attending MAGIC, a fashion trade show, with his pal Ed Hardy, the designer behind the Christian Audigier label.

Could these efforts to fit in with the glamorous entertainment elite be Jon’s way of boosting ratings for his TLC show, which have plummeted as of late? Last week’s show attracted only 3.5 million viewers, compared to the 10.6 million who tuned in when the couple announced their separation.

Marc Berman, senior television editor at Mediaweek, told UsMagazine.com, “Once all of this dies down and Jon and Kate aren’t in the news anymore, this could be a problem for the show. They divorce, they move on with their lives and so do the viewers.”

Found here: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/08/14/2009-08-14_kate_gosselin_locked_out_of_house_spends_night_in_motel_after_arguing_over_jons_.html 

I’m sure it seems odd for a company that makes a way to hide-a-key outside to be writing a blog on heart health. However with heart disease being the #1 killer of women in the US it seemed appropriate to highlight safety precautions we all should consider implementing to save our lives.

Both my husband and I have family members who have experienced the unexpected and devastating effects of heart disease. I lost my grandmother to a heart attack in 2002 that came on in the middle of the night without warning. Most recently Ryan’s 82 year old grandfather had a massive stoke paralyzing his left side. It was because of these events that I decided to do a little research on the subject most importantly what can we do to help our chances of survival if a sudden heart related attack happens.

These are four things I personally feel are important to consider doing around the house.

KNOW the warning signs- Keep them posted as a reminder for you and your family. According to the American Heart Association the following are signs of a heart attack or stroke to be aware of:

Heart Attack:

• Chest Discomfort − Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.

• Discomfort in Other Areas of the Upper Body − Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

• Shortness of Breath − with or without chest discomfort.

• Other Signs May Include − breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or light-headedness discomfort.

Stroke:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.

• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.

• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.

• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause.

A good article on recognizing the signs of stroke and testing someone you believe may have had a stroke can be found here

PROGRAM 9-1-1 onto phones – In an emergency, it is easy to forget even the simplest things. Though 9-1-1 is ingrained into us at a young age it’s anyone’s guess if in the heat of the moment, you will remember those key 3 digits. Setting 9-1-1 on the speed dial of our home and cell phone, preferably option 1 could get help to you faster and potentially save your life. Calling 9-1-1 should be your first priority if your experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, hesitation kills!

KEEP aspirin handy – If previously ok’d by your physician, aspirin has shown to help prevent heart attacks, recurrent angina and second strokes in clinical trials on patients who have had such problems in the past. After calling 9-1-1 for emergency assistance, it is sometimes recommended to take aspirin during a heart related episode. However the American Heart Association does not advise taking aspirin without first consulting with a medical professional to weed out possible risks. Aspirin is not advised to be taken during a stroke.

ENSURE others have a way in – Keeping a key outside in case of an emergency is essential especially if you are in your home alone for long periods of time. Of course since we make a hide-a-key, we recommend our product for added security but if you don’t currently own a hide-a-key you should think about getting one. It is also a good idea to leave a key with a trusted neighbor.

If you have any thoughts or suggestions you’d like to share please comment below, we’d love to hear them.

I love Disney, so it’s hard for me to speak ill of the beloved house of mouse, but I have to say that the new line of outdoor hide a key statues being sold this season on Disneystore.com aren’t really the best idea to come out of Disney’s creative team. As cute as “Canine Caddy” Mickey and “A Little Pixie Dust to Make Your Garden Grow” Tink and Lock Shock and Barrel are they aren’t really a safe place to hide your key. I mean it is the key to your house and I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t feel safe knowing my key was just hanging out in something that looks like a toy any neighborhood kid would love to try and play with. 

If you were to use these little statues to hide your key that is one thing but for Disney to announce the “secret compartment” that “lets you hide keys in Tink’s mushroom base” or in “Mickey’s pocket” doesn’t keep that secret a secret.  Personally I’d feel just as safe if I hung the key next to the front door.

 As a work of art for Disney lovers, these are totally adorable but as a way to hide your key they just plain dangerous. In fact it’s a bit unconscionable for Disney to even endorse something like these based on the cute factor as a way to hide a key. I think it leaves a lot of people open to crime to their home and their families. Disney should definitely stick to birdbaths and birdhouses if they want to sell products to decorate people’s yards.

We just returned from a week down in the desert town of Indio just outside of Palm Springs. Man was it warm about 115F on average! But we did get to have fun taking RocLok out to visit the sites for some great product shots.

While down there we stopped in and checked on a RocLok we’d left down there back in November 08′ to see how the ultra warm climate and sand was treating it. The RocLok looked great, it had aged from the dark grey to a lighter desert shade. The combination lock was turning perfectly despite a few sand grains that were embedded and the lid still opened. We were pleased with the overall results of the aging in such a harsh environment. The lock itself was still in perfect condition no rust even after being in contact with the inground garden sprinklers! In fact the RocLok in Ryan’s Arms above is that very piece. We’ll make another trip at about the 1 year mark to see how well it’s fairing then. Stay tuned…

Our POS at The Muttley Crew

If your checking out the sights in downtown Portland you should definately stop into Dig Garden Shop and check out all the chic modern garden art and furnishings to make any home feel a little more urban. Visit their site at: http://diggardenshop.com/

By now everyone should know that hiding a key outside in a place thieves know to look isn’t smart or safe. So why do people continue to put the safety of their home and family at risk? What makes us think that we’re immune to the upsetting things we hear about every night on the evening news? Have you thought about how vulnerable you are? Do you feel you are safe because you live in a nice neighborhood?

The “it won’t happen to me” syndrome is indeed prevalent throughout the US today. Sure most of us don’t leave our doors unlocked like they did in the good old days, we have security systems, dogs and other deterrents to keep unsavory people from getting into our piece of the American dream yet we naively leave our keys outside on a nail in the backyard, under a doormat or even with a neighbor that seems nice enough but what do we really now about them?

Countless are the times I have heard people admit to hiding their keys in extremely unsafe places near their homes. Places they openly admitted were unwise but “they’ve had them there for years and no one had found it”… YET! Why does it take something bad to happen before we take actions to prevent it? What about when you give a new person in your life access to that spare key and they turn out not to be as trustworthy as you’d thought? Additionally, if people continue to openly admit to complete strangers where they hide their key who knows when a “bad” person will overhear them.

The same mindset applies to being locked out of the house. It seems no one thinks about the possibility until it is too late and they have opened their wallets to a locksmith for a one time admission to their house. Currently the average lockout call can cost someone around $175 in the Portland Metro Area. Wouldn’t hiding your spare house key in a safe discreet place for those just in case moments make more sense?

Of course there are those people who have purchased the rock or turtle hide a key trying to be wise in their key hiding practices but living in the Pacific Northwest one good winter storm and that key is more likely to be out in the lawn than snuggled safely under the turtles shell. What happens when you actually need the key you thought was there only to discover it is no where in sight? And what about the garage door keypad and the keypad doorknobs? Let’s just chalk those up to Murphy’s Law. Chances are they will work for you 90% of the time unless of course … So I ask again, why wait for the time when the battery dies or the power goes out to instate an alternate backup into your home when you need to get in the most?

So what should someone do to safely hide a key outside? Options are out there to help ensure the safety of your key and your family. There are push style contractors lock boxes made by Master Lock and GE that attach to your home but they also drawl unwanted attention of people looking for vacant homes, alternatively there is a new product called the RocLok that marries the safety of the contractor’s box with the inconspicuous features of the rock hide a keys. The beauty is that even if a thief were to find the rock they would have to know the code to access the key and what thief really wants to be seen in a stranger’s front yard trying to pick a rock?

Monday started off with a bang. By bang, I mean I may as well have stabbed myself in the skull. My husband is out of town for 10 days, and I swear, every time that man goes away, something goes wrong for me. And by something, I mean numerous things. It was bad enough that my kids were barfing their guts out and snotting everywhere last weekend, but then to have the start of my week turn out badly, NOT FAIR. Am I whining? Yes.

I got my kids up for school, got them ready and I have to take my son to the bus stop shortly after 7 a.m. As we are heading out the door, I’m thinking, what a lovely start to the first school day without my husband home. Kids were cooperating, things were running smoothly, things just going super! That thought would soon be replaced with many swear words floating around in my brain. We drop son off and my daughter and I then have an hour before we have to leave and get her to school. We pull into the driveway and I reach over and press the garage door opener. We get out, walk through the garage and walk to the inside garage door. The one that is supposed to open, and that will allow me to enter into the mud room/laundry room. Except the door doesn’t open. Why not? Because it’s deadbolted. As in locked like a vault.

However, I’m not panicked. I have my key to the front door, so no biggie. Set my purse down to get the key out of the zippered pocket, but funny, it’s not there. Oh, well, no sweat, it probably just fell to the bottom of my purse. Feel around and uh, no, not a key in sight. I then dump the contents of my purse out on to the work bench and feel around some more in my handbag. But no key. Okay, still not panicked because I must have left it in the suv, because that keychain also has the mail key on it, and sometimes after getting the mail, it might get locked in the vehicle. Back out to the car and look for the key. No key. Now I’m panicking. Go back into the garage and try the door again – because clearly, it’s going to have magically unlocked itself. Check my purse 89 more times, but I come up empty handed.

I’m officially locked out. Thus, I’ve come up with my very own Top Ten things to do while locked out of your home.

#10. Try to break into your house by ‘picking’ the lock. Except that the lock is a deadbolt and although on TV, criminals and ex-cops-turned-private-dicks can jimmy, pick and/or wiggle a lock in 10 seconds or less, that doesn’t happen in real life. I tried using screwdrivers, rulers, mini saws, other odd shaped tools, that I have no earthly idea what they are called or used for, a hammer and a long, thin drill bit. Nada. Zip. Nothing. The only thing I accomplished, was messing up the door jamb, the trim and scratched the door to shit. Won’t my husband be thrilled? Surprise!

# 9. Swear A LOT. Although I don’t actually say ‘fuck,’ I certainly said it in my mind. Luckily my child can’t read my mind, so it was fine.

# 8. Call your husband’s cell phone, knowing full well he’s 8 hours away and won’t actually get the message you’re leaving until about 10 p.m but it will make you feel better. I did this. My message was said through clenched teeth, while repeating ‘fuck’ in my mind. Unfortunately, this did nothing to help me get in the house.

# 7. Try kicking your door in. Who cares if you’re 5 foot 2 inches tall and have a size 6 1/2 shoe (by the way, trying to break a door down with high heels just isn’t practical), it might work and if you continue to mutter the word ‘fuck,’ in your mind, it does give you a bit of extra strength. Sadly, I couldn’t kick the door in.

# 6. Think back to what you did the night before – as in – YOU LOCKED ALL OF THE WINDOWS BECAUSE YOU ARE A PARANOID FREAK EVEN THOUGH YOU LIVE IN A QUIET, LOW-CRIME NEIGHBORHOOD. Oh wait, you didn’t lock your bedroom window! Except, you’d need a ladder that goes 50 feet up in the air (okay, maybe not 50, but it’s a loooong way up) but that’s okay, because your husband has a window and door business and has super long ladders! Except, he left them at a job site an hour away from here and you have no idea where that is. (Still muttering ‘fuck’ in my mind)

#5. Ask yourself why you’re such an idiot for locking yourself out. This is very counter-productive, and you will receive no answers, but it will take your mind off of the fact that you’re locked out of your house for about 90 seconds. Strange but true.

#4. Give thanks. For what you ask? Well, normally I would have set the alarm, which would have NOT been good in this situation because trying to break in would have set off the alarm, thus bringing the police, thus bringing about a $75 fine plus a fine from the security company for having a false alarm. See? Small miracles.

#3. Remember that your basement window (not the big one that doesn’t open) is obviously low enough that you don’t need a ladder! This would be great had you not locked the window. Window will not open, or be jiggled open while locked. Only option would be to smash window. Even though my husband has a window and door company, he probably wouldn’t appreciate that I smashed the window and then would have to replace the window. Option dead. Guess what is repeating over and over in my head?

# 2. Call your grown sons to come over and help you get in. Sure, they can’t break the door down either or pick the lock, but they’re big, so maybe they can bust through a wall or something. Grown sons arrive, laughing, asking how long we’ve been locked out. Oh just about 3 hours, but no biggie. Still saying ‘fuck’ in my mind but now I’ve included their names.

# 1. Take back all the evil names you’ve called your husband for going away and the ones you’ve called your sons for laughing at you. You realize that technically it’s not your husband’s fault that you locked yourself out and you have to take back the bad names you called your sons because they did get you in the house, so even though they laughed (a lot, uncontrollably) at you for locking yourself out, they redeemed themselves.

Luckily, there was one ladder here and it was just tall enough to reach one of the livingroom windows that I didn’t lock tightly (but it is now for any crooks that think they’re breaking in!) and my boys are tall and big and they got the window open and crawled in and opened my front door.

I’m hoping (fingers crossed) that the rest of the week is really boring.

Article found here: http://ohmygawdreally.com/2008/09/23/top-10-things-to-do-while-locked-out-of-your-home/

We had just moved into our new home. My husband left for work, and I was home with our two boys, ages 4 and 1 1/2 at the time. After changing a smelly diaper, I took it out to the garage to dump it in the garbage. The door swung closed behind me with a resounding *click*. Next thing I knew, I was locked outside. It was 3:00 in the afternoon – hours before my husband would be home. I didn’t have a cell phone with me either. Nor did I know our new neighbors. I was completely stuck. I could hear the baby start to cry inside…. now what?? My 4-year old was upstairs watching a show on T.V. I rang the doorbell and banged on the front door to no avail. He was completely oblivious. In the meantime, my toddler was looking at me through the window in the room adjacent to the entryway, crying. The dog stood there, as well. I wanted to dispatch him in a Lassie-like manner: Go – get your boy! – but he did nothing.

After 15 minutes of yelling like a banshee fool, I started to get desperate. Our home was situated on a giant hill, constructed into the side of it. Although we didn’t have a basement, there was a huge crawl space under the front deck, which was at the main floor level. The yard below was at least 30 feet underneath, and there was a second story above.

I had to get inventive in order to gain entry back into the house. I walked out to our garage and grabbed a medium-sized ladder. Struggling with the contraption, I went to the deck and put it up against the house. Slowly, I climbed up the rails, but I couldn’t reach the second story windows. So, back down I went. Feet back on the deck, I felt better. I’m so afraid of heights, but I still needed to get into the house. The dog started barking, adding to the noise. There was another, much larger ladder lying on its side in the garage. I picked it up and tried to maneuver it outside. I must have been at least 20 feet long, folded up, and I found myself swaying from side to side just trying to walk it outside to the deck. Anyone watching with a video camera would have had the tape rolling. I would definitely be a star on America’s Funniest Home Videos.

After finally getting the giant ladder out to the deck, I next had to prop it up without taking out any windows. Yes, I am a woman, so this feat was definitely challenging. Finally, I had the ladder leaned against the side of our home. Now, I had to contemplate climbing up about 15 feet to the second story windows. Recall that the ground underneath our deck was about 30 feet below. If I fell, I would be hitting the ground about 45 feet later. On rocks. Whew! Even more slowly than before, I started climbing up the rungs. I wasn’t sure about how steady the ladder was placed on the deck, so, in addition to being afraid of heights, I was worried about the stability of my climb. As I neared the second story window, I was trembling with fear. I couldn’t go any higher. I reached my arm up towards the window of the playroom and knocked. Nothing. I tried again, knocking a bit harder. One last time…. wait. Finally, I saw a little head pop up just above the window sill. Through clenched teeth, I said to my son: “Go downstairs and unlock the front door NOW!!!”

I finally got in the house, about 1/2 hour after getting locked out. And, I didn’t need to try to call my husband to rescue me, either. I learned some great lessons to avoid getting stuck outside in the future First, make sure you always have a spare key stashed somewhere outside. There are many contraptions that you can buy that are not very obvious for hiding extra keys. Some even have combination locks to help prevent break-ins. Second, get to know your neighbors as soon as possible. If you can trust them, you may want to give them an extra set of keys to your home, and even your vehicles. Otherwise, you can at least go to them to use a phone or seek help in the event of an emergency. Finally, be aware of what is going on around you. As tough as it may be to raise kids and/or be at home with little ones, try to make sure that you always have your keys in your hand before leaving the house or your car. It may be easier said than done, but just by being aware, you may prevent getting locked out in the future.

Article Found at: http://hubpages.com/hub/Locked-Out

While looking through the net this evening at all the ways being offered to hide a key outdoors I noticed a surprising number of “customized” key hiders. As if hiding your key in a bunny wasn’t obvious enough now you can put the key to your house in a rock with a large color logo of your college alma matter announcing to the world, “I love football but don’t care if you help yourself to my 50” plasma television.” Why not just stick your key in the doorknob under a giant neon sign that says come on in and help yourself? To me, the college rock hide a key makes just as little sense.

For about $22 you have an assortment of universities to choose from. All are colorful with a large depiction of the team’s mascot on a light-weight (1.2 – 1.7 pound) resin rock. As far as I can tell, these little gems are hollowed on the bottom for a key to sit underneath but at less than 2 pounds it seems to me that these could easily be blown over with one good gust of wind. I don’t know about you but I’d be saying something other than go team when I realized that my house key was missing when I needed it.