Back to School....and taxes, grr

As the school year starts … so does the need for supplies, books, computers, and field trips. Working in an office I can attest to the multiple fundraising ideas that parent (begrudgingly and some good aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends) bring in for their beloved school aged kiddo. While I feel there is a need to teach kids how to fundraise for something that is important to them…I know of a great option for schools!

You pay state taxes, like it or not. Do you know where your money goes? I dunno…maybe I paid for part of that side walk someone just spit on…maybe it went to the governor’s office and they are eating lunch with it…who knows. Well, you can change that.

In Arizona, you can donate your money to a school and even a teacher of your choice. The funds can be applied to extracurricular activities or character building programs. I understand it’s not computers or pencils or the basics but just think if your teacher doesn’t have to come up with it out of pocket, then those fundraising dollars that would have to go to a zoo trip could then be spent on a computer lab or music room or art supplies.

You do not have to have a child or even donate to the school in your neighborhood, you choose what school and if you want it to go to a certain teacher. You can donate $200 filing single, head of household or married filing separately and $400 when filing married filing jointly. You do not have to donate all to one school or all at the same time, you can do it as you see fit. Contact your school for where to locate their donation form.

The catch here is that you have to make your donation up front and then wait for your tax refund to recoup the cost. I would try to work this out with your tax professional so that you pay less out of your check every month so that you can do this if you are unable to comfortably front the cash. You must get it registered as paid by December 31 so be careful that some schools close for Christmas break and won’t be able to fill out the necessary documentation. I.E. don’t wait till last minute. Also you must have a tax liability of at least $100 for the year.

Arizona Form 322

Check here to see if your school qualifies to be in the program

Disclaimer: I am not a tax professional…just a blogger who heard of a fabulous tax credit. Contact a tax professional for details. 

xo, Sharon

Images from:

http://romulus.net/Pages/home.aspx

http://bearessentialnews.com/field-trip-guide.php

http://www.students.niu.edu/~z140184/website/Resume.html

http://www.mpsaz.org/zaharis/info/eca/  

Running Update

Ok, so I have been running…kind of. Here’s the story.

On Friday (Sept 9) I started to run and got really bad shin splints, I still ran 2 miles though in agony. So Saturday and Sunday I went walking with the kiddo and took a break from the pounding of the treadmill. Monday I thought, I should be good to go, shins still a little sore to the touch but nothing to worry about (I thought). So again I ran 2 miles and that was about all I could take. This week I really took it easy and did nothing. I feel guilty! But I read that you really shouldn’t be doing anything high impact, less put yourself on a path of serious injury. So I’m feeling good again and wondering…should I start running again?

Runners out there…is there anything you can do to prevent this? I stretch before and after, walk about 5 minutes before and after for a warm up/cool down and run in intervals….am I missing something? I know once I switch to training on pavement…this is probably going to get worse and with my 5K looming in a few weeks, I’m worried!

XO, Sharon

Run, Sharon, Run

I have started to commit more to running…literally running, feet pounding on the pavement (i.e. rubber mat on the treadmill), huffing and puffing while trying to sing the Hot Dog song to my son and throwing Mo-Mo’s (Cheerio’s) into his pack n play so he will give me the extra 10 minutes I need to finish my run.

I signed up with the Hub’s to do the 5K run for the Zoowalk for Autism Research October 1, 2011. This will be my first race, I’m nervous and excited to see how I do. It’s a little nerve wracking too because since AZ is the place runners go to die…it’s almost impossible to run outside between April and November….unless you want to run in the middle of the night, which I highly don’t recommend as an AZ driver is likely to not see you because they are texting. I digress… So needless to say I haven't been able to run outdoors yet. I want to do this a couple times at least to get the feel for running on pavement because I know it is going to be harder.

This cause is also important to us because we know too many kids with Autism or are in the Autism spectrum. Hub’s little brother has Aspergers and Fragile X. He is doing well but there has to be a better answer. Hopefully one day there will be.

(If you would like to donate to the team or me, please go here. Team Name: Gavin’s Cardinal’s or Sharon Price)

Other races I want to sign up for:

Iron Girl  5K or 10K (if I feel I can do it) – December 11, 2011

-          Great organization! Empowering women and girls to make healthy and happy choices.

P.F. Change’s Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon – January 15, 2012

-          This would be a great accomplishment and I would be able to make this off my bucket list this year! We will see if this girl can do the 10K by then and then we can talk!

Here is a Running Log I have created. This will help me keep accountable for my training. Any thoughts or advice?? I know I need to get new shoes and running shorts but anything else more important?

XO, Sharon

Week	Date	Miles	Time	Notes
1	9/7/11	2	34 mins
	9/8/11	3	40 mins	Had to move fast on the last mile since Lil’ Man was done at 32 minutes.