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

Tips

4 Household Rules to Protect Your Host Parent Sanity

by cv harquail January 3, 2012

If you take it out, put it back. If you open it, close it. If you drop it, pick it up. If you take it off, hang it up. These rules also work well in situations with children, spouses, coworkers, or other humans.     Image by Brooke Ryan, available on Etsy. This graffiti was [...]

18 comments Read the full article →

Christmas & Holidays with your Au Pair: Post round-up

by cv harquail November 25, 2011

The Christmas & Holiday season is now officially upon us — just in time to work off that second slice of pumpkin pie. I think I’m finally figuring out how to do these seasonal celebrations — I’ve got the weekly countdown calendar planner out again. We’ve sent out party invitations and even bought cases of [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

Can you guess what prompted this tip?

by cv harquail January 5, 2009

My husband laughs at me — in a kind way, he insists — every time he sees me do something like this. I try to explain that there is indeed a method to my madness, and that behind every quirky tactic in our household is an accident that’s now easier to avoid. But he still [...]

10 comments Read the full article →

15 Tips from 15 Host Moms

by cv harquail January 5, 2009

Cruising through the comments and wincing at the many that I haven’t answered adequately, I was reminded how many little tidbits you all have been sharing on the blog. It can be overwhelming to provide advice for a knotty problem, or for a first timer, because there really is so much to share. Funny thing [...]

2 comments Read the full article →

How to improve your Au Pair relationship in just one minute

by cv harquail January 2, 2009

If I told you that you could improve your relationship with your au pair in just one minute, would you try it? Sure you would. You’re a busy host mom (or dad), juggling many demands and competing priorities. And, you’re a busy host mom who wants her au pair to know when she is doing [...]

3 comments Read the full article →

How much should you tip your Au Pair at Christmas?

by cv harquail December 12, 2008

If you celebrate Christmas and if you don’t, the quote-unquote Holidays are a time of year when many people think about giving, some people think about getting, and most of us think about both. If you were to search for information about Christmas Tips for au pairs, you’d discover that the commonly-advised amount is "one [...]

15 comments Read the full article →

Tip: It is Probably Better NOT to Talk About Daniel Craig …

by cv harquail November 18, 2008

… with your Au Pair, or for that matter, when your Au Pair is nearby. Can you see why? And yes, Kathy, Jamie, Margot and Sarah, I’m talking to you. 

Read the full article →

Tip: Teach your Au Pair about Vampires

by cv harquail October 31, 2008

Special Halloween Edition Every Host Mom should teach her au pair about vampires. No, I don’t mean the Bill Compton kind of vampire, I mean the bill ELECTRIC kind of vampire. [If you want to know more about Bill Compton, check these vids: "I'm Too Sexy..." (almost NSFW) or "Talking in Your Sleep." Apparently, these [...]

1 comment Read the full article →