Ever come across something so brilliant yet so easy to use? The Beverage Caddi is that item for me.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had my arms full plus I had to carry Will in from the car, and I have dropped my drink.  The Beverage Caddi is one of the items I seriously don’t think I can live without anymore.  Instead of taking the chance of dropping your drink, you put it in here, and carry it in that way.  It no longer takes your entire hand — you can carry your beverage (be it a hot one or a cold one) with a single finger.  This is the perfect stocking stuffer for any busy mom, student, or anybody you know who is carrying in multiple items.  I personally can vouch that it works extremely well when you are carrying McDonalds food and a one year old.   “)

I took Madison to Burger King yesterday, and we went through the drive thru.  Burger King has a new product or two that they added to their menu.  You now can order apple fries or macaroni and cheese with your kids meal.  I thought this was great since I really don’t like getting Madison french fries.  Needless to say, I was a little surprised when I saw my receipt and found out that they charged me extra for the apple fries.  Of course, the huge sign in front of the drive thru did not state that. You know, I am not asking for it to be on sale or anything. However, I would have liked to see something on that sign letting me know that the apple fries were going to be 49 cents more. The other thing that irritated me was that, for free, McDonalds gives you way more apples.  Needless to say, we won’t be frequenting Burger King any time soon.

I wasn’t thrilled to be sitting at the airport at 4 am this morning. I am definitely not a morning person. However, a couple of things stood out for me, and I want to pass on that information.

Midway

First, I enjoyed the curbside drop off for my bags. No waiting in line or anything. It also took less than five minutes. They guy gave me great directions to get to my concourse and off I went. Even though it was extremely early, there were many shops and restraunts open. I had a bacon bagel from McDonalds which was right next to the concourse I needed to be at. As for security, that always sucks. However, it was done quickly and efficiently. It took me less than five minutes to get through.

Southwest

First, I have to start with how easy it was to book my ticket. I went online and was able to see all of the ticket prices and times after I did a search. You could also see this for the flight there and the flight back. On the search, you are able to set the parameters to what works best for you.. Because I bought my tickets online, I was able to print the boarding pass the day prior. No waiting in line for that either! I think this enabled me to use the curbside check in. There were also several stores right by my concourse. I am not sure if Southwest had anything to do with that or not. Either way, it was nice. They also started a new boarding procedure today. I am not sure if it is just in Chicago or not. They took everyone with the letter A and the number 1 - 30 board first. I had A53, so I boarded shortly after. Once on the plane, I was able to pick any seat I wanted. I ended up sitting in row 4 and in seat A which is an aisle seat. I was expecting a lot less leg room and room in general. I am completely satisfied with my seat. We were given a box of snacks to eat too! It had some chips ahoy crisps, cheese and crackers, and trail mix. We were also given some peanuts (the staple of airline travel). The other thing that impressed me was that I was able to get a free refill on my Sprite. The flight attendant asked me if I wanted more — I didn’t need to ask. The flight crew was nothing but kind, helpful, and courteous. I couldn’t have asked for more. The pilot was helpful before and after liftoff letting us know that we were running early and that the temperature was around sixty degrees (it was only 30 degrees in Chicago). The pilot also warned us before we hit a bit of turbulence that it was coming. The seats were comfortable enough that I dozed off (and slept through the turbulence). I also did not have to worry about needing joint and muscle pain relief, because I was so comfortable. I can only hope that the rest of my day goes as well as this has so far.

My recommendation is to fly Southwest. I was thoroughly happy, their prices are affordable, and their prices are excellent. I know I will be using them again.