Right now, McDonald’s is running a special on their drinks. Buy any size for just $1. That is cheaper than buying a 20 ounce, so we’ve been picking up a large Diet Coke at McDonald’s while we’re in town instead of a 20 ounce drink. My husband loves this because he prefers a drink with ice in it. But now we have all these large, plastic cups that I just hate to throw out.? I’ve thought of a few uses for them.

In a few weeks, we will be heading to the beach. I think the shape of the cups will be perfect for building sand castles. We will probably have at least 10, so we will have plenty for the whole family to get in on the action at the same time.

Of course, we can always use as drinking cups especially when we are heading somewhere and don’t want to take a good drinking glass.

Rae loves to play with cups in the tub, pouring water from one cup to the other. I’m sure a few cups will find their way to the bathtub or even the swimming pool.

I’m sure I’ll think of a few more uses for them hopefully. It seems such a waste just to throw them away.

In lieu of a vacation this year, we are opting to do short, day trips throughout the summer. It will be cheaper since most places are within 60 miles of here and some are even free to do. No need to pack the Delsey luggage either for just these short excursions. That’s another plus since I really do not enjoying packing.

Today is our first outing. We are going to the Natural Science Museum that is about two hours away from here. Rae will get in free and for adults admission is $5. I put all of our trips on my Google calendar. I then sent invitations to my husband so that he could add them to his calendar. This way we’re on the same page for once in our lives. It’s neat because by the ‘where’ field is a link to map the address. Google has some really useful and cool features. But they are almost like Microsoft in that I hate to admit that I like them so much. I usually prefer to do business or use apps from small companies.

It’s going to be a fun summer. Our trip today should be a good one and is just the beginning of many adventures to be had over the next few months.

The bridesmaid gifts is one of the many decisions that the bride will have to make when it comes to her wedding. What makes a good bridesmaid gift? Here are 10 suggestions.

10. Photo Album. A nice silver-plated photo album is practical and inexpensive. Plus you can have it engraved for a personal touch.

9. Wine Glasses. Another practical gift that can also be personalized. Plus for the groomsman you can give beer steins. How cute would that be?

8. Christmas ornament. A nice, pretty one will go on any tree. This would especially be a good idea if you’re having a winter wedding.

7. Jewelry. Maybe matching necklaces that the bridesmaid can wear during the wedding? an accessory and a gift all wrapped up in one.

6. iPods. heh. Ok this is a little expensive but I can’t make a gift list without adding it. This will also ensure that no matter how hideous the bridesmaid dresses might be, you will be forgiven when you give an iPod. You know you can get these engraved as well. Plus with the Shuffle and Nano there are cheaper options but those might still break the wedding budget.

5. Spa gift certificate. After all your bridesmaids have done for you to get you ready for your day, why not give them a day of relaxation?

4. I O U. Bring them something back from your honeymoon especially if you are traveling out of the country. Who knows what wonderful treasures you might run across.

3. Digital Picture Frame. These have really come down in price in recent months.

2. Shaw or Wrap. This was part of our accessory in one wedding I was in. Plus it was a gift from the bride.

1. Purse. This could also be an accessory for the wedding or maybe just one you know your bridesmaids will love.

After not wearing contact lenses for years, I decided to give them another try. My problem with them was the my eyes were always dry because I work in front of a computer all day.

I tried a pair of Acuvue Advance that worked really well. The contacts are still a little dry every once in a while, so I just use a few rewetting drops to remedy the situation. But then I remembered a piece of advice from a former co-worker about dry eyes.

Her optometrist had told her to start taking Evening Primose Oil to ease dry eyes. I have taken EPO before but not for dry eyes. I had read that EPO was good in aiding to get pregnant. We tried several things when getting pregnant, even progesterone cream. Taking the EPO wasn’t bad, and since it’s readily available, I plan to start taking it again to see how well it works with my dry eyes.

My co-worker swore by it, and she wore contact lenses. EPO isn’t expensive, so at least if it doesn’t work I won’t be out much money.

We went to visit family over the long Memorial Day weekend. It seemed we packed enough for a two-week stay when we were only staying two days. I took my laptop and didn’t even turn it on. I didn’t read a book or any of the magazines I brought. With all the stuff I did take, it’s amazing I forgot some things.

We had planned on just eating sandwiches on the road to save money and time. Well, it’s kind of hard to do that when you forget the luncheon meat. Not only did I forget the meat but I forget the hotdogs that I bought to bring for the Memorial Day cookout. That’s not all either. I had bought some 2-liter Cokes on sale to take with us. So, we wound up spending more money than we anticipated.

And that my friends is why it is always wise to make a detailed list of everything you want to take on a trip. Had I had the above items on a list, then I surely wouldn’t have forgotten them. We usually just buy food when we get somewhere but I had found such great deals that it made it worth the effort to haul it with us. Now my great deal is just extra money I really didn’t need to spend. Looks like we’ll be dining on sandwiches and hotdogs for the next few days.

We are traveling this weekend to a family reunion that is in another state. I tell ya it was like moving all of the stuff we had to take for just an overnight stay! We’re in south Alabama and with the rolling hills looks more like Wilmington NC real estate than River Falls, Alabama.

My dad always get a newspaper and today’s local paper is the one with all the sales papers and Smart Source coupons. Unlike our local Smart Source insert, these actually have coupons I will use.

So, my advice when traveling on the weekend is to pick up the local newspaper and look for the coupons insert. You might just find some that are useful to you, too.

This week I booked a hotel for Labor Day weekend in Atlanta. We are going for Dragon Con and it will be part leisure/part work since I will be attending as press. I should have booked earlier because then we might have gotten to stay at one of the host hotels instead of the overflow ones. Still, I can’t wait to go.

Since it will be a working trip, I wish that we had planned to take a trip to somewhere like Branson because especially after checking into Branson Getaways vacation packages would make a trip pretty affordable. Their platinum package that includes a 2 night stay, tickets to the Grand Jubliee, a $50 gift certificate to Tanger Outlet and more is $423 per couple. That’s close to the price of just our hotel for 3 nights in Atlanta.

They also include a coupon book that will save you more money. When traveling out of state, we always stop at the welcome center to grab up brochures and coupon books. Those few dollars here and there will quickly add up to huge savings.

Our Atlanta trip is the only one slated for this year but if plan enough ahead, then a trip to Branson should be easy enough to take next year. We definitely want to go to Silver Dollar City amusement park and the Butterfly Palace since the little one should enjoy both of those attractions.

To help us save for our trip, we’ve opened up an online savings account at SmartyPig. There you can set up accounts with goals. It should help us save each month since there will be the reminder we will get of the upcoming automatic withdrawal from them. Setting up a separate savings account for small goals helps us to keep our money straight and ensure that we will have enough money to take our late August trip.

This week, the Parent Bloggers Network asked us what we can do as well as any man. For me, I feel somewhat confident doing some routine maintenance on my car like changing the oil. My first car was a 1966 Mustang, which was a great car. But being that it was older, I always had to keep a close check on the oil and automatic transmission levels. Now I think nothing of checking the fluid levels in our vehicle. Let’s take a look under the hood.

To check the oil in my car, the dipstick is located in the front. For my truck, the dipstick is located in the right side. The brake fluid always seems to be in the same position. It’s back towards the firewall on the driver’s side. There is also the power steering fluid that is located on the passenger’s side of the motor. We don’t have an automatic, but for my Mustang the dipstick for it was located on the opposite side of the oil dipstick.

To check the oil, your engine needs to be cool. Remove the dipstick, wipe it off, and put it back. Remove once again to get an accurate reading. To check the transmission fluid, the engine needs to either be warm or running.

A good thing to have in your car is paper towels and some hand cleaner from the auto section because working with an engine on any level can be dirty work.

That’s about it for my automobile know-how. I am good at fetching tools when my husband works on the car. Well, that is when I’m out there with him. For automotive answers, I usually turn to him or Ask Patty. Of course, Ask Patty has never given me that “I can’t believe you just asked that” look, so I guess it’s easy to figure out who I prefer to get my answers from.

Are you wandering what you are going to do with all those plastic Easter eggs? Surprisingly, there are many uses for plastic Easter eggs. Here are 50 suggestions:

1. Putting prizes in for egg hunts.

2. Use to hold paint if eggs do not have holes in them.

3. Store pantyhose. (larger eggs. remember when pantyhose used to come in eggs?)

4. Keep necklaces from getting tangled by placing one in an egg. Great for travel.

5. Packing material.

6. Make an egg duck.

7. Or how about a plastic egg bunny.

8. Grab some glue, beads, and ribbon. Decorate eggs and then display in a nice basket.

9. Try felted Easter eggs.

10. Make your own play dough and store it in plastic eggs.

11. Try a Dinosaur Excavation eggs for a fun project.

12. Decorate eggs with faces. Glue craft stick to egg and put on a puppet show.

13. Stuff with potpourri and use as an air freshener. Either puncture holes in eggs or use eggs that already have small holes.

14. String eggs together to create garland for a fireplace mantle or table centerpiece.

15. Saving receipts? Place important receipts for big ticket purchases in eggs for safe storage.

16. Store special coins. This way you are less likely to accidentally spend that state quarter or wheat penny.

17. Glue eggs halves around a plain picture frame to create a one-of-a-kind frame that is perfect for holding that egg hunt picture.

18. Store craft beads. Keep organized by color.

19. Use it to keep eye shadow brushes clean and easily accessible.

20. Keep plastic eggs to use in conjunction with gifts. Put tiny trinkets until the eggs for an added surprise for the recipient.

21. Use sand in plastic eggs when you need to weigh down a gift bag to keep it from tipping over.

22. Keep small eyeglasses screwdriver and screws since it’s much easier to find a brightly colored plastic egg in a junk drawer than a small screwdriver.

23. Place fingernail clippers inside because it will be easier to find when you need it.

24. Use eggs to help younger kids learn to count.

25. Learning tool to learn colors as well. or combine games(give me the blue egg, or give me two pink eggs)

26. Fill eggs with different materials like dirt, rocks, etc. Have children try to guess what each egg holds.

27. Have children race with a plastic egg in a spoon. If they drop the egg, then they are out of the race. Usually done with real eggs but fill plastic eggs with water or dirt to give them a little weight.

28. Another racing game is to have kids push a plastic egg with their nose to the finish line.

29. Form a line and have each person pass the egg to the next person without using their hands. See how far it can be passed before it’s dropped.

30. Play croquet. Take a plastic bat and tap the plastic eggs around the yard, trying to steer eggs through the scoring goals.

31. Mismatch eggs and then have children race to place the eggs back to one color.

32. Hide one prize in an egg. Then quiz kids on various subjects. When they get a question right, they get to choose an egg. Game is over when the special egg is found.

33. Place in a basket for decoration.

34. Convert your Christmas tree into an Easter tree. Take ribbon and hang plastic eggs on tree.

35. Use half an egg to scoop sand or take to beach to build sandcastles.

36. Add plastic eggs to ball pit or make your own by tossing them into an empty, small swimming pool.

37. Keep loose buttons in them.

38. Pack some thread and a needle in one for a travel sewing kit.

39. Keep loose change organized on a dresser or in your car by placing it in eggs.

40. Fill eggs with sand to create your own weights for use during workouts. Plug any holes in eggs first.

41. Weight down eggs with dirt or sand and use in flower garden as decoration

42. Keep small parts to board games(like Monopoly pieces: shoe, horse, etc.) so you don’t lose them.

43. Place cotton balls in eggs. Takes up little space and keeps them clean.

44. Keep an egg in your purse to hold loose change.

45. Use a plastic egg to hold one serving size of your favorite candy. This way you can have a little treat guilt free.

46. Keep band-aids in eggs when traveling or in your purse.

47. Place jewelry that you plan to wear with each outfit into separate eggs. It will keep it together and well organized.

48. Place small media cards inside eggs to protect them as well as to be able to find them fast.

49. Do you work on computers? Place those small screws inside a plastic egg and never lose one again.

50. Donate plastic eggs to a church or organization that sponsors a community egg hunt.

We love to visit with our in-laws. The only problem is that they are smokers and we are not. Once Rae was born, we worried about the smoke at night bothering her while she tried to sleep as sometimes it bothered us.

So we began to look at air purifiers to find one that would fit our needs when we went to the in-laws. We found a nice, compact, desktop air purifier. Since it was small, we just left it there. The air purifier worked well as long as the air filter was clean. It also served as a desktop fan, which was nice on the hot, summer nights.

The air purifier was $15 and worth every penny to ensure a good night’s sleep away from home.