It’s been nearly three years since Walmart launched Walmart Plus, its yearly membership program that offers subscribers everything from in-home grocery delivery to discounts at the gas pump. An early adopter of the program, I’ve been a Walmart Plus user since its September 2020 launch, and have saved money and time through my membership. Each year when my Walmart Plus membership renews, there’s no question in my mind about whether to continue subscribing or to cancel.

Margaret Guedes has lived in the Orlando area since high school, but after her son, John, died of cancer as a young child more than 30 years ago, the mom of four decided to work for change in her community.

Today, Guedes is the founder and chief executive officer of Kids Beating Cancer, a non-profit organization based in Orlando that funds pediatric cancer research, works to keep families from having to travel outside of Orlando to receive treatment, supports families throughout their cancer journey, and funds innovative cancer treatments.

There’s nothing better than leaving your house for a day of errands without being weighed down by purses, bags, or backpacks. For those of us who have discovered the magic of using a belt bag instead of these other carry-all items, that hands-free freedom is ours every single time we walk out the front door. To head out into the world without bag straps falling down your shoulder and with the ability to carry essentials like a water bottle or your car keys in your free hands is to truly live.

As the summer sun causes temperatures to rise, it’s tempting to get outside with our pets for some warm-weather fun. But cats and dogs can easily overheat, putting our furry friends at risk for heat stroke and dehydration. When it’s hot outside, it’s important for pet owners to be vigilant about making sure animals are staying cool.

While my family spent years avoiding chain restaurants, we recently started visiting them with our teenagers.

We've been pleasantly surprised by chains we've visited so far — from the Caribbean-themed Bahama Breeze to steak-house chains such as LongHorn Steakhouse — so I was excited to up the ante and head to Ruth's Chris Steak House.

My first visits to Disney World were long ago — before I moved from Maryland to Florida — and always with my family in tow.

When my husband, kids, and I relocated to Central Florida seven years ago, it was a no-brainer that we'd purchase annual passes. For years, we made memories in the theme parks, but, as my kids turned into teenagers, they weren't as interested in visiting anymore.

I decided to keep my own annual pass because I love visiting Disney alone. Even when my husband and kids held passes, I still loved nothing more than escaping alone for the day to visit a Disney park or shop at Disney Springs.

Any keeper of houseplants will tell you, there's nothing worse — or more irritating — than having gnats in the house. Not only do these pesky bugs fly all around your home, but they also lay larvae in the soil of your leafy plants, making sure your gnat problem will last indefinitely if it's not dealt with.

David Price, an associate certified entomologist at Mosquito Joe, explains these flying pests are most often fungus gnats. Price says fungus gnat larvae often enter the home inside plants purchased at the store, adding that adult fungus gnats have a knack for slipping into homes through doors or windows left open for even a moment.

There's a "bat bridge" in Houston that has residents and tourists alike flapping their wings over to Buffalo Bayou Park in hopes of catching a glimpse of a thriving bat colony.

Diana Foss, a wildlife biologist at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, explained the Waugh Drive bat colony is made up of Mexican free-tailed bats, the official state flying mammal for Texas.

"The bats roosting in Waugh Drive Bridge are Brazilian free-tailed bats, although for some reason in Texas, we call them Mexican free-tailed bats. Maybe it's because most of their population in Texas migrate south, some to Mexico, for the winter months," Foss told Chron.

The holiday season at Walt Disney World Resort may be among the most magical times of year at the destination, but it’s also the busiest. Not only is the Christmas season at Walt Disney World a time for major crowds, but there is also a flurry of additional activities to enhance your family’s holiday celebration. These added holiday activities at Disney give families an incredible bang for their buck, but can also make it hard to decide which Christmas activities at Disney are worth it, and which aren’t.

Summer days bring trips to the beach, pool days and outdoor parties, but there’s nothing worse than returning to your car after a warm-weather outing to find that your ride home hotter than the face of the sun. Sure, you can wind down the windows and blast the air conditioning, but the best way to ensure your car stays cool on hot summer days is to invest in sunshades, fans, and other products that help prevent your car from warming up in the first place — or can at least cool it back down fast.

Visiting a Walt Disney World theme park is no longer as simple as purchasing a park ticket and showing up at the gate of whichever park at the Orlando complex you feel like visiting that day. Since Disney World fully reopened after closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the resort has had a reservation system in place that's made visiting require even more forethought than ever. And, although there have been slight tweaks to the system of Disney World reservations since they were implemented in 2020, the resort shows no indication that it will stop requiring them any time soon.

The first time my family sailed aboard a Disney Cruise Line ship, my kids were 8 and 10. Nearly five years later, we've taken several Disney cruises as a family. But when my husband and I recently started discussing a Disney cruise to Europe, my now 13- and 15-year-olds were totally uninterested. They both had plans and commitments that fell during the seven-night trip and asked to stay at home, leaving us questioning whether we should take a Disney cruise without our kids.

There’s just one time of year where “snow” fills the streets of Walt Disney World (WDW), Mickey Mouse parades through Magic Kingdom with a troop of toy soldiers, and singers fill EPCOT with holiday carols recited by candlelight. The holidays and Christmas at WDW are truly among the merriest times to visit, but there’s a lot of extra festive details for parents to know about.

Whatever way your family celebrates during the holiday season, visiting Walt Disney World for some holiday cheer is a special perk of Orlando.

Read on for everything you need to know about visiting Walt Disney World during the holidays and Christmas.

While their reputations are dwarfed by theme parks like Magic Kingdom and Epcot, the Disney World water parks are among the best places in Orlando to splash and cool off. Typhoon Lagoon, a tropical paradise-themed water park on the resort's sprawling property, is definitely worth visiting on a long Disney World vacation. Along with its attractions and wave pool, Typhoon Lagoon is home to solid food and beverage options and a fun late-night dance party. Plus, Mount Mayday and its teetering ship is one of the coolest park icons Disney has ever created.

A staple of Orlando fine dining has returned. Chef Norman Van Aken’s Norman’s, formerly located at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes, closed in 2019, but has reopened in a new location as stunning as its menu. This romantic restaurant in Orlando marks the return of modern cuisine in an elevated atmosphere. Come with us as we explore this new space, share menu highlights, and even get to interview Chef Norman Van Aken himself.

Located in the Dellagio Town Center in Dr. Phillips, Norman’s is helmed by Van Aken, a James Beard semi-finalist and the only Florida chef to be inducted into James Beard’s list of “Who’s Who in American Food and Beverage.”

Hot dogs are a favorite grill food, they appeal to the masses and take zero prep. But TikToker Jill Castlen, better known as Mama Jill on the social media platform, broke the internet a few weeks ago when she shared a video saying she seasons hot dogs before grilling them. “Apparently it’s controversial and apparently I’m weird,” Castlen says in a TikTok that’s been viewed more than 1.5 million times. “My saying is literally it’s not seasoned till you’re sneezing, but everybody’s surprised that I season my hot dogs before we grill them.”

“If you’ve never had seasoned, grilled hot dogs,” she continues, “start doing it.”

The first time I visited Walt Disney World (WDW) with my kids, they were just 3 and 5, eager to meet their favorite characters and get some Mickey-shaped ice cream bars. A decade later, I visit with teenagers who will still oblige me with a character photo, but care more about which restaurant has the best cheeseburger and how many thrill rides we can pack into one theme park day. Still, through many trips to WDW and Disneyland, I’ve perfected my checklist of items to pack in my bag for a day at a Disney park — many of which haven’t changed as my kids have gotten older.

There's much to anticipate about a cruise vacation that leaves from the Galveston cruise port. But while you're packing your favorite swimsuit and dreaming of sipping a fruity drink in a tropical port of call, it's also a good idea to plan how you'll navigate Galveston cruise parking.

Cruises out of Galveston leave from the Port of Galveston, which has its own official parking. But when it comes to Galveston cruises, many other options exist as well. Whether you're considering taking a ride-booking service, parking in a third-party lot or paying to park at the port, there are options for parking during cruises from Galveston that will work for every budget.

In the days when I could say my family never ate at chain restaurants, I'd drive past Bahama Breeze locations and feel curious.

With its sweeping, open-air patios and tropical signage, I imagined diners sipping mai tais and feasting on jerk chicken. It turns out that my perception of the chain was pretty close to the truth, though it's in a strip-mall parking lot instead of a tropical cruise port.

I've held an annual pass at Disney World for the last seven years and visit several times a month with friends, family, and sometimes even solo.

No matter how often I visit the parks, I never feel like I'm experiencing the same thing repeatedly, probably because I'm constantly stumbling upon events and experiences I never knew existed. One such unique experience, Sangria University, takes place at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort.