Kid Stuf

529 Plans: Most states offer 529 college saving plans. This is a popular way to save for college. Investments grow free of federal and state taxes and tax on earnings are deferred until withdrawal. Money withdrawn to pay for education expenses is free from state and federal taxes. You maintain the complete control of the account and can name a successor account owner. Maximum contribution limit to a plan currently is $350,000. You may be able to contribute $13,000 ($26,000 for couple) annually without triggering gift tax. Consult your tax advisor.

Coverdell Education Savings Account: Based on your annual income, you may be eligible to contribute up to $2,000 a year. Earnings grow tax free. Funds can be used to pay for K through 12 education as well as college. Qualified educational expenses are federal tax free.

UGMA/UTMA Custodial Accounts: They were more popular before the introduction of 529 Plans. The beneficiary gain control of funds at age of maturity, 18 or 21 depending on the state you live. Be aware of tax consequences at withdrawal.

Other: You can open a Roth IRA/IRA or other savings account in your name to use for college education of your kids.

Being a mother is a never ending job with more work to do than the hours in the day would permit. This often leaves them feeling exhausted with little chance of getting any proper rest or meals. But a few changes to your daily lifestyle could save you precious time.

Be organized

Plan out a schedule for your family and encourage the family to strictly adhere to it so that everyone knows what has to be done and when. Designate a place where commonly misplaced items such as keys should be kept.

Check the next day’s schedule

Make sure the swimming bag is packed and the hockey clothes are ready and see what errands can be done in one trip.

Menu plan

Plan out the menu for the week and do the grocery shopping accordingly to spare time in the evening planning out what to cook and dashing to the supermarket for ingredients.

Prepare the clothes the night before

Sort and iron the clothes to be worn the next day, you will not have to turn the house upside down in the morning looking for lost socks!

Pre pack school snacks

Pack the school snacks for the week and store in the fridge.

Research by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) show that media watched passively on television or computer screens by children under the age of two will delay the child’s ability to talk as well as hinder other areas of development.

These guidelines were issued as a result of the surge in DVD’s targeting the 0-2 year old age group and 90% of parents admitting that their infants watch some sort of electronic media.

Instead of watching television parents should encourage independent play and talk to the infant more to help develop language skills and make them more active rather than sitting passively. Beware of DVD’s that are promoted as educational DVD’s. According to pediatricians children in this age group are too young to understand what is shown on the screen.

The AAP also recommends that parents cut down their own television viewing time as well as this will reduce the time they interact with the child and the less you talk to the child the longer he will take to talk.

The AAP recommends no more than two hours of television a day for children over two years. The best way to stimulate a developing brain is to allow unstructured play.

Selecting the right daycare for your child will be one of the most crucial decisions you have to make. What are the factors you have to take into consideration when selecting a quality facility?

First impression

Make an unexpected visit. Do the children look clean, happy and occupied? Is the area clean? Make sure to check the toilets. Look for the attitude of the staff, are they friendly and inviting? Are there separate areas for play, dining and sleeping?

Staff to child ratio

If your child is less than one year there should be one care giver for 3 children and if under the age of three should not have more than five children under the care of one person according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Safety

Make sure the facility is child proof and the appropriate temperature is maintained throughout the facility. Are the pick-up procedures secure?

Location

Choose a daycare close to your work place, so that you can check in on the child and you will be close by in the case of illness or injury.

License

Make sure the facility is licensed by the state.

Finally make several visits before deciding on one.

The holidays are almost here – with Christmas approaching, one thing that mothers love to give their children an opportunity to work with is arts and crafts. If you are considering making ornaments and paper angels this year, it is important to make sure your crew has enough paper craft supplies. There is something about seeing the joy on the faces of young children when they are having a fun time with the family. Next to the other ornaments on the tree, theirs carry the most meaning. With the family gathered around the dining room table to create different crafts, everyone is sure to have a happy holiday.

For those loved ones too distant to enjoy the season with, be sure to write them a card from the family. Just receiving a card can really make someone close to you feel special and does not take a whole lot of your time.Make sure that you and your family have enough card making supplies for the relatives. Including a personalized message from everyone can be almost as good as being there in person.

So before the festivities of the season are in full swing, be sure you have enough crafting supplies for the whole family. That way, you are sure to have a happy, positive holiday experience that brings the whole family together!

If you’re interested in starting your own arts and craft business or you’re just looking to increase your personal inventory of crafts, then there are many different supplies you could need. It all depends on what kind of audience you want to target or what kind of crafts you personally like to do.

One item that’s always useful to start with is card making supplies. Whether you’re sending out birthday invitations, wedding invitations, or thank you cards, having a variety of products to choose will help make the design and overall product unique and personalized. There should be multiple types of paper, embellishments, kits that guide you through the card-making process, and many other items that create your ideal card.

Paper craft supplies are the next best thing. Try to find an online supplier who stocks wholesale and retail crafting supplies. This is an easier way to save a few extra pennies. Paper crafts are good to have because they are so versatile. Use them for cards, scrapbooks, or other DIY projects.

Miniature paper flowers aren’t basic items to have, but they definitely add a positive decorative element to the paper crafts. They are very easy to make, put on, or add to any project. Another bonus is that they are relatively low-cost and you can buy them in bulk. These flowers come in all types such as roses, rosebuds, sunflowers, Christmas roses, dahlias, chrysanthemums, calla lilies and many others. Color choices are vast and the detail that goes into each handcrafted piece of paper is perfect for decorating scrapbooks, wedding albums, greeting cards, picture frames among other projects.

Personalized napkins, napkin holders, decorations and themes are a great way to personalize any celebration, gathering or party. It gives the guests the idea that the hosts are classy enough to pour some time and effort into making the event something that will be worth remembering. People usually go to gatherings or celebrations for the food, but they are also there to check out the decorations and of course be among their friends and relatives. Basically, in a party, everyone wants to have fun. However, if you are the host of the party, having fun can be quite impossible. Which is why it is important to plan ahead of time to be able to avoid the stress that comes with planning any event.

Personalizing your event is the first thing you need to do to be able to make your event a memorable one. Create a relaxing and vibrant ambiance and match it with nice decorations like silk rose petals as centerpieces on tables or opting for a round table as opposed to a rectangle table because people will be able to talk to each other better and socialize on a round table as compared to a rectangular long table. Dress up the table with elegant round tablecloths with matching chair covers and napkins and you’ll have a comfortable set up which your guests will appreciate. Cooking your own food is always a better option but if you are pressed for time, you can have food catered instead, but make sure that you do a food tasting before hiring a caterer to ensure that the food served will be to your liking.

Article by Raymond Albanian of Total Merchants

Money is one thing that kids need to know how to value. It is important that they learn that money is something that is earned as opposed to something that is easily acquired. Parents should introduce the value of money at an early age so that they will learn how to handle money responsibly. At 4 years old, kids already have an idea on what money is, but it is the parents’ job to educate them about its value.

According to studies, people who are able to manage their finances are people who have been educated about money at an early age. Today, more parents are introducing the concept of monetary value because they feel that it is important that kids know at an early age that money is not something that can be acquired through easy means. One has to work for money to earn it.

Introducing money to children can be tricky and don’t expect them to get it right the first time. Managing money is not just about learning how to count it; it’s also about spending it wisely. Teach your kids that it is okay to buy things that they want from time to time but that splurging is not good. As always, lead by example. Kids will learn from you, whether or not you are aware of it. Kids are very observant and will do what their parents do. Once the concept of money is introduced, it is the guidance of parents that will later determine how they will handle their finances in the future.

A mother’s bracelet is a great thing to give to a daughter as a sort of a coming-of-age type of gift. It has this unique and vintage feel to it that definitely gives it more value. It is common for jewelery to be passed on from generation to generation because jewelery is one thing that will never go out of style, even the really old ones. Rings are usually the popular type of jewelery that gets passed down from generation to the next, however, other types of jewelery are also passed down to the next generation, such as broaches, watches, necklaces and pendants or charms. If for any reason a family’s line is discontinued and a piece of jewelery has not been passed on to anyone, these jewelery end up in the possession of the government where they are auctioned and sold to the highest bidder. Which is why the best places to find authentic vintage jewelery are auctions, antique stores or thrift shops.

A beaded mother’s bracelet is something that a teenager would not be reluctant to wear because of the beaded style, kids seem to prefer beads and jewelery that are made of thread or leather because they are hip and much more modern than traditional gold or silver jewelery. Grandma bracelet, earrings or necklaces should be reserved until they reach adolescence and they will be able to take better care of the jewelery. Jewelery is always a good gift to give because one can’t disappoint with jewelery.

People who would like to start coin collecting as a hobby should consult with coin dealers to find out what kind of collection they should start with. They can also be relied on to give them an approximate value of a coin. Coin dealers are coin enthusiasts who either trade, sell or collect coins as well. They determine a coins approximate value by looking at how old the coin is, how long it is in circulation and its condition.

Gold bullion is worth a lot less than coins because it is not collectible, however, gold is the most expensive precious metal there is. Silver is a close second which is why several types of silver  in silver dollar or bullion is deemed valuable as well.

There are different types of coin collectors. There are those who collect rare coins for the fun of it without any expectation of gaining profit from it and there are those who look at their coin collection as an investment. The casual coin collector usually collects random coins without looking for specific coins. The ones who are looking to gain some profit from their collections are usually the ones that seek out coins from specific generations and countries. There are also different ways to collect coins, you can either collect a specific type of coin minted in different generations or from different countries all over the world or you can also collect random coins. Hard core coin collectors usually focus on different types of coins from different times in history and from all over the world.