Phases of AuPair’s Year

Goodbye Gifts for Your Au Pair

by cv harquail September 4, 2008
gift julia-rothman-gift-wrap

Every year about a week before our au pair is set to depart, I realize that the scrapbook/ iMovie/ slideshow/ MixCD that I’d been fantasizing about making her will remain just that– a fantasy. I think that, because I dread saying goodbye to our au pairs, I put off until the last minute getting her […]

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"Her Next Adventure": Telling your kids that your Au Pair is leaving

by cv harquail August 25, 2008
waving goodbye little boy2

When people ask me about what it’s like having au pairs, one of the most common questions is “How do you and your kids handle having someone leave (and someone arrive) every year?” It can be very hard on the family, both parents and kids, when an au pair departs. One thing that I have […]

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Checkout Tasks List: Advice for when your Aupair departs

by cv harquail August 25, 2008
checklist

When your aupair is getting ready to leave for home or for ‘her next adventure’, there is a confusing array of tasks for her to attend to. Here is a partial list of tasks — tasks related to the home and the kids– that might help you and your departing aupair stay focused. Bedroom Remove […]

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6 Potential Problems with Au Pair Overlap

by cv harquail July 25, 2008
partied too hard

Even though the 6 Reasons to Have Au Pairs Overlap are compelling, there can be some significant downsides to this strategy for orienting your new Au Pair. Sometimes, these downsides will be deal breakers — the danger of having one of these problems go from ‘potential’ to ‘actual’ may outweigh the expected benefits of overlap. […]

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Your Au Pair’s Room: Advice about Transition Cleaning

by cv harquail July 7, 2008
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As I was staggering down the stairs to the laundry this morning, burdened by my armload of bedding from the Au Pair room, I remembered an important part of preparing Your Au Pair’s Room. This important item is “Transition Cleaning”. Transition Cleaning When your Au Pair arrives, it’s nice to have the Au Pair’s room […]

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Your Advice Wanted: Should you have your new Au Pair overlap with your old Au Pair?

by cv harquail July 7, 2008
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Calling All Host Moms- We want your opinions! ** Should a Host mom have her incoming Au Pair overlap with her outgoing Au Pair? ** A reader recently posed this question in the comments section of the post on Orienting Your New Au Pair. Rather than responding unilaterally with my $.02, I’d like to get […]

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Ways to start orienting your New Au Pair: Some advice for the first two days

by cv harquail June 30, 2008

The first two or three days can be really overwhelming– not just for your new Au Pair, but for you. It’s like drinking from the proverbial fire hose — Where do you possibly begin? How can you get it all done? How much will she actually understand? Should you spend the first few days sightseeing […]

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The “Before You Leave Home” E-mail

by cv harquail June 12, 2008
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If I were an Au Pair, I think I’d be more excited (and perhaps less worried) about leaving home for a year if I knew that my host family was excited to be welcoming me into their home. But, how would I know? I haven’t talked to them since we matched! That’s why, around 4 […]

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Phases of the AP Year

by cv harquail June 2, 2008
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To everything, there is a season.…. this was true of your relationships with your college boyfriends, and it’s true of your relationships with APs. Every AP relationship follows a predictable pattern– the anxiety of selection, the celebration of finding someone, the anticipation of her arrival, the chaos of orientation, the ease of the cruising time, […]

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