Get the easy email newsletter! Just add your address to the yellow box, below right.
Powered by MaxBlogPress  

Welcoming your AuPair

When Au Pairs Overlap, who gets the room? (Poll)

by cv harquail May 11, 2011

Sometimes, the right thing to do as your family transitions from one au pair to another is to have your au pairs overlap in your home. As we know, overlapping au pairs can create some emotional difficulty for the incoming au pair, the outgoing au pair, your kids and you. And, it can also create [...]

50 comments Read the full article →

Where to Begin: New Host Mom, New Au Pair

by cv harquail February 28, 2011

Maybe I’m more obsessive than the average bear, but I recall thinking I was as ready as I could be when our very first au pair arrived. And, that was back in the days when Handbooks were merely a suggestion, and life was much more simple. I also remember feeling pretty alone. Although there were [...]

18 comments Read the full article →

Do you send a gift basket to your new Au Pair at Orientation? (Poll)

by cv harquail February 22, 2011

Here’s a poll to follow up on my vdiatribe…..

25 comments Read the full article →

Enough with the Gift Baskets!

by cv harquail February 21, 2011

A long time ago, I was experimenting with doing a vlog (a video post), but I never posted it because I looked kindof dorky. Also, a few months later, the lovely Susan Robinson of Cultural Care started her AuPairAnswerMom vlogs, and does them so well that I thought I’d just stick to text. But then [...]

10 comments Read the full article →

When should we send our Family Handbook to our incoming au pair?

by cv harquail January 6, 2011

As every reader of this blog knows, we are big fans of the concept of the Family Handbook. And by “we” I don’t mean the royal  moi, but all of us host parents (and even au pairs). It really helps to create a handbook to get your expectations and needs out into clear language, and [...]

41 comments Read the full article →

Too much excitement for her first weekend?

by cv harquail January 6, 2011

Dear Au Pair Mom readers– We are expecting our very first au pair to arrive tomorrow — we are really excited! And we already have a question about the best ways to get her into the swing of family life. We were invited to a birthday party the day after the Au Pair arrives. (She [...]

26 comments Read the full article →

Can you train an Au Pair to be conscious of safety?

by cv harquail October 7, 2010

Hi AuPairMom, I can’t believe I’m sending this email, but I am at my wit’s end and don’t quite know where else to turn. I’ve been lurking on your blog for about 3 months, ever since we decided that an au pair situation would be a good one for us (we’re first timers). Here’s a [...]

34 comments Read the full article →

Managing Au Pair Transportation in the ‘Burbs: Ideas for this Host Mom?

by cv harquail August 27, 2010

Our previous two posts, Providing Your Au Pair With Safe, Affordable, Convenient Transportation , and Don’t Abuse A Cluster Taxi have been set-ups for this next question, from SanJoseMom. SanJoseMom is a first-time host parent and trying to organize her expectations and establish a foundation for a successful au pair year. Hi AuPairMom – I [...]

65 comments Read the full article →

After the Honeymoon: Seasons of the Au Pair year

by cv harquail August 13, 2010

A host mom who prefers to remain anonymous  shares her reflections, and helpful questions, about that delicate stage in your Au Pair- Host Family relationships…. those days when it only begins to dawn on you that, with this terrific au pair as well as any other, there will always be challenges… After the Honeymoon… The [...]

28 comments Read the full article →

Driven to the edge because my Au Pair can’t drive

by cv harquail June 28, 2010

What happens when your au pair candidate says she can, but then it turns out she can’t? And, what if you said she didn’t really need to, but then you realized she did? When we consider the characteristics and skills we want our au pair to have, we usually think about what we or our [...]

57 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries