From the category archives:

Creating memories

Au Pair Appreciation: All this, and a friend too

by cv harquail May 1, 2009

International Au Pair Appreciation Week As shared by a Host Mom I am the very proud mother of three children, ages 10, 9 and 2. My older two were adopted three years ago from Torosovo, Russia. They came from a background of extreme poverty, abuse and neglect, and as older adopted children, the transition to [...]

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Announcing…. International Au Pair Appreciation Week!

by cv harquail April 18, 2009

International Au Pair Appreciation Week May 1 – 9, 2009! Au Pair Appreciation Week is our chance as host moms and dads to celebrate what we enjoy the most about having au pairs in our family lives. Although moms and dads who ask for advice here on AuPairMom are occasionally accused of being grumpy, demanding, [...]

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3 Ways to be a Great Host Parent

by cv harquail April 14, 2009

Here’s the first in an occasional series about Ways to be a Great Host Parent . Sorry Tolstoy. Whether happy or not so happy, not every host family is the same.  We host families like to revel in our uniqueness and we like to think that, for the lucky au pair, our family is just [...]

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Build the Mothers’ Rights Movement!

by cv harquail April 10, 2009

Up to this point I haven’t posted here at AuPairMom on topics beyond the particular world of hosting Au Pairs, but today I’m making an exception to share the offer I got, below, from an organization that I really believe in: MomsRising. MomsRising is an organization whose "members are bringing important motherhood and family issues [...]

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Myths about Au Pairs: The Fox in Your Henhouse

by cv harquail April 7, 2009

Close behind the myth that every Au Pair is a "Hottie" is the myth that au pairs are out to steal your Host Dad. I guess this is one of those where the exceptions are so salient that you end up believing that it happens a lot. I haven’t ever met a host mom or [...]

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Your House is Not a Youth Hostel

by cv harquail April 3, 2009

Let me repeat that: Your house is not a youth hostel. It’s not a hotel. It’s not a pied a terre. Your house is your home, and if you choose to have friends of your au pair as overnight guests, there is a lot to think about. One blatant sign that a host mom and [...]

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Your Valentine Reminder…

by cv harquail February 12, 2009

No matter how your choose to celebrate it, remember your Au Pair on Valentine’s Day. Your Au Pair has been surrounded, bombarded even, by messages that Valentine’s Day is worth noticing.  Show her that Valentine’s Day is about something other than High School Musical Hologram Valentines Cards, waxy chocolate, and freaky pink teddy bears at [...]

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It’s YOUR vacation, not hers. Okay?

by cv harquail February 2, 2009

I had a long listen at a neighborhood party last week…one of my host mom friends had just come back from a family vacation to Disneyworld. Three kids, three adults, two bedrooms, 5 days. And for my friend, not a vacation at all. What went wrong? I’ll tell you what went wrong. My friend forgot [...]

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Tip: Save those Ice Skates!

by cv harquail January 18, 2009

At the park across the street, the pond has frozen. (This is actually what it looks like!) Every time the pond freezes, I congratulate myself for saving my old ice skates. About five years ago, when my little ones were taking skating lessons , I bought myself skates that actually fit me so that I [...]

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Help: My Au Pair is Blogging about My Family!

by cv harquail January 11, 2009

It’s s Web 2.0 nightmare no Au Pair Host Parent is ready for — your au pair is blogging about your kids, your family, your discipline strategies, and who knows what all else. And the picture is not altogether flattering. What do you do? Here’s how md describes her challenge and her request for advice: [...]

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