Traveling Abroad? Stay Healthy With These Tips!

Your vacation abroad should be one of the most exciting times in your life, but it won’t be much fun if you spend the week sick in your hotel room. Many foreign travelers become sick from the germs in the airport or the strange climate, but it isn’t unavoidable. Here are a few simple ways to stay healthy while traveling abroad.

  1. Pack the right supplies. Things like antibiotics and a basic first aid kit will help in case of minor colds, and you should also be sure to bring along any regular medications that you take on a daily basis. In case you contract a more serious illness, packing your medical documents is also important.
  2. Visit a doctor beforehand. Some foreign countries require immunizations, so be sure to let your doctor know about your travel plans. It’s also important to keep your doctor in the loop in case you need to contact him or her while abroad.
  3. Wash your hands. Just like you do at home, it’s important to wash your hands before eating, after using the restroom, and periodically throughout the day. Avoid touching your face, too.
  4. Be smart. No matter how many precautions you take against illness, your best tool is your own judgment. Don’t eat foods that look like they were prepared in unsanitary conditions, and be sure to never accept medications from anyone but a licensed doctor.

Stay Healthy While Traveling Abroad [FDA]
5 Ways to Stay Healthy While Traveling Abroad [CNN Health]
18 Surefire Ways to Get Sick While Traveling [Independent Traveler]

Happy Presidents Day

Today we take the time to honor our courageous leaders and how their visions have shaped our great country.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Wishing you a sweet day with your loved ones!

Enjoy Shopping and Strolling in Old Town Spring

Spend an afternoon strolling the streets of Old Town Spring, a historic shopping and entertainment district near Spring’s century-old rail yard. The Victorian era buildings house many shops that sell everything from clothing to collectibles. Favorites include Asian Antiques by Eastwind and Harpers Fabulous Finds.

If your stroll causes you to work up an appetite, you can refuel at one of the district's many restaurants, cafes, and sweet shops. Stop by the Little Dutch Girl, a specialty import shop featuring treats from Holland, for a sweet snack of homemade fudge. For refreshments of a different sort, Wimberly Valley Winery offers reasonably priced bottles at their Old Town tasting room, and the Loose Caboose serves frozen margaritas and barbecue from its rail car restaurant.

Keep your eye out for festivals: Old Town Spring regularly hosts events that celebrate wine, crawfish, and art.

Old Town Spring
405 Main Street
Spring, TX 77373
(281) 353-9310
www.oldtownspring.com
www.yelp.com/biz/old-town-spring-spring

What Are Sliding Puzzles? Find Out Here!

If you love puzzles, you’re likely always looking for new styles to challenge your mind. Sliding puzzles are great options for anyone who wants to improve his or her special reasoning and logic skills, and there are countless different ways to play.

Sliding puzzles involve moving flat pieces along certain routes.
The end game of most sliding puzzles is to reach a certain configuration, which makes it important to consider your next move with each current move you make.

Sliding puzzles can use a variety of different pieces.
Many sliding puzzles use marbles enclosed in a board, while others use blocks, tokens, or even digital game boards to play online.

Players are not permitted to lift pieces off of the board.
This is the main difference between sliding puzzles and other types of rearrangement puzzles. Because you are unable to lift the pieces to move them, it’s important to clear a space for future moves.

Sliding puzzles are fairly common and easy to find.
Some popular sliding puzzles are the original Fifteen Puzzle, Inakube, Klotski, Minus Cube, and Jumbly.

Sliding Puzzles [Wikipedia]

Bullritos: Customize Your Burrito And Your Soda

Customize your burrito and your soda at Bullritos in Spring. This Texas-based chain is similar to other build your own burrito joints, but their twist is marking your order on a pre-printed bag rather than deal with the assembly line chaos. Just like their menu, the state of the art soda fountain is fully customizable. The touch screen lets you choose your beverage and any flavor add-in to create a unique drink like raspberry-vanilla coke. If sodas aren’t your style, they try a signature “Bull-rita” in lime, Mango, Strawberry or coconut.

Visit the Bullritos website to find out more about this Spring eatery!

Bullritos
20053 I-45 N
Spring, TX 77388
(281) 907-0006
www.yelp.com/biz/bullritos-spring-2

Simple Tips for Avoiding Freezer Burn

Freezer burn happens when a food becomes exposed to the cold, dry air of the freezer, causing the thin layer of moisture on the food’s surface to evaporate. This makes the food toughen and dry out, and it leaves behind grey or brown patches that look pretty unappetizing. To prevent freezer burn, follow these helpful tips before freezing foods like meat or vegetables.

  1. Make sure the food is completely covered. The most important thing that you can do to prevent freezer burn is to cover your food completely. Use plastic wrap, wax paper, or aluminum foil to cover the food, and tape it shut if it seems like some air might sneak through an open side. You can even double wrap the food to be extra cautious.
  2. Don’t leave foods in their store-bought packaging. Although store packaging on things like meat or fish seal the food against the air, they aren’t meant to protect it from the freezer. Be sure to remove foods from their packaging and wrap them yourself before freezing.
  3. Rotate items. Just about anything can become freezer burnt if left in the freezer for too long, so be sure to rotate the items in your freezer to ensure that you eat the older foods first.

Food Science: What is Freezer Burn and How to Prevent It [The Kitchn]
Freezer Burn: Gross, Yet Safe and 10 Tips for Prevention [Don’t Waste the Crumbs]
How to Prevent Freezer Burn [Real Simple]

Once & Again Books: Serious Value on Gently Used Books

Stocking gently used books at low prices, Once & Again Books in Spring carries titles that span a wide variety of subjects. Stop in to broaden your knowledge of Texas history, learn how to cook that pot roast, or find required reading titles for the school year, all at great discounted prices. Can't find what you're looking for? Once & Again's friendly employees are always on hand to help you make a decision or point you in the right direction. This bookstore also accepts trades for those looking to swap out the old for the new.

In a statement on Once & Again’s website about the future of bookstores, Once & Again President Richard Sims remains optimistic: He plans to hop on board with eBook distribution in the future and, as always, remain dedicated to serving loyal customers and the Spring community.

Once & Again Books
385 Sawdust Road
Spring, TX 77385
(281) 367-2116
www.onceagainbooks.com
www.yelp.com/biz/once-and-again-new-and-used-books-spring

Painting With a Twist: Unlock Your Inner Artist

Painting With a Twist has an interesting back story. After Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, friends and Louisiana natives Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney thought their neighbors could use an activity to help them de-stress. They started holding painting classes and encouraged the budding artists to bring their own wine. Eventually it blossomed into Painting With a Twist, which now has 81 franchise locations, including one in Spring, near The Woodlands.

Bring your favorite bottle of wine or other beverage, invite some friends, and a professional artist will walk you through how to create a painting, step by step. All of the painting supplies are provided. If you don't have any painting experience or artistic leanings, that's okay, because the goal at Painting With a Twist is to simply have fun. And who knows, maybe you will be happy enough with your final result that you will want to hang it on your wall!

Painting With a Twist
570 Sawdust Road
Spring, TX 77380
(281) 465-4995
paintingwithatwist.com
Read the reviews on Yelp.

Perry’s Steakhouse and Grill: Toast a Special Occasion at This Upscale Chain

If you’re looking for the perfect spot to host a birthday dinner or other special occasion in the Woodlands area, Perry’s Steakhouse and Grill makes the ideal backdrop for important events. The Woodlands location of this eclectic, upscale chain features artistic light fixtures, glamorous furnishings, and comfortably large tables to accommodate any size party. There are also a number of private dining rooms that can be reserved for large groups, including an incredibly spacious Banquet Room.

The menu consists of high quality cuts of beef, creative seafood dishes, and entree complements like sherried mushrooms, Sriracha Brussels sprouts, and rich macaroni and cheese. Paired with a glass from the impressive wine list and a gourmet dessert, a meal at Perry’s is one that you won’t soon forget.

Perry’s Steakhouse and Grill is open 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The eatery offers longer hours on Fridays: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday hours are 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Perry’s Steakhouse and Grill
6700 Woodlands Parkway
The Woodlands, TX 77382
(281) 362-0569
www.perryssteakhouse.com
www.yelp.com/biz/perrys-steakhouse-and-grille-the-woodlands

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