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The lastest edition of the Pregnancy Carnival is now up at Nerd Family!! Be sure to check it out. The carnival features my article, When You Are Stuck on Bedrest. Along with some other great articles and a cute video. A couple of my favorites were, Joyous Announcement posted by Dana at Principled Discovery, and De-Bunking of Baby Food as a Necessity posted at Wench Wisdom. Be sure to stop by and check out these articles along with the other great articles featured on this edition of the carnival.
I know it is hard to imagine your tiny little baby being an 18 year old heading off to college, but believe me it will happen one day. That day will come faster than you think too. Since we know the day will inevitably come it is important to plan for it. A college education is becoming more expensive every year. By 2024 the cost for a 4 year degree will range from $161,463 to $331,059, depending on if you child goes to an in-state public university, and out-of-state public university, or a private university. Compare that with today’s average costs of between $67,091 and $137,562 and you quickly realize just how quickly the cost of a post-secondary education is going up. A good education for your child is certainly not a cheap thing making it all the more necessary to start an educational savings plan early. Frankly it makes me want to start saving before I even become pregnant!!
There are many ways that parents can save for their child’s post-secondary education. Here are a few of the options available and some helpful links to help you get started.
Qualified Tuition Program (better know as 529 Plans): 529 plans allow you to invest larger amounts of money than other savings plans, and come with the added benefit that the withdrawals are free from federal income tax as long as they are used to pay for qualified education expenses. There are two types of 529 Plans, pre-paid tuition where you buy credits at a school you select from a list created by the State (basically it buys tuition at a state university based on today’s tuition costs), and savings plans that allow you to invest money and earn interest to help pay for future education expenses. The savings plan offers you more freedom of choice of schools. Here are some helpful websites with more information regarding 529 plans.
Coverdell Education Savings Account (formerly known as the Education IRA): this account allows you to build tax-free earnings to be used towards education expenses. You are limited to contributions of $2000 per year. The earnings grow tax-deferred, and the withdrawals are tax free if used for qualified education expenses. You do not have to have an income (some other plans require you to be employeed) to make contributions to the Coverdell so this is a great way for grandparents to make a contribution to their grandchildren’s education. Also the account owner can decide if they will control the funds or if the student will have the control. Here are some helpful websites with more information on Coverdell Education Savings Accounts.
UTMA (Uniform Transfers to Minor Act): The UTMA allows adults to act as custodians and open accounts for a minor. There can only be one custodian and one minor per account. These accounts can impact a child’s ability to get financial aid since it will appear as income for the child, so keep that in mind. These accounts are not tax-free or tax-deferred, they are subject to tax liability. However, it would be in the child’s name and social security number meaning the tax rate is much lower. Here are a few helpful websites with more information on UTMAs.
It is important to consider your specific situation when trying to decide on an educational savings plan that is right for you. Determine what contributions you will be able to make, which plan will provide the best outcome for your child (and you), and how the investment will impact your own tax liabilities. It is probably a good idea to talk with a financial advisor or someone else with knowledge in that field so you can get a better understanding of your options.
Education is a valuable asset for your child, but it is also an expensive one. Any contributions you can make to an educational savings account on their behalf will help them pay for that valuable asset. The information above is about tuition costs and education savings plans in the United States. If you don’t live in the United States and are wondering about what options are available for you and your family, you may want to speak with a financial advisor. Here are few helpful links I found for Canada, Australia, and England that should provide some helpful information for those readers.
In Canada
In Australia
In England
Please share any pointers or suggestions that you think would be helpful to others. We can all learn from each other’s experiences.
(sources American Century Investments, IRS, Get Ready for College)
This article was included in the Group Writing Project over at Problogger. Be sure to stop by and check out the other great submissions.
It seems to be the eternal struggle of motherhood, how to juggle home life with work life, and not go totally crazy in the process. There are many demands on our time making it seem that we are constantly being pulled in different directions. A request from work to travel for several days, a sick son at home who just wants you to stay home and take care of him, the rest of the family looking at you with those hungry eyes that say “what’s for dinner”, and a dog that needs to be taken to the vet. How on earth can you possibly do all of these things and remain at least somewhat sane?
The life of a mother is a careful dance of making sure everyone’s needs are met, often at the expense of your own needs. I suppose the trick is finding that perfect mix of home, work, and personal demands that allows everyone to come out happy. What moms often forget is that you might not be able to make everyone happy and meet everyone’s needs Coming to terms with that is difficult for a woman, particularly a mom. So what is a mom to do, how can she find the right balance? I asked around and here are a few tips and tricks that were shared:
- Make family a priority. Work often puts a lot of demands on us, try to make sure you don’t give everything to work at the expense of your family, or yourself for that matter.
- Talk to your family about the demands they are making on you if they become too much. It is important that your children and partner understand what are reasonable expectations, and reasonable demands.
- If you have older children get them involved by assigning them household chores. They will learn from the experience and it will also be a tremendous help to you.
- Learn how to say NO. When asked to take on an extra assignment at work, or work on something for the school PTA, or whatever the demand may be, if you feel that your plate is already full just say no. It’s ok to say no sometimes, and people won’t hate you for it.
- Take some time for yourself. Many people I talked to recommended at least once a week. You are of no help to anyone if you are sick or overly stressed. Find something you really enjoy doing and take some time to do it.
- Ask your partner for help. We often feel that we should be able to do it all ourselves and don’t even think to ask our partner to take on some of the workload. You can’t expect them to know you need help unless you ask for it.
There are many ways you can learn how to juggle your time. The important thing is to remember you are only human and you can only handle so much. If you can’t do something say so, if you need help say so, and remember to take care of yourself.
If you have suggestions or helpful tips please share them so that other moms can learn from your experiences.
Not all families will welcome their new additions the same way. Pregnancy is not the only way to add a new bundle of joy to your family. Many families go down a different road, they adopt. There are many reasons why a couple would choose adoption. For many couples infertility problems plague their tries to get pregnant and after all other options are exhausted adoption becomes their only hope of becoming parents. For others it is a choice they make simply on a personal basis. There are many children out there that need loving homes and loving families, through adoption they are able to find just that. Many people opt for adoption because they see that need and know they can help.
The road to adoption can be a very confusing one. There are many options to choose from, tons of paperwork to fill out, and a lot of uncertainty to deal with. It is important to educate yourself about the various options out there and be sure you know what you are getting into. There are many avenues you can go down when it comes to adoption depending on your needs and wishes.
- Domestic adoption of an infant: This can be the most trying and difficult form of adoption. There are many rules and laws that govern adoption and they vary by state, province or country. Be sure you are aware of the laws in your area, or if you are adopting a child from another state or province what those laws are, and which laws would take precedent. Here are a few websites you may find helpful in your search for information on domestic adoptions.
- Domestic adoption of an older child: Often a foster to adoption situation occurs with older children. Where a child is in a home on a foster care basis and ends up being adopted by the foster parents. There are many children in foster care looking for loving homes and families. Adoption of an older child is often less complicated than adoption of an infant. Of course, remember these children have been through a lot in their short lives and may require extra care. Here a few websites you might find helpful in your search for information on this form of adoption.
- International Adoptions: This form of adoption is growing in popularity. In an international adoption the parents adopt a child from another country, for example China or Russia. An international adoption involves a lot of time and paperwork, but is often considered easier by many families than domestic adoption. With an international adoption you can opt for a baby or an older child just like with domestic adoptions. Due to the matching process and the paperwork involved even when opting for an infant families often get babies that are several months old or more. There are many agencies that cater to this form of adoption and offer support networks in which you can talk with other families who are going through the same process. Here are a few websites you might find helpful in your search for more information on International adoptions.
Welcoming a new child into your family through adoption can be very rewarding. A lot of time, energy, and love go into the process and the reward at the end will be both wonderful and very much worth all the effort. If adoption is the road you are on good for you, and good luck.
I invite you to share your adoption success stories, and any tips you may have that will help others who are trying to adopt.
Talk to any pregnant woman about how they feel and undoubtedly the response will be, “tired”. A common side effect of pregnancy is exhaustion. When you think of all the changes your body is going through and all the work it is doing to help grow that little baby inside of you it is no wonder you feel a little tired. Being tired though can lead to other illnesses as well. Over-exhaustion causes your immune system to not be in the best working order, which will make you more susceptible to things like the cold or the flu. Getting adequate rest is important for all of us, but it becomes more important when you are pregnant, and ironically more difficult to obtain.
There is no way to avoid the tiredness that comes with being pregnant, but there are a few things you can do to help make it not quite so bad.
- Go to bed and get up at relatively the same time every day. Having a good sleeping schedule will help you get more, and better, sleep at night.
- Get some exercise every day. I know it sounds ridiculous to tell you that exercise will help you feel less exhausted!! But really it works. You might not feel up to a full blown workout every day, but taking 20 or 30 mins to go for a walk will work wonders.
- Try not to drink too much before you go to bed. You do need to increase the amount of fluids you take in every day while you are pregnant, but by drinking a lot of fluid right before bed you are pretty much guaranteeing that you will have to get up at least a few times during the night to use the little girls room. Uninterrupted sleep doesn’t come easily for a pregnant woman, so try not to add to the interruptions.
- Take some time during the day for a little nap. If you can use part of your lunch hour to catch a few Zs. I had a co-worker who used to eat her lunch and then would head out to her car for a nap every lunch hour while she was pregnant. She said it worked wonders.
- Eat a good balanced, nutritious diet. Eating healthy foods will help you avoid another common sleep interrupter, indigestion and heartburn. Avoiding foods late in the evening right before you go to bed is a good idea too.
- Take some time at the end of the day to relax and wind down before going to bed. It is hard to fall asleep if you mind and body are still in high gear. A few quiet minutes reading or soaking in a warm bath might do the trick.
Most importantly is trying to get the sleep you need. If you find you need more hours of sleep at night now that you are pregnant try to rearrange you schedule to allow you to get more sleep. Take advantage of opportunities to rest or nap when you can to help fight the exhaustion that will inevitably come up during the day. Talk to your friends who have had children, they will be great resources for tips and tricks to help beat the exhaustion.
If you are worried about how exhausted you feel, or if your exhaustion is affecting your ability to function during the day, talk to your prenatal care provider about your concerns.