Tax Incentives To Consider in 2009

By Brian, CPA

As a result of recent economic conditions and policy moves, Congress has created more and more liberal tax incentives than I have ever seen in my long years of doing income tax work. If you happen to be in a position to take advantage of them, the savings can be huge. OF COURSE, as my parents said so often, a bargain isn't a bargain unless you would have bought it anyway....

By far the largest for consumers is the liberalized first-time homebuyer credit. It's claimed on IRS Form 5405. In general, for the purchase of a qualifying first-time principal residence this credit is available for 10% of the purchase price, up to $8,000 for 2009 purchases. It's critical to note that this credit fundamentally changed radically for 2009. For 2008 it was a good deal, but really only an interest free loan that had to be repaid over 15 years through the purchaser's tax return. For 2009 there is no repayment as long as the house remains the principal residence of the purchaser for 36 months.

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Relay For Life

Our good friend, and co-blogger, Erika, is doing a Relay for Life this weekend in memory of her dad who passed away from cancer 19 years ago. Please go check out the link and support her.

Approaches to Homeschooling: Eclectic

By Sandra

So many great choices, why limit yourself to one style? That’s exactly what the eclectic homeschooler thinks! If you can see parts of several homeschooling styles that you like, and can envision using a little of each of them in you approach to homeschooling, this method may be for you.

This approach brings freedom to teach each child differently or identically in styles, as is convenient with the learners in your home, or the subjects the learners have in common. This style requires the teacher to test whether the goal of each lesson has been achieved for each child. It’s common in the eclectic home to have a child narrating, to show understanding with literature, while using a traditional textbook approach for science, for example. There is no limit to the number or ways of mixing styles together, unless the child is not progressing within one approach. If that is the case, the homeschooling parent simply adjusts the approach to better fit the subject and style of the student learner.

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Santa Christ? Jesus Claus?

By Erika (Rambling, Musings & The Occassional Insight)

I recently finished reading Donald Miller's Searching for God Knows What, which is a book composed of Miller's thoughts and experiences with God. Miller's books are always entertaining and thought-provoking. He is one of those authors who always seems to be able to put those things we struggle to verbalize into words with an artistic flair.

Chapter Two of this book spent some time exploring the parallel between a child's understanding of Santa Claus and Jesus Christ:

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Father's Day

By MH, Age 14

As you all know, Sunday was Fathers Day! It is a day where we celebrate our fathers and thank them for everything they do for us. We take this day to thank our fathers for everything they do. Yes it is a special day, but we should be thanking them every day. We should go to bed knowing that our fathers are there for us and that we thanked them for the day. Our fathers should go to bed knowing that we are thankful for everything that they do for us.

I know that on this special day there is one Father that some of you may be forgetting about. That is God our heavenly father. He is our Father and always will be. He died on the cross for our sins. We should thank Him every single moment of our lives. I know you may pray to Him about the bad things, but think about the good things. You should pray to Him all the time no matter what and thank Him. I would like whom ever is reading this to think about what God has blessed you with and take the time to thank Him for it. Don’t take a special day for granted. Tell your fathers that you love them and thank them for everything they do for you. And your mothers too. Even though it is not mother’s day you should be thanking them both every day for what they do for you. Remember to thank God everyday for the good things He has blessed you with.