Holiday Travel Safety Tips From #Lifelock

Posted on by Mandy

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December is such a busy month due to the holiday season.  During this time, travel definitely picks up, which also puts you and your family at risk to identity thieves.  Nothing can ruin a holiday faster when traveling than becoming a victim of theft.  This month, LifeLock offers several excellent tips for protecting yourself while traveling during the holidays.

BEFORE YOU LEAVE

Before traveling, make sure you have phone numbers for your bank, credit cards, and personal emergency contacts.

Take pictures of important travel and financial documents before leaving home in order to help recover them if they become lost.

Alert your bank and credit card company that you are traveling.  Banks often times limit access to funds if they see suspicious activity.  This has happened to me once before.  Our family took a vacation in another state and our bank actually called us to ask if we were aware of the charges being made because they were being made in another state.

TRAVEL SAFELY

If traveling by plane, place your purse or wallet under your body while you sleep.  It may not be comfortable, but it’s better than not having them when you reach your destination.

When going through airport security, place your wallet inside your bag rather than leaving it exposed in the bin.

Wear shoes that are easy to get on and off if you have to go through airport security so that you can keep your attention on your belongings and not be distracted.

If you are a woman who carries a purse, consider a “cross body” style that you wear on you to keep your belongings as close to you as possible while keeping your hands free so you can be more alert to your surroundings.

DON’T OVERLOOK THESE TIPS

Be sure and utilize your hotel’s safe box for storing all of your valuables.

When using public Wi-Fi, consider logging in using a VPN (virtual private network). If you do not have a VPN, one can be purchased for about $10 a month. Logging in via a VPN can help limit the information you expose when using your laptop to access the internet via public Wi-Fi.

Designate both a meeting spot and meeting time before separating from your travel companions. If anyone in your group fails to appear, this can be a warning sign that they are lost or in danger.

Can you think of any other great travel safety tips?  I’d love to hear them in the comments.

Be sure and follow LifeLock on Facebook, where you can enter the LifeLock For Life Sweepstakes and also on Twitter. There, you will find even more great tips for keeping your identity safe.

 

I wrote this post as part of a compensated blogger ambassadorship for LifeLock. All opinions are my own.

The Elf On The Shelf

Posted on by Mandy

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Meet “Sprite”.  Yes, he’s kind of scary looking in a clownish kind of way.  Yes, he is homemade.  And YES, this is our family’s “Elf on the Shelf”.

Don’t laugh.

I said, don’t laugh!

OK.  Laugh.  Because we do.  I discovered Sprite while going through some boxed-up toys from childhood a couple of years ago.  It was around the time that the Elf on the Shelf craze was catching on, and when I saw him, I instantly wondered if I could pass him off as a “sort-of Elf on the Shelf”.  My son is not stupid and he catches on to things pretty fast, so I knew this was probably not going to go over well with him.  His teacher at the time had the real deal in their classroom, so he would know the difference.  I’m sure you might wonder why in the world I just didn’t go out and buy one.  Well, $30 for a tiny little elf that only showed up every December just seemed like a frivolous expense I couldn’t justify.  I know…I’m such a scrooge!

I can proudly say now I’m glad I didn’t cave and buy the real thing.  This little elf was handmade for me as a little girl by a dear family member who has since passed on.  Thankfully, she got to meet my son right before she passed away.  She was awesome, cool, and so great to talk to.  She is dearly missed.  And what did E.B. think?  He thought it was funny.  I typed up a little note from Sprite letting him know that he would be hanging out until Christmas.  Each day, I moved Sprite so he would be somewhere different when E.B. woke up.  Now, I don’t pull out all of the stops and make our elf do naughty, cutesy things like I have seen on the internet.  Let’s face it, this working mama is doing good to remember to move Sprite at all.

 

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So, Sprite made his appearance last week and he’s currently sitting under the Christmas tree because, oops, I forgot to move him.  Two days ago.  I’m guessing at E.B.’s age, this whole Elf on the Shelf thing might be funny for another couple of years.  I’m convinced this child doesn’t believe it at all and is just going along with it to amuse me.

Do you do the Elf on the Shelf for your child?  Maybe something different?  I’d love to hear about it!

Pantene AgeDefy & Target Gift Card Giveaway

Posted on by Mandy

Have you recently noticed any changes in your hair as you age?  I definitely have.  Just this week, I have noticed that my hair seems to be going from very dry to very oily depending on which way the wind blows (it seems).  I’m also noticing more and more grays.  My students at school just love to point those out!  Ha!

Pantene recently partnered with experts in the field of thinning hair to gather clinical data on 1000 women to get a better picture of age-related changes in density and diameter of hair.  They also identified the common burdens of age-related hair issues:

1.Breakage

2.Split Ends

3.Frizz

4.Unruly Grays

5.Lackluster Color

6.Thin look

7.Dryness

They also found that the hair aging process begins before menopause, around age 35, and that symptoms go beyond graying and thinning.

Pantene has teamed up with Target stores nationwide through the end of December to highlight new anti-aging products that offer women hair and skin anti-aging secrets that “help you drop a decade or more”. New Olay Professional anti-aging products will also be featured.

GIVEAWAY:

pantene shampoo

I have a Pantene/Target Prize Pack pictured above to give away to one lucky blog reader which includes the following:

· Pantene Expert Collection Age Defy Shampoo

· Pantene Expert Collection Age Defy Conditioner

· Pantene Expert Collection Advanced Thickening Treatment

· $10 Target Gift Card

Giveaway ends December 17, 2012 at 12:01 AM EST.  U.S. Only. Void where prohibited.

To enter, fill in the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was provided with the prize pack above from Procter & Gamble to facilitate my review and also with a prize pack to give away. All opinions are my own.