Make Your Own Bean Bags

I really love using bean bags in all kinds of games and activities. Often people feel they have to buy commerically made bean bags but you can make your own. Here are a couple of ideas on making your own and two of them are no sew. Older children will enjoy the activity of making them as much as the games you'll come up with to use them.

Simple Shaped Bean Bags
This is a sewing project and is best done on a straight stitch machine.
I liked to use fabric scraps or remnant pieces that are colorful prints. Any fabric is fine if it is sturdy. Simply cut out two pieces of the desired shape, sew edges with a straight stitch about 3/4 inch from the edge. Leave an opening along one side about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long. This is where you'll fill the bag with beans. Once you have the beans inside, stitch the opening closed. Trim the edges with a pinking shears to minimize fraying. You can also use an anti-fray glue along the edges. Fleece fabric or felt does not fray and holds together very well. If you have a serger then you are sealing the edges as you sew the bag together - it's really slick!
This project can also be done with hand stitching. I recommend putting beans in a zip lock sandwich or snack bag and then insert into the bean bag you've made. This way if a stitch breaks and the bag starts to open up, the beans will be a little more secured.
While simple shapes are easiest to work with you can also make them in letters or numbers.

No Sew Bean Bags

1) Zip lock style sandwhich bags - fill with beans 3/4 full, seal edges with duct tape. If you'd really like a sturdy bag cover the whole plastic bag with duct tape. Remember duct tape can be decorated with permanent marker or it does come in several colors.

2) We all have a lone sock who has lost their partner or socks that aren't really useful as socks anymore. Make a bean bag out of them. Simply fill the sock to a point where you can knot the open end. No sewing, no glue, no tape. You can even decorate the sock to make it fun.

Don't Neglect Self-Care

By Colleen O'Connor

Self-care is important for everyone, but especially for parents and nannies. Caring for children is an emotional--and at times highly draining--experience. Because of this emotional investment, it’s easy to give everything you have to your children and forget to save some energy for yourself. Parents and nannies who neglect their own needs are less effective caregivers because they experience constant stress, exhaustion, and burnout. They also lose the ability to respond quickly and creatively to challenges. Children in their care will sense and reflect these emotions as well as the implicit lesson being taught: “Keep giving to others even when it becomes unhealthy to do so.”

Think of every plane safety lecture you’ve ever heard. Remember the instructions about putting on your own oxygen mask before helping others with theirs? The reasoning is that if you become incapacitated, you’re unable to help anyone at all. It’s better to take a few moments for yourself so you can sustainably care for those around you.

Everyone has different self-care needs. Focus on what decreases stress and increases your feelings of well-being. This can consist of anything from exercising to spending time with friends to delving into a new or favorite hobby.

Ideally, your self-care time should:
• Remind you of your identity beyond that of caregiver. Although being a parent or nanny is a deep, important part of who you are, you are also so many other things.
• Have a formal place (such as a corner of the guest room just for your craft projects) or time (a scheduled date night). You’re much more likely to follow through and be free from distractions if you’ve committed to your “me time” in some way and made space for it in your life.
• Be a child-free time so you are focused on no one’s needs but your own.
• Encompass social, intellectual, physical, and spiritual renewal.
• Include healthful activities such as exercising, sleeping, and eating well. It’s good to indulge in a rich dessert or an evening in front of the TV, but you’ll feel truly at your best when you’re also healthy.
• Reflect your true passions and fulfillment. One can garden or read all she likes and still not be at peace. You must also take time to think about whether or not you’re truly satisfied with your life, and if you aren’t, what possibilities there are to explore. Once in a while, find time and space to ask yourself the deeper questions about your vocation, priorities, and passions.

Remember, self-care is a necessity, not a luxury. By giving yourself time to recharge and gain perspective, you’ll be better at caring for others.

Keeping Cool

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and keep cool!

Sharing a Treat

Sprinkler Fun

So Cool!

Keeping Connected

We wanted to share with you a great application that nannies and parents can use to provide updates about the children. A nanny candidate let us know this is available to anyone. Some child care centers are using this option over the paper version of a daily log. This could be a great option for you.

Some of the features include:

Track daily information about children: feeding, diapers, sleep, mood, activities, medicines, photos, ...

Several authorized users can be specified for each child: parents, family, daycare staff, ... Entries are immediately securely synchronized on each user account

Parents and Child Care staff can easily exchange messages via the application

Accessible with Daily Connect iPhone/iPod touch application, Daily Connect for iPad, Daily Connect for Android, or with a browser by logging to www.dailyconnect.com

When visiting www.dailyconnect.com you can see all the features, screenshots, view a demo and get pricing options.

Have you used this app? If so, we'd love to hear about your experience.



This article from Nannies from the Heartland does not imply endorsement of any product or service.

Homemade Popsicle Fun!

by Kelly Miller
                                                                                                                                                     

Popsicles are one of my children's favorite summer treats.  For years, we have used the same popsicle molds to make our own variety.  However, this year we have gone beyond fruit juice and leftover smoothie mixes.  We are having a lot of fun experimenting with new popsicle types, from Jello and pudding to fruit purees.  We also purchased some new popsicle molds to make the new recipes more fun.  We are not only saving money, but having fun being creative while we are able to control the ingredients we use.  Here are some simple recipes that we have enjoyed.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1813,159174-231202,00.html

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1940,146183-244193,00.html

http://icecream.about.com/od/sundaes-novelties/r/Watermelon-Popsicle-Recipe.htm

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/desserts/tp/Popsicle_Recipes.htm

Business Payroll is No Place to Pay a Nanny

This article comes from our friends at Breedlove and Associates . . .

Business Payroll is no Place to Pay a Nanny
by Breedlove July 10, 2013

   

We often speak to families who think that adding a household employee to their business payroll provides an easy, one-stop solution. However, doing this is illegal in almost all instances and there are several snags that can come up when household and business payroll are not maintained separately. The following case illustrates one of them.

The Mistake
A family in Colorado hired their first nanny to care for their two children. The family owned a small business with 10 employees and had been told it would be okay to add the nanny to their company’s payroll. They wanted to “make things easy” as well as provide the nanny with access to their company’s healthcare plan. The placement agency the family worked with thought this seemed out of place and advised the family to call Breedlove & Associates for a second opinion. Unfortunately, the family never called and set their nanny up as an employee of their business.

The Law
Business owners are allowed to take a business tax break on their company’s payroll expense because the employees are direct contributors to the success of the business. The IRS has ruled that household employees are not direct contributors to a business and, therefore, their wages – as well as the accompanying care-related tax breaks – must be handled through the personal tax process. In addition, household employees cannot be filed with a business’ employment tax returns (unless it is a sole proprietorship or for-profit farm).

Furthermore, company group health insurance policies may not include non-employees. If a household employee is interested in health insurance, the nanny must obtain an individual policy. However, just like a commercial employer, a household employer can contribute up to 100% of the employee’s health insurance premiums and have it be considered non-taxable compensation. This means that neither the family nor the nanny would pay any taxes on that portion of her compensation. As an added bonus, as long as the family covers at least 50% of their household employee’s health insurance premiums and their nanny makes less than $50,000 a year, they can take a tax credit of up to 35% of their total yearly contribution.

The Mess
Approximately six months into the relationship, the nanny broke her ankle while skiing one weekend. She required surgery and an overnight hospital stay which resulted in around $20,000 in medical expenses.  The insurance company ultimately discovered she was a nanny and refused payment on the grounds that she was not an employee of the company and, therefore, not covered by the group health plan. The nanny was distraught with the thought of having to cover these medical bills and contacted the family.

Having remembered the conversation they had with their placement agency, the family contacted Breedlove & Associates to try to find a solution. A consultant informed them that their nanny needed to have an individual health insurance policy in order to be covered for the majority of her medical expenses. Additionally, the family needed to establish themselves as household employer with the IRS and Colorado state tax agencies to accurately report their nanny’s wages and take the correct tax deductions.

The Outcome
The family felt horrible that their payroll mistake caused their nanny so much stress. Because they were so happy with the work she was performing and because it was their mistake, they paid their nanny’s medical expenses. The family also had to pay their CPA to amend their business tax returns for the previous two quarters in order to reverse their illegal payroll deductions.

Because their CPA was not familiar with household employment taxes, the family signed up with Breedlove & Associates to process their nanny’s payroll going forward. We filed two quarters of late Colorado state income and state unemployment tax returns to catch the family up on their tax obligations. The family had to pay interest on their late tax payments, but we were able to get the state penalties waived for them once we explained why the tax returns were late.

The family continues to employ the nanny and even pays for 75% of her health insurance premiums.

How the Whole Thing Could Have Been Avoided
Had the family taken their placement agency’s warning about adding the nanny to their business payroll, they would have avoided this extremely expensive experience.  As the husband said to the Breedlove & Associates consultant who helped him, “My gut told me to call you months ago, but I convinced myself that it was not a big deal. I wish I had it to do over again!” Many well-intended families have made this mistake based on advice they received from a trusted source. This case serves as a reminder that tax and employment law for households is unique and outside of the core competencies of most tax professionals.

www.breedlove-online.com

Summer Fun - Planned Spontaneity

Summer weather is finally here. School’s out and the children are ready for some fun in the sun, and so are we. The key to spontaneity is being prepared for it - sounds like an oxymoron? Well, being prepared makes it easy to get up and go at a moment’s notice. Here’s some tips to get you started.

Pack That Bag

Have a bag of those “must have” items packed and ready to go. You may want to include towels, swim wear, sunblock, hats, child friendly insect repellent, water/sand toys, rollerblades/skates and safety equipment. Plus all the necessary “stuff” for the children’s comfort (diapers, change of clothing, etc.), first aid kit, travel snacks, travel games or activities and books. You get the picture. Choose a sturdy bag that is easy to pack, something with compartments for categorizing items for easy access. I found a large bag that had wheels so it was easier to move around. I often left it in the car and just changed out items as needed.

Adjust your packing as to accommodate the activity. You won’t need all the beach supplies for a play date with friends at the zoo. I’ve used large size (2 gallon) plastic bags to store swim wear, special toys or other equipment. I keep them organized and ready to grab and go so we’re not spending time hunting for things. Then pick the plastic bags you need and slide them into your large bag. After each trip out you’ll want to take care of any wet or soiled items and replenish the bag with essentials. Then you’re ready for your next outing.

                In your large bag you may want to include a daypack (small backpack) so that you can carry your essential items with you anywhere. Also, using a daypack will leave your hands free to hold a child's hand, a kite string or an ice cream treat. Most packs are designed to be lightweight and comfortable. The daypack is also a great place to carry your first aid kit and those must have snack.

                Don’t forget to carry wet wipes with you. Not only are they handy for clean-ups but they can take the initial pain out of a bee sting until you can get to some ice. My theory is that the moisture from the wipes evaporates and cools the sting site. I discovered this through a personal experience with a five year old while riding in the car. We had nothing else at hand to sooth the sting. Everyone was amazed and delighted that this was a quick fix until we got an ice pack.

Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’

                Keep your vehicle ready for those last minute runs to the park or over to a special play date. Having one or two over-the-seat organizers has made things so much easier. That’s where I’d keep a few choice books, paper, crayons, travel games, etc. It’s also a great place for sunblock, wipes, paper towels or other helpful supplies. Having different items for different seasons is makes sense (extra mittens, scarves or hat, umbrellas, light jacket, etc.). Changing out activities, books or games based on children's ages and interests is a good idea too.

Summer is here! Get out and enjoy! This is a great time to reconnect with school age children, let those infant through preschoolers explore and discover their world, and most importantly everyone can have fun together!