Any parent who takes their kids out to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner know that when they order a kids drink, it most likely will be served in a kids plastic cup with a lid and straw.  I have been saving up quite a few kids cups from my kids meals and I have been trying to figure our what to do with them.  I do not like to just throw them away, as they will then just sit in a landfill for years to come and I do not like to leave them behind because I know the restaurant will not reuse them.  Most kids plastic cups can be recycled, which is a great option, but why not  find other uses for the cups before they are recycled.  I have put together a short list of things you can do with those plastic kids cups below:

Sand Toy – Bring your kids cups to the beach or the sandbox and use them to build a sand castle.

Snack Cup – Put snacks in a kids cup, cover with the lid if you have one and place in a bag for a car ride or for around the house.

Drinks – Use your kids cup at home for drinks.

Crayon/Pencil Holder – Use your kids cups to hold crayons and colored pencils on a desk or table.

Crafting -  Use your kids cups for crafting, holding water for painting, holding paint and paintbrushes and craft supplies.

Scoop -  Use a kids cup as a scoop for detergent, salt, bird seed or dog food.

Water Toy – Use a kids cup in the bathtub or the pool.

Plant a Flower – Drill some small holes in the bottom of a kids cup, add some soil and a seed, water and watch your flower sprout and bloom.  Replant when necessary.

Toy – Use a kids cup as a toy, add it to your kids selection of toys, let them use their imagination.

Stack Them – If you have multiple kids cups, use them to make a pyramid, then knock it down.  How high can you go?

When you are done reusing your kids cup(s) try to recycle them.  Just look for the number 1,2,3,4,5,6 and 7 then find out what numbers your local recycling center accepts.

• Recycle your egg cartons and fast food drink trays
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If you like to read magazines and so do all of your friends, why not have a magazine swap?  You could save hundreds of dollars just by swapping the magazines you have already read with your friends and family.  My sister in law gets some great magazines, and when she is done reading them she gives them to me to read.  When I am done with them I take them to my local library where they have a bin for magazines and then anyone can take them home.

Some magazines that have themes such as: shopping, cooking, cars, decorating and travel can be read at anytime, they do not have information that needs to read at that moment.  These magazines are the best for swapping and or storing and then re-reading a couple years later.  I have some great decorating magazines that I have re-read after a year or so of storage and they still had very useful and interesting information, sometimes I forget that I have already read them and that they are over 1 year old.

So, get together with your friends and family, find out what magazines you are all getting and swap them out, be frugal and save some money and some trees.

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If you love pizza, you should try this new recipe I have created using very simple ingredients.  I have put together a great pizza using a recipe from my in laws as well as a touch of my own ideas.  The best part about this pizza, it is fresh, easy to make and very very tasty.  See below for the recipe.

This recipe started out as a tomato, pesto and cheese pizza on a whole wheat Boboli crust, then transformed info a naan crust.  I love naan and I was thinking of some new ways to use it, and I though of pizza.  What is naan you may be wondering, it is a levened oven-baked flatbread and in many countries it is a staple in the diet.  I first found out about naan from my sister in law when she came back from a trip to Ireland.  She said people eat it there all the time. Low and behold, this pizza is fabulous, even ,my kids love it!  You could substitute the pesto with tomato sauce, and or use any toppings you like on the naan as well.  The naan makes for an excellent, soft yet crusty crust that tastes great.

Some tips:

I use Bertoli pesto sauce, you can find this in the fruit and vegetable section of the supermarket.  It would be in a fridge section.  I freeze my pesto and only use what I need each time, this way the pesto will last longer. I have to give credit to my in laws for that great idea!

I sometimes add pepperoni to my pizza for some extra flavor.

If you drizzle some olive oil and basil on top of the pizza it makes for a nice golden cheesy pizza.

Some other great pizza creations to try: Bagel Pizza, English Muffin Pizza and Slice of bread Pizza.  All are made the same as a regular pizza, but with different crusts.

What is naan, find out here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naan

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