Things To Know Before You Go - Read My Latest

Things To Know Before You Go

https://www.themuddledmillennial.com/single-post/2017/03/20/Things-To-Know-Before-You-Go

You know what puts a big smile on my face…planning my next get away. From Cuba to Aruba, I am all for a little escape from life.  My mind, my heart and my soul all open when I travel.  It changes me for the better and makes me appreciate even more what I have and what I can do.Travel has been my best teacher.  I have been seeing some great pictures of destinations I have always wanted to go to on social media, and to be honest, that has been a big inspiration for me. Even if your next trip is not for a while, there is no time like the present to start planning.  Here are some things to know before you go.

Passport/Visa - If you are traveling overseas, check your passport to make sure it has not expired and is valid for at least six months of your travel dates.  If the expiration date is coming up, you will need to renew.  All depending on where you are traveling to, find out about any necessary visas.  If you are traveling soon and need to find out more, below are two websites I found on passports and visas.  

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports.html

http://cibtvisas.com/visa-quick-check

Research – Do some research on where you are going.  Here are a few quick checks.

Check the weather to know what to pack and wear.  Find out about the cuisine and restaurants that have good write-ups so you can plan some great dining experiences.  Read up on the culture to get a better understanding of where you will be, and learn more about where you are going.  Find out about the transportation situation because not every place you visit has Uber.  Whether you want to spend time on the beach or go skydiving, you can customize your itinerary and pick the places you want to explore and things that you want to do. 

Money/Credit Cards – Call your credit card company to let them know where you will be traveling to and the dates of your travel.  You want to enjoy and do not need any unnecessary delays with purchases you make while you are on vacation, or the headache of having your credit card declined.  All depending on your destination, if you need to exchange currency, you can exchange your money before you go so you have cash on hand until you exchange at your location.    It is also important to take enough cash with you.  

A copy of Travel Documents – You can keep a copy downloaded on your smartphone, but just in case technology fails at the location you are traveling to, I always have a copy of my travel documents along with a copy of my passport that I keep separate just in case.  You can also leave a copy with someone you know so they know your travel plans as well.

Ask for Recommendations – Ask around.  Ask your friends or their friends who like to travel if they have been to where you are planning your next trip.  Find out what they did and what they enjoyed the most.  Get a list of their recommendations on museums to restaurants they went to and places that they would recommend to see. 

Dream it, plan it! - Find that special someone or some travel buddies, make a budget and use your vacation time! If you are pressed for time or can’t decide on a destination, consult a professional who can work with you. They can advise you on travel insurance and other questions you might have, and you have a person to contact in case of any issues while on vacation, and can make it easy for you to help plan your amazing trip.  
Get out of your comfort zone, explore and be adventurous.  Plan your travel and then tell your story because I know it will be an amazing one!  Safe travels my friends.

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” Saint Augustine

Ways To Eat Better Starting This Week - The Muddled Millennial -https://www.themuddledmillennial.com/single-post/2017/03/06/Ways-to-Eat-Better-Starting-This-Week

Ways to Eat Better Starting This Week

March 6, 2017

|

Dawn DePhillips

It is Sunday night and you had a fun filled weekend with friends and family by painting the town and eating everything in sight.  Don’t beat yourself up, you can still start your week off right.  Stressed out, had a week filled with parties and events, or you were just in the mood to eat whatever you want…whatever the reason, we have all been there.  Take a deep breath.  You can start to eat better starting this week.  The best way to do this is to make some changes, and you can start small.  Remember all the small changes add up to great big changes and rewards. | 

 

 

Here are some helpful tips that were given to me by people who have been successful in their journey of eating better.  With some of them, their week of eating better became two weeks, then became a month which turned into a way of eating better every day.  They have seen some amazing results and they look and feel great.

 

Food Tracking/Food Journal - I know some people that swear by food tracking or keeping a food journal of what they are eating.  By doing this, you track your eating habits so you can make the right changes.  Most of the time, we are pressed for time or we are somewhere that does not offer us the best or healthiest food choices.  We are also used to eating a certain way, and not paying attention to what we are putting in our bodies.  This will make you accountable and more aware of what you actually eat, we tend to forget the little extra calories that add up.

Plan your meals – Planning your meals saves time, calories and money. Another benefit is that you buy healthier food and add more variety to your diet by trying new recipes. Get your grocery list together and get going.  If that is something that is easier and of interest to you, below are some websites I found and copied the descriptions so you can find one that is right for you.  They also have apps that you can download to your phone.

http://www.yummly.com/
Yummly is a mobile app and website that provides recipe recommendations personalized to the individual's tastes, semantic recipe search, a digital recipe box, shopping list and one-hour grocery delivery.

 

http://mealboard.com/

Meal Board combines recipes, meal planning, groceries and pantry management into a single app. It is fully customizable. You can manage your recipes, ingredients, food categories, meal types, stores, store aisles, grocery items and much more with its clean, uncluttered interface.

 

 

http://www.falldaysoftware.com/mealplan

MealPlan is a weekly meal and grocery planning app that's focused on getting the job done efficiently.  It's a fast, easy way to plan out your meals and groceries for the week.

Keep an organized fridge/pantry – Keeping your fridge/pantry organized will help you see what you have and what you need.  It will also help with meal prep time.  Purge old food and go through what you use the most and what you use less frequent.  

 

 

It is important to prepare meals you love by finding recipes that are easy to make. Add herbs, spices and lean protein to your meals. Enjoy and eat food that tastes good. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Drink more water. Try new recipes. There are also some great websites that provide inspiration and information on healthy recipes, nutrition and cooking techniques that help you to start eating better.

 

 

 

Remember, small changes add up to big ones and great rewards.  You can eat better starting this week...stay positive, you got this!

Superpowers I Wish I Had - read my latest at https://www.themuddledmillennial.com/single-post/2017/02/19/Two-Superpowers-I-Wish-I-Had

Two Superpowers I Wish I Had

February 19, 2017

|

Dawn DePhillips

I have a question for you.. 
If you could have a superpower, what would it be?

 

Your imagination is such an amazing thing.  Imagination keeps your brain active, and you create things in your mind that are not real.  I think everyone at some point has wished they had a superpower.  Would you like to live forever, have super human strength, move objects?  We have all imagined what our world would be like and what we can do with our superpower.

 

 

I love watching children play. They run around acting like their favorite superheroes.  They are fearless when they are pretending to fly or possess whatever superpower their favorite hero has.  They run around with all of this self-confidence and feel they have the power to save the world and protect the people they love. They are in the magical moment of their imagination and get lost in the wonderful land of pretend.  It is a pretty awesome thing to see.

 

Here are some superpowers that I think would be pretty awesome to have:

Invisible - Want to get out of a sticky situation, puff you are gone. Want to kick someone in the ass, they won’t even know it was you ;) Want to make extra money, you can smuggle drugs in.  On the positive side, you can use it to catch a thief or protect people who are in danger, and the bad guys would never see you coming.  Want to see a show you can’t afford, you can see it as many times as you want and grab yourself the best available seat in the house for free.

 

Time travel – Here is one of my favorites.  I have always wanted to travel back in time to meet and spend time with family members or go back to certain periods of time to check out the fashion, run wild with the Gatsby crowd, go visit Hemingway in Cuba or fall in love with a real knight who lives in a castle.  Some people would like to change their past and some of the things they have done in their life.  Some of us want to know what is going to happen in the future.  You could observe history being made or even alter it.  
 
Fly – If you are not afraid of heights, you can fly as high as the sky.  From New York to Paris, no problem, just fly away and you can go anywhere you heart desires.  Eliminate travel costs and fly anywhere you wanted to go.  Escape city traffic, and the cost of paying tolls, gas for your car or E-ZPass.  Say goodbye to waiting for the bus or subway…like a bird, you are on your way.

If I could have a superpower, I think I would want to have a superpower to heal.  This superpower would not only be for healing wounds or to heal the common cold, but it would be so super I would be able to heal any disease, so fuck off cancer!  

I am sure you have many more ideas of what superpower you would like to possess.  Close your eyes and imagine one of them…dream and enjoy.  It might take you out of your head for a little bit and give you a fun break.