Well, I hope you are having a safe and relaxing holiday season!

I just returned from a lovely ski vacation up in Canada where we managed to avoid major mishaps. We did, however, help someone else in trouble.

Taking the long way home after skiing we came across a young couple whose station wagon was stuck in a snowbank. We dug the car out with our gloved hands and my dad was practical enough to grab his ski and use that as a shovel!

After we did most of the digging, another passerby in his truck stopped and offered his tow rope and horsepower. A few minutes later, the station wagon was out of the snowbank and we were back on our way.

I learned a couple of things from this experience:

• Your tire tread is VERY important (the station wagon’s tires were practically bare). Like Amy from AAA mentioned in her interview, your car might be the safest car on the road but it’s your tires that KEEP YOU ON THE ROAD. So use snow tires for winter and check your tire pressure before heading out on the road.
• Stay on the main road if you don’t think your car is prepared for certain conditions.
• Ask your mechanic or car dealer where you should attach a tow rope (in the front and the back) in case you need to be towed. Nobody wants to deal with a broken axle!
• ALWAYS carry a car emergency kit and add items for winter (shovels, tow rope, extra warm clothing…).

Have roadside tips or a story to share? Post them in the comments below or head to our Stories section!

In the past week or so, chances are you or someone you know has probably gotten an e-mail similar to this one:

REMINDER …10 days from today, all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sale calls!! YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS To prevent this, register with the National DO NOT CALL list.

Well, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), this isn’t necessarily true. You CAN register your cell phone number with the FTC’s Do Not Call list, if you’d like, but there is no “master list” of cell phone numbers that will be released to telemarketers anytime soon.

Also, take care because this e-mail could be a scam to get your personal information or the e-mail could give your computer a virus.

If you would like to register your phone number on the Do Not Call list:

• Visit the National Do Not Call Registry page and follow the online instructions.
• Or call 1-888-382-1222

After registering, telemarketers covered by the National Do Not Call Registry have up to 31 days from the date you register to stop calling you. Your number will be registered for five years. After that time you must re-register.

Introducing our first WhatHappensNow.com podcast!

Our first podcast is from an interview I did with the Minneapolis Police Department’s Public Information Officer, Officer Ron Reier:

• 4 Fast Tips on Deterring Car Theft.mp3 (click on the link to listen)

Check back each week for the latest podcast. Want to link directly to the podcast page? Click here and copy the URL.

Tell us what you think of the podcast. Write your thoughts in the comments section below!

UPDATE: Can’t listen to the podcast? Read the written transcript…

I’m sure you’ve heard about this via your local and other online media outlets but I thought I’d post it here for good measure…

Here’s how the latest holiday theft scam works:

1. Thieves go to a store where gift cards are hanging on a rack or kiosk. They then copy numbers and merchant names from these gift cards.
2. They wait a week or so and then call the 800 number that was on the back of the card to find out if the card has been activated.
3. If it has, they go to the store’s website and start shopping - using the stolen gift card number as payment.
4. The unsuspecting recipient of the gift card later discovers that the card’s balance has been drained.

The Wisconsin Better Business Bureau is offering these tips to prevent becoming a victim of a scam:

• Don’t buy gift cards that are easily accessible to the public. Purchase them only if they’ve been stored behind a counter or are hand-written gift certificates.
• Before you buy, make sure the gift card hasn’t been tampered with, such as having been removed and then replaced back into its cardboard holder.
• Don’t buy gift cards from internet auction sites or clearinghouses. Often times, those gift cards turn out to be stolen.
• When purchasing a gift card, keep the receipt as proof that you paid for it.
• Immediately after buying a gift card in a store, ask the clerk to scan it to make sure that the balance is correct. Thieves have been known to steal new gift cards and replace them with old, used gift cards. When the bar code on the package is scanned, the stolen card is activated and the buyer now has a worthless gift card.

Sources: Wisconsin Better Business Bureau; Terri’s Consumer Blog at WCCO.com

I’m so glad I don’t drive a snowplow…

I just spoke with the Director of Winter Operations for the City of Minneapolis and he offered up some advice for us pesky drivers out there who make it difficult for the snow plowers to do their jobs!

• Snowplows are big. And slow. And take longer to stop.
• They can’t maneuver as well as cars can.
• They probably can’t see you very well - they have a lot of blind spots. Plus, it’s hard to see with high winds, fast-falling and blowing snow.
• So…be careful when following a snowplow! Be patient, don’t try to pass them and allow plenty of room between you and the plow in case they need to stop all of a sudden. Stay back!

More winter driving tips…

Alright, I’ll admit it. I’ve gone a little overboard with the Travel topics. I’m just excited to blog about something I love!

So let’s switch gears and talk about something else I love…kids. The holidays are a busy time of year but even busier for parents with little ones! They’re spending most of their free time trying to find child care so they can have a little free time to themselves.

So for those busy parents out there, here are a few resources I’ve come across to help you with your search.

• Starting with the obvious choice, visit WhatHappensNow.com’s Be Prepared - Child Care section for a list of questions to print out when choosing a child care center
• Child Care Aware - use their “Child Care Connector” search engine to find the resource and referral agency nearest you. They’ll help match a child care center to your needs.
• Healthy Kids - offers great fact sheets on keeping your kid healthy and safe at child care and at home
• More links…

Travel is a completely different thing if you’re moving…either abroad or domestically.

I’ve done the move abroad twice and returned home twice. I’ve learned not to take toiletries (you can usually find what you need when you arrive). Instead I bring clothes and mementos - things that make your new home feel like home.

It’s hard to make choices on what to bring but remember your family can always send you care packages of the things you might miss (peanut butter, photos, stuffed animals…I asked my mom to record an hour or two of my favorite radio station).

A few other tips:

• Check the baggage limit for all the legs of your journey. One airline might allow 70 pounds while the next might only allow 35 pounds.
• Paying for excess baggage can get REALLY expensive so ship things by air or sea mail instead. If you do decide to ship things, send things you won’t really need immediately (i.e. winter items if it’s summer) since it might take a few months for them to arrive. Bring extra cash to the airport just in case there’s excess baggage charges.
• One trick to check the weight of your luggage before you head to the airport: If you have a scale, weigh yourself. Then (if you can - don’t hurt yourself!) pick up your bag and weigh yourself again. Subtract your original weight from that number and you should have a very rough estimate of the weight of your bag.
• Don’t bring books! They’re really heavy and take up a lot of space.
• Label your luggage with the address of your destination not your previous address (otherwise your luggage will be rerouted if lost!).

Severe snowstorms and cold weather are on the horizon, if they’re not affecting you already.

From the land of Frostbite Falls (Minnesota), I’ve compiled a few frozen tips to help you survive the winter ahead!

• Always have a warm sleeping bag in the back of your car - you’ll need it in case you get stranded! Throw in extra mittens and a hat, too. Other important items to add to your car for winter…
• Heating sources are a major cause for winter fires. Be sure to have your furnace checked out by a professional. And don’t leave your space heaters on while you sleep! They could easily fall over and start a fire.
• Don’t have much heat at home? Sleep with a hat on. You lose most of your body heat via the top of your head.
• Wear mittens instead of gloves. Your fingers will warm each other if they stay together.
• Worried about frostbite and hypothermia? Be sure to head inside often to stay warm, keep covered and stay dry.

Be Prepared - Blizzard

Have a winter weather tip or want to read tips from others? Head to our Stories section!