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529 College Saving Program Direct Plan for a few years now in anticipation of paying university tuitions and other college fees, as well as researching summer STEM programs in areas they love, finding prep courses for high school entrance exams, and encouraging their interests with support and fun activities. New York has a 529 Direct Plan with Vanguard funds, and New York residents can deduct the first $10,000 of their annual NY 529 Direct Plan savings program contribution from the New York State income taxes, offering additional tax benefits. If one of my children doesn’t need the savings, it can be transferred to his brother or another family member, and if they both get full scholarships, we can withdraw the funds and pay a penalty tax and federal and state taxes since it’s not being used for the intended purposes*. Most states have state-sponsored and supervised 529 plans, designed to help parents save for higher education via investment accounts that are federal tax-advantaged. Planning ahead by putting aside savings for college now may result in fewer student loans needed later on, so if you are a parent thinking forward, you can learn more by visiting NY’s 529 College Saving Program Direct Plan.

We have two new products in our home from Toppin Technology, a stylish Touchless Sensor Soap Dispenser that allows anyone to dispense soap and wash up without touching anything (and thus not spreading anything- like COVID, the flu, a cold), and the Toppin Cordless Vacuum cleaner, a super light, super powerful cordless vacuum that cleans things up in the tightest corners in a snap. The Touchless Sensor Soap Dispenser looks great on our counter, and I love that we finally have a way to make our family (and sporadic guests) feel safer when they need to wash their hands. Toppin offers three types, including a foaming dispenser (that should be supplied with a foaming soap for best results), and it’s a great way to keep the bathroom a little more sterile and clean all year long. The Toppin Cordless Vacuum Cleaner has extra attachments to reach tighter spots between upholstery cushions and higher spots that shorties like me struggle with, as well as an LED headlight to make dark corners and closet floors visible.

so they don’t fall behind, since it’s hard to interact and ask for clarification on harder concepts with Zoom and masks and plexiglass dividers, and discovered … Big Fat Notebooks, which are basically the notes of the smartest kid in class, breaking down middle school math and middle school science into extremely easy to understand ideas and concepts so your child doesn’t fall behind. Why we love it: Big Fat Notebooks are affordable ($10 each), cover a massive amount of information to help both struggling students and kids who just want to review or have a clearer understanding of two important academic subjects, and they make learning fun. At some point, the kids want to game, and Mario Kart Live is a more interactive video game in that it actually features your children setting up a race track obstacle course around your home, and then speeding an actual Mario Kart around (powered by the Nintendo Switch) and watching your live, in-house race on the Switch. A camera on the Kart tapes the race, so everything is from the view of the race cart, and as it passes around cones and cups and past certain cardboard gates it activates a scoring flag so your Switch keeps track of how many points and times your Mario Kart successful races laps around your home.

The boys have never been snowboarding before, so when we were invited to enjoy a day of skiing or snowboarding at Big Snow in East Rutherford, NJ, they were so excited. We didn’t even know there was a large, indoor snowboarding and skiing park so close to us in New York, but apparently lots of other people did, because the place was (safely, socially-distanced) packed on a beautiful November day when we headed out to Big Snow for snowboarding lessons. My younger son loved snowboarding so much that in no time, he was hustling himself up the moving sidewalk lift himself to keep snowboarding down the hill (a starter hill, for those who are learning and small children). The lessons, lift rates, and usage rates are surprisingly affordable, so your whole family can enjoy a day of skiing or snowboarding often, maybe learn a new sport, and warm up on the side with hot cocoas and snacks when they want a break.