Guide for 2011

Each year one vicious habit discarded, in time might make the worst of us good. ~Benjamin Franklin~

I didn't make New Year's Resolutions this year, but recently I've seen other people post more creative options which has inspired me. Christina-Marie Wright of The Gonzo Mama has implemented A Year of Yes where she is pushing herself to do things outside of her comfort zone. It was her joining the roller derby in order to make connections with other women that resonated with me so much. I too seek those connections. Karen Walrond of Chookooloonks creates vision boards. This year she posted how she and her daughter create them together. I also LOVE her post describing her journaling process. Then I noticed the BlogHer Ad for the Own Your Beauty campaign, which asks each of us to think about what we're capable of achieving. They have a word each month to help guide you. Some people pick a word for the year. But I think it was Britni Danielle of This Side of the Wall that really provided the model for my project. It's my visual guide to what I hope will happen in 2011. It centers around the words "dreams" and "action" because I want to finally act on my dreams. First though, I had to be brave enough to actually give voice to my dreams. And here they are:

What will you try in 2011?

Adoption Tax Credit

Tax questions seem to be the searches bringing people to this blog lately, so I thought I would address it again.

NACAC or the North American Council on Adoptable Children has a document titled Claiming the Federal Adoption Tax Credit for Special Needs Adoptions on their website covering all the information you need to know. You can even download a pdf to make printing easier (I suggesting printing a copy to take with you to the tax preparer.)

The IRS document, Form 8839 is available on the IRS.gov website. This link is for the 2009 version. I expect they will release the 2010 version shortly. There is already a draft version online. Instructions for filling out the 8839 (again, the 2009 version) is also available.

Basically the big changes are the amount is increased from $12,150.00 to $13,170 and it is now refundable. This means you can claim it (and get money back) even if you don't owe any tax. Please note "These amounts are phased out if your modified AGI is between $182,520 and $222,520. You cannot claim the credit or exclusion if your modified AGI is $222,520 or more."

See this older post for information on claiming foster kids on your taxes.

~ Keeping * it * Real ~

I just assumed that people where I live wouldn't know what a blog was even if it walked into church and sat down beside them. Facebook, yes, they are all over that like a Southern Baptist trying to convert an Atheist. Hell, even twitter apparently, because my Mama is on there, of all people, though she can't pronounce it correctly.

Technical Difficulties

We're experiencing technical difficulties here at Chez M4$. The internet connection is spotty at best. When it's working, it's super slow. Some days I can't get online at all. Others I spend three hours trying to check and reply to email. No exaggeration.

I'm hoping once the weather clears up, the internet connection will improve. It's currently 15 degrees with 6 inches of snow on the ground. Welcome to the south! Wait. What?