Pre-Season Boat Preparation

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Family on a boatGet started early to get your boat ready for summer!

If you love the water, few things are better than boating season.  Summer just wouldn’t be summer without spending those long, hot Arizona days on  Saguaro Lake, cooling off with a lazy dip in the water, dropping a line in hopes of catching a “big one,” or having an action-packed day of wakeboarding and tubing.

Boating is not without its share of pre-summer preparation.  If you’re not on the ball early, it’s easy to find yourself midway through July still on dry land.

At CityScape Insurance, we want to ensure you’re first in line at the boat launch at the first sign of the season change, so here are a few tips for being ahead of the game.

  • Tune it up. It’s always a good idea to have your boat winterized at the end of each season, but whether you did or didn’t get it done last year, make sure to get a full tune-up before you hit the lake this summer.
  • Charge it. Make sure your battery is fully charged.
  • Clear it out. If there’s a chance any bit of gas from last season is still in your tank, fill it up with fresh gas as well as a stabilizer; this will prevent buildup in the gas lines and injection system.
  • Give it a test. Before you get the boat all the way into the water and off the trailer, lower your motor into the water and make sure it will turn over.
  • Plug it up. Ensure your drain plug is in and the bilge pump is functioning properly.
  • Double- and triple-check. The last thing you want is to be turned away at the ramp for not having an updated registration or missing your ski flag or life vests. Double check that your documents are updated and that your boat is fully stocked with everything you need.

Have a fun-filled and safe boating season!

After School Safety

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After School SafetyAfter-School Safety Tips for Parents and Kids

Parents, with school in full swing it’s important that you not forget the importance of reviewing basic safety tips for kids who walk, ride a bike, or bus to and from school.

Those tips, of course, are:

  • Walk with a buddy
  • Always stay on the sidewalk unless walking in a crosswalk
  • Stay in well-lit areas
  • Avoid high traffic streets when possible
  • Never accept a ride with strangers
  • Once home, lock the door and don’t let anyone in
  • However, Dr. Michele Borba, author of The Big Book of Parenting Solutions, urges you not to overestimate your kids’ safety smarts. Kids under 10, for example, may not grasp the concept of crossing a street safely, she says.

    She suggests teaching them: “Stop. Left. Right. Left.” Meaning that children should, “stop at the curb, look left, right, then left again before crossing, and keep looking as they cross.”

    Another thing kids need to know, says Borba, is how to ask for help. Have kids practice saying, “I need help,” out loud and instruct them to “find a uniformed employee, a police officer or a woman, preferably with a child,” when they need assistance, she says.

    Once home, kids will likely use the Internet, so be sure to discuss digital safety too.

    Staying Safe Online

    Internet safety advocate Sue Scheff, author of Wit’s End and Google Bomb, says that, “we need to put parental controls/security measures on computers and cell phones. Unfortunately, these aren’t guarantees, so having a cyber-smart child is your best defense.”

    Teach kids about the dangers of sharing personal information, such as their home address and phone number, online. And about using social media responsibly.

    While online, it’s best for kids – and adults – to converse and connect only with people they truly know and trust, to keep their social accounts private and to still be cautious even then. After all, photos and information that go online today will still be there years later, when kids apply for college scholarships and jobs.

    Above all, stay involved in your kids’ digital lives. Let them know you’re there for them, always – to talk, not to judge or punish, says Scheff. “Many kids fear having their Internet removed if they tell their parents they are being bullied online,” she says.

    So keep the lines of communication open to help keep everyone safe, both in and outside of your home.