Starting a registered education savings plan for your child’s future education would make a great gift this holiday season. Grandparent’s might even like the idea as an RESP will become a gift that will greatly benefit their grandchildren in the future. It can seem a little intimidating to get started but there are many financial planners ready to answer any questions you have about starting the process. The important thing is……that you get started. Small amounts of money compound and add up over time. We started saving for our children’s education when they were only a few months old by contributing about $100 a month into each of their RESP’s. My son will be turning seven next month and there is over $10,000 saved in his plan. My daughter Maya is 5 and has over $8000 saved in hers. Part of my children’s allowance also goes towards their education and is saved up in their SCHOOLING piggy bank. They often like to count the money that they have saved and talk about what they want to be when they grow up.
So maybe this year when considering what to get your child for Christmas you could include thinking about their future education. There are many ways to start the process of saving. Look for a plan that best suits your family budget and that you feel comfortable with. I assure you – this is a gift that your children will thank you for in the long run.
Posted on November 18th, 2009 by 4piggies
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This week has been an extremely busy one! I’ve had 2 sick kids (stomach virus….not swine flu) to take care of, teaching, writing articles (one of which was sent to Yummy Mummy), judging for Mom’s Choice Awards, updating my 4 Piggies website for the arrival of 8000 piggy banks, and to top it off we’ll be entertaining guests this evening complete with a full roast beef dinner!
It can be hard as a mom when we seem to wear so many different hats. Earlier this week I wore my nurse’s hat for my sick children. Tuesday I wore my writer’s hat for most of the day since my children were well enough to go back to school. Yesterday I wore my teacher’s hat as I homeschooled my daughter and then switched over to my maid’s hat as I tore through the house on a cleaning binge. Today I wore my workout hat, grocery shopping hat, writer’s hat and later on my chef’s hat will come out of the closet to prepare that roast beef dinner complete with all the trimmings.
As many hats as I tend to wear in a day, I wouldn’t change it for a thing. I’m glad that I have the opportunity to choose the hats that I wish to don on any particular day and can toss one aside for another if I please - (although that nurse’s hat is a little hard to toss when your children are tossing their cookies). I’m grateful for the things I’m blessed with in my life and love that I run a business that allows me to work from home and still have the variety of putting on so many different hats. I wonder what else life will throw my way today and what hats I’ll have to scramble to put on during the remainder of my day. Whatever they are…..bring them on!
Posted on November 5th, 2009 by 4piggies
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Recently my children participated in the Terry Fox Run with their school to raise funds for cancer research. Cancer is something our children have been exposed to from a young age when an aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer and a schoolmate was diagnosed with leukemia. To raise money, the children were asked to bring in coins each day. Both Caleb and Maya participated by withdrawing money from their SHARING piggy banks and brought their own money in to school. They were happy to participate in the run and receive Terry Fox bookmarks and tattoos. My son put his tattoo on his cheek so that everyone would be able to see that he was a proud sponsor for the Terry Fox Run. Many people stopped to ask him what the tattoo on his cheek was all about and he proudly announced that it was of Terry Fox. I found it interesting that both of our children never asked us to send in money but rather took the initiative to bring in money from their own piggy banks. They are aware of the many organizations that my husband and I support and it has been extremely interesting to see how at a young age they are already beginning to find their own niche in helping others in the world.
Posted on October 13th, 2009 by 4piggies
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I’m pondering the thought of having my children go back to school next week with mixed emotions. Our family has been on quite the journey this summer with our biggest adventure being our move to a new home. We love that we are in a country setting with plenty of room for the kids to play and the convenience of still being a two minute drive to Walmart. I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to spend so much quality time with my children at the beach, parks, sailing, swimming and visiting with friends. I will miss having them home with me every day once they start school.
On the plus side, I will have more time to devote to working on expanding our company – Four Piggies Publishing and writing. Having the kids home every day has meant balancing family with many late nights working this summer. We’ve started getting ready for the fall and Christmas season with new packaging for “The 4 Piggies Kit” which will contain both the award winning book I wrote “The 4 Little Pigs” (a financial values book for children) and the four piggy banks named Spending, Saving, Sharing and Schooling. We’ll be marketing the kit in the retail sector and it will be available for purchase on the fourpiggies website in the fall.
I feel sometimes as though every time I turn around my children are growing a little more and I want to live in the moment with them for each stage they go through. So as they get ready to return to school with new haircuts, backpacks and school supplies, I’ll look forward to having the extra time during the day to spend getting work done with the thought that at the end of the day I’ll get to hear all about their adventures at school.
Posted on August 25th, 2009 by 4piggies
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If you are a mom and you haven’t yet had the chance to check out the products honored by the Mom’s Choice Awards, take a moment to visit their website. The Mom’s Choice Awards® is an annual awards competition that recognizes authors, inventors, companies, parents and others for their efforts in creating quality family-friendly media products and services. During my recent trip to New York I had the opportunity to meet Tara Paterson who is the founder of the Mom’s Choice Awards and share her vision in recommending quality family friendly products for families. I was privileged enough to be asked to be a judge for the Mom’s Choice Awards this year which I’ve gratefully accepted. In a few weeks, I’ll begin this process and look forward to serving. I’m sure my background as a teacher and educator for children over the past 14 years will serve me well (and it doesn’t hurt being on the receiving end of this prestigious awardJ).
Posted on June 10th, 2009 by 4piggies
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During our recent trip to New York to attend Book Expo America, my husband and I had the opportunity to meet Greg Mortenson. Greg is a New York Times bestselling author of the book Three Cups of Tea. His mission is to promote peace through education by building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. His charity is called Pennies for Peace and his belief is that “our best hope for a peaceful and prosperous world lies in the education of all the world’s children”. I am very much in agreement with his beliefs and upon our return to Canada was excited to share Greg’s vision with others. I started with my own children and explained to them how one penny could buy a pencil for a child in an impoverished country. Caleb was excited and immediately went to his SHARING piggy bank to see how many pennies he had. He was thrilled to show me that he had 7 pennies and that he wanted to start collecting more. When Maya saw the jar on the counter and we explained to her what Caleb wanted to do, she also donated all her pennies and put them in the jar. This jar of pennies has been sitting on our kitchen counter for the past week and as friends and family visit and find out what it is for they too have been donating their pennies. When Greg Mortenson first began his efforts to raise money he wrote letters to 580 celebrities, businessmen and other prominent Americans. His only reply was a $100 check from NBC’s Tom Brokaw. It was an elementary school whose children donated $623.40 in pennies that inspired adults to take action. I am proud of how my children have truly listened and understood Greg’s mission through Pennies for Peace and how in their own little way they are inspiring others to take action.
Posted on June 5th, 2009 by 4piggies
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I’ve just returned home from an AMAZING trip to New York City for Book Expo America. I was scheduled to sign copies of my children’s book The 4 Little Pigs (a financial values book for children) which has been honored to receive a Mom’s Choice Award for being one of the best in family friendly products in addition to it receiving a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award. We brought along the piggy banks named Spending, Saving, Sharing and Schooling which we sell along with the book on our website. We had the opportunity to share the news that I’m working on the second book in The 4 Little Pigs series and are excited about its planned release date for next year. I also had the opportunity to be interviewed by Tara Paterson (founder of the Mom’s Choice Awards) and we connected on several issues about raising children. One of the highlights of my trip was getting the opportunity to meet Greg Mortenson who is the author of the New York Times Bestselling book, Three Cups of Tea. I had the opportunity to speak to Greg about his foundation Pennies for Peace and look forward to starting fundraising efforts in Canada for this cause. Look for more information and updates about our trip later this week!
Posted on June 1st, 2009 by 4piggies
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My son is in Grade One and will be participating in Jump Rope for Heart in another week to raise money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. He’s been busily collecting pledges from family members and was adding up how much he’s collected so far this morning at the breakfast table. I found it amusing to hear that he went into his sister’s room this morning to ask if she would give him some money from her sharing money. Maya is a very generous little girl and has been saving up to “adopt” a penguin through the World Wildlife Foundation’s symbolic adoption program. Because it was her birthday over the weekend (she’s now 5!) she had received some money and had a little extra so she was glad to help her brother out and pledge him. Dad was a little confused when he came to the breakfast table and noticed Maya and Caleb counting up a bunch of money until I explained the situation to him.
We’ve had a few family members who have had heart problems and my husband and I have always supported the Heart and Stroke Foundation even before we had children. It is nice to see their enthusiasm in wanting to participate in such a worthy cause. Even though Maya is a little too young to be involved in the actual Jump Rope for Heart event we are so proud that she is supporting her brother with a financial donation.
Posted on April 22nd, 2009 by 4piggies
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Last weekend we had a few things to pick up so we spent an afternoon running around with the kids. Before we left, Caleb asked if he could bring along a gift card he had received for Toys R Us. The mall was one of our stops so we said “sure”.
In the first store, our daughter Maya asked if she could buy a treat. She had brought along her wallet with her spending money in it so we said she could pick something out. Caleb on the other hand had not brought his wallet in with him, only the gift card. Maya, being the generous little girl she is, offered to buy a treat for Caleb too. She picked out gummies and he picked out bubble gum. Maya had a little trouble making sure she had enough to pay for both (considering she still had Canadian mixed in with America money left over from our recent Florida vacation), but Caleb helped her count out her Canadian money to pay for the treats while dad and I finished shopping.
When we finally made it up to the mall, Caleb was excited about being able to use his gift card. When we got to the store we spent lots of time going up and down the aisles looking for something he could buy. After changing his mind a million times he decided on some cool bubble wands. I overheard a discussion between him and his sister that went something like this:
Caleb - “Which one do you think I should get Maya?”
Maya – “I like the swords”
Caleb – “I like them too……and they’re on sale!”
Maya – “I like the pink one with the hearts on it”
Caleb – “O.k. Maya, I have enough to get you one too so I’ll buy you that one!”
They were so excited that as soon as we got home they immediately opened them up and spent the rest of the afternoon fighting bubbles with their new bubble swords. I made a point before bed that evening to let them know how proud I was of how they had thought about the other and shared their spending money with each other. I think they are learning a lot more than just about money and as a parent that makes me feel that I must be doing something right.
Posted on March 24th, 2009 by 4piggies
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I had the privilege of attending a birthday party for a former music student this past weekend. Nicholas was turning 18 and his parents organized a surprise birthday celebration inviting guests who have contributed in some way to who he had become as a young man. I was honoured to be one of those guests as his first music teacher.
I am only 33 years old and to have a former student now turning 18 makes me feel that time really does pass by too quickly. I remember Nicholas as a bright eyed, red haired, adorable little boy - always with a story to tell. Sometimes he would bring in his writing and after class I would have the opportunity to read through some of his stories. I recall his excitement one day when his family shared their experience of taking Nicholas and his brother Timothy to the Medieval Times diner show in Toronto. Nicholas was enthralled with the knights and the medieval era. It is no surprise that Nicholas has grown into a remarkable young man with a keen interest in writing. He has given me the privilege of reading a draft copy of his first book entitled “Piece of Angels” with its setting taking place in the medieval era. I have just begun reading his literary work and I’m already captivated with the story and thankful for the opportunity to read through his precious work.
I look at my own children now and realize that in a blink of an eye we will be celebrating their 18th birthdays. As a parent, I am always watching and wondering what childhood passions will eventually become their calling in life. I recall my own dreams as a young girl “teaching” my stuffed animals. Passionate about music, with a love for piano it is no wonder I became a music teacher at 20 and still enjoy teaching today. Being an avid writer I kept a blue folder filled with literary work from the time I was a little girl. I’m beginning to realize now how important that blue folder would become to who I am now, as an award winning children’s author. I hope I can help support Nicholas in his dreams and I’m very grateful for the chance to re-connect with him and his family.
Posted on March 11th, 2009 by 4piggies
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