The Gulf of Mexico is surrounded by extraordinary beauty and adventure on all sides. The coastline encompasses five US states and five states in Mexico, and offers up a dazzling array of beaches, landscapes, and cultures, perfect for a summer vacation. While a trip of this kind might not be possible with a single person planning it, a luxury travel guide or an expert in the field would be able to help you witness the beauty of this resplendent holiday destination.

That said, in some cases, people love going so much that they’ll consider getting a timeshare. However, make sure you know what you are getting into and beware of Mexico timeshare scams. If you are not using it much and are finding it hard to keep up with payments meaning that when you do go away your vacation is not as fun because of the worry, you may want to look into timeshare exit companies to see how they can help you with this. Your vacation should be enjoyed at these amazing spots, so do the best thing for your family.

One of the best ways to see the Gulf of Mexico is in comfort and style on a cruise from Tampa. Enjoy the luxuries on board, and take the chance to see as much of this wonderful coastline as you can. We’ve pulled together some of our favorite spots, on both sides of the border, to make the perfect summer vacation itinerary. Read on, then pack your bags and start planning your holiday today!

New Orleans

The Big Easy is often overlooked as a cruise destination, tucked away on the Mississippi and Lake Pontchartrain, but it is a fantastic first stop on a Gulf of Mexico trip. From the gorgeous architecture and immense nightlife of the French Quarter, to rocking jazz and blues on Frenchmen Street, to mouth-watering flavours and epic Deep South history in the Garden District, New Orleans is an exceptional holiday destination full of extraordinary sights and bursting with cool, under-the-radar experiences.

Coastal Bend

The Great Coastal Bend in Texas is one of the prime vacationing spots for winter tourists from the rest of the US (known locally as ‘snowbirds’). This delightful stretch of coastline includes arts and culture in Corpus Christi, the gorgeous sun-drenched beaches of North Padre, and unbeatable sports fishing from Port Aransas. Stretching all the way from Port Lavaca to Brownsville, there are an almost unlimited array of excellent spots to stop and explore, and awesome sights to see everywhere you turn.

Heroica Veracruz

Veracruz is a world away from the nightlife of Corpus Christi and the debauchery of New Orleans. This sleepy Mexican city is loaded with faded grandeur and glorious Spanish colonial architecture, and is the perfect place for travelers looking for a slower pace of life. Beaches up and down the Veracruz coast are picturesque, flanked by waving palms and beautiful sand dunes, while the city itself offers a delightful taste of Latin life, culture, food and music. Further inland, Pico de Orizaba National Park boasts the highest volcano in Mexico, and is well worth a trip.

Cancun

Cancun might be best known as the Spring Break capital, but this buzzing city straddling the Gulf and the Caribbean is popular for a reason. With some of the best beaches in the world, and hospitality to match, Cancun’s jumping nightlife, luxury resorts, unbelievable reefs for diving and snorkeling and even an underwater museum means there is something for every sort of traveler. Surrounded by lush jungle, Mayan ruins at every turn, and deep, mysterious sinkholes known as cenotes, it would be unthinkable not to extend your summer vacation here with further exploration of the Yucatan peninsula.

When you have a loved one returning home from military service, your sense of pride is almost overwhelming. You’re going to want to ensure that their return home is one that is filled with joy and happiness. However, it’s important to remember, that a job in the military is a little different from your average 9-5. It’s a fully immersive role and a completely different way of life that’s difficult to understand or comprehend unless you have also served in the military.

Therefore, your loved one may have mixed feelings about their return home and it’s worth bearing in mind that their time in the military may have changed them both physically and mentally.

Emotions will be running high, so the best course of action is to ensure that there is plenty of support, understanding and love waiting for them. It will hopefully make the transition easier for both of you.

Read on for 4 ways you can help a loved one who is returning from military service.

Ensure they’re receiving their entitlements

The world of VA benefits and compensation for those returning from service with an injury or a disability is not an easy system to navigate. It’s confusing and frustrating, to say the least. Check out this VA disability rating calculator if you’re looking for some straightforward information. The system is frustratingly complicated, however, and it’s important that despite the frustrations of your loved one, you help them seek the advice they need and in turn receive the money they are entitled to after years of service. Don’t let them feel discouraged. There is always help out there, whether it be in the form of employee disability insurance for their next job or even just a support network for coping mechanisms after some undoubtedly traumatic events. You could start off by finding the right legal counsel for their disability claims – firms that can help them understand and receive the right compensation. Legal offices similar to Wagners Law Firm (or others in the same field of work) could prove useful in your endeavour to help your loved one.

Look for signs of mental stress

If your loved one has suffered an injury or has been exposed to conflict during their deployment then the possibility of their mental health being affected is likely. At this stage, you need to be vigilant and be watchful of signs that they could be struggling. Don’t push them into describing how they feel or even pressure them into admitting they’re having difficulties. Just try to be there for them and when they do reach out to you, help them. Additionally, if you think they might have developed mental disabilities like PTSD, you can also suggest recovery assistance facilities like ndis recovery coach or rehab to help them recover from the trauma. They might not heal completely, but could gain enough confidence to live a seemingly normal life.

Don’t pressure them

Life in the military is regimented and uniquely different from the life you lead back home. Therefore, you must help your loved one adjust in their own time and don’t put pressure on them to do or be something they’re not. They may struggle to find a job straight away, so it’s important not to make them feel guilty and support them through the process instead. Progress may be slow, but any assistance you can give will be appreciated. Offer advice on creating a resume or writing cover letters and encourage them every step of the way. It also might be possible that they suffered from an injury during their military time that led to a permanent disability. In such a situation, you might think that taking assistance from some disability home care might be beneficial for them. Still, you must give them the space to make this decision themselves and not pressurize them to accept things before they are ready.

Acceptance

It’s important to accept that things may be different from how you remember them. Your loved one may have changed both physically and emotionally during their time in the military. What’s important is rebuilding your connection and supporting them in any way you can now that they’re back home.

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

Did you just have a baby? First of all, congratulations! An exciting milestone, you have many happy years ahead with your little one. Now is the time, however, to follow the right postpartum care to ensure that you are healthy – both mentally and physically. So much has changed within your body, so it’s important that you adjust to motherhood in the best ways possible.

It is, of course, a learning curve – and something that every new mom will do differently. Therefore, you should try to not put too much pressure on yourself. You’ll make a fantastic mother, no matter what. But to get off on the best foot, you need to look after yourself.

To help with this process, here are 7 postpartum tips that you can use:

• Rest Well and Relish the Experience of Becoming a Mother.

It’s no secret that throughout the first few weeks and months sleep might seem like a thing of the past – you most likely won’t enjoy 8 hours of solid sleep until your baby reaches the age of 1.

But as a new mom, it’s very important that you can get as much rest as possible to help cope with the fatigue and tiredness. Of course, you’ll still have to get up every 3 hours or so to feed and comfort your newborn. But when your baby sleeps, try and get some rest too when you can.

Chances are if you and your partner don’t get enough rest, you’ll become overwhelmed by the exhaustion and tensions can grow in your relationship. To help prevent this from happening, try and do the following:

• Split the responsibility between yourself, your partner and family members. Although you’re the mom, you need support throughout the first few weeks and months so that you can get enough sleep to function properly.
• Keep the baby close to you throughout the night (in a co-sleeping cot or similar) so that you don’t have to walk too far throughout the night.
• Try to limit the number of social events in the first few weeks or so, this will be exhausting for you and the baby.

In addition, while you may wish to get adequate sleep, you may also discuss the idea of family photography Portland or wherever you reside. For new parents, the first few months after the baby’s birth are incredibly special. And given that it has taken you nine months to feel that way, you might want to record it so you can remember it forever.
 

• Exercise

When your doctor says that it’s alright to start exercising again, it’s time to get out and enjoy the fresh air! Of course, this activity shouldn’t be too strenuous – you don’t want to damage your body or anything. In fact, your body might already be suffering from damage caused by labor and childbirth. If you think you might be dealing with symptoms of Diastasis Recti, you can learn more about diastasis recti symptoms here.
But a simple walk in the fresh air in your neighborhood will help to increase your energy levels, clear your mind and give you a break from the four walls of your home.

• Discover The Power of Magnesium

Magnesium is important postpartum – but many people don’t know the benefits that come with it or how you can take it. Not only can magnesium help with frustrating issues such as breastfeeding aversion, but it can also help to treat postpartum preeclampsia and postpartum depression. The most common way to safely take it, is by using topical application – such as a body lotion.

• Eat Healthy

After you’ve given birth, it’s vital that you eat healthily. Ensuring that you have all of the key nutrients and avoid coffee and alcohol, if you’re breastfeeding, your baby too will be healthier. You can also promote healing after birth by increasing your intake of whole gains, protein, fruits and vegetables – as well as increasing the amount of fluid that you drink.

• Ask For Help When You Need It

As mentioned above, postpartum can be a very stressful time filled with exhaustion and getting used to this new stage in your life. Which is why it’s so vital that you ask for help along the way when you need it. Pregnancy is never easy, but the changes that occur after the birth can be even more difficult.

If you need some support, don’t be afraid to ask for it – that’s what family and friends are there for after all. Everyone needs a helping hand from time to time, even if it’s just for the little things such as putting on a wash, cleaning the house or looking after your newborn for an hour or so when you catch up on some sleep. You don’t want to feel overwhelmed and stressed. So practice some self-care and ease the amount of responsibility you have.

• Purchase Postpartum Clothes

Throughout your pregnancy, you would have bought tons of maternity clothes. But you might not have thought about what you would wear after the baby was born. Postpartum clothes are items of clothing that you feel comfortable in, in the few weeks or months after your little one is born.

It’s no secret that your body will change throughout this time, so it’s worth investing in some key items – whether that be flowy dresses or loose fitting jeans that you feel like yourself in.

• Join A Group For New Moms

No one knows the struggles and emotions that you’re feeling as a new mom better than other moms. Which is why it’s a good idea to join a support group specifically for new mothers. Discussing what you feel and how your

coping with someone that’s going through the same thing will help you to clear your mind and realize that you’re not the only one going through it.

Final Thoughts

So, there you go! Those are 7 postpartum tips that you can use as a new mom. However, you need to keep in mind that every new mom is different. And what works for one new mom, might not work for another. It’s a stage in life that no one can be truly prepared for. No matter how organized you might feel, there are certain things that will change throughout the next few months as you adjust to motherhood.

Pregnancy is undeniably a stage in life that everyone copes with differently. But if you go into this next stage feeling as though you have the right support and that you’re doing the best thing for both yourself and your baby, you’ll feel a lot better about the process.

The United States faced rising maternal mortality rates between the years 2000 and 2015. While global MMR numbers have been declining, the US is one of the 6 countries that is seeing a slight increase in MMR.

So is this a concern for your pregnancy, or are these isolated cases?

What leads to maternal mortality?

In terms of actual conditions that affected maternal mortality, hemorrhage, infections and cardiovascular and coronary conditions are among the biggest leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths.

These conditions are most often caused by a lack of access to care for all women. For instance, uninsured or underinsured pregnant women are often subjected to low-quality care. There is also a lack of education about contraception and pregnancy health in general for all women. When combined, these factors increase the rate of MMR in the United States.

So what can be done?

Reducing the chances of maternal mortality

There are two big factors that help to reduce the chances of maternal mortality. The first is to seek a complete health evaluation from your doctor to address chronic health issues before you become pregnant. Secondly, it’s vital that you practice good hygiene and monitor your health closely to deal with issues such as infection that can be prevented. Lastly, taking good care of your health, such as eating well and avoiding alcohol, can contribute to a successful and health pregnancy.

Below, we’ve added an infographic that explains the rise in maternal mortality rates in the United States in great deal. We highly recommend that you look through the infographic if you are pregnant or plan to have a child in the near future to avoid any potential complications.

Infographic: Bradley University

Pixabay – CC0 Licence

One of the biggest regrets we all have as parents is the feeling that we don’t spend as much time with our children as much as we’d like. There are so many different components to life that we feel needs completing that it’s usually to the detriment of our health and wellness. But while spending time with our children shouldn’t be on the list of things we have to do, what can we do to ensure that we give our children the time that they really need?

Don’t Feel Guilty About TV Time

There is certainly an argument for and against sitting down and watching television with your children. If you do it too much it’s not healthy. But when you have such a busy week that you’ve got to remember that sitting down with your children is better than absolutely nothing. These days we are all stretched beyond our capabilities, even our children. And we have to remember the importance of proper downtime. Make it a goal to sit down and watch, at the very least, a movie over the weekend. The great thing is now that there are so many different services out there, from Netflix to IPTV, that you can find something that’s classed as worthwhile family watching. And Troypoint’s IPTV guide can get you started. When we don’t have much of an opportunity to spend time with our children we have to make the most of what we have at our disposal. That television in the middle of the living room can be used to your advantage.

Helping Them With Their Homework

While we shouldn’t be doing their homework for them we have to think about the overriding message that we communicate to our children through our actions. Sitting down and spending time with them on tasks that they find incredibly frustrating can cause us to think about throwing a desk against the wall but when we start to make time to help our children with the things they find difficult this will reinforce the message that we are there for them. And also when you think about doing homework it’s not just about sitting down at a desk doing hard sums. There is a lot to be said for incorporating other learning methods. If your child is struggling with learning a specific formula or facts, turn it into a game or make a song out of it. There are so many different things that you can do to help your child develop their skills. You may not view this as quality time but this is better than no time with them at all.

When we think we have no time to spend with our children we have to focus on the quality instead of the quantity. Even if you sit down with your child to watch television or you help them do their homework, which can be an incredibly stressful task, it’s still quality time working towards a goal that will improve their life. And while we can feel that we don’t have downtime, learning to make downtime for ourselves by building it into our schedule is where we can feel the benefits. 

With over 55% of the planet needing help with their vision, your child could well be one of the majority – making sure they feel comfortable and confident wearing their glasses is really important. Often, your child may be the first in their group to start wearing glasses. Reinforcing the fact that wearing glasses is nothing to be ashamed of is your job as a parent. If you are really worried about this, don’t stress, we have you covered. We have created a list of tips to help your child adjust to their new eyewear.

Encourage them to get involved

Give your child the opportunity to choose the frames that they want for their glasses. Try and keep an open mind. You are allowed to nudge them away from those pink leopard print ones but try to let them select a style that they like. A good way to do this is to let them scroll through a website like this. Let them choose 2-3 frames that they like the look of. Order all 3, and then you can let them choose which one they prefer of the 3. The other 2, you can just return.

Make sure they know they are not alone

Over 55% of the world population have eyesight problems. A great way to help a child adjust to wearing glasses for the first time is to find somebody they like on TV who also wears glasses. Tell your child that that character is special like them too. Some easy examples are Harry Potter, Superman, and even the Minions.

The superpower trick

One method that seems to be extremely popular and successful amongst parents is the superpower trick. Tell your child that by wearing their glasses, they gain the power of amazing eyesight. We don’t normally advocate lying to our children, but this is the exception.

Compliment them often

Adults aren’t the only ones who like to be told they look great. We all like to be praised for wearing something new that looks good. To help your child’s confidence, tell them they look amazing in their new frames. Your children really value and appreciate your opinion, more so than anyone else’s, so praise them often to give them a confidence boost.

Experiment

At the end of the day, being a parent is about finding what does and doesn’t work. If your child looks at their glasses as a fashion statement, use that to increase their excitement over-wearing them. If you have a child with a nurturing nature, reinforce how important it is to look after their glasses every single day – let them pick a quirky carrying case and give them some cleaning tools.

Just remember, although the process of introducing your child to their glasses can be an uncomfortable one, it is extremely important in the long run to get it right. Making sure they wear their glasses when they need to and look after them is paramount to their eye health and overall happiness.

Image Credit Pixabay.com License CC0

We often take what we can hear for granted. The sounds of cars passing on the street will help to let us know that a road is not safe to cross, the voice of your partner or someone that you are close to will make you feel safe and comfortable, and your favourite song can spark fond memories of happiness. But what would your world be like if you could not hear so well? How would you get on if you started to lose your hearing?

You may think that hearing loss is not something that you will experience anytime soon. There is a commonly held misconception that people will only start to lose their hearing when they get older. But, this is simply not true, and people of any age can experience hearing loss. Sometimes this is because of illness, or a build-up of wax in the ears, and on other times it is due to damage through exposure to loud noises, or as a result of an accident.

Hearing loss can often occur gradually, and as a result, you may not even notice that it is happening to you until you start to miss lots of sounds from the world around you. 

Looking Out For The Signs Of Hearing Loss

There are several different signs that you are experiencing hearing loss. Some common examples of problems that you may face as your hearing starts to deteriorate are that you need to turn the TV up very loud in order to even hear it. If people that you live with keep telling you that the volume is too loud, and you have it set higher than you used to do, then this is a telltale sign that you may have a problem with your hearing. 

If you miss parts of conversations or you always need to ask people to repeat what they have said to you, this is a symptom of hearing loss. When you are out in public and you are chatting with friends or family and you cannot hear what the people you are with are saying, this is also a common sign that you are experiencing hearing loss. 

If you are experiencing any of these problems then you should make an appointment with an audiologist. 

Getting A Hearing Test

When you go to see an audiologist they will ask you a series of general questions about your life and health, this is to see if there might be some causes that are underlying in your hearing loss. Following this, you will be asked to partake in a hearing test that will measure the extent of your ability to hear. This will help the audiologist decide on whether you need a hearing aid. 

If it is suggested that you need a hearing aid, don’t worry. Hearing aids are lightweight, comfortable, and don’t stand out at all. You can learn more here about hearing aids and how technology has evolved in recent years. 

Protecting your ears is one part of the body you don’t think to look after, but it’s one of those vulnerable areas that you could really damage if you’re not careful. Here are some things you can do to protect your ears.

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Keep Volumes Low

The volume of most things you listen to or watch might be louder than it needs to be, and that can affect your hearing later on in life. Not to mention, if you’re listening to loud noises around younger ears, then you’re potentially damaging their ears too! When it comes to volume levels, try to keep them low where you can. That means the volume on your headphones should not exceed those volume warnings you get when you turn it up on your phone or iPod. The same goes for your television and to help improve the current state of your hearing, use subtitles and keep the sound lower so that your ears have to listen carefully to hear the sound. It will help to do this in order to save the ears from further damage.

Don’t Use Cotton Swabs For Wax

There are many methods to cleaning out wax from your ear, and one of the most common is to use cotton swabs for wax. That actually is one of the more dangerous ways of clearing out wax because they push the wax further into the eardrum, and that can improve the risk of damaging the eardrum itself. You might find it helpful to get the wax out professionally or through your local ear health clinic. There are also alternative methods that use objects like candles to draw the wax out.

Go For Regular Hearing Appointments

Just like doctor’s appointments, getting your hearing checked every so often is important too, especially when you might be experiencing symptoms of tinnitus or signs of an ear infection. It helps to go regularly, especially if you have any concerns regarding your ears and if you work in an environment where there could be a lot of  potential damage to your hearing over time. Having a medical check every so often can help look out for those early signs, or problems that might be wrong with your ear health.

Use Earplugs For Loud Noises

And finally, everyone works in a different environment, and you might find that yours is one where your hearing is at risk of being damaged. It’s important that you are finding options to protect your ears if you’re working on a building site or with tools and equipment that can be deafening to an exposed ear. Using earplugs or noise-canceling headphones are the best way to go about this and to ensure your eardrums are well protected. 

Protecting your ears should be something you’re doing from the very beginning, but it’s never too late to look after them. Use these tips to protect your ears and to make sure you’re doing what you can to prevent any further damage as you get older.

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If you are someone who likes to drink a cup of coffee on a daily basis, now could be a great time to make the switch to something else, with matcha being a good choice.

Before we move onto the benefits of matcha, ditching caffeine in the form of coffee is beneficial for numerous reasons. We all know that it can result in the jitters. However, there are other health benefits that are not discussed as regularly. Did you know coffee is linked to hearing loss? You can learn more about this and getting the right help online.

Is matcha tea as good as or even better than regular green tea? You might be wondering if it tastes as good and if it has as many health benefits. Green tea has recently hit the headlines as a healthier form of tea, filled with antioxidants and nutrients. There are many claims of health benefits, improved brain function, fat loss, and even a lower risk of cancer,

So why should you buy matcha tea and how does matcha powdered green tea match up? When you buy matcha tea online you will discover that it has 137 times the level of antioxidants available from regular green tea. It seems Japanese matcha green tea has better health benefits than popular healthy choices.

Matcha green tea powder reviews suggest it even has 70 times the antioxidants found in orange juice. You’ll notice that matcha green tea is brilliantly green and packed full of flavour. Unlike some regular green tea that may look a murky brown colour, matcha green tea powder lives up to its name. You will not miss the bright green colour or delicious taste. Each cup of matcha tea you drink has more antioxidants than drinking orange juice every day for the next two months.

Choosing a tasty cuppa tea or even drinking a matcha smoothie

After reading about the health benefits, you might be asking yourself, where to buy green tea matcha powder, and can how to brew the perfect cup of matcha?

You will be pleased to learn that matcha organic green tea powder can be used to make a tasty cup of tea. You just mix the powder with hot water to make a tasty nutritional drink.

Unlike leaf tea, you will find that you can also mix powdered matcha green tea into your favourite smoothie. There are a lot of great smoothie recipes on the Internet incorporating matcha, making it easy for you to create a tasty matcha smoothie that also offers health benefits too.

In fact, you will probably be surprised by the different matcha recipes that are available today. If you are really struggling without your coffee fix, why not try a matcha drink in latte form? You can also make baked matcha goods, including muffins and pancakes. There are many ways to mix it up and get the benefits from matcha powder.

Bread has been demonized as the enemy of a healthy diet. It comes as a surprise to no one that more and more health-conscious individuals are taking bread completely off their diets. ‘Gluten is bad for you’ has become the new motto for a health-conscious lifestyle. But in reality, gluten has been a staple food for millennia. Is it as bad as we make it sound? 

There is no denying that for some individuals, gluten can lead to painful health reactions. If you are gluten-intolerant, it’s fair to say that bread should not be part of your daily diet. But the percentage of gluten intolerance and sensitivity in the U.S. is around 7% of the population. So why do the rest of us still try to avoid bread? Because it’s full of carbs, you say. The truth is, your body needs carbs to function. As part of a balanced diet, bread could be a good source of nutrients. Here’s how to make peace with bread: 

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As part of a Mediterranean feast

Bread is a staple of a Mediterranean diet. But, more importantly, the diet has been praised by doctors for years because of its health benefits. In short, you can have bread without putting your health at risk, especially if you consume it as part of a Mediterranean meal. A homemade bowl of hummus, for instance, goes great with warm pita bread and some crunchy vegetables. In this example, you need to make sure the pita bread is not the main part of the meal. Ultimately, pita brings the carb element to the meal, which is why it’s essential to balance quantities smartly. Ideally, you want a lot of fresh vegetables, such as carrots and celery sticks, a generous bowl of hummus to share, and only a little plate of pita bread as a side. 

Make it into your homemade pizza

If you’re one to order a pizza before you don’t feel like cooking, you may want to make your own quick pizza on the go instead. When you think about it, the pizza base is bread. You can even find pizza bread bases in shops or use large slices of naan or ciabatta bread instead. How do you make a quick and healthy pizza in a matter of minutes? Use fresh tomato sauce to spread on the bread, and focus on raw and unprocessed ingredients. A healthy and simple pizza could combine tomato sauce, a few slices of fresh tomato, some basil leaves, and mozzarella chunks, and tada, you’ve made a Margherita pizza! For a heartier flavor, add some sliced mushrooms and walnuts. 

Making your burger is not as fattening as you think

Finally, the best way to enjoy your bread is to make it part of a burger meal. You can make your own healthy burger at home using lean meat and whole-grain bread. However, avoid fries if you want to keep it healthy. As the bread brings the carbs in the meal, you will need to add vegetables as your side, such as fried zucchini and carrot sticks, for instance. 

Is bread as bad as we pretend it is? No, seeded and whole-grain bread is full of nutrients. Additionally, even white bread can be part of a balanced diet as long as you don’t add extra carbs to your meal.