Issue Date: February 11, 2007
Drive kids safely with booster seats
To get more information about this life-saving gear, go to boosterseat.gov.
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Why not celebrate national Child Passenger Safety Week by possibly saving your little one's life? A simple backless booster seat can cost as little as around $20 and is widely available from department and nursery stores. Mandatory in many states (Hawaii began requiring them Jan. 1), boosters provide the safest transition from toddler car seats to the adult seat belt, raising your child to a height where the adult seat belt fits properly and preventing him from being thrown forward in a collision.
Still, no more than 20% of kids who should use them do. The facts are in the figures: Children ages 4 to 8 are three times more likely to be injured than babies and toddlers because they're improperly restrained by an adult seat belt.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that kids use booster seats until they're at least 8 years old or 4-foot-9-inches tall.
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Save money on a snow vacation in spring
The best way to save money on your family's winter resort vacation: Think spring. Around the third week of March, lodging rates go into a freefall through mid-April. Blue skies and longer ski days are added bonuses. Start with Smugglers' Notch in northern Vermont, which has a reputation as one of the nation's best family ski and snowboard mountains.
"Spring's softer snow conditions make it easier to learn to ski without the distraction of the cold," says Harley Johnson, of Smugglers' Snow Sport University. Spring's SuperSaver rates start at $99 per adult per night and $85 per child per night, which includes lodging, daily ski lift tickets and instruction for beginning skiers of all ages.
At Beaver Creek in Colorado, escalators can transport weary children in ski boots, and free cookies at day's end keep everyone smiling. And it's worth waiting for the spring snowfall on this mountain with terrain for all abilities. Four nights of lodging, skiing and rentals, plus three days of ski school, are $694 per person between April 3 and 15.
Utah's Park City has three challenging mountains within a few minutes' drive, as well as Gorgoza Park, one of the best tubing hills in the West. Deals include Deer Valley's Snowflake Special: Between March 25 and April 15, if you buy four nights' lodging, you get one night free.
Everett Potter is an award-winning travel writer.
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Dress up that vegetable
Here's an easy recipe for a valuable vegetable. Cruciferous veggies (cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage) all may help fight cancer.
Crispy cheese cauliflower
Olive oil spray
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 large head cauliflower,broken into pieces
2 eggs, beaten, or egg substitute
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1 lemon, cut in wedges
Preheat oven to 450 F. Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil.
In a shallow dish, combine cheese, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper. Dredge cauliflower in egg, then in cheese mix. Put on cookie sheet; spray with oil. Bake 15 minutes.
Remove to plate; sprinkle with parsley. Serve with lemon.
Serves 4
Per serving: 124 calories, 11g protein, 7g carbohydrates, 7g fat (3g saturated), 118mg cholesterol, 3g fiber, 275mg sodium
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More 2006 tax tips you don't want to miss
For homeowners. Did you take advantage of low interest rates to refinance your home in 2006? You may be able to deduct some associated costs. If you itemize, points paid to refinance may be deductible as mortgage interest. And points paid to obtain an original home mortgage could be fully deductible.
For parents. Did you finalize an adoption last year? You may be eligible for more than $10,000 in tax credits on your federal tax return. If you started a special-needs adoption, you can take credit against your taxes for that year, too. Married couples generally have to file a joint return. If your child has a learning disability, you may qualify for considerable tax deductions. Families may write off many of their bills as medical expense deductions, such as tuition at a special-needs school.
For the self-employed. Did you use a portion of your home regularly and exclusively for business? You may be able to take a home office deduction for the business portion of real estate taxes, mortgage interest, rent, utilities, insurance and repair, based on the percentage of the home used.
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Make your Valentine a homemade bouquet
Use two types of flowers in colors that reflect your love's personality.
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Select flowers in colors that reflect your love's personality. Pastels are interpreted as soft, romantic and sweet. Purple and red are associated with passion and intensity. And yellows and oranges represent a sunny disposition.
These days, the flower selection at grocery stores is so good that I purchase most of my flowers there. Of course, your local florist will have a greater selection of unusual stems.
Buy nine to 12 stems of one type of flower in one color and five to seven stems of another type. For example, I might get 12 pink long-stem roses and five purple tulips -- or nine yellow stargazer lilies and nine yellow freesias. Or, try pink gerbera daisies and violet irises. Have fun with it. Finally, pick three to five stems of greenery.
At home, unwrap the flowers immediately and place them in a sink of tepid water. Use a pruner to cut the stems a few inches to the same length. Pat them dry. Lay colorful florist or tissue paper on the counter and place the stems one by one into a mound. Intersperse the types of flowers, then hold them up. Arrange them until you're happy -- it doesn't have to be symmetrical. When you're ready, wrap a ribbon around your bouquet and add a handwritten note.
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