CHEESY VEGETABLE NUGGETS
(AGE 7 MONTHS AND UP)
8oz frozen broccoli florets
4oz breadcrumbs
6oz Cheddar, grated
2 1/2 tbsp water
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Heat the oven to 375 deg F, 190 deg C.Cook the broccoli, then drain and chop well.Combine with the remaining ingredients and mix well.Form the mixture into nugget shapes and place on a greased baking tray, about 3in apart.Bake for 20-25 mins, turning halfway through the cooking time.Serve warm.
Crayola has a bunch of great Spring themed craft idea's available on their site now. Here are a few examples of what you may find....
St. Patrick's Day Lucky Parade Hats
http://www.crayola.com/crafts/detail/lucky-parade-hat-craft/
Dangling Snakes
http://www.crayola.com/crafts/detail/dangling-snake-craft/
Catch the breeze spinners
http://www.crayola.com/crafts/detail/catch-the-breeze-spinners-craft/
Visit http://www.crayola.com for more great creative idea's!
Dr. Seuss' Birthday~Monday, March 2nd
Don't forget to celebrate Dr. Seuss' Birthday on Monday, March 2nd.
Here are some resources with great craft idea's, events and more!
Enjoy!
www.seussville.com
http://atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Dr__Seuss/
http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/marchholidays/l/blmar2nd.htm
USING TIME-OUTS FOR NANNIES AND AU PAIRS
Time-Out Should Not Be Used as Punishment
By: The Best Nanny Newsletter
We have been discussing discipline. We have discussed time-outs. We have encouraged using timers to help positively discipline children. Most nannies, au pairs, and parents seem to use time-outs as punishment for children. When children do not behave caregivers often make the children sit in a “naughty chair” for a designated amount of time (a minute or so).
But, Jodi Pawel, a licensed Social Worker, Certified Family Life Educator, founder of The Family Network http://www.daytonfamilynetwork.com/, President of Parents Toolshop Consulting http://www.parentstoolshop.com/ and author of 100+ parent education resources, including her award-winning book, The Parent’s Toolshop, ttp://www.parentstoolshop.com/HTML/book.htm explains that time-outs should be used to help children gain control of their emotions rather than as punishment. She does not encourage caregivers to use timers.
The Parent’s Toolshop
By Jodi Pawel
http://www.parentstoolshop.com/HTML/book.htm
Many [caregivers] use the same type of discipline for every problem situation. One tool, however, is rarely effective for all situations. Plus, overusing one particular tool also reduces its usefulness. Time-out is just one tool -- and it really isn't a "discipline" tool; it's an effective anger-management tool. Since the purpose of a time-out is to help someone regain control, it is most appropriate to use when someone has lost self-control or there is extremely disruptive behavior.
Most adults have the mistaken idea that the whole point of sending children to time-out is to make the child suffer for their misbehavior. "You go to your room (or chair) and think about what you did." The tone of voice usually implies, "and you suffer." Imposing suffering only brings on more resentment and power struggles. Effective discipline, however, teaches children lessons from their poor behavior choices, rather than punishing them.
If you want time-outs to be constructive, try following these guidelines:
Develop a plan in advance. Teach children during a happy time about the value of a cooling-off period. Say, "When you feel like you're going to lose control, you can go (specify the place) and do something to make yourself feel better. Then, when you feel better, come out and we can work on a solution."
Teach children how to regain self-control. Suggest things the child can do to calm down while in time-out. Older children can help decide where to go and what they can do to help themselves calm down.
Allow the child to play. Many [caregivers] are upset when they find their child playing during time-out, but it's actually a good sign that the child has regained self-control. If they are ready to play, children might also be ready to do some problem solving.
Select a location for the time-out. Some children calm down faster when they are alone and in a quiet place. Other children have too much energy to be forced to sit still. Some children become more out-of-control and hurtful when they are forced to spend time-outs alone. These children can cool off in the same room as other people, as long as they aren't disruptive.
Some [adults] hesitate to use a child's room for fear the child will view the bedroom as a prison. If the time-out is initiated kindly and the goal is to give the child and you some quiet space, children won't see it as punishment. If you feel the child will be destructive, plan ahead and remove or put objects you don't want destroyed out of reach.
If you force a child to stay in a chair or room, it shifts the focus from what they did and their responsibility for calming down to who is in power. This turns the time-out into a punishment, which removes its effectiveness.
Present time-outs as a choice. A child can choose to settle down or take some time-out. Suggest the time-out in a kind and firm manner, followed by the encouraging instructions to come back when the child is ready.
Avoid timers. Use the child's ability to regain self-control or willingness to act appropriately to decide how long a time-out should last. Timers often turn time-outs into power struggles. If children have calmed down and are ready to return but parents won't let them "come out," it often escalates the situation. If children return before they have calmed down, firmly but kindly return them to the timeout and reemphasize the purpose is to cool off. Describe the behavior you want to see that shows they are calm.
When a time-out is over: If the child lost control due to anger, let it go and don't call attention to the behavior you want to stop. If the problem is serious or recurring, wait until both of you have calmed down and then use problem solving to generate ideas for handling the situation differently in the future.
Think about your long-term goal. If you want children to learn that it is their responsibility to control their behavior, use timeouts as cooling off periods which teach children how to achieve this self-control.
March serves as Women's History Month, National Nutrition Month, Youth Art Month, and Music in Our Schools Month. Throughout the Month we will be posting several resources to help you spring into action this spring. :)
Read more...What Every Parent Should Know about Child’s Investment Income
Children with investment income may have part or all of this income taxed at their parent’s tax rate rather than at the child’s rate. Investment income includes interest, dividends, capital gains and other unearned income
This rule applies to children who have investment income of more than $1800 and meet one of three age requirements for 2008:
The child is younger than 18.
The child is 18 and has earned income that does not exceed one-half of their own support for the year.
The child is older than 18 and younger than 24 and a full-time student with earned income that does not exceed one-half of the child’s support for the year.
To figure the child's tax using this method, fill out Form 8615, Tax for Certain Children Who Have Investment Income of More Than $1,800, and attach it to the child's federal income tax return.
When certain conditions are met, a parent may be able to avoid having to file a tax return for the child by including the child’s income on the parent’s tax return. In this situation, the parent would file Form 8814, Parents' Election To Report Child's Interest and Dividends.
More information can be found in IRS Publication 929, Tax Rules for Children and Dependents. This publication and Forms 8615 and 8814 are available on the IRS Web site at IRS.gov in the Forms and Publications section. You may also order them by calling the IRS at 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).
Links:
Form 8615, Tax for Children Under Age 18 With Investment Income of More Than $1,800 (PDF 49K)
Form 8615, Instructions (PDF 24K)
Form 8814, Parent's Election to Report Child's Interest and Dividends (PDF 43K)
Publication 929, Tax Rules for Children and Dependents (PDF 220K)
New Withholding Tables Now Available on IRS.gov; Most Workers Will See Bigger Paychecks this Spring
WASHINGTON ― The Internal Revenue Service today released new withholding tables that will result in more take-home pay this spring for millions of American workers. The new tables incorporate the new Making Work Pay credit, one of the key tax provisions included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that became law earlier this week. “For most taxpayers, the additional credit will automatically start showing up in their paychecks this spring,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “Since employers and payroll companies will handle this change, people typically won’t need to take any additional action. The IRS will continue working to implement this and other provisions of the new law as quickly as possible.” The new withholding tables, along with other instructions related to the new tax law, will be incorporated in new Publication 15-T. This publication will be posted to this Web site next week and mailed to more than 9 million employers in mid-March. The IRS asks that employers start using these new tables as soon as possible but not later than April 1. Most workers will see a boost in their take-home pay soon thereafter. Eligible workers will get the benefit of this change without any action on their part. This means that workers don’t need to fill out a new W-4 withholding form to get the Making Work Pay credit reflected in their take-home pay. A Form W-4 will not need to be submitted for the automatic withholding change. Individuals and couples with multiple jobs may want to submit revised Form W-4 forms to ensure enough withholding is held to cover the tax for the combined income. Publication 919 provides additional guidance for tax withholding. Available for tax years 2009 and 2010, the Making Work Pay credit is 6.2 percent of a taxpayer’s earned income with a maximum credit of $800 for a married couple filing a joint return and $400 for other taxpayers, but it is phased out for higher income taxpayers. Most workers will qualify for the maximum credit. Because the credit is refundable (people can get it even if they owe no tax), most low-income workers will also qualify for the full credit. Though all eligible taxpayers will need to claim the credit when they file their 2009 income tax return next year, the benefit will generally be spread out over the paychecks they receive beginning this spring and continue until the end of the year. Many higher-income taxpayers will see little or no change in their take-home pay. That’s because the Making Work Pay credit is phased out for a married couple filing a joint return whose modified adjusted gross income (AGI) is between $150,000 and $190,000 and other taxpayers whose modified AGI is between $75,000 and $95,000. Taxpayers will not get a separate, special check mailed to them from the IRS like last year’s economic stimulus payment.
From: 4nannytaxes.com
New Nanny Federal Income Tax Withholding Rates
President Obama announced over the weekend that the new Federal income tax rates reflecting the $400/person tax cut in the stimulus bill, will become effective April 1, 2009.
HomeWork Solutions will have the new rates available on our website's Nanny Tax Calculator no later than Friday February 27, 2009. A nanny's Federal income taxes will go down approximately $10/week on average through December 2009. They will nudge back up a bit in 2010. Long time employers will recall that we had a similar mid-year withholding adjustment in 2002 when the Bush tax cuts were enacted.
Nanny employers who make a predictable weekly or periodic payment to the nanny are advised that they should continue paying with their current net calculation through the end of the 1st quarter (3/31/2009) and begin making new net check payments effective the first pay period in April 2009.
