Saving for College with NY529 and MomTrends! #NY529EVENT

 Saving for college has a whole new meaning to me now with two boys in elementary school age. I know for you, you must be thinking I am crazy to even be worrying about it already when they are still so young. But I feel like you cant even blink for one second without them growing up, and we all know that unfortunately the matter of the fact is that education will keep on getting more expensive and we cannot do anything about that....besides start saving, NOW. When I was invited by Mom Trends to learn more about NYs 529 College Saving Plan I knew it was a MUST for me to attend. I have been wanting to know the best, yet simplest way for me to start saving for them to go to college. I was honestly just going to start a regular banking savings for them under my name, but I am happy I got all the information I needed to understand why NYs 529 Plan is the better fit for my family.

We were hosted by The Craft Studio, where the boys had the time of their lives making art. If you don't know my boys, they are both huge on art. Anything art related they are so excited and passionate about. So while they had fun with colors, mom was getting all the deets on how to go about saving for their future...whether they decide to be the next Picasso's or the the future educators of our world. I learned a lot and noticed that I was wrong about a lot of myths I had heard about college savings.

Let me answer some FAQs for you down below :

Q: What is a 529 college savings plan?
A: It's a type of investment account you can use for higher-education savings.
529 plans are usually sponsored by states.

Q: What makes these savings vehicles so powerful?
A: Tax savings. Your earnings grow federally tax-deferred, qualified withdrawals
are tax-free,* and some states (like New York) have other tax benefits as
well.

Q: Can others help contribute to the plan?
A: Yes! Contributions to a 529 plan make a great gift for birthdays, holidays, etc.
in lieu of a traditional toy. You can invite friends and family to contribute to
your account by sharing a special Ugift code on Twitter or by email. Ugift also
provides printable gift coupons that you can distribute in person or by mail.
You can learn more here: https://www.ugift529.com/home.html

Q: Who can open a 529 plan account?
A: Just about anybody can open a 529 account—parents, grandparents, other
relatives, friends—as long as he or she is a U.S. citizen or a resident alien. As
an account owner, you'll pick investments, assign a beneficiary, and
determine how the money is used.

Q:How can I use the money in a 529 account?
A: You can use it to pay for anything that’s considered a qualified higher-
education expense, including tuition; books; supplies; equipment; meal plans,
for the purchase of certain computer equipment, software, and computer-
related services; and certain room and board fees.

Q: Can 529 accounts only be used to pay for college?
A: No. Your 529 account can be used to pay for qualified higher-education
expenses at any eligible educational institution, including:
- Postsecondary trade and vocational schools.
-  2- and 4-year colleges.
- Postgraduate programs.

Your children can attend college in any state, not just the state sponsoring the
#529 plan. Also, There are no income restrictions to open a #529 account. An “eligible education institution” is a school that has been assigned a federal school code by the Department of Education.
The account owner—not the beneficiary—is always in control of the account, even when the beneficiary becomes an adult. There is no age limit for beneficiaries of a 529 on a 529 plan. A beneficiary can have more than one account. For example, parents can open an account for a child and grandparents can open an account for the same child. Advantages of a 529: tax deductions, tax-deferred growth, and tax-free withdrawals. Recurring contributions are a convenient way for account owners to set up regular contributions, and 529 funds can be transferred to a close relative of the beneficiary if he or she doesn’t need the money, such as a sibling that will be entering college.

After this super informative event I ran home and opened up a plan for my little ones because I was completely sold on the idea. I know I made the right choice for them, and I feel so much more relived now than I did before. I know they are in better hands, and I am so excited to keep watching them grow and knowing they have a promising future ahead of them thanks to New York’s 529 College Savings Program Direct Plan.

For more information about New York’s 529 College Savings Program Direct Plan, obtain a
Disclosure Booklet and Tuition Savings Agreement at www.nysaves.org or by calling 1-877-
NYSAVES. This includes investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other
information. You should read and consider them carefully before investing.

Useful Links:

• NY 529 Direct site: www.NYSaves.org
• NY 529 Direct Twitter: www.twitter.com/NY529Direct
• NY 529 Direct YouTube page: www.youtube.com/NY529Direct
• NY 529 Direct Facebook page: www.facebook.com/NY529Direct
• College savings planner (tool): http://www.archimedes.com/vanguard/csp.phtml
• 529 state tax deduction calculator:http://www.archimedes.com/vanguard/stdc.phtml
• NY 529 Direct articles: https://www.nysaves.org/home/basics-of-529s/articles.html

**** #AD: Compensation was provided by NY 529 Direct via Momtrends. The

opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of

the opinions of NY 529 Direct or Momtrends.

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween Movie Jack O Lantern!

 Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween comes out in theatres tomorrow! You REALLY dont want to miss this. The plot follows to boys who accidentally bring Slappy the dummy and all the other goosebumps monsters back to life, and Halloween Night gets even more interesting. We were so excited to get to see an early screening of it on Tuesday night, But this post will not be about the review. We will keep that for next time! Lets just say you MUST go see it before Halloween, Slappy just never dissapoints!!

We used the pumpkin that Jace had gotten over the week at the Pumpkin Patch at his school trip, and he had decorated it all with a black sharpie which gave it a very edgy look!First things first we had to get all yucky slimy guck out of our pumpkin. So we carved around the stem and got everything out. As you can tell the boys did not really enjoy this process. You would think because they are boys they would love to get their hands messy...they just arent those kind of boys I guess. I ended up doing the rest of it anyway because they said it was way too messy for their liking.I cleaned it up a bit for them so that we could then start the end process of making it more unique, and Goosebumps looking.
We decided to add a fun light to the Jack O Lantern to make it bright up during the night and then gave him so green and slimey hair with Flurp. It was the perfect touch since you all must be familiar with the slimey goosebumps title. Its just such a classic that we had to add in here some way or another. The last little detail that we added to make our Jack stand out from the rest is we added some little colorful gummy bears to the bottom right by his mouth because our Jack O Lantern loves himself some yummy gummy bears as long as they arent attacking anyone right?


Because we were SO excited about the movie we decided to create our own Jack O Lanterns with a Goosebumps feel.

Next up, I drew with a black marker a very easy pattern of two triangle eyes, and a triangle nose, plus a mouth on the bottom. I kept it very simple and easy so that they could do the carving themselves. Nothing too tough were they would end up making a mistake. You really cant go wrong with these easy, and classic jack o lantern face shapes. Even if they cut outside of the lines it still tends to come out looking perfect. So I made sure to show them first how to poke it into the pumpkin and then slowly saw it down until you have to change positions of the pumpkin knife to start cutting the other lines out. Jace really liked the process and insisted on doing it all on his own. He did both eyes and the nose all on his own, and loved poppin out the piece of pumpkin to see the end results. I helped Caleb cut out the mouth on the bottom and he said it looked like a real mouth with teeth in it!

Have you carved a Jack O Lantern with your little ones before? If so, please share with us your favorite and easy DIYS! Im sure we are far from done when it comes to pumpkin fun. But I believe this is coolest and gooest Jack we have ever created! He will most definitely be remembered for Halloweens to come. Remember to go and check out Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween out in theatres tomorrow 10/12/2018!!! Your Halloween will not be complete without it!

- #AD: We were sent a giftcard to create this activity to share with our following to promote the Sony Pictures movie. But all opinions are honest and 100% my own!! 

HotelT3 is out on DVD TOMORROW 10/9!

The Drac Pack is back with HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3, which made its debut on Digital HD September 25, and on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD tomorrow on October 9, just in time to for a spooky, fun, family movie night right before Halloween! This must-own family comedy, which has grossed more than $425 million in theaters worldwide to date, follows in the tradition of the blockbuster Hotel Transylvania franchise when Mavis surprises Dracula with a family voyage on a luxury, haunted monster cruise ship. Of course, the rest of the Drac Pack has to tag along, and that’s when things get a little…batty. The monsters are having a great time, indulging in all of the shipboard fun the cruise has to offer, from monster volleyball to colossus-sized buffets and exotic excursions, but then the unexpected happens when Drac falls for the ship’s mysterious (and dangerous) human captain Ericka. The third film in this family-friendly monster franchise is the best reviewed installment and you’re invited along on the haunted cruise vacation!

The all-star voice cast is back, along with some new faces as well including Adam Sandler (Grown-Ups), Andy Samberg (TV’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), Selena Gomez (Spring Breakers), Kevin James (Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2), David Spade (TV’s “Rules of Engagement”), Steve Buscemi (TV’s “Boardwalk Empire”), Keegan Michael Key (TV’s “Key and Peele”), Molly Shannon (TV’s “Saturday Night Live”), Fran Drescher (TV’s “The Nanny”), Kathryn Hahn (Bad Moms), Jim Gaffigan (Super Troopers 2) and Mel Brooks (Young Frankenstein). The Spanish-language version also features voices from Galilea Montijo (TV’s “Hoy”) as Ericka and Violenta Isfel (TV’s “Mi Marido Tinen Familia”) as Mavis. 

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3 is filled with more than an hour of engaging bonus materials including three “All-New Scary-Oke Sing Alongs,” a monster dance party dance along to “I See Love” by Joe Jonas featuring Jonas Blue, plus a fun zing-tastic read along with Drac.  Families can enjoy all the frightful fun with a “Plan Your Own Spook-tacular Sleepover” feature and “Vampire Make Over: Mavis and Drac Tutorial,” and go behind-the-scenes to explore the amazing talent who bring these characters to life in “Behind the Screams – The Voices of Hotel Transylvania 3.

Here are the really fun bonus features.....

• Three All New Scary-Oke Sing Alongs: Sing along to three Hotel Transylvania 3 inspired songs with your favorite characters! 

• “Dennis Had a Giant Dog” – Sung by Dennis & Winnie

• “Monsters Like to Party Down” – Sung by Johnny

• “Oh These Wolf Pups” – Sung by Wanda Werewolf

• Plan Your Own Spook-tacular Sleepover: This feature will give you all details on how to make your own sleepover spook-tacular! From snacks to crafts to games and more, follow these steps to create a Hotel T sleep-over with your friends and family, the perfect setting to binge watch all 3 Hotel Transylvania movies.

• Vampire Make Over: Mavis and Drac Tutorial: Learn how to turn yourself into your favorite Hotel Transylvania 3 characters.

• Behind the Screams – The Voices of Hotel Transylvania 3: Step behind the "screams" with the returning stars and hilarious new cast to see how these characters are brought to life in the recording booth.

• Johnny’s Home Movies (Franchise Recap): Johnny brings viewers up to speed on what’s happened in the Hotel Transylvania franchise so far.

• “I See Love” Monster Dance Party Dance Along: Get up and get moving to this haunting monster mash.

• Drac’s Zing-tastic Read Along: It's storytime with your favorite characters have a silly tale about Drac's search for a Zing!  Read along or sit back and enjoy!

• Two Mini Movies (rated G): Two mini-features that will have you howling.

• Puppy

• Goodnight Mr. Foot

Hotel Transylvania 3 was one of our favorite movies of the summer for many reasons. Not only was it very funny for the whole family to enjoy, but we loved the ending message that we are all different but we should just accept eachother as our own selves. It was such a fun, and positive movie that taught many other life lessons without the children even realizing it. We were very excited when Sony sent us this awesome coffin mailer with not just the DVD but also many awesome products and toys from Jazwares. Momma even scored an adorable Mavis costume that I am pretty sure I am going to be using this coming halloween. As soon as we got it we popped up the popcorn, and put in the DVD to enjoy it one more time. We really enjoyed all the new bonus features, like songs that we were given the lyrics to sing along to! The boys really enjoyed that. I am sure we will be watching this movie another 20 times this year. Its also no mystery that we will be watching this on the spookiest nights of all, Halloween.

- This box of promo products was sent to us for reviewing purposes, but all opinions are of our own, and 100% honest. Thank you to Sony Animation for this opportunity!

Disney Freaky Friday out NOW on DVD!

I am sure I am not the only 90s mom on here that has a thing for original movies being remade for our new generation. I love being able to watch with my boys a classic movie I watched at their age, and then being able to see the remake with them together. It shows them that things of the past still have value, and an impact on people no matter how much time has past after it.

When I found out that Disney was making a remake for Freaky Friday, after15 years I was very excited. I instantly found the 2003 original and we watched it with the boys. We then decided it would be an epic karaoke party with some yummy ice cream to celebrate the remake coming out on DVD on September 25th.

                                                                  

 

A contemporary musical update of the classic comedic story, "Freaky Friday” is based on Disney Theatrical Productions' stage adaptation of the celebrated novel by Mary Rodgers. Sixteen-year-old Ellie Blake and her uber-organized mom Katherine, are constantly at odds about Ellie's messy room, sloppy clothes and seemingly careless attitude. Ellie really misses her dad who passed away a few years ago; she bickers with her younger brother and argues with Katherine who's getting ready to marry her fiancé, Mike – tomorrow.  As mother and daughter quarrel, they accidentally break the treasured hourglass given to Ellie by her father and then, suddenly, they magically switch bodies. Now, Ellie and Katherine must trade places at work and at school, and, during one crazy day, they'll learn to understand and appreciate each other.

It was such a great time singing all the songs with our Karaoke microphone! The boys are quite the performers so anything that has to do with music they are all about. It was such a fun time, but all that singing led to some well deserved ice cream sundaes that they topped with their favorite sweets! A great time if you ask me! Now my boys can totally agree that they would never ever want to trade places with me, but I sure would want to trade places with them any time! I mean who wouldn't want to be a child with no obligations instead.

- Materials were sent to me for the exchange of a review, but all opinions are 100% honest.