Random Advice

English Words That Every Au Pair Should Really Understand

by cv harquail July 28, 2014

It’s easier to relax about your new au pair when s/he demonstrates a real command for the US version of the English Language. I was thinking about this as I was perusing something called the “Academic Word List”, a list of 570 words that researchers think people should know if they plan to study […]

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Creepy, Crawly, Contagious Things- What if your Au Pair catches them too?

by cv harquail July 27, 2014

(Reposted from our archives, since an Au Pair Asked…) When I became a mom I knew that that I would need to become accustomed to dealing with things that, pre-motherhood, had completely grossed me out. I’m talking about poopy diapers, vomit, bloody noses, fart jokes, and public belching. These were things that I would have […]

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Open Thread: July 24

by cv harquail July 25, 2014

Maybe you can tell it’s been a busy work week over here? I was actually afraid to sign into my blog email to see what was going on, and how many new threads had been started by impatient folks needing immediate advice. Fear not, here is a chance for you to lob in anything at […]

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Should We Extend An Au Pair While She Plans To Wed Her American Husband?

by cv harquail July 4, 2014

I need immediate advice from some of our host moms who have dealt with an aupair, wanting to extend, but also planning to get married, switch visas etc. Our aupair whom we love is thinking of marriage! her boyfriend has proposed? we are happy and excited for her, but not sure how to advice her. […]

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Open Thread: June 15

by cv harquail June 14, 2014

It’s an open thread, for the rest of the weekend, with one little catch: Share a micro-affirmation, for anything about the Au Pair hosting experience, before you launch into a concern or question. I appreciate all the photographers who share their images in the Creative Commons section of Flickr. So much pretty. Happy […]

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Open Thread: June 7

by cv harquail June 7, 2014

Off to the races! It’s not like my girls didn’t know we were going to Belmont, and didn’t have plenty of time to match their dress to any one of our collection of fascinators and hats, but no…. no one’s ready, and we’re dashing out the door. In the meantime, we’ve got an open thread, […]

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Your Summer Re-Set Conversation: What should you cover?

by cv harquail June 2, 2014

Summertime, and the living is… different. Whether it’s our kids’ schedule, our own work schedule, or even just the return of the Good Humor Man, the start of summer opens up a chance to adjust how things are going with our Au Pairs. As our family’s patterns change, we need to bring our au pairs along with […]

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Open Thread: May 31

by cv harquail May 31, 2014

Welcome to our weekend open thread. If you’ve got any au pair issues at loose sends, you can tie them up here with the help of the AuPairMom community. This thread will be open for comments, ideas and questions (subject to moderation, for first time commenters) until Monday morning or 100 comments, whichever comes […]

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Open Thread: Memorial Day Weekend

by cv harquail May 24, 2014

Drumroll Please, for this weekend’s Open Thread! If you’ve got something you want to share, jump right in. If your comment doesn’t show up right away, it may be that my All-American software has automatically held the comment in moderation, waiting until I put down my gin and tonic. This thread will remain open until […]

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Open Thread: Mother’s Day Edition

by cv harquail May 10, 2014

My friend Liz, in her official author/blogger role as @Hello_Ladies, made a provocative suggestion: Instead of Sunday being Mother’s Day, Mother’s Day Should Fall on a Monday. Then, we moms would actually be able to take some time off to relax from *all three* of our jobs: Mogul, Mom, and Maid. This morning, as my […]

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