Comments on: Random, Crazy, and True Au Pair Stories http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/ Helping Host Parents and Au Pairs build great relationships. Tue, 22 May 2012 09:09:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: German Au-Pair http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/comment-page-2/#comment-21596 German Au-Pair Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:21:17 +0000 http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/#comment-21596 Awesome story :D You handled it very well! Awesome story :D
You handled it very well!

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0

]]> By: hOstCDmom http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/comment-page-2/#comment-21593 hOstCDmom Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:05:41 +0000 http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/#comment-21593 HD handled that superbly, IMO! HD handled that superbly, IMO!

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0

]]> By: NYDad http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/comment-page-2/#comment-21592 NYDad Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:54:20 +0000 http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/#comment-21592 AP asks HM if she can have her bed moved from one side of the room to another. HM asks HD to move it the next time HD was home from work early. So one day, HD asks APs if room was clean and if it was okay to move bed. AP says okay. HD goes to move bed and finds large vibrator under APs pillow. HD leaves everything alone. Waits about an hour and reminds AP that he is going to move bed. AP once again says fine... then turns beet red and runs to her room... HD then goes to move bed again. Vibrator no where is sight. AP asks HM if she can have her bed moved from one side of the room to another. HM asks HD to move it the next time HD was home from work early. So one day, HD asks APs if room was clean and if it was okay to move bed. AP says okay. HD goes to move bed and finds large vibrator under APs pillow. HD leaves everything alone. Waits about an hour and reminds AP that he is going to move bed. AP once again says fine… then turns beet red and runs to her room… HD then goes to move bed again. Vibrator no where is sight.

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0

]]> By: Bailey http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/comment-page-2/#comment-21572 Bailey Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:46:44 +0000 http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/#comment-21572 The family definitly should give you gas money to drive the children around. My family has a separate wallet that they keep money in for me to do things with the children, by food that we are out of, get gas if needed (though they usually always fill up the tank), and I just let them know when it needs to be refilled. If there is some food that I want I will usually let them know. Sometimes I just buy it with my own money if it is hard to find. Any type of junk food I would buy myself but I don't eat that so I never do. We eat very healthy at home and it's my job to make sure the children do as well. I have a background in nutrition and weight loss so they are always open to buying my somewhat strange food if it can benefit their health. I personally have all evenings off, and three full days in a row per week. Since they give me so much free time (we still have other babysitters that come in once a week) if they do need me in the evenings then I obviously help them out and watch the kids. It doesn't bother me but it doesn't happen to often. But if they tell me the day of that they are going out and I already have plans then I tell them that I have made plans but if they can't find anyone to come I will stay home. I think this is fair as it is their responseability to tell me in advance. But this is only on weekend as I choose not to go out on week nights when I have to work in the morning. The only housework I have to do is the kids dishes. But I always do more. I clean the car I use once a week and reorganize areas that are a mess because it just bothers me to see a mess. I dont think they care but it's more for myself really. I clean the whole downstairs once a week and all the bathrooms the kids use because they get disgusting and it bothers me. My room and my bathroom is my space to clean, though even if I didn't they would never know. They absolutly never go in my suite in the house. Aside from that I help out with other stuff just because it is what my parents taught me to do and I would do it at home as well. But we do have a cleaner who comes in once a week and does a full clean. I think that if you feel that they are asking to much of you then you will be reluctant to help out. In my case they ask nothing of me and are extreamly generous so I don't mind doing extra things to help out around the house. The family definitly should give you gas money to drive the children around. My family has a separate wallet that they keep money in for me to do things with the children, by food that we are out of, get gas if needed (though they usually always fill up the tank), and I just let them know when it needs to be refilled.
If there is some food that I want I will usually let them know. Sometimes I just buy it with my own money if it is hard to find. Any type of junk food I would buy myself but I don’t eat that so I never do. We eat very healthy at home and it’s my job to make sure the children do as well. I have a background in nutrition and weight loss so they are always open to buying my somewhat strange food if it can benefit their health.
I personally have all evenings off, and three full days in a row per week. Since they give me so much free time (we still have other babysitters that come in once a week) if they do need me in the evenings then I obviously help them out and watch the kids. It doesn’t bother me but it doesn’t happen to often. But if they tell me the day of that they are going out and I already have plans then I tell them that I have made plans but if they can’t find anyone to come I will stay home. I think this is fair as it is their responseability to tell me in advance. But this is only on weekend as I choose not to go out on week nights when I have to work in the morning.
The only housework I have to do is the kids dishes. But I always do more. I clean the car I use once a week and reorganize areas that are a mess because it just bothers me to see a mess. I dont think they care but it’s more for myself really. I clean the whole downstairs once a week and all the bathrooms the kids use because they get disgusting and it bothers me.
My room and my bathroom is my space to clean, though even if I didn’t they would never know. They absolutly never go in my suite in the house. Aside from that I help out with other stuff just because it is what my parents taught me to do and I would do it at home as well. But we do have a cleaner who comes in once a week and does a full clean.

I think that if you feel that they are asking to much of you then you will be reluctant to help out. In my case they ask nothing of me and are extreamly generous so I don’t mind doing extra things to help out around the house.

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0

]]> By: AvidHM http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/comment-page-2/#comment-21568 AvidHM Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:37:26 +0000 http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/#comment-21568 Some times you have to laugh or you'll cry: AP #1- After a discussion with her friends, has a suggestion to fix our her inability to follow the car usage rules "cars are cheap here (in the US), maybe $2000. Maybe you should buy another" (Proposed a 3rd car) LOL!!! AP #2 - Made an Au Pair Tomb Stone with a space for the names of the previous and future au pairs for our Halloween graveyard. LOL! It has become a tradition at Halloween for our au pairs to add their name. AP #3- After we rushed her to emergency at 3 AM because of severe abdominal pain, our very modest AP got to have her very first pelvic exam and internal sonogram. ( after emergency surgery she was fine)Poor thing. AP #4- the 3rd day on her own, our AP backed into a neighbors' BIG NEW RED truck that was parked behind her, in our driveway, while my friend was delivering us some Christmas cookies. Our AP was so panicked that she pulled forward and hopped out of our car... forgetting to put the car in park... so it rolled back and hit the truck a second time. HKs can be "surprising" too: AP #4: "HK#1 threw cheese at me"; HK#1:(in a wounded Voice) " I did Not!!!!...I threw it at my brother, but I missed." ( His Cell phone got a time out for a week) Advice to all AP's : if a 13 year old boy picks up a broom, he has no intention of sweeping the floor. AP #5 - Our B'au Pair- (we decided that maybe a male au pair would be a good match for our active older boys) starts this Friday. Hoping to have a year full of laughs...hopefully the positive kind! Some times you have to laugh or you’ll cry:

AP #1- After a discussion with her friends, has a suggestion to fix our her inability to follow the car usage rules “cars are cheap here (in the US), maybe $2000. Maybe you should buy another” (Proposed a 3rd car) LOL!!!

AP #2 – Made an Au Pair Tomb Stone with a space for the names of the previous and future au pairs for our Halloween graveyard. LOL! It has become a tradition at Halloween for our au pairs to add their name.

AP #3- After we rushed her to emergency at 3 AM because of severe abdominal pain, our very modest AP got to have her very first pelvic exam and internal sonogram. ( after emergency surgery she was fine)Poor thing.

AP #4- the 3rd day on her own, our AP backed into a neighbors’ BIG NEW RED truck that was parked behind her, in our driveway, while my friend was delivering us some Christmas cookies. Our AP was so panicked that she pulled forward and hopped out of our car… forgetting to put the car in park… so it rolled back and hit the truck a second time.

HKs can be “surprising” too:
AP #4: “HK#1 threw cheese at me”; HK#1:(in a wounded Voice) ” I did Not!!!!…I threw it at my brother, but I missed.” ( His Cell phone got a time out for a week)

Advice to all AP’s : if a 13 year old boy picks up a broom, he has no intention of sweeping the floor.

AP #5 – Our B’au Pair- (we decided that maybe a male au pair would be a good match for our active older boys) starts this Friday. Hoping to have a year full of laughs…hopefully the positive kind!

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0

]]> By: ThinkingAboutThisIdea http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/comment-page-2/#comment-21560 ThinkingAboutThisIdea Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:23:37 +0000 http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/#comment-21560 well... You're right XD well… You’re right XD

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0

]]> By: ThinkingAboutThisIdea http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/comment-page-1/#comment-21559 ThinkingAboutThisIdea Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:38:25 +0000 http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/#comment-21559 Omg, this was cute in so many levels that i can even hahahahahaha own Omg, this was cute in so many levels that i can even hahahahahaha own

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0

]]> By: German Au-Pair http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/comment-page-2/#comment-21558 German Au-Pair Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:38:06 +0000 http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/#comment-21558 Don't be...it's impossible that this is a true story...if the hostmom would have been chasing her au pair with a knife who then called the cops, do you honestly think that the family would still be in the program? Don’t be…it’s impossible that this is a true story…if the hostmom would have been chasing her au pair with a knife who then called the cops, do you honestly think that the family would still be in the program?

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0

]]> By: ThinkingAboutThisIdea http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/comment-page-2/#comment-21555 ThinkingAboutThisIdea Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:09:49 +0000 http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/#comment-21555 Now I'm scared O_O rly, rly scared Now I’m scared O_O rly, rly scared

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0

]]> By: AFHostMom http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/comment-page-2/#comment-21526 AFHostMom Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:36:37 +0000 http://AuPairMom.com/random-crazy-and-true-au-pair-stories/2009/11/06/celiaharquail/#comment-21526 Oh yeah, I didn't buy them either, TACL. We do the beginning of the year welcome set of toiletries, then she's on her own. Today I took the new AP to the grocery for the only time, probably, since I usually shop on base which has the benefit of both being less expensive and right by my office 35 minutes from the house, so oh gee, I have to go alone! I did buy some things that she said she liked to eat, that wouldn't be on my normal list; but it was "real" food, not crap, which bugs me. Then I took her to the drug store, and made it clear that she was responsible for everything she purchased there(which she understood anyway). There was a small part of me that felt bad, but it's a slippery slope....and it's always easier to be generous later when it's appreciated than to start off giving the impression we're loaded. Oh yeah, I didn’t buy them either, TACL. We do the beginning of the year welcome set of toiletries, then she’s on her own.
Today I took the new AP to the grocery for the only time, probably, since I usually shop on base which has the benefit of both being less expensive and right by my office 35 minutes from the house, so oh gee, I have to go alone! I did buy some things that she said she liked to eat, that wouldn’t be on my normal list; but it was “real” food, not crap, which bugs me.
Then I took her to the drug store, and made it clear that she was responsible for everything she purchased there(which she understood anyway). There was a small part of me that felt bad, but it’s a slippery slope….and it’s always easier to be generous later when it’s appreciated than to start off giving the impression we’re loaded.

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0

]]>