Strollerderby : recession

Small Paycut Can Equal Big Sacrifice in Tough Times

Shannon LC Cate — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Today's online edition of The New York Times features a touching slideshow portrait of a family of six in California who are struggling to get by after a seemingly small--ten percent--paycut. Mom says friends told her it was be easy if she "trimmed the fat" from her budget. But as I'm sure many readers can relate, there isn't much fat in the budget of a family with four young children trying to live on one adult salary. Now the full-time (and then some) job of the stay-at-home parent includes monthly meal planning down to the last detail of how to get the most from the leftovers. The family has also cut piano lessons for their set of twins, vaccinations for their pets, haircuts, and new work clothes for dad.

To watch the short slideshow narrated by mom, visit NYTimes.com.

Lower-Income Kids Moving More Because of Recession

Amy Kuras — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:31:00 GMT

Although I live in Detroit, cradle of the auto industry, and thus have anxiety attacks on a daily basis about what will happen if GM goes out of business, we’ve been pretty insulated from the worst of the recession so far. It’s more because my husband works in academia and I am a freelance writer so it’s not like we had any money to begin with, but I definitely feel lucky that we aren’t facing foreclosure or significant loss of income (knock wood) like so many of our neighbors.

One of the many things that breaks my heart about this recession is the effect on kids. It’s not their fault, they didn’t make any of the irresponsible decisions that helped bring the economy down, and yet they are facing the loss of their homes, significantly reduced standards of living and worse.

Teachers and school counselors are seeing an increase in mobility among lower income families due to the recession, and this was a group that already moved around a lot as their fortunes rose and fell. Teachers tell stories of kids who start school one week before standardized testing begins and are just lost, who are sleeping on a couch at Grandma’s because their family lost their home and needs a place to stay, who face a new school with no friends in the middle of the school year.

I feel so bad for these kids – my family moved a lot when I was a kid and it sucked, and we were, as middle class people, insulated from the myriad other difficulties faced by a low-income family. And I did live through a parental job loss when I was in college, and even then when I wasn’t living at home the stress and anxiety my family was facing affected me a lot.

My only point here, I guess, is be nice, and teach your kids to be too. If a new kid shows up midyear, encourage your kid to maybe sit with them at lunch or get to know them, because chances are things are hard enough for this kid at home and a little kindness can make a big difference.

How Fertile Couples Outsmarted Wall Street

Madeline Holler — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:38:00 GMT

It's not unusual for the birth rate to decline in a bad economy. But what has baffled some is the fact that even before last year's full-on Wall Street meltdown, a fall-off in the number of pregnancies had already begun.

Was this some kind of parents-to-be intuition? Are fertile couples to recessions like small pets to the moments just before an earthquake -- that is, skittish and panicky and diving for cover?

No.

This wonderment at the prescience of baby-makers is a bit annoying. Do demographers not remember what it was like, pre-Bear Stearns collapse?

Let's remind them.

Already, there were layoffs. The housing bubble had long since burst in many areas -- only the National Realtors Association was still sending around press releases saying all was well. Anybody living in suburbs and not under a rock knew that foreclosures were on the rise and that George W. Bush was in total denial and that John McCain declaring the economy "fundamentally sound" made even his most ardent detractors feel embarrassed on his behalf.

Remember gas prices? And groceries! Remember how expensive food got all of the sudden? You have to feed kids and a 25 percent increase in one's food bill before adding another mouth makes one stop to think. You know?

From the Associated Press:

The number of babies increased only 0.9 percent between July 2007 and July 2008, a sharp drop from the record-setting 2.7 percent growth for the preceding year. The numbers hint at the tantalizing notion that America's family planners outperformed its financial planners in predicting the rough economic times.

Living in the real world has its advantages.

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Photo: hullubullu.com

Economy Down, Adoptions Up

Shannon LC Cate — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Adoption agencies around the country are reporting a rise of between 10 and 30% in pregnant women and new mothers inquiring about placing their infants with new families, since the recession began.

The story of one such woman, a single mother to three teens who found herself unexpectedly pregnant again with no support from her baby's father, is outlined in a report at USATODAY.com.

As an adoptive mother, I understand the joy of adoptive parents. As an advocate of reproductive choice, I believe strongly in ethical adoption as an option for women who need it and choose it freely from other options. But I am saddened by this rise in adoptions due to economic crisis.

When adoptions happen strictly because a mother can't afford--financially--to raise her baby, society has failed both mother and child. When the cost of food, shelter, clothing, healthcare and education can only be met by some, all families are devalued. The only solution to a mother's financial desperation should not be sending her child to live with wealthier parents. When that is the case, it suggests that only people with a certain income deserve or are capable of raising children.

I can already hear the protests that people without the means to support their children shouldn't have children in the first place. But even if I believed that (which I don't), pregnancy is not 100% preventable by any means at all. I include abstinence, because sex is not always a woman's choice.

But I simply don't believe that the care and raising of children ought to be an exclusively private enterprise. In fact, neither do those involved in adoption. Adoption is all about the communal care of children. It is about people outside a family working with that family--becoming additional family--for the support of children who need more than just their birth parents' support.

But adoption has enormous consequences for all parties involved--adopted people, first parents, adoptive parents--and should be a last resort option when other alternatives are exhausted. Mere inability to pay a hospital bill should not lead to adoption.

If I thought my children were with me just because their first mothers were too poor to raise them, I couldn't sleep at night. I've been poor in the past, myself. Poverty does not make a person unfit to be a parent. And circumstances change. My family could find itself in financial trouble in the future. I would hope that under those circumstances, I wouldn't be told my only option were giving my children to others.

Before we celebrate a rise in adoptions, we need to rethink what society could be doing to help original families stay together. Universal healthcare, quality public education, fair housing costs and other supports are a few modest proposals to get us started.

Morning News: Stress, Spending, and Suspects

Amy Kuras — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Good morning! So, remember how yesterday I told you those wildfires in California were not so bad? Yeah, that’s changed. Strong winds have strengthened the fire, which has now scorched 2700 acres, destroyed or damaged 75 homes, and injured 10 firefighters. About 12,000 people have been forced out their homes by the blaze.

Results of the “stress tests” conducted on the nation’s banks by the Obama administration found that nine of the biggest received a clean bill of health, but that the rest could need as much as $75 billion in capital to survive the recession.

Banks in trouble include Bank of America, GMAC (the finance arm of General Motors, which isn’t doing too well itself), Citigroup, and Wells Fargo. The New York Times story linked here has a staggering sentence: “Under regulators’ worst-case assumptions, the 19 banks might suffer $600 billion in losses through 2010, on top of the hundreds of billions that have already vaporized in this financial crisis. About 9 percent of all loans might sour — a figure that is even higher than it was during the Great Depression. One in five credit card loans could go unpaid, more than double the typical loss rate. Approximately one in 10 mortgages could sour.”

The Obama administration announced the finer points of its budget yesterday as well, and it includes a whopping one half of one percent in spending cuts. Spending on defense and housing would rise.

And finally, students (and their parents) at Wesleyan University in Connecticut are breathing a little easier now that police arrested Stephen P. Morgan at a convenience store, after he saw his picture in the paper and asked the clerk to call police. Morgan is suspected of stalking and killing student Johanna Justin-Jinich while she worked at a campus bookstore. He wore a disguise during the shooting and thus was bale to evade police, even though the stopped and questioned him after the shooting. The university kept students indoors for two days and even delivered box lunches to dorms while the manhunt for Morgan continued.

They Say: Hard Times, More Pregnancies

Madeline Holler — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:26:00 GMT

The economy has caused its share of hardships for sure. It's time throw accidental pregnancies onto the pile.

A new survey of more than 1,000 women that was commissioned by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists found the recession has forced many women to give up prescription birth control due to expense or loss of health insurance.

This year, 20 percent of the women surveyed fear they'll get pregnant.

From the LA Times:

"Even 3% is a big number if you look at the entire number of women in that age group," said Dr. Iffath A. Hoskins, vice president of ACOG, who presented the survey results. "We're deeply concerned about the effect of the economy on women's healthcare."

A member of Obama's transition team, Dr. Rebekah Gee, an obstetrician and gynecologist, gets to the real problem. Birth control is expensive in the U.S. and it's not easily accessible.

"Birth control is unacceptably expensive," Gee said. Every dollar spent in the public health sector on contraceptives saves $3 in childbirth and newborn healthcare costs for Medicaid. But not all insurance companies pay for contraceptives, and women spend money and time on doctor's office visits to obtain prescriptions for the most reliable forms of birth control. "There are multiple costs associated with contraceptives that we don't even think about," she said.

What about you? Have you had to skip refills or switch to more affordable BC recently?

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Photo: Nottinghamshire.gov.uk

Morning News: Minivan Maker Goes Bankrupt

Amy Kuras — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:00:00 GMT

If you build a better mousetrap, the saying goes, the world will beat a path to your door. If you invent the minivan, though, you eventually end up in bankruptcy, apparently. Chrysler LLC, after narrowly avoiding bankruptcy in the last deep recession in 1980 and paying back the government loan that saved them three years later, filed for Chapter 11 yesterday.

Look, I’m from Detroit and thus incapable of driving a foreign car, and would only drive a Chrysler if even a Toyota were not available. They’re not so good, although Jeep retains a good reputation and the Chrysler 300 was a nice ride. But when you can invent the vehicle that has become shorthand for boring sexless parenting and still be on the brink of going out of business? Something’s messed up.

Thinking about following Chrysler into bankruptcy court? Forget about getting foreclosure relief that way, after a bill to let judges fix mortgages through bankruptcy proceedings failed in the Senate yesterday. Good news, though, is that the House passed a bill that would limit credit card companies’ ability to screw with you, basically. Under the bill, they couldn’t use double-cycle billing to squeeze more interest out of you and would have to give you notice before raising your rates or closing your accounts.

Still with me? You’re just waiting for the swine flu update, aren’t you? As of late yesterday the death toll in the US remained at one, but the confirmed cases rose to 109. One of those is a security aide to the president who accompained him on his recent trip to Mexico. Nearly 300 schools were closed across the United States. Although right now there’s no evidence you can get the disease from eating pork products, that’s no comfort to pork producers, who have seen their business drop. Nor is it to any friends of Olivia in Egypt, where the government is taking the drastic step of killing all the country’s pigs.

And then there’s good old Joe Biden, who felt it necessary to inform us he’s asked his family to stay out of confined spaces like airplanes and subways. Way to stay calm, Mr. Vice President.

Morning News: Some of It's Not Flu-Related

Amy Kuras — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Good morning! Brett and I will be switching off Morning News for awhile.

So! A huge ice shelf is breaking up in Antarctica, the economy did even worse than expected in the first quarter of the year, and President Obama gave an important press conference marking his first 100 days in office.

But you don’t care, do you? You just want to know about swine flu.

Yeah, me too. The World Health Organization raised the threat level to 5 for the first time, well, ever, signaling that a pandemic is imminent. A little kid just shy of his second birthday was the first confirmed US death. Schools across the country are closing to stop the spread of the disease.

Screw the masks we’re all supposed to be thinking about; I want a paper bag I can breathe into when the panic begins to overwhelm, thanks.

Let me just repeat the important stuff, though: Wash your hands, wash your kid’s hands, don’t for the love of God go anywhere when you’re sick (or send your kid to school or playdates if they are), and see your doctor as quickly as you can if you do start to feel flulike symptoms. There are antivirals that help lessen the severity and duration of the illness: Tamiflu can be used for children ages one and up, and Relenza can be used for kids age five and up. The key is you’ve got to get them quickly, within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. The FDA has approved ememrgency off-label uses of the drugs during the swine flu crisis.

Moving on to more cheery topics, the Wilkins Ice Shelf in Antarctica is breaking up and falling into the ocean. The shelf, in the western part of the Antarctic Peninsula, has remained stable for most of the last century, but lost two huge chunks on Friday and is due to lose a chunk bigger than Rhode Island soon. Researchers believe the cause likely is global warming, although they stress they are still working to prove that.

Also shrinking is the US economy, which contracted at a 6.1 percent annual rate in the first three months of the year. That’s worse than the 5 percent economists predicted. The first quarter 2009 drop in gross domestic product, which is the total US output of goods and services followed a 6.3 percent drop in the last quarter of 2008.

But the president gave a press conference. He’s reassured us that the government has this flu thing under control, that we’ve ended torture as an interrogation technique because we’re just better than that, and that the federal budget (which newly minted Dem Arlen Specter helped get passed) will help revive and restructure our economy. Here’s a transcript if you missed it.

I tried to find something for you guys that would not make you want to go back to bed and pull the covers over your head (seriously, I Googled “puppies”) but no luck so far. See ya in the hand-sanitzer aisle!

Economy Tanks; Child Abuse Rises

Shannon LC Cate — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:30:00 GMT

Child welfare agencies and emergency rooms around the country are seeing a significant increase in child abuse cases this year over last year and they blame the economy.

According to Ann Botash of the Child Abuse Referral and Evaluation Program at SUNY-Syracuse, "there's a lot more stress right now in society. And it comes out on the kids. They are the weakest link."

But Cindy Southworth of the Safety Net Project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence hastens to point out that tough economic times don't necessarily cause violence anymore than good economic times end it. What can happen, however, is a bad economy can increase the opportunities and the occasions for abusers to hurt children:

"If there is already domestic violence in a home, an abuser might have lost his job and is now home all day, as opposed to just evenings. There is more risk time."

Whatever the reason, hospitals are seeing more shaken babies, more abuse-related head injuries and other problems in numbers that are statistically significant. It is another good reason to reach and for some support if your family is struggling these days. It's another good reason to offer support to your family and friends in need, as well.

Recession Forcing Parents to Spend More Time with Their Kids

KeriF — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:34:00 GMT

If I had all the money in the world, my kids might spend their days at karate and drama, gymnastics and guitar lessons, swim instruction and art class. I don't, alas, have all the money in the world, so my kids get one class each: Declan does gymnastics and Ronan starts soccer tomorrow. The rest of their days are therefore spent with me, not with class instructors. Which, unbeknownst to me, is all the rage in parenting these days.

Some people call it the slow parenting movement. Others call it a fact of life in a recession. Whatever you call it, the economic downturn is forcing parents to make cuts everywhere, including in their kids' hectic schedules. So instead of shuttling their kids from activity to activity, parents are forced to find other ways to entertain their kids. In short, parents and kids are spending a lot more time together.

Dana Slomkowski, a New Jersey mother, has had to cut her kids' activities and seems to enjoy the results. "We have more time, we talk," she says. "Now I'm big on, 'go outside and play.'"

The economic crunch is accelerating the slow parenting trend, says Mary Hickey, deputy editor of Parents magazine. "Instead of enrolling their 2-year-old in the best preschool," she says, "they're thinking, why not keep them at home a little longer?"

How has your family adapted to changing economic times?

Source

When are Kids Old Enough to Watch Star Wars?

The Literal Cost of Homophobia

Shannon LC Cate — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:50:00 GMT

Instead of "Tea Parties" citizens of Florida worried about the state budget should perhaps be holding pro-gay adoption rallies. According to a new report out from The Williams Institute, at the UCLA School of Law, Florida's gay adoption ban is costing the state at least $3.4 million a year.

The number is based on estimating the savings to the state when children in the state's care (foster children) are adopted, versus remaining in foster care and having new families recruited for them, because their gay foster parents are ineligible to adopt them under the current state law.

Maybe this new evidence will work where children's best interest has failed so far. Hard, cold financial gain might move the stone-hearted in a way the health and well being of some of the state's least "adoptable" children has not.

For more details and a link to the actual report, check out Proud Parenting.

image: Steve Lofton, Roger Croteau and their five foster children, via poz.com

Save Your Money: Don't Get Mom a Card

JeanneSager — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:27:00 GMT

I was hardly surprised to hear spending for Mother's Day is expected to be way down this year. Hellllo, it's called a recession.

But I've got to tell you, news that eighty-five percent of Americans will still be cashing in on a card leaves me kind of disappointed in humanity. Because if you REALLY want to save money on us this year, you can skip the card.

The folks at Hallmark and Bouton's have done a bang up job of convincing us we need them (hence the derisively-dubbed "Hallmark holidays"), but do any of us NEED an extra piece of cardstock to sit in that growing pile of mail on the corner table?

But it's the sentiment inside, you say? Yup, a card tells someone you cared enough to go out and spend $4.99 on a picture of two polar bears kissing. The polar bears are cute, but the real "sentiment" comes through in the fact that someone sent one, right? So why not just send an old-fashioned letter, on plain white ruled paper? You don't have to say much. Maybe a "Hey ma, I love you," or a "Thanks for being my mommy." If you want to wax poetic, be my guest, but you won't have to loop your letters around a big goofy sparkly heart on plain old notebook paper.

Since I already sound like the grinch who stole Mother's Day, I'm not exactly crying over the news that electronics purchases for Mom are expected to dip by twenty-nine percent this year. Nothing says "I love you" like getting Mom a cell phone . . . which she now has to pay for montly. And clothing purchases are dipping by twelve percent? Goodie, no more freaky appliqued sweaters that little kids insist Mom is going to love.

Sure, it's the thought that counts, but I've got tell you, I'm still a sucker for the little handprints and the hand-picked daisies. I'd rather they save their money for something they want - and that he save it for groceries.

What about you, Moms, think Mother's Day should still be getting top billing this year?

Image: NBC

Abercrombie and Fitch (Finally!) Losing Its Cachet

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:28:00 GMT

Even recessions have a silver lining. Overpriced and oversexed teen clothier Abercrombie and Fitch is feeling the pinch in a big way as teenagers (or their parents) wise up to the fact that it’s just not worth it to pay $58 for a scarf—even if an impossibly dreamy, half-naked hunk is plastered over the cash register.

According to MSNBC, “The company is fiercely protecting its image as a ‘premium’ brand, and, as a result, it's getting snubbed big time by its once cultlike, ever-loyal fan base.” It’s ironic that “premium” means ripped jeans and flannel shirts, but, as Abercrombie sadly found out, if you put enough naked teenagers next to any product, it’ll sell.

That is, until hardly anyone can afford to buy it anymore. Abercrombie was the biggest retail loser in March, posting a 34 percent drop in sales. I wonder how those numbers compare to the drop in teenagers’ self-esteem after looking at an Abercrombie catalogue.

In case you haven’t recently had the joy of getting assaulted by club music and cheap cologne in your local Abercrombie lately, Jezebel has an anecdote to remind you just how abominable the king of preppy is. Writer Hortense remembers sharing in a hospital with a young woman who was being treated for anorexia. She had to be tube-fed around the clock. “The week before she was hospitalized,” Hortense writes, “she told me, she went to buy clothes at Abercrombie & Fitch, and the manager pestered her the entire time, begging her to apply for a job there, because she had ‘the look they wanted.’”

Perhaps the manager was so pushy because of the high employee turnover.

Photo: abercrombieandfitch.com

Letting the Economic Squeeze Draw You Closer

Amy Kuras — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:02:00 GMT

“Families cutting back” stories have become a little too perennial in this recession, but I liked this one about the Smith family of Schenectady. Why? Because so many of these stories seem to focus on families that might have to – shudder — send their children to the YMCA day camp instead of Camp Horseysnob or cut down to two Starbucks runs a day. Not something you can work up a big wad of sympathy over, you know?

The Smith family didn’t have a ton off cash and indulgences to begin with – both work hourly retail jobs, and dad works part time. The indulgences they cut were planned amusement park trips this summer and their Friday night dinners out, which were replaced with secondhand bikes, a swingset, and family cooking lessons taught by mom.

As a freelance writer married to a social worker in one of the hardest hit areas for this recession, I’ve been finding it pretty hard to work up sympathy for people who are cutting out things that are really high-end luxuries that no one needs. And on the other end of the spectrum some of these stories are “OMG how are people surviving --can I scrape up a check for the food bank -- thank God we still have health insurance and a house.”

I liked this story because this is a really relatable family, and they are focusing on how to maintain the right things – time together and getting to know their kids. They are, like many of us, splurging in order to save; they bought a Wii, for example, to stave off the temptation to hit the mall or the movie theater or rainy days. It seems to be the way a lot of us are struggling through – we spend a little to splug more long term money drains, we pull ourselves in closer to home, and we focus on family time together, not how expensively that time is spent.

Where is your family splurging and saving? And what are you focusing on as you make those decisions?

Five Ways to Go Green for Less

Shannon LC Cate — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:27:00 GMT

BPA, phthalates, lead, VOCs, pesticides, toxic cleaning agents, dioxin...the list of scary invisible dangers to us, our children and the planet seems endless. For new parents, the potential hazards to a new, vulnerable baby can be overwhelming.

Enter the eco-proofing industry. For a tidy sum, an expert will come into your home, take note of potential hazards, make suggestions for improvement and in all likelihood, some recommendations for pricey vendors of such improvements. "Safe" seems to mean "expensive" when approached from this perspective.

It's true that a BPA-free bottle, a stainless steel sippy cup, an organic cotton crib mattress, zero-VOC paint is more expensive--sometimes much more so--than conventional alternatives. But are folks without the budget for these things doomed to expose their children to poison? While environmental racism and other injustices in how hazards are distributed among the population are real problems out of our immediate control, there is one big--if open--secret the eco-proofing industry doesn't want you to think about: lots of improvements you can make are free--some can even save you money.

For example:

1. Take off your shoes.

Alexandra Zissu, 34, co-author of "The Complete Organic Pregnancy," says "her number one eco-friendly tip is for families to take off their shoes when they come home and leave them by the door. Dirty shoes track in industrial grime, oil from cars and pesticide run-off, all of which can find their way right into the mouths of rolling, crawling little ones."

2. Clean green.

Reduce your use of toxic cleaning products by using baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice and other classics your great-grandmother relied on. Not up to making your own laundry detergent from scratch? Reduce your use of dangerous chemicals or stretch the pricier eco-friendly versions by using half as much as directed and topping it off with inexpensive baking soda.

3. Buy less and wash more.

When I threw out my sippy cups made of unidentifiable plastic (which also meant I couldn't recycle them), I found that the eco-safe stainless steel cups I wanted to replace them with would cost me $15 each. So instead of twenty colorful, stackable cups, I ended up with four. I've spent more time washing cups, yes. But I've also gained some space in my kitchen cabinets.

4. Buy used.

Hand-me-downs don't only save money, they save the planet. Thrift shopping can not only be a fun treasure hunt and a great way to pinch pennies, it's also a great example of reduce, reuse and recycle. Many times, kids outgrow their clothes too fast to wear them out. Take advantage, dress for less and do the Earth a favor. You can also look for pricey baby items second hand. I sold my own $300 baby hammock with organic bedding (after two long runs of use by my own kids) to a fellow moms' group member for $50.

5. Make trade-offs.

I find that I can let almost anything slide but food. When it comes to feeding my kids I'm almost compulsively organic. But there are ways to buy that pricey produce without breaking the bank. Maybe organic bananas are a dollar more a pound than conventional, but any whole banana is a bargain compared to a box of cereal. I'd estimate that I saved over $1500 per kid making 100% organic baby food from scratch. Those savings would be valid even if I'd bought conventional, rather than organic ready-made baby food in jars. By cooking more meals at home, from simpler ingredients, you can save not just over eating out, but over eating conventional food, when that conventional includes a lot of instant, processed boxes from the grocery store's center aisles. And most of the time the food is more nutritious too, not just pesticide-free. An organic apple is usually not any pricier by volume than a handful of bleached-flour crackers, but it's healthier--even if the crackers are organic.

In this society so often we are told (and tend to believe) that we can spend our way out of any problem; that the right purchasing decision can solve any quandary. But when the underlying problem is "too much stuff" the answer might just be to purchase less in the first place.

Image: Jessica Hill, Associated Press

Want Free Childcare? We Can Help

JeanneSager — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:05:00 GMT

So the economy is getting worse, and you have to work more hours . . . but you can't afford to add extra daycare for the kids? We might have the answer for you.

Host and Care was set up to link students in need of accomodations with people they can help - primarily parents who have a guest room in their house and could use eight to sixteen hours a week of someone extra watching their kids.

The free site doesn't run background checks on care seekers or care providors, nor does it determine the terms of a care/accomodations deal. It's simply a conduit - and one that's gaining attention in an economy where every little bit helps.

Daycares have been announcing enrollment drops since the economy took a turn for the worse, in part because there are more laid off parents at home to watch their kids. But the bigger reason? Parents just don't have the cash - and while some babysitters have taken paycuts to keep their jobs, most daycare costs are contractual. There's no break for parents, leaving them with options that range from bad to worse. Like reports that an increasing number of parents are simply leaving their kids home - alone.

So instead facing of a mountain of bills to pay, they'll be facing a pile of child neglect charges . . . or worse - their kids could seriously hurt themselves.

Host and Care could be an option for parents with guest rooms, rooms they already pay the mortgage on and heat, rooms that won't be filling with guests any time soon considering friends and family are hurting financially too. It's akin to having a live-in nanny - without the cost - while the students get a leg up on paying their way through school with the burden of rent off of their shoulders.

Is there a college near you where there might be students looking for a room? Check out the site - they also connect families for house swaps, a great way for bigger families to save on accomodations on the road.

Image: MilitaryMoves

Child Support Suffers In A Recession, Too

Kate Tuttle — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:02:00 GMT

A bad economy tends to spawn domino effects of harm. As workers lose their jobs, the folks who depend on their paycheck -- whether the bank that owns their mortgage or retail store owners or service employees -- all take a hit as well. Least able to protect themselves, and wholly unable to find another source of support, are the children of laid-off workers. As a recent article in the New York Times suggests, the picture can get especially complicated when the paycheck that's lost was formerly provided by a non-custodial parent in the form of child support.

Since the beginning of this year, New York's family court system has been deluged by requests for reduction in child support orders by parents (mostly fathers) who have lost their jobs and can no longer meet their mandated obligations. In many if not most cases, judges have no choice but to reduce the support order until the father can find a way to pay. Needless to say, this doesn't always sit well with the custodial parents (usually mothers) who have to figure out how to provide food and shelter and clothing on less and less money. It's a bad scene all around.

Some of the stories out of New York are utterly astonishing, like the couple formerly making a combined $400,000 a year who both lost their jobs simultaneously, and are now trying to live on $800 a month in unemployment benefits. But most are not nearly as rich to begin with, like the man making just over $16K a year (how do you live on that in New York?) and required to send 23% of his salary to support his child in Georgia. The mother is angry, the father is angry, both are broke and, of course, it's the child who suffers most of all.

Even those of us not currently factoring child support into our monthly responsibilities are finding ourselves having to make choices in terms of what we can and can't afford for our kids these days. I know I'm not alone in weighing the yoga classes, summer camp, and new bike ideas more seriously than ever. I want this economic nightmare to end for all kinds of reasons, but most of all so that our kids don't have to worry about money -- or, in the very worst cases, about food and shelter.

More by this author:

Late-Term Abortion Provider on Trial in Kansas

Boomer Grandmothers: Out Of Control?

Move Over, Booties! Here Come Knitted Boobies

Think Your Baby's Car Seat Is Safe? Think Again

Talking Taxes: How the Childcare Credit Works

JeanneSager — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:36:00 GMT

Do you send your kids to daycare? Have an in-home sitter?

As long as you work - and pay the nanny/manny/babysitter on the books - families with two kids can claim up to $6,000 in tax credits this year. So how does it work?

Your kids have to be under age thirteen. You may be worried about leaving the fourteen-year-old alone in a house with a well-stocked liquor cabinet, but the IRS doesn't care.
You must be making an income. Ya know, that's why they call it a credit on your INCOME taxes.
If your employer gives you money toward childcare, that must be deducted from the amount you're claiming. If your employer is that type, please give me his number. I want to work there.
You can't write off what you pay to one of your other kids to watch their siblings (sigh) or what you pay your spouse to watch your kids. If you're paying your spouse to watch their own child, you might want to find a new spouse (sorry, just saying).
If you're paying someone to come to your house rather than paying someone who has their own daycare or a sitter who has her own business, you may owe the government more because you're an official employer. This gets a lot of big important big wigs in trouble just as they're about to be confirmed as something even bigger and more important, so check this one closely. It might do to even hire an accountant. Just don't pick this guy.
The kid being babysat must have lived with you for at least half of 2008. If he hasn't, why did you need a babysitter?
Your filing status must be single, married filing jointly, head of household or qualifying widow(er) with a dependent child. In other words? You have to file . . . AND have a kid. Imagine that.
If you didn't pay out $3,000 for childcare for your one child, you don't get a $3,000 credit. If you didn't pay out $6,000 for two kids or more, you don't get a $6,000 credit. Those are simply the top end (try telling that to your daycare provider).

There are more tips over at the IRS Website, but these are the biggies. Are you going to be filing for a tax credit for childcare this year? Is it worth it?

Image: No Time For Laundry

How to Say No To the Kid Selling You Something

JeanneSager — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:06:00 GMT

Let's face it, no matter how bad the economy gets, there's always going to be a kid knocking on your door with something useless to sell.

For Scouts, for church, for school, for the poor starving children in Ethiopia (so they can finally get a break from Mom harping on about cleaning their plates).

And, if you're anything like me, you buy it all. Because you . . . just . . . can't . . . say . . . no. But there's a set of columnists over at Slate who say you can say no to charitable giving without feeling like a total tool (OK, I added that), and they're willing to tell you how.

Written in part by a former staffer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, who had to say "uh uh" thousands of times over to worthy charities who were lining up for grants, the piece advocates pumping up the asker . . . and then saying no. Basically their suggestions are to validate the person fundraising by telling them how important their work is, and how much you value what they're doing.

OK, that might work for adults, if you can figure out how NOT to sound like a patronizing SOB. But with kids . . . it just ain't gonna work. Why?

For starters, there's that cute factor. As my colleague Brett says, if you want to sell something to him, send a little girl knocking on his door. That's why schools and churches use kids to sell. They KNOW we don't want to disappoint kids.

And that's the second part. Kids don't want to hear that they're doing a great job. They want results. It could be seen as an unfortunate result of our instant gratification society, but a part of me is happy to know kids want to succeed and they are learning to stand up for themselves. The words "you're doing a great job," ring hollow for a child who has been told that they need to sell 10,000 boxes of sugary treats in order to get their school a new set of swings. If you're not buying, they're that much farther from their goal.

And kids like goals. They like the big picture. They're not quite as good at the smaller one, like the size of your paycheck this week or the comparatively huge number on your mortgage bill.

My advice? Honesty. Not brutal honesty, but honesty all the same. Like, "I'm sorry, I just bought from Timmy down the hall." or "I'm sorry, I am full up on wrapping paper this week." Sometimes cutting them off at the pass works, setting a limit like "I'll buy if you have something under $5." If they do, great. If not, well, at least you set a limit that priced you out of that $50 raffle ticket. You were honest.

The important thing is the follow through. Don't say no to one kid then buy from the next one - word always gets around. Don't say, I have only $5 to give and then rack up a $50 tab - they'll know you're a soft touch.

Not that there's anything wrong with being a soft touch. I can't say I've ever passed a kid and said an outright "no." But I have skimped out on my purchases, picking the $7 box of candy and NO MORE before.

As long as it's the kid asking and not their parents, I'll probably say yes. But I don't have to like it. As I told my babysitter's granddaughter, "Don't ask if I WANT to buy some Easter candy for your trip to sleepaway camp. Ask if I WILL buy some Easter candy for your trip."

Image: Childrens Dayton

Morning News - The Obama Bracket

Brett Singer — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Monday Monday… Can't trust that day…

Actually, you kind of can trust Monday. It's fairly reliable in that it always comes after Sunday. I don't think that's what Mama Cass and Co. were talking about, but then again, it was the 60's, so who knows?

Anyone make an NCAA bracket? I did. I know nothing about college basketball, and my picks are proving it, especially in the Midwest Conference. At least there's no money at stake for me. President Obama made one, which is being resoundingly mocked by many. Some were upset that he even took the time to make his picks, which is hilarious if you consider the amount of vacation time that former President Bush took while in office. (I know, it's a cliché, but it happens to be true.) Taking a few minutes to fill out a bracket is a pleasant distraction from the day's events for everyone, Leaders of the Free World included. If people want to complain about Obama's policies, fine, but his bracket? Let it go.

Damn those blasphemy laws -- a Pennsylvania man tried to register a limited liability company called I Choose Hell Productions, LLC but was told he had to pick another name because PA has an anti-blasphemy law on the books preventing such things. The laws were common the 19th century, but this one was enacted in 1977 when someone tried to register God Damn Gun Shop. The ACLU is suing the state. Heh heh. God Damn Gun Shop... (NYT)

A revival of "West Side Story" opened on Broadway with some of the songs translated into Spanish. Interesting idea but I can't imagine that makes the songs better. Frank Scheck of the Hollywood Reporter saw the show and agrees, as did many other critics. (Note: I haven't seen this production. I'll probably stick with the movie.)

The post office is in trouble. They lost almost 400 million dollars last quarter and are offering early retirement to 150,000 employees, in addition to staff cutbacks and location closures. Not enough people mailing letters I guess.

Susan MacDougal (remember her?) can't have the transcript of her own testimony in the Whitewater trial. She was hoping to use it for a novel or screenplay. Whitewater looks pretty damn tame compared to all the nonsense going on these days.

Some governors, including Nevada's Jim Gibbons, are turning down federal money to beef up their unemployment funds because they don't like the 'strings' that are attached. The thing is, those strings disappear when the federal cash runs out. (This according to a New York Times editorial.) Nevada will run out of unemployment money by the end of the year if they don't take the government cheese. (Nose, you don't mind if I cut you off to spite my face, do you? Cool, thanks.) You can't play games like this when people are out of work. And unemployment money gets taken out of your check every week for a reason. You get it back if you're unemployed. Hence the name. So it's not unreasonable for people to expect to receive that money if they lose their jobs. In other Republican Governor news, Alaska's Sarah Palin (perhaps you've heard of her?) is only accepting Federal money for projects that are truly "shovel ready." Alaska Democrats are not happy, saying that she is playing politics with state residents. There's definitely a shovel needed for what's coming out of the mouths of both Republicans and Democrats these days, but it's not the kind you use to fix roads.

Eliot Spitzer is talking smack about Andrew Cuomo. Hey! Here's an idea, Spitzy. Shut up. You have no credibility anymore. Sorry. You screwed up. Apologize and go away. Although maybe you can blog for Huffington Post like Gary "Monkey Business" Hart. ("G'head! Follow me! You won't find anything! Wait, you thought I meant that? I was only kidding! Aw, crap…")

Responding to Sheri's comment: I hadn't heard about what the President said on TV, so I looked it up. Seems that while being interviewed by Jay Leno on the Tonight Show, President Obama said of his bowling skills, "It's like the Special Olympics or something." He apologized to the President of the Special Olympics before the show aired. Comments at ABC News' web site range from "who cares?" to "see? I told you he was an idiot." (I'm paraphrasing.) I can't say I agree with those who say that this is somehow on the same scale as other "gaffes" spoken by Republican politicians, or even "gaffes" from Democrats. Personally, I think the President is a little bit too much of a regular guy, at least in the way that he sometimes speaks in public. It was a dumb joke but hardly the worst thing ever. He also invited Special Olympians to the White House to do some bowling. There's one Special Olympic bowler who has three perfect games to his credit, so maybe he can give the Prez some pointers. By the way, Sarah Palin weighed in on the President's comments, because she's not all about politics like some politicians. This issue really effects Alaska, hence her very public reaction. Also: the President of the Special Olympics is Tim Shriver, Maria's brother, and therefore Ah-nuld's brother-in-law. That has nothing to do with anything except that I think it would be fun to have Arnold Schwarzenegger as your brother-in-law. The Governator, by the way, supports Obama's stimulus plan.

Tuesday, Tuesday… I trust that day… Nah, doesn't have the same ring to it. I guess John Phillips knew what he was talking about. See you tomorrow.

Image: WhiteHouse.gov via Washington Post

Morning News - Natasha Richardson Dies (UPDATE - Autopsy Information)

Morning News - March Madness or March Sadness?

Morning News - Cheney, Duct Tape, Outer Space

Open Letter To The Woman Who Pushed Me While I Was Picking Up My Kid

Back to the Third Grade for This 71-Year-Old

They Say: Old School Lice Checks Are All Wrong

UPDATE: Did M.I.A Really Name Her Baby Ickitt?

Why Teens Are Quick to Blame Rihanna

Keep This Kid Away From The Dog

Morning News - iPhone Gets Feature Other Phones Already Have

Brett Singer — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Updating yesterday's Natasha Richardson story: an autopsy reveals that she died of bleeding in the brain and "she might have survived had she received immediate treatment." The thing is, people with this sort of injury typically feel fine at first. So sad.

NBC is launching a show to compete with "American Idol." Simon Cowell probably thinks this is a "horrible" idea. ("Horrible" is one of the words he uses a lot, right?) On "Idol", Alexis Grace went home. She was shocked. Shocked. Why are they always so surprised? I guess you have think you're a major talent to get on TV and sing like that but just once it'd be fun to hear someone say, "Yeah, I suck. It was only a matter of time before I got the boot."

Why is Steve Wozniak on "Dancing With The Stars"? Based on this quote from his website, I guess the reason is because people said he wouldn't be able to do it. I wonder if Apple fans will keep voting for him the way football fans did with Jerry Rice. Woz has definitely been keeping in touch with his audience, accusing "Dancing" producers of rigging the voting in order to goose the ratings, then apologizing, all via his Facebook page. If this keeps up, I might actually have to watch the show.

Speaking of Apple, the new iPhone software will include bleeding edge features like the copying and pasting of text. What's that, your phone has been able to do that for years? Mine too. The iPhone is nifty but certain omitted features prove that Steve Jobs could probably sell water to a drowning Apple fan if it had that logo on it. (Personally, until the iPhone has an actual keyboard, I won't even consider buying one.)

Financial news update: stocks tanked and it wasn't CNBC's fault. Are you happy, Jeff Zucker?

Austrian monster dad Josef Fritzl was sentenced to life in a psych hospital. Life in prison would be better, but even though he could be paroled in 15 years, it's not likely to happen. The speed of the trial was kind of impressive; in the U.S., these things seem to take a lot longer. I'm sure there's a reason for that but I don't know what it is.

And finally, there were a heck of a lot of babies born in 2007. Madeline points out that it wasn't Octomom's fault -- "she only gave birth to one baby that year."

That's all for now. Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday.

Image: Woz.org

New Baby Boom

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Morning News - Natasha Richardson Dies (UPDATE - Autopsy Information)

Brett Singer — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Starting on a sad note -- Natasha Richardson has died. UPDATE: according to this AP report, an autopsy revealed that "Richardson died from bleeding in her skull caused by the fall she took on a ski slope...The medical examiner ruled her death an accident, and doctors said she might have survived had she received immediate treatment."

She's one of those actresses that everyone seemed to absolutely adore on and off stage. I saw her perform in 'Cabaret' just before the show opened to rave reviews; she was amazing to watch. An appreciation of her life is here.

Pope Benedict XVI has folks up in arms because, speaking about the AIDS epidemic in Africa, he said, "You can't resolve it with the distribution of condoms. On the contrary, it increases the problem." Cathy Lyn Grossman at USA Today has an intriguing post in their Religion section titled, "Could choosing condoms mean choosing life?" Interesting idea.

The way everyone is carrying about the Jon Stewart / Jim Cramer kerfuffle (and really, what is it if not a kerfuffle?) you would think that their "feud" actually had some effect on the world at large. Or that more than 2.3 million people actually watched it. I'm not saying that's not a good number, but it's not exactly Earth shaking. Anyway, Jeff Zucker, the head honcho of NBC Universal, is all up in Jon Stewart's grill, saying that Jon is like, being unfair and stuff when he blames the financial crisis on CNBC's reporting. (That's not an exact quote; you can read Zucker's full quote here.) The thing is, that's not really what Stewart was saying. To me, the most important line from the interview he did with Cramer was, "It's not a f**king game, man." Cramer seemed to be telling Stewart that it was perfectly OK to say something under the guise of financial advice that wasn't entirely accurate as long as it was entertaining. Frankly, that pisses me of as well. For Stewart to question the worth of a network's reporting is a good thing, or it should be. Disagreeing with him is fine as well. Sing it with me now -- ain't that America, you and me… Also, if Jeff Zucker wants to yell at someone, it should probably be Cramer. He's the one who turned a bit on The Daily Show into something that has dominated news cycles for several days now.

Continuing with financial news, the Fed is doing more things that I don't entirely understand. This time they're buying "long-term U.S. government debt." (Someday someone will explain to me why anyone would want to buy debt.) This causes many things to happen, including wailing and gnashing of teeth. One possible good outcome of whatever-this-is is that mortgage rates will be vewy, vewy low for now, so if you need one, this is a good time to get it. Also on the good news front: fears of economic deflation have decreased! Why? Because the Consumer Price Index rose by .04%! Whoo-hoo! (Disclaimer: If you are getting your financial news from me, stop. Right. Now.)

Last but not least (if you're into college basketball), the NCAA Tournament, aka March Madness, starts today at noon. You can watch every game online at CBSSports.com, which is good for fans who will be stuck in an office all day. Of course, these people should probably be, you know, working. But who are we to judge?

That's all for today, back on Friday. Quick, fill out your bracket!

Image: Famecrawler

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Jimmy Kimmel And The Octomom

Oprah Gets It Right On Chris Brown

Natasha Richardson Dead

Ban BPA? Manufacturers Cry Poverty

JeanneSager — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:26:00 GMT

You've got to love the recession - all of a sudden big manufacturers are worried about the poor. Worried their poor customers won't have the money to buy their products anyway.

As Suffolk County, New York tries to become the first county in the country to enforce a ban on Bisphenol-A (BPA) in children's products, manufacturers are crying poverty.

Force them to remove the reported carcinogen, and makers say they'll have to jack up their prices so high it will be bad for low-income parents and create problems for hospitals. Snort.

They do realize six of the largest baby bottle makers JUST announced they're going BPA free, right? It's obviously working for some companies . . . or at least six of them. Lobbying against the county, representatives of the plastic bottle and sippy cup makers asked lawmakers to point the bill toward EMPTY containers, freeing them up to fill bottles of formula sent to hospitals for newborn babies with lots of icky chemicals.

But, hey, they're helping poor people. They can sleep at night!

The Suffolk County Legislature voted unanimously in support of the ban on BPA earlier this month, and a set of state legislators are now working together to make a similar ban effective across New York.

Image: OhMyGov

Morning News - March Madness or March Sadness?

Brett Singer — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Apologies for forgetting St. Patrick's Day yesterday. I could make a culturally insensitive joke and say that I was drunk, but the truth is I just forgot. Apparently everybody was Irish on Tuesday, but today you're back to whatever it is you are the rest of the year.

Speaking of being culturally insensitive, it's a St. Paddy's Day tradition for the current Irish leader to bring the U.S. President a bowl of shamrocks. Faith and begorrah, laddie! Why doesn't he just dress up like the Lucky Charms mascot and dance an Irish jig on the White House lawn?

A group in Boston conducted a survey of local teens and asked them about Chris Brown and Rihanna. The results? Forty-six percent thought the beating Brown allegedly gave Rihanna "was Rihanna's fault, and fifty-two percent said it was both Rihanna and Brown's fault. Fifty-one percent blamed Brown." Wow. This story gets more depressing by the minute. I'm increasingly of the opinion that there are a lot of guys out there who think it's acceptable to hit a woman if she, you know, just doesn't listen or something. Scary thought.

In goofier entertainment news: Wow, Harry Connick Jr. got fat. I know that doesn’t really matter, but women are usually the target of this sort of nonsense, so I thought I'd share a pic of a famous guy who got caught lookin' chunky on the beach.

I'm not sure what it means when Judge Judy makes more sense than most of the people who talk about the state of our world today. It may be a sign of the apocalypse. Granted, anyone can look good next to Larry King, but Judge Judy sounds quite reasonable here.

There's a six-year-old boy out there with a 176 IQ. At that level, shouldn't he be able to move objects with his mind or something? (Oh, and I bet his father was young.) When you see a story like this, do you look at your own kids and say, "Why can't you be that smart?" Yeah, me neither.

February saw an increase in the number of new homes being constructed, aka "housing starts." Here's the headline, which is pretty typical these days: "Housing starts take surprising jump in Feb. / But can gains continue amid all the housing industry's woes?" It’s like giving a child a piece of chocolate cake and then telling him you might have dropped it in the sink. Or that the frosting is actually made with carob. (Remember carob? It was supposed to be healthier than chocolate. I think people stopped using it in the 1970's.) Just once I'd like to get a piece of good news without being told, "hey, it's good, but don't expect it to last."

Alex Rodriguez, whom I refer to as The Rod, has revealed his true talent -- being annoying both on and off the field. I mean, how is it that the highest paid player in baseball isn’t playing and is on the cover of Details magazine with the headline, "A-Rod: Confessions of a Damned Yankee"? Yes, the cover was planned before he had his surgery. But what the hell, dude?

And finally, March Madness has arrived. If you're like me and have no officemates to play with (let's call it March Sadness), you can make a bracket at NYTimes.com and compete against random people for an Amazon Kindle, which is a nice prize. And CNET has a list of several NCAA-related websites to choose from. The tournament starts tomorrow (Thursday March 19), so get your bracket ready if you want to play. It's like the stock market, only more fun and with less sweating.

Image: CNET

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Morning News - Cheney, Duct Tape, Outer Space

Brett Singer — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Madeline is taking a little time off, so I'll be your Morning Newsperson for awhile. Gosh, I sure wish there was something to talk about. The news is so dull right now... Oh! Wait. My bad. Here we go:

Dick Cheney did an interview with CNN's "State of the Union" where he said that "reversing [Bush administration] anti-terrorism policies endangers Americans." See, if a Democrat said that about a Republican President, there would be an outcry. The former VP also said the Bush administration spent so much money (remember that surplus we used to have?) because "Stuff happens," and discusses the fact that his former boss (George W. Bush, remember him?) did not pardon Scooter Libby. That last one is interesting, I would have thought that Bush would do that. Guess not. There's a meeting it would be fun to be a fly on the wall for. "Dude, I am SO not pardoning Scooter." "Dude! You totally have to!" (Note: I wasn't there, but I bet that's not what they said.)

Some people who are out of work have decided to make their own jobs. The New York Times reports on a few folks who have found their inner entrepreneur, including Alex Andon, who makes jellyfish tanks. Seems that some people will spend big bucks for a nice home for their jellies. Who knew? If you can't make jellyfish tanks (and if not, that's OK, we can't all be good at everything), maybe one of your kids could make a YouTube video asking someone to hire you.

Investigators want to freeze the assets of Ruth Madoff, wife of Bernie. My only question is why did it take them this long to decide to do that?

The space shuttle launched! Um, what's that? You don't care? C'mon, isn't this still a cool thing? I remember being a kid and we were all so stoked whenever there was a launch. I guess it's just not that big a deal anymore. This particular mission sends the Discovery to the International Space Station "to deliver and install the fourth and final pair of solar wings." I don't know what that is, but "solar wings" sounds really cool to me.

Demon dad Josef Fritzl will plead guilty to some charges, but not the ones that carry the really long prison sentences. There will still be a trial, which CNN says will probably last less than a week. We could learn something from those Austrians.

In my day, if a kid made clothes out of duct tape, that meant he was nerdy. Nowadays, it's a contest, with the winner getting $3,000 in scholarship money, provided by Duck brand tape. Tough economic times have increased the number of participants: 25 last year, 80 this year. You can see lots of pics at CNN.com.

Catfight on the catwalk! Or something like that. There was a riot at the tryouts for "America's Next Top Model" in New York City. Clearly this is the result of opening the competition up to women under 5 foot 7. Or this particular crop of "hundreds of hotties in heels" are nuts, no matter how tall they are. Who knows.

And finally, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke says that the recession could -- COULD -- end this year if -- IF -- the government can get the banks to lend money and make the financial markets "work more normally." I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel like a class A moron whenever people start talking about the economy. (Derivatives? What?) So all you finance types: Fix it, OK? Sheesh.

More tomorrow... same Babble time, same Babble channel...

Image: CNN