Introducing Gagazine.com! Sign up for a chance at $100!

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That was to cross off one of my New Year Resolutions to start my newsletter business. If you can remember, I was working on a Parenting newsletter. It’s finally complete, newsletter, site and all. Sign up for free newsletter here: http://www.gagazine.com/join

To gain readership, we are holding a free $10 weekly drawing. Winners will be picked every Saturday at 11:59pm and will be awarded a $10 Gift Card to Babies R Us. Winners will be announced on the site’s homepage.

In addition to the weekly drawing, we are also having a monthly writing contest. Entrants are to write on the topic of the month given in our newsletter). Winners will take home a $100 Gift Card to Babies R Us and have their story published in our monthly newsletter.

Also, users can sign up for a blog. Actually, they will have to sign up for the blog if they want to enter their story into the $100 contest. They can use the blog as a tool to track their little one’s growth and development, share their stories with their readers, and perhaps even upload pictures of their children. It is always interesting to see the changes in your child’s face. It’s actually even more intesting to read other people’s story.

So if you have a story that you want to share with us, sign up and you may be our next winner!

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A Short Sale, the IRS, and Your Mortgage Tax Bill

Did you know that if you have a really high credit card balance and you could no longer afford to pay the minimums, and if you negotiate for the balance down, the amount the credit card company “forgives” you is considered “income” and is taxable? 

Well, did you know that this concept also applies to selling your home if you sell it for less than your mortgage balance?  In the real estate dictionary, this is considered a short sale.  With the given market condition, many people can no longer afford to pay their mortgages.  Instead of going into foreclosure, home owners are are forced to sell their properties short of what they owe the bank. 

Previously, if you sell your house for $450,000 but you have a $500,000 balance, and the mortgage company “forgives” you on the $50,000, the IRS will tax you on the $50,000 because they view this as income.

Do you know what havoc this would cause and how this could affect the economy?  People already got into the mess of getting themselves into a bad mortgage program.  Then they are forced to sell their homes for less than what they owe.  Now they get hit an immense tax bill on the forgiven amount.  Sticky situation?

President Bush recently signed a bill that just went into law that would help folks in such circumstances.  In a nutshell, the law will eliminate the tax bill that the IRS would normally send you.  This bill is effective Jan 1, 2007 – Jan 1, 2010.

At least a short sale will result in a less impact on your credit than a having to foreclose on your property.  If you foreclose, your FICO score can potentially go down 250 points whereas in a short sale, your credit score can go down by only 100. 

Should we all hop on a plane and fly out to DC to give good old President Bush a hug for saving our asses from foreclosure? 

Nah, I can sure use the few hundred dollars on Little Mochi’s diapers.

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Helping Fight Autism $0.49 at Time

I received an email from a friend today.  It reads:

 

Hello All,

I’m sure everyone of you knows at least one family affected by autism, as ours is.  Please watch this video and pass it along to everyone you can. The band, Five for Fighting, is generously donating $0.49 to Autism Speaks each time this video is viewed. The funding goes toward research studies to help find a cure. When you have a moment, please visit the link below to watch the video and pass it along. They are aiming for 10,000 hits, but hopefully we can help them to surpass this goal.

http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/408214
 
For those who are curious what life for a parent of an autistic child is like, watch the Autism Every Day video on this link: 
 
http://www.autismspeaks.org/sponsoredevents/autism_every_day.php
  
Much love.

 

We all can help fight autism, even if we are not affected by it.  One day, I am sure you will run into someone who is affected and wish you could help. 

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Don’t Let Credit Card Fraud Ruin You

According to the Federal Trade Commission, credit card fraud accounts for 25% of the identity theft cases in 2006.  In a report published by the US Census Bureau, there were 164 million credit card holders in 2003.  This number is anticipated to increase to 176 million by the end of this year (2008).  If the percentage of credit card fraud remains the same, that would mean there would be 44 million credit card fraud cases in 2008.  That’s 44 MILLION!

So how can you protect yourself from being a victim?  Here are a few preventative measures:

  1. Don’t give out your credit card number.  As obvious as this may sound, many people still do it.  One reason is because these identity thieves are getting creative with how they can “scam” you into giving them your social security number.  Once they have that, opening a credit card in your name is will be the first thing they do.
  2. Shred those pre-approved credit card offers and unused cash advance checks.  Don’t just toss them in the trash.  Actually put them through a shredder.  For higher security, purchase a cross cut shredder instead of a strip cut shredder.  A cost of a decent paper shredder can range anywhere from $40 to $300 and is well worth the purchase. 
  3. Shop only through secure websites.  If you want to take extra caution, Discover Card, CitiCard and Bank of America enables you to purchase online using a temporary number.  You will get a different number for every purchase.
  4. If you don’t receive your monthly billing statements, think about notifying those companies immediately.  Someone may be going through your mail to get your personal information.
  5. Always avoid clicking on any links you receive in your email from any banks even when you’re positively sure it’s from your bank.  Rather, type in the full domain name and log in. Some of these emails are fake even though they look legitimate.  These types of emails are called “phishing” emails. 
  6. Review your credit report annually and contact the credit bureaus immediately if you notice any strange or unfamiliar transactions.  You can place a fraud alert or a freeze on your credit if necessary.

Fraud Alert. Although the three tips above can greatly reduce the chances of your identity being stolen, it is every consumer’s responsibility to be vigilent in protecting their own identity.  If you think someone has stolen your identity, put a fraud alert on your credit.  When you request for a fraud alert, you are asking the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and Transunion) to put a message on your credit report.   This is supposed to tell creditors to verify with you if you or someone else is trying to open a new credit account.

Credit Freeze.  A better option that I prefer over the Fraud Alert is putting a Credit Freeze on your credit.  The difference between a fraud alert and a credit freeze is that creditors will not be able to check your credit at all with a credit freeze.  You and only you can obtain a PIN to temporarily lift the freeze so that your credit application can be processed. 

It’s always a good idea to keep a list of 1800 numbers for each credit card you carry just in case you need to contact them to report any lost or stolen cards.  And be sure to call as soon as possible.  They are just as eager as you in fighting identity theft. 

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Checklist Before Checking In

For you: 

For Daddy:

For Baby:

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Where’s Your Mama? Part II

I was telling the story about the little girl at the pediatrician’s office to my coworker after I made the post. She made a very good point.

It could be that the little girl’s mother had passed away recently and I could have looked similar to her. Seeing me might have made her extremely happy when she hasn’t seen her mom in awhile.

A good possibility.

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Where’s Your Mama?

I had forgotten to talk about the little girl that thought I was her mom when we brought Little Mochi for his 6 month immunization shots. You would either laugh hysterically or find the story heartbreaking.

I walked out of the pediatrician’s office and into the waiting room. I didn’t notice who was in the waiting room at the time as I was too preoccupied with trying to cancel my next appointment with the “Two Thumbs Down” receptionist.

The second I turned around, this little Asian girl screams, “Mommy!”. She was probably around 2 o3 years old.

Of course, me not being her mom, the father of the little girl pulls her back, picks her up and tells her that I am not her mommy.

Still not awake of what’s going on (I was happy thinking that I did a “I told you so” with the receptionist, I walk by her. I hear this girl screaming, “Mommy!”. I turned to look at her and gave her a small smile and said “Hi.”

Then as I turned towards the door to leave, with my husband and Little Mochi right behind me, the little girl screamed as loud as she could, “Moooommmmmmmyyyyyy!” and started to run towards me with her arms extended. Kid you not, there were tears running down her cheeks.

So what did I do? I bent over, picked her in my arms, and tried to comfort her for asa her father is walking toward me to grab the poor child back.

Even after the pediatrician’s door closed, I can still hear her screaming, “Mommy!”

Let’s see.

Should I be flattered that I looked like her Mom? But don’t “all Asians look alike?”

Should I be laughing because the story is just hilarious? You have to admit that from a bystander’s point of view, it can be a funny scene to watch!

Should I, as the father, be completely embarrassed that his own daughter can’t even recognize her own mother? Remember, she was 2 or 3. Even Little Mochi at 6 months can somewhat recognize his parents!

Would I, as the mother, be completely heart-broken that my own little girl can’t recognize me?

I sure hope the father doesn’t tell his wife.

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Will My Baby Roll Over?

This is a follow up to my other Baby Roll Over post.

Little Mochi is a little over 6 months now. And guess what? He still hasn’t rolled over! The pediatrician (yes, the pediatrician with the two thumbs down receptionist) said if he hasn’t learned by now, he’s not going to. I guess Little Mochi has skipped the roll over phase.

At first, I was concerned that he will roll over later. Then all his other milestones will develope later as well. I guess that is not the case as his back is strong enough to support him. He is now able to sit up by himself. Well, with a little assistance from his boppy pillow.

I’m glad to know that Little Mochi is developing quite well. He babbles all day and smiles at the sight of his mom and dad. His legs are getting stronger. That was one of the good things about not having Little Mochi roll over. I never had to worry about him rolling over and falling to the ground when I layed him down to go the bathroom or grab his clothes or milk. I knew he wouldn’t he go on his side! Maybe he’ll skip the crawling phase too! Wouldn’t that be great! I won’t have to run after him.

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Two Thumbs Down for the Pediatrician’s Receptionist!

It was 3:20 pm on Friday, Jan 11. I received a call from the receptionist at the pediatrician’s office. She said that I had an appointment for Little Mochi’s 6 month immunization shots at 3 pm that day.

As far as I can remember, I tried to make an appointment for that, but she had told me it was booked. So I was certain that I made the appointment for Jan 25th instead. At the time, I had specifically asked the receptionist if it would be too late.

She said they wouldn’t schedule any appointments for immunization shots that late. “If the doctor said to come back in one month, we schedule it for one month later.”

To make a long story short, I asked if I could bring Little Mochi in right away (she said it was ok). I looked for my old appointment card, stuffed it in my pocket and left the house. I was right. The appointment was in fact on the 25th.

On my way there, I kept thinking of ways to tell her “I told you so” without being a bitch. As soon as I pulled up to the parking lot, I figured it out.

I brought Little Mochi into the office. They gave him his checkup. And as soon as I walked out to make my next appointment, I handed her my old card and kindly said: “Can you please cancel this appointment since we came in today.”

She told me that she had already canceled it. Well then! An apology for the misunderstanding would have been nice!

Perhaps she owes the pediatrician an apology since I have decided that Friday’s visit would be my last as I am finding another pediatrician.

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How to Find a Good Nanny

It was 5 am yesterday. I was actually on my way out for work when I received a phone call from my mom.

“Hello?”

I hear a weak voice on the other end. “I’m not feeling too well. I think I have the stomach flu.”

Great, I think to myself.

You see, my mom is our babysitter. My husband just started work – this would be his 2nd week of work. So he drops Little Mochi off at my mom’s and takes off to work. When I get off, I head straight to my mom ’s house to pick him up. Except today, we had to break that routine.  My mom has the stomach flu.  She obviously can’t take care of the baby for a few days.  So here I am, at home, taking a sick day from work to take care of Little Mochi.  Not that it’s a bad thing.  I would much prefer to stay at home and take care of him.  Trust me!  ;-)

It just got me thinking about how having the right nanny is crucial. I’ve just been blessed with my mom being close and her being young and energetic enough to take care of a 6 month old!

Nannies4hire.com

 

 

I know many of you aren’t as lucky as I am.  But with due diligence, I’m sure you can find a great nanny.  Here are some tips on how to find a great nanny.

 

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