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 Valentine's Edition, 2011 |
| A Message From Kathy | |
As we usher in the cold days of winter, we watch the forecast for school closings, warnings of icy roads, and the occasional flurry of snowflakes that melt away almost as quickly as they fall. These unexpected reprieves from daily routine are a highlight for our school kids as they can legitimately play hookey, stay in their pajamas until noon, light a fire in the fireplace, and pray for enough snow to make Frosty's bottom layer.
As winter melts away into spring, many school holidays show up on the calendar that are incidentally not always work holidays! Ugh! What to do? Mom's Best Friend provides back up care for these dates so that your kids can enjoy a fun day of crafts, activities, and approved outings. Flu season is also upon us and many kids are getting sick and parents are relying upon Mom's Best Friend for sick child care and thankful for the ability to contact us last minute and/or after hours via our after hours line, since these situations are often not able to be predicted in advance.
Don't forget to book for Valentine's Day coming up in a few short days, and plan a fun night out with your spouse while the kids are enjoying an evening of fun with a loving MBF caregiver! Next month is Spring Break and you can take advantage of our wonderful caregivers to plan a week of "Spring Break camp" with fun activities and excursions or arrange for one of our wonderful caregivers to accompany you on your trip as a "travel nanny." Whatever your need, Mom's Best Friend is there to support you and help make life easier and more enjoyable for all! Sincerely, Kathy Dupuy, President |
| Tax Tips from Breedlove and Associates | | |
 Q: Are there any tax breaks I can take advantage of to help offset my childcare expenses?
A:In keeping with the 'Love Is In the Air' theme, you'll love this piece of good news regarding tax breaks. There are three potential tax break options available to household employers. Collectively, they can save families several thousand dollars. Here are the details.
1: Dependent Care Account. If you or your spouse has access to a Dependent Care Account (a.k.a. Flexible Spending Account) through your office, your family will be able to use pre-tax dollars for up to $5,000 of childcare expenses per year. Translation: that $5,000 of your income will be completely free of income taxes and employment taxes (Social Security & Medicare), saving you about $2,000 per year! (exact amount depends on your tax rate).
2: Child Care Tax Credit. If you do not have access to a Dependent Care Account, you can take advantage of the Child or Dependent Care Tax Credit. This tax break allows you to itemize up to $3,000 of dependent care expenses per dependent ($6,000 maximum per family per year) on Form 2441 when you prepare your personal income tax return. More than likely, your tax credit on those itemized expenses will be 20%, so you'll save $600 if you have one child or $1,200 if you have two or more children.
Note: If you have 2 or more children, you'll be able to capitalize on the Flexible Spending Account AND the Child Care Tax Credit - up to the $6,000 annual expense limit. Please call for details.
3: Health Insurance Tax Credit. If you contribute to your employee's health insurance premiums, you and your employee will realize savings. The health insurance contributions are considered "non-taxable compensation" so neither you nor your employee has to pay any taxes on that portion of her compensation. In addition, there is a new health insurance tax credit for small employers, which entitles families to receive up to a 35% tax credit on the health insurance contributions for their employee. If your employee has purchased - or is considering purchasing - health insurance, both parties will benefit from a strategically-structured compensation package that includes health insurance. Please call and we can help you with the details.
Tax breaks can save you several thousand dollars each and every year so it's worth it to take a few minutes to make sure you're optimized. For more information or a free consultation compliments of MBF Agency, call 888-BREEDLOVE (273-3356) or visit www.breedlove-online.com |
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Special Offers for MBF Clients
Valentine's Sitter Special
Love is in the air and don't forget to carve out some date nights for you and your significant other. You schedule the care, and let MBF do the rest! Book 4 date nights by March 15th for $5 off agency fees each day.
Use code: VAL0214A
Don't forget about booking early for Spring Break!
 Valentine's Nanny Special |
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Receive half off a full-time nanny membership fee if job closes before the end of March! For more information, please email Laura Patterson at laura.patterson@mbfagency.com or call 512-646-1041. |
| Ask the Expert | |
Q: How do I find time for "date nights" in the context of long lists of to-do's, household responsibilities, kids activities and school, work, social obligations, meetings, and all the often demanding requirements of daily life?
A: When my husband and I first married, we were living on a shoestring budget but determined to build in date night as a regular, consistent occurrence even if we were taking in the salad bar at Jason's Deli and a movie at the Dollar Cinema. Creating healthy relationship habits and routines early on in your marriage is critical to a successful and long-lasting union. Good habits practiced frequently with consistency can carry you through tough times.
All too often, when children are born and still young, many couples struggle to continue to make their relationship a priority and the home becomes more centered around the newer additions to the family. While children are a blessing and a welcome addition to any family, focusing on the marriage relationship will enhance the home environment for these precious little ones, providing a more stable and secure place for them to grow and develop. As they see a loving relationship lived out in daily life, they will experience more freedom to explore life with greater self confidence.
While many couples have family members close by whom they can rely upon to help care for their children when they want to venture out, this is not the case for everyone. Many are new to town and have not yet developed an inner core of friends, a church family, school community, or other reliable referral source from which to solicit help with babysitting, and may thus just opt to stay in. Others feel uncomfortable with the idea of a "stranger" watching their kids and choose to stay home rather than risk the unknown. We have had many calls like these who have become quick converts and passionate advocates once they have experienced a Mom's Best Friend caregiver.
Ironically, the careful mom who only accepts referrals from friends may be less careful in reality than the mom who calls upon our agency for assistance. She may trust that friends have "done their homework" and checked references, done a background check, confirmed legal work status, and done a detailed job of screening potential caregivers before using them and then passing them on to others. However, this is often NOT the case and it is ALWAYS the case with a Mom's Best Friend caregiver, which is why we have developed the reputation we have with our client families over the last 16 years in business.
So, for this Valentine's Day, renew the romance, and enjoy a date night with your spouse while you rest at ease that Mom's Best Friend has you covered on the home front and your kids might just be having more fun than you!
Kathy Dupuy, President |
| Organizing Tips From the Clutter Diet | | |
Location, Location, Location: Find Important Things FAST!
Usually we're speaking in generalities about how food goes in the pantry or toiletries go in the bathroom, but today I want to talk about very specific homes for very specific things.
Yesterday I was with someone who was taking me into the building where she works, and she had a very specific pocket in her purse where she always keeps her identification badge. I am currently traveling, and I thought of several similar examples in my own bag and suitcase where having an exact location for something is an incredible time-saver and provides immediate reassurance in moments of panic!
Here are some examples, both in traveling and at home, where having a VERY specific home for something is extremely wise:
- Identification/passports: I carry a red vinyl see-through string closure envelope from the office supply store that helps me locate my passport, especially handy when the family is traveling together and there are multiples. I also keep that envelope in a specific pocket in my bag.
- Keys: Put them on a hook or in a bowl by your door. Always, always, always.
- Phone: Have a specific pocket in your bag for your phone, or holster it. When you get home always put your phone in one of 2-3 places (mine are by the back door, on my desk, or on my table in my bedroom). Now there are only a few places to look instead of everywhere!
- Your quart-size bag of liquids for security: Carry this in a specific pocket so you can grab it quickly when you are going through the security line.
- Wallet: If I have carried it separately, I always put my wallet down by my purse, right by the back door when I walk in the house. Inside my purse, my wallet goes in a specific place as well.
- Emergency papers such as wills and insurance information: Keep a clearly marked, red folder right in the front of your file drawer with either these documents or instructions about where to find them.
The Travel category here on the blog has many other strategies for having specific homes for your items. One of the more popular posts was on modularizing your bags, both purses and luggage, which included a big shout out to one of our most popular products in our store, the Purse Organizer--- it takes the idea of specific homes for things to an entirely higher level! I use mine constantly to find my breath mints, lip balm, and other purse items "by feel" without even needing to look in my purse.
Lorie Marrero, owner and founder of clutterdiet.com and author of her new book The Clutter Diet.
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| MBF Superstars | | |
Featured San Antonio Long-term Nanny: DaSha J.
 DaSha has worked for MBF since 2006, she has wonderful experience and is very outgoing. She is said to "take great initiative when planning activities with children, and she is always willing to help out where needed - laundry, dishes, running errands, in addition to childcare." DaSha is currently pursuing a degree at Incarnate Word in Fashion Design.
Featured San Antonio Temporary Nanny: Holly G.
Holly is an experienced and incredibly sweet nanny. We are so lucky to have her as a temp nanny at MBF. She has over eleven years of experience working as a nanny and graduated in May 2007 from Colorado Christian University with a BA degree in Liberal Arts with an emphasis in Elementary Education. Her extensive early childhood development studies coupled with her hands on experience and warm nature make her an incredible caregiver. In her free time she loves being outside, and is an avid runner. |
| What Clients are Saying | |
Thank you all, very much! MBF has been a tremendous help to me and it's already just the first day! My sitter is perfect and such a sweetheart.
--Lisa, Sitter Service Client
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Read about promotions, exclusive offers, and fun things going on in San Antonio. This past month we have offered up some great holiday specials and weekend deals! You will also learn about exclusive offers for our fans only.
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