Holidays

What Do Au Pair Host Moms Want for Christmas?

by cv harquail December 10, 2017

For Au Pairs in Host Families who celebrate Christmas… “What do you want for Christmas?” I’m never able to answer that question. Some years I remember to keep a running list of things I want (e.g., sports headbands, a black-ish pair of outdoor running shoes, a pair of Uggs to replace the ones with holes in them, […]

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Religious Au Pair Doesn’t Celebrate Holidays. Would you still consider her?

by cv harquail July 22, 2017

Celebrating American holidays with your au pair or host family is one of the biggest (and most fun) elements of cultural exchange. Holidays are a unique window into culture. The traditions, the food, the festive spirit all invite us to talk about the values behind the celebration. On the more personal, less ‘cultural’ level, holidays […]

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Explaining “America” to Your Au Pair

by cv harquail June 30, 2017

4th of July is one of my favorite holidays… all about family, community and abstract patriotic notions. 4th of July is also the holiday when I am most likely to embarrass my children– apparently, as they get older, it is no longer cool to have a mom who dresses up in red, white & blue […]

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Thanksgiving Thoughts about Gratitude

by cv harquail November 24, 2015

[Two years ago we enjoyed this post on gratitude, and au pairs. Since there are so many new and different readers of the blog now, that I thought I’d post it again. Following up this post is a chance to reflect what you’re thankful and grateful for in your host family- au pair relationship. cv] […]

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Halloween Fun for Au Pairs and Host Kids

by cv harquail October 30, 2015

Every holiday gives your kids and your au pair a chance to work together, have fun and build memories with holiday-related crafts and activities. Cultural sharing and just plain ‘ole relationship-building happens in the doing of things. Given that Halloween is one of the trio of secular, nation wide cultural holidays (the other two being Thanksgiving and […]

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Taking An Au Pair on Vacation: Hotel Room Arrangements

by cv harquail April 9, 2015

Already looking forward to your summer vacation? If you’re planning to bring your Au Pair, now is the time to start talking about vacation arrangements –especially how you plan to manage hotel rooms. Au Pairs should be provided with their own private room to sleep in — that’s what the Agencies require. The Agencies require […]

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Help Your Au Pair Take Snow Days In Stride

by cv harquail January 19, 2015

Au Pairs enjoy their first snowfall au pair advice low cost childcare

Few events clarify the gap between how working parents and their school age kids respond to changes than the announcement of a snow day. When I was little, I thought snow days were magical. An overwhelming amount of snow combined with a day off from school seemed like a gift from the heavens — to […]

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Holiday Gift Exchange: Host Parent to Host Parent

by cv harquail December 22, 2014

au pair gifts, au pair advice, choosing an au pair

My mom had a wonderful tradition for our neighborhood Christmas party. She asked every grown up to bring a small gift for a grab bag. The gift had to be wrapped in aluminum foil so that (1) you couldn’t quite tell what it was, and (2)everything looked shiny. When folks arrived at the party they put […]

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Traditions with a Twist: A Holiday Game with your Au Pair, guest post by Cristina Sierra

by cv harquail December 12, 2014

Long time contributor-under-a-nom-de-mom, Cristina Sierra shares this holiday idea: A “Mad” Twist on ‘T’was The Night Before Christmas’ Here’s a creative way to introduce your Au Pair to a US holiday tradition, namely the poem “T’was the night before Christmas” – by making it his / her own. How? Easy – just add Mad Libs. By […]

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Create a Holiday Tradition– Just for your Au Pair

by cv harquail December 10, 2014

You were wondering when I’d start the holiday posts … and here’s the first one! When new people enter our families, a great way to welcome them is to include them explicitly in our family holiday celebrations. Efforts like: Creating a Christmas stocking for your au pair to hang along with the kids’, Getting an additional […]

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