America's Cutest Last-Minute Tax Deduction

My cousin's first born was delivered at 11:40 pm on December 31. Perfect time for a tax deduction! All Moms would agree that the joy that comes from having a new baby is priceless! The sweet sounds of cooing, chubby cheeks and the intimate bond between parent and child can make any family feel rich with love. But, as any new parents can attest, raising children can have an impact on your checkbook, as well as your heart. In fact, the typical family spends more than $221,000 raising a child through age 17.


I am thrilled to pass along the news of a fun contest that might lighten the load of one lucky family! Thanks to TurboTax®, one "last-minute" baby will help his or her parents save a bundle.

TurboTax® the nation's No. 1 rated, best-selling tax preparation software from Intuit Inc. is conducting its 3rd annual nationwide search for America's Cutest Last-Minute Tax Deduction. The parents of one lucky baby, born in the month of December 2009, will win $5,000.

To enter, parents or legal guardians should submit a photo of their baby born between Dec. 1-31, to http://www.cutesttaxdeduction.com/. The deadline for submissions is January 7, 2010. Judges will select 10 finalists, and America will determine America's Cutest Last-Minute Tax Deduction and the $5,000 grand prize winner!

So if you or anyone you know has welcomed a new addition to the family this month, make sure you send them over to cutesttaxdeduction.com! What a way to ring in the New Year!

No-Bake Cookies: Haystacks

There are about a million different variations of this recipe out there, but I thought I'd share anyway. This recipe has become my new favorite no bake cookie! So easy that I can remember the recipe without ever writing it down! Here's what you need:

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup peanuts

1 bag butterscotch morsels

7-9 cups corn flakes cereal

Directions:

Melt morsels and peanut butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds or just until the morsels start to soften. Stir the mixture until the morsels lose their shape and blend with the peanut butter. Add peanuts and cereal and toss until evenly coated.

Cover baking sheets with wax paper and place scoops of the mixture on the sheets. Let set in fridge until "solid." Enjoy!

This is a quick and easy treat that's sure to please! Plus it's easy enough to leave as a last minute plea to Santa! Don't forget the milk!

Boys Get Yeast Infections?

The one reason I was scared to have a boy was because I didn't know what to do with their little weinies. I'm oneof three girls. I didn't have any little boy cousins to babysit or anything so the first time I saw one it wasn't in a diaper.

Well my son has a little stomach bug. He's been pooping like crazy! Luckily we already had an appointment scheduled for the doctor today - his 12 month check up. The doctor said (exact words)- "no matter how clean you keep him, diarrhia will eat yer booty." We love our pediatrician... :) Poor guy has developed quite a nasty rash that we just can't get rid of.

My son would cry and cry all day. Everytime he moved the wrong way he'd clench his little butt cheeks, tense up and let out a big yell! I felt so bad for him. Poor little guy. Good old Desitin just wouldn't do the trick. The pediatrcian perscribed Nystatin which has seemed to do the trick.

Little did I know, the real trick would be to give him an oatmeal bath. Good advice from my mom. After all, a mother knows! My son is a little swimmer in the tub! He loves to splash around and ultimately ends up swallowing a lot of bath water... unfortunately. I didn't think it'd be a good idea to just throw him in with a store bought oatmeal bath solution so I ran to the kitchen and grabbed the good old fashioned quick cook oats!

Little guy was clinging to me all day so I knew it'd be a challenge to get him into the tub. As soon as his feet hit the cloudy, oatmeal water he screamed and reached for Mommy! Of course, as his mommy, it feels good when your baby wants you to "save" him. But he needed this bath! So, I stripped down to my tank top and undies and hopped into the bath with him.

It was really gross. That oatmeal bath eventually turned into a shower for mommy to get all of the oatmeal out of places where there shouldn't be oatmeal. But hey, a mother's gotta do what a mother's gotta do!

After the bath he was happy as a clam and the rash has almost completely cleared up! The Nystatin has really helped. If your baby seems to be getting a diaper rash, no matter how bad or if they have some minor skin irritation elsewhere, I definitely recommend tossing them in the bath with some good old fashioned quick cook oats!