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Every parent knows that back to school shopping can get expensive. Between the new clothes, the new shoes and all the school supplies it can really add up. Many State governments offer parents a bit of a break by offering a tax holiday in the weeks leading up to the beginning of the new school year. Some states offer a weekend of tax free shopping for certain items while others offer a whole week.
Listed below is are the States that offer tax holidays including when the holiday is for 2009 and on what items it applies. You can always contact your local state government if you have questions about the tax holiday in your state.
Alabama: August 7-9 on clothing-$100, computers-$750, books-$30, school supplies-$50
Connecticut: August 16-22 on clothing and footwear-$300
District of Columbia: August 1-9 on clothing-$100, school supplies-$100
Georgia: July 30-Aug 2 on school supplies-$20, clothing-$100, computers-$1500
Iowa: August 7-8 on clothing-$100
Mississippi: July 31-Aug 1 on clothing and footwear-$100
Missouri: August 7-9 on clothing-$100, computers-$3500, school supplies-$50
New Mexico: August 7-9 on clothing-$100, computers-$1000, school supplies-$15
North Carolina: Aug 7-9 on clothing-$100, school supplies-$100, computers-$3500
Oklahoma: August 7-9 on clothing-$100
South Carolina: August 7-9 on clothing, school supplies and computers (no price limit specified)
Tennessee: August 7-9 on clothing-$100, school supplies-$100, computers-$1500
Texas: August 21-23 on clothing, backpacks and school supplies-$100
Virginia: August 7-9 on clothing-$100, school supplies-$20
The idea of tax holidays is to ease the burden faced by many parents of trying to afford all of the gear and supplies necessary for back to school. It isn’t necessarily much but every little bit helps. Of course, this also means you’ll be shopping the same weekend as everyone else in your state for back to school supplies to be prepared for crowds!!
Do you usually take advantage of the tax holiday offered in your state? Do you find it makes much difference in how much you have to spend?
Just over three months ago Heather and Mike Spohr suffered an unspeakable loss, their beloved 17 month old daughter, Madeline, passed away. As a way to honor the memory of their precious daughter and to give back to the preemie community Heather and Mike have launched a new organization called Friends of Maddie. The mission of Friends of Maddie is “to provide support to the families of critically ill babies in an effort to help ease the transition into NICU life and to be an ally until the end of their child’s hospital stay.” Through their efforts parents going through what they went through when Madeline was born will hopefully find a little comfort and will certainly find a friend.
Please click on the picture above to learn more about this amazing organization and to donate if you can.
After Maddie’s passing the world of mommy bloggers rallied in support of these two wonderful parents; giving of their words, their time and their money. It was an amazing thing to witness and be part of. Through it all I was inspired by the strength of Heather and Mike Spohr and they continue to inspire me everyday. They are giving back at a time when you have every right to just curl up on a ball and ignore the world. The world could use more people like them. Please give a little to an organization that is doing amazing things in honor of an amazing little girl.
I’d like to take a moment to honor an amazing man I had the very distinct honor of knowing. My husband’s grandfather passed away this past weekend just shy of his 87th birthday. He was an amazing husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather and will be missed by a lot of people.
Although not unexpected as he had been battling Alzhemier’s for sometime now and had not been doing well, the news was still sad. It is never easy to hear about the passing of a loved one. The family has all gathered in Santa Fe, including my husband who flew down yesterday, to bid him farewell. I’m glad my husband will have the chance to say goodbye and to spend sometime with his mom and his grandmother. The family will be honoring him in a private memorial service today. Although we can’t be there in person, Maya and I will be there in spirit.
I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to my husband’s grandfather during several trips we took in recent years down to Santa Fe, NM. My favorite thing about him was how comfortable he always made everyone feel. You know how when you are spending time with people you don’t know that well it can be a bit uncomfortable and you aren’t sure entirely how to act, well it wasn’t like that with him. He always did his best to make everyone feel welcome and at home.
During those trips I was inspired by a man who still loved his wife with all his heart even after more than 50 years of marriage. I happy to see that my husband had such an amazing role model in how be a great husband and father. I am happy I got the chance to get to know him and be a part of his family. We will miss you Pete.
Please keep the whole family in your thoughts today as they say goodbye to their husband, father and grandfather.
SunButter is a peanut butter alternative made from sunflower seeds. I picked up a jar of SunButter to give it a try since my daughter is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. Both my husband and I love peanut butter so my goal was to find a product that would be a good substitute. One that would mimic peanut butter well both in everyday use like on toast or on a peanut butter sandwich as well as in recipes like cookies or monkey munch.
Admittedly, I was a little skeptical. I just couldn’t see how a product made without peanuts could really taste like peanut butter. My first try of SunButter was on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I was very pleasantly surprised. SunButter tasted almost exactly like peanut butter. The consistency was pretty similar to natural peanut butter and spread really well on the bread. Now, I will admit that Maya wasn’t a huge fan but she can sometimes not be a fan of something the first time she tries it. I’ll let her try a few more times before I say for sure if she likes it or not.
I think SunButter will be very useable as a peanut butter substitute in recipes. Based on the taste and consistency I would imagine that SunButter can easily be substituted into baking recipes in the same quantities as the recipe calls for. As with any substitutions it may take a little trial and error before you get the perfect amount. I’m going to give it a try in monkey munch later this week so I’ll let you know how that goes.
My one big disappointment was the price. I had to pay over $6 for a 1lb jar. Now, I bet the pricing was high because the store I purchased it from saw an opportunity to gauge the consumer a little given that people looking for peanut alternative “peanut butter” don’t have a whole lot of options. You can find it cheaper (about half the price) online at places like, Peanut Free Planet.
So, the bottom line is that price aside I am very impressed. SunButter is definitely a peanut butter alternative that this admitted peanut lover could get used to. If you have children with peanut allergies it is definitely worth giving this product a try. I would recommend purchasing it online though as you will be able to get a much better deal!
A healthy baby starts with a healthy pregnancy. Staying healthy during your pregnancy isn’t always within your control. Sometimes complications happen that you can’t control. The things you can control include your diet, exercise, and prenatal care. It can be hard to stay on top of all the recommendation during your pregnancy. Here is information on a new recommendation regarding prenatal supplements.
Research has found that iodine is important to the neurological development of a growing fetus. Iodine is a necessary component for producing thyroid hormone, a key building block for neurodevelopment. A deficiency in thyroid hormone can cause mental retardation.
The American Thyroid Association recommends that pregnant and nursing mothers take a vitamin supplement that contains 150 micrograms (mcg) of iodine to help them reach the recommended daily intake of 220 mcg for pregnant women and 290 mcg for nursing mothers. You can read the full write up from the ATA here.
Pregnant and nursing mothers will need to read the label of their prenatal vitamins careful as studies have found that only about 51% of prenatal vitamins contain the recommend amount of iodine. This, of course, may change now that the ATA is out with their new recommendations. If you are unsure if the prenatal vitamin you are taking contains the recommended amount of iodine talk to your doctor, and be sure to also talk to your doctor if you have questions about the recommendations.