Family * Travel * Food

Top 9 Missed Experiences in Key West

Photo by Hayden Dunsel on Unsplash
If you’re looking for sun, fun, and excitement, Key West, Florida, is the place to be. Located just a few hours south of Miami, you can drive, fly or even boat your way to Key West. Visitors rave about the snorkeling, fishing, and of course, the Key Lime Pie. If you’re ready to book a week-long or weekend getaway, here are 9 excursions that should make it onto your itinerary.

1. Dry Tortugas National Park

This is a gem of the National Park System that sits around 70 miles off the coast of Key West. You’ll need to book a ferry ticket to get there but it’s worth it. The park includes multiple small islands as well as a significant underwater acreage. Snorkeling is a huge draw here, whether you’re new to the sport or highly experienced. Dry Tortugas National Park offers a variety of dive sites, from coral reefs to old shipwrecks, wooden pilings, a moat wall, and more. There’s even a night snorkeling opportunity to see nocturnal sea animals in action.

2. Conch Tour Train

Sometimes you just want to let someone else do the driving, and this is where the Conch Tour Train comes in. This charming hop-on/hop-off shuttle moves among 3 stops along Front Street, Flagler Station, and Truval Village. It’s a great activity for your first day in Key West, where you can scope out lots of shops, galleries, restaurants and bars, and more. The guides provide conversational insight about the people, places, and history that make Key West stand out.

3. Sunset Celebration

Every night’s a party here so gather with others at the waterfront on Duval Street. There are food, drink, and craft vendors, along with musicians and performers. Show up a few hours before the sun goes down to stake out the best spot for sunset viewing. It’s a great activity for families with young kids because it lets the children feel like they’re staying out late even though it’s only early evening, and a wonderful prequel for adults heading out to restaurants and bars for a late meal or drinks afterward. 

4. Latitudes Restaurant

If you want a night on the town, start with dinner at the upscale Latitudes Restaurant. Gorgeous gulf views and luxury decor complement impeccably prepared dishes whether you’re enjoying a romantic dinner for two or a special celebration. The menu features snapper, grouper, lobster tail, and scallops, plus steaks, pasta, and chicken served by a friendly and knowledgeable team dedicated to your satisfaction.

5. Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden

The lush greenery of the trees, flowers, and shrubs found here represent many native Key West plants that are hard to see anywhere else. This botanical garden is the only one like it in the continental United States, and one of the best places for birding in Key West. Planked walking paths allow for easy exploration, and there’s a picnic area so bring your lunch and make a full day of it.
Photo by Mathieu Le Roux on Unsplash
6. Charter Fishing

The waters around Key West are known for grouper, tuna, mackerel, and dozens of other fish; with a charter fishing expedition, your charter boat captain and his team take care of all the details. Any permits, licenses or gear are arranged in advance. You only need to choose a half or full-day tour and pick what kind of fishing you’d like to do. Novice and experienced guests are welcome for wreck, reef, deep water, and flats fishing. Some local restaurants even offer to cook your catch,

7. Easton Street Seafood Market

Enjoying freshly-caught seafood is one of the big draws of visiting Key West, and Easton Street Seafood Market is the best place to do it. The art deco-inspired market may not look big from the outside but inside, there are cases gleaming with fresh fish and shellfish. Make your selection to take home and prepare or choose one of their menu items and sit outdoors to feast right away. Don’t miss the lobster roll and the fried conch strip basket for a true Key West experience.

8. Key West Lighthouse and Keeper’s Quarters Museum

If you’ve ever wondered what it would have been like to operate a lighthouse, this is your chance. Test yourself and climb all 88 steps to the top of the lighthouse for an authentic view of the sea, and see how the lighthouse keepers -- essential workers in their day -- protected ships along with their crew and cargo with warning lights.
Photo by Thomas Besseling on Unsplash
9. Local Beaches

While Key West may not be known for expansive beaches with miles of sand, it’s city beaches are charming and well worth the visit. Relax under the palm trees at Smathers Beach or if you travel with your dog, visit Higgs Beach, which welcomes beachgoers and their pups. As with most beaches, the earlier in the day you can get there, the better. Beach space fills up fast come afternoon. Beach vendors sell food and drink, and often additional gear like snorkels.

Key West has a world of cultural, historic, and outdoors experiences to enjoy. Building your itinerary in advance helps focus your planning and give you things to look forward to as you prepare for your trip. These experiences in particular showcase the best that Key West has to offer visitors.

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What Happens When You Are Injured On The Job And Are Self Employed?

Most people working a regular job have a lot of benefits that are not necessarily available to those that are working for themselves. They have Medicare and social security automatically withheld, and their employer also contributes. This is not the case for self employed people.

Then, there is the matter of getting injured on the job. Many people with traditional jobs are covered either by worker’s compensation or by some kind of disability insurance offered by the employer. Things are usually pretty straightforward when this happens at work for most people.

When you work for yourself you are on your own when it comes to disability, whether you are a physician or a welder. Physicians Thrive can give you more information about disability when you are a doctor.

In this article, I will go over what happens when you are injured on the job and can’t work when you are self employed.
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1. Worker’s Compensation

If you are self employed and have employees, you should have a worker’s compensation insurance policy for them and for yourself. Since you will be paying for it for your employees it makes sense to also have it for yourself in case you are injured.

What if you don’t have employees? If you work for yourself then you have to evaluate if it makes sense to have it. If you work in a home office, then you are not likely to get injured on the job. In this case, you probably won’t see any value in it.

If you work a physical job like a carpenter, welder or any other job that involves any kind of risk for a serious injury, then this is a good idea.

It covers you if you are injured on the job. It isn’t easy to buy private worker’s compensation insurance, however and it may not be cheap if you do find an insurance company that does offer it.
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2. Disability Insurance

Disability insurance is the same as you would have with an employer, if they offer it. The big difference is that you are paying for the entire cost yourself. Usually an employee of a company will only have to pay a portion of it.

This can get expensive, but the good part about paying yourself is that you decide which policy is best rather than have to take whatever the employer would pick for you if you were an employee.

Many times, the insurance is only going to cover a portion of your income and rarely the entire amount of the money lost to an injury. It also depends on how long you will be without work.

3. Health Insurance

In many states you are required to have health insurance including when you are self employed. If you have disability insurance that only covers some of your income and expenses, your health insurance may make up the difference.

Since you have to have it, and you are choosing the policy yourself, make sure to pick the coverage that will pay the most towards an injury from work and the medical expenses related to it.

Further Reading:
Government support for the self-employed  - Department of Labor guidance for self-employed people
JJS Justice - support when claiming after a work-related accident or injury. 
Here are some self-employment statistics.  How many Americans are really self-employed?
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What Cases Do Car Accident Attorneys Handle?

When you get behind the wheel of a car, you probably place safety first; however, a car accident tends to happen when people least expect them. There are numerous reasons why a car accident might take place, ranging from intoxication to poor weather and even equipment failure. Regardless of the cause, any accident can lead to serious injuries. When this happens, individuals and families might have trouble making ends meet. In this situation, hiring an Orange County car accident lawyer might be helpful. What types of cases can a car accident attorney handle?

Personal Injury Cases

A car accident lawyer handles a lot of personal injury cases. While many people have health insurance, car accident injuries can still be expensive. Bills can pile up due to deductibles, coinsurance, maximums on policies, and even time missed from work. Furthermore, some insurance policies might not cover physical therapy after leaving the hospital.

This situation is common for people who suffer injuries involving the brain or spinal cord. Sadly, injuries involving the nervous system are often permanent. This could leave people with residual deficits that prevent them from ever returning to work. This could also lead to a lifetime of medical care. A car accident lawyer can help individuals and families by recovering resources that can be used to care for the person for the rest of his or her life.

Negligent Driving Cases

In addition, a car accident attorney can be helpful by working through cases of negligent driving. Sometimes, car accidents are caused by the negligence of someone else. There are numerous examples of negligent driving that could cause a car accident.

One of the most common involves texting and driving. Even though cell phones are a great thing in that they allow us to stay connected to family members and friends while on the go, they should not be used while driving. Texting and driving takes the eyes off the road and the hands off the wheel. This could lead to a major car accident.

Another common form of negligent driving involves alcohol. Nobody should ever drink and drive; however, some people do this anyway. This could lead to a major accident because alcohol impairs someone’s reflexes and judgment while causing them to fall asleep behind the wheel. If an accident is caused by negligent driving, a car accident attorney can hold the driver responsible for the consequences of the accident, which could include serious injuries.

Hire an Experienced Car Accident Attorney Following a Motor Vehicle Accident

These are only a few of the numerous cases that a car accident attorney can handle. While there are many attorneys from which to choose, hiring a car accident lawyer is a major decision. It should not be taken lightly. Therefore, anyone who is involved in a car accident must take the time to evaluate all of their options. Nobody should have to go through this situation alone. Hire an experienced car accident attorney to defend your rights following a serious motor vehicle collision.
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Spruce Up Your Walls With Canvas Prints From Canvas Champ

Today's post is sponsored by Canvas Champ. All opinions are my own. 

Can you believe that we are heading into yet another month of staying at home? While many states have opened back up a lot of businesses, some people are still choosing to stay home a bit longer. We have been taking this time as a family to work on numerous projects around the house. We have tackled everything from cleaning out closets and drawers, to repairing little things that are manageable, and even starting a vegetable garden. When you are home it seems like the projects and work never ends.

There have been holidays that have come and gone in the past couple months, and now we are in graduation season with Father's Day coming soon after. Celebrations are being done in very different ways. My husband graduated earlier this month from his MBA program, and his college did a virtual graduation. He got fully decked out in his cap and gown to watch the ceremony. Although it was a bit odd, it really went nicely and we did our own iPhone photo session with the graduate afterwards. We had to make do with the current at-home situation and ended up having a fantastic time.

One of our traditions each time a family member graduates is to take a photo of them in their cap and gown and have it turned into a canvas print. Canvas prints are a great way to display your important memories and definitely jazz up a plain wall. Canvas Champ makes it easy to upload your images and order a variety of sizes of canvas prints. You can even do multiple canvas prints to make a gallery wall.



The ordering process is super simple, and takes only few minutes to do as long as you have your images picked out ahead of time. Since we are all spending so much more time at home, we might as well have nice things to look at each day. Father's Day is coming up next month, and I am certain any dad would love a canvas print of his kids for his home or work office. I know my husband would!

If you are considering sprucing up around your house a bit, I recommend canvas prints since they are affordable and are a nice way to display your favorite memories. They come with the mounting hardware, so all you have to do is hang and enjoy! So open up that photo gallery and get those moments turned into a beautiful piece of art.

Thanks for stopping by today!
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How To Ease Anxiety In Children

If you’re in the trenches, trying to figure out how to handle anxiety in your child, you may come across a lot of information that can simply overwhelm and exhaust you.

The thing is, you won’t be able to ‘fix” your child because there isn’t a magic spray to help with the situation.

What you need are some tools to help attend to your child’s needs during their anxiety episodes, and luckily, I’ve got some for you today.

In this article I’ll go over some of the basic ways you can help your child manage anxiety, what anxiety looks like in children and healthy ways to tolerate anxiety with children.


Anxiety In Kids

Children can experience anxiety even if the parents have done everything right in the parenting process.

Anxiety can stem from things that happen at school or other activities where the parents are not around, and it's almost impossible to shield them from it.

Did you know that anxiety is actually a survival instinct reaction when our bodies or minds are faced with a threatening situation? That definition can be a little bit confusing because it sounds like fear more than anxiety doesn’t it?

Our adrenaline starts pumping, and our bodies and minds are getting ready to escape danger, even if the danger is not visible, like walking through a dark tunnel and getting butterflies because you feel like you’re not alone. This is how anxiety is triggered.

It's a really tough thing to go through for both the child and the parent. After all, no parent wants their child to suffer with anxiety.

The great thing is, not all hope is lost. There are things we can do as parents to help guide our children through these difficult moments of life.
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What Does Anxiety Look Like

Anxiety can pop up in children as young as 3 years old.

Physical anxiety can show up in the form of young kids who cannot explain their true feelings can complain of tummy aches or headaches, even if they appear to be physically alright.

If your child who loves to eat suddenly stops eating his lunch at preschool or daycare, then there might be some anxiety popping up.

Other times, it could show up in the form of restless, fidgety, hyperactive, or distracted behavior in an otherwise calm child.

Emotional anxiety is a little more tough to recognize, but not impossible. Children who normally do not cry a lot can start to cry and appear to be very sensitive.

Children can also start to be afraid of future events such as starting second grade while they are in kindergarten.

To really find out if your child is experiencing anxiety and find out what is causing it, you’re going to want to take notes and track your child’s behavior.

If you have access to a school counselor, it might be wise to share these notes with them so you can work together with your school to solve the situation.

Your school counselor will be able to let you know if this is something you should look into deeper at this time, or hold off and keep watching the behavior and see what happens.

Photo by Hunter Johnson on Unsplash
Managing Anxiety

Luckily there are things you can do to help manage anxiety in children. It’s a bit of a tricky situation because it’s very difficult, impossible really, to completely eliminate anxiety, but management is a great option.

None of us want to see our children face sadness, but the best way to relieve anxiety in children is not to eliminate the trigger, but to know how to handle it when it comes into their path.

Over time, the anxiety will decrease and fall away. Yay! Here are some things you can do to manage the anxiety:

Respect The Feelings They Feel

When your child is going through an anxious moment, you must respect that their feelings
are real and very upsetting. Trying to diminish feelings and even brushing them off is not going to help your child not feel those feelings.

Let your kids go through those feelings of fear, sadness, anxiety and more, even if it’s difficult for you to see as a parent.

The good thing is, you can talk to your child about those feelings and create some pretty deep connections just by validating those fears.

Talk Things Out With Your Child 

When you let your child feel their feelings, and talk it out after the trigger wears off and the child calms down, you should discuss what happened. Being able to create these conversations is going to help you understand your child, which will help you help them with their behavior problems.

Avoid Asking If They Are Anxious

Sometimes, anxiety can be triggered if we ask our children if they are anxious about an event. For example “Are you anxious about your first day of school?” can trigger the anxiety that your child was not feeling before the question was asked.

Healthy Ways To Tolerate Anxiety

You can help your children handle their anxiety by letting them see how you cope with anxiety yourself.

Because children are perceptive, they will see when you cannot handle stress and anxiety in difficult situations and will start to behave the same way you do. It’s kind of like a monkey see, monkey do moment.

Children are like sponges aren’t they? 
I’m definitely not saying you need to pretend that you don’t feel anxious or stressed.
I am saying, you should be careful how you handle your anxiety because your children are watching. Practice calm, and celebrate any moments that you “get through”, especially when they were difficult.


Final Thoughts

Anxiety doesn’t have to be a scary thing. All of us experience anxiety at many different points in our life.

The difference is, how we handle the anxiety that our children are facing.
In young children, the anxiety may be more difficult to spot, but when you do figure out that the child is facing anxiety, you can manage the situation right away.

When anxiety is present in teens, the behavior management is more difficult to handle, but not impossible. Keep track of the behavior and involve the school if you must. The important thing is to pay attention and keep trying to have a conversation with your child.

Remember to allow children to feel their feelings, and comfort them when they are feeling anxious.

Many thanks to Elizabeth for this guest article.



Author bio: Elizabeth is a mom of 2 and has a passion for helping children reach their human potential. She enjoys helping parents raise confident and healthy kids by explaining how to handle situations using positive parenting. Check out the blog www.tiredmomsupermom.com 
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