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February, 2010
Did
you ever notice that when you put the words
"The" and "IRS" together, it spells "THEIRS?"
~Author Unknown
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TAX BREAKS FOR EMPLOYERS OF HOUSEHOLD HELP
(from Stephanie Breedlove at Breedlove
and Associates)
To lighten the financial burden
for working parents, Congress has enacted
tax benefits for families through
employer-provided dependent care
assistance (Dependent
Care Account) and the
Tax
Credit for Child or Dependent Care.
However, these tax breaks are only
available if the employer fulfills the
state and federal compliance process.
Dependent Care Account (also called
"Flexible Spending Account"). Most
companies allow employees with child or
dependent care expenses to contribute up
to $5,000 of their pretax earnings to an
individual Dependent Care Account. The
money in this account is then used to
cover childcare expenses, free of taxes.
The savings are approximately $2,300 per
year.
Tax
Credit. For those who don't have
access to a Dependent Care Account, they
can claim the Tax Credit for Child or
Dependent Care (Form 2441) on their income
tax return at year-end. Basically, they
can take a tax credit of 20% to 30% on
qualifying childcare expenses. But
expenses are limited to $3,000 for one
dependent or $6,000 for two or more
dependents. The savings from this tax
break are $600 - $1,200 depending on
number of dependents.
For many families, the tax savings
actually exceed the employer's share of
the taxes, meaning families can save money
by being legal!
For more information and great online
tools, visit Breedlove and Associates at:
www.breedlove-online.com
No matter what you need, we can help
you by finding the right PEOPLE to
make your life easier. During the
past year we have helped our clients
with everything from full-time NANNIES
to HOUSEKEEPERS and CHEFS to OFFICE
HELP and EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTS. All of
this can be less expensive than you
might expect. When you have the right
help, it frees you to get more done,
and you are able to get it all done
more efficiently, giving you more time
for what is really
important...family. "If we don't have
it, we'll find it" has worked well for
us AND for our clients!
As always, if you are not in need of
household help at this time, please
forward this email to associates and
friends who are looking for
college-educated nannies, experienced
housekeepers, personal assistants,
baby specialists, or any other type of
household help.
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Meet a Few of Our Current Nanny
Candidates:
*Allison ~ Allison holds a B.S. in
Education from the University of
Georgia. Since graduating she
has served as a substitute teacher,
softball coach and cheerleading
coach. She volunteered with the
Girls' and Boys' clubs of America, and
has done on-call childcare. She
describes herself as being "invested
in seeing your children excel in
school, sports, and anything else they
wish to do.
*Amy ~ B.S. in Early Childhood
Education from Georgia State
University. Amy teaches group fitness
classes, is an excellent swimmer, and
enjoys biking, running, soccer,
kickboxing and anything
outdoors. She is learning Spanish,
and she would like to be involved with
a family, helping the children to
become lifelong learners.
*Chris ~ Chris is one of our Colorado
nannies who fits our NannyQuest
profile perfectly. She has a Masters'
degree in Education from Mt. St. Mary
College in New York. She has taught
school, nannied extensively with
families from New York, Maine,
Massachusetts and Colorado. Chris has
traveled with families, enjoys dance,
and describes her strong suits as
"organization and creativity." If you
know of someone in Vail, CO who is
looking for a great nanny, give them
our name!
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KIDS in
THE KITCHEN
TACO RING
This taco ring makes a fun,
kid-friendly dinner, or an
attractive appetizer for parties.
And it's far easier to prepare
than it looks. Use whatever taco
fixings you like for the center of
the ring. You could add black
olives, salsa, chopped red onions,
whatever you like.
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef (85%-90%
lean)
1 Tbsp. mild chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 8 oz. cans refrigerated crescent
rolls
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2-3 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup sour cream mixed with 1 tsp.
mild chili powder
3/4 cup pico de gallo or tomato
salsa
Black olives, chopped tomatoes,
onion
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Brown ground beef with chili
powder, cumin salt and pepper
in a large skillet.
On a pizza stone, arrange
crescent rolls in a circle,
with shortest tips pointing
out and the widest ends
overlapping slightly. Press
the ends together to form a
smooth circle of dough.
Spoon ground beef mixture over
widest part of the dough in a
circle. Sprinkle shredded
cheese over top.
Fold pointed parts of crescent
roll dough over ground beef
mixture, tucking to secure.
The dough will not cover the
ground beef completely.
Bake 20-22 minutes until rolls
are golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool
slightly. Transfer to a
serving platter, if you like.
Place shredded lettuce in the
center of the taco ring. Top
with sour cream mixture, pico
de gallo and any additional
taco fixings you like.
Makes 1 taco ring.
ENJOY!
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Meet a Few of our Current
Housekeepers, Chefs, and Laundresses
* Libba ~ A laundress with years of
experience in private homes. She
can do it all, from hand-washing your
finest clothing to caring for your
linens. Flexible with days and hours.
*Andrew & Rebecca ~ Both are
experienced chefs with a wide
variety of cooking skills. They
will do the shopping, prepare the
meal, or put it in the freezer for
you to use when you need it. Once
a week can provide you with
ready-made meals for the next few
days!
*Elsa ~ Elsa is an executive
housekeeper. She has been with a
satisfied NannyQuest family for six
years and the family is moving out of
town. She has worn many hats for this
family, being responsible for detailed
housekeeping, laundry, ironing, house
manager duties and light childcare.
Elsa is looking for another long-term
position.
*Jeanette ~ Jeanette is seeking a
part-time, detailed housekeeping
position. Years of experience with
pleased NannyQuest families, who
describe her as dependable, detailed
and conscientious.
Renee ~ Renee has been a private chef
with a NannyQuest family for the past
two years. The family hates to see
her go, but she is relocating to the
Georgetown, Myrtle Beach, Pawley's
Island area. If you know of family or
friends who would love the luxury of
Renee's services, have them contact
us.
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This Month is Brought to You By:
Hailey!
Email us your family pictures. We
love to see the faces of the children
we work for!
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Share
your snow pictures by emailing them to
elizabeth@nannyquest.net!
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YOU WILL BE WORKING DIRECTLY WITH: |
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Elizabeth Walsh, owner of NannyQuest, Inc.
has a degree in Education from Emory and
Henry College in Virginia. She taught
school and directed a private school in
Atlanta for many years. Elizabeth handles
placements of college-educated nannies for
families in Atlanta and throughout the
U.S. She is the mother of five children,
ages 33 to 23, and the proud grandmother
of 4-year-old McClain.
~AND~
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Jenny Fitzgerald, Domestic Placement Specialist,
handles the placements of housekeepers and home
managers. She has extensive experience with
executive families in the Atlanta area, and is
dedicated to providing trustworthy, dependable
home managers, housekeepers, chefs, and more.
Jenny has two sons, ages 32 and 29, and is the
very proud (and young) grandmother of two
grandsons, Zachary (13) and Landry (5), and
granddaughter, Lily, who is 3.
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We look
forward to assisting you in your search for
any type of household help.
Elizabeth Walsh
NannyQuest, Inc.
770-992-0575
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