Would you make one of my own Christmas wishes come true?
Would you be my päkapikud? 
A päkapikud is a little Estonian elf. Our very first Au Pair, Margit, used päkapikud as a nickname for my daughter. I would love to get a few more päkapikud involved in AuPairMom.
How can you be a päkapikud?
1. Invite your host parent friends to read AuPairMom!
- If you are a host mom or dad, tell your cluster about www.AuPairMom.com.
- If you are a Local Community Counselor, tell your LCC colleagues about www.AuPairMom.com.
2. Invite your host parent friends to subscribe to the AuPairMom email newsletter!
Have you ever thought:
“I wish CV would get onto that topic I suggested….. or
“When are we going to discuss (your favorite issue here)?” or
” I completely disagree with where this conversation is going” or
“I wish I had a place to share this insight”, or even better …
“No one but another host parent is going to believe this story… but who can I tell who can really appreciate it?!”
I really enjoy writing posts for AuPairMom, especially when writing these posts is a respite from the demands of my actual work. (You’ve probably realize that this blog is not my real gig (that’s AuthenticOrganizations.com, and consulting).) It can be so much fun when we hit on a topic that turns out to be popular.
I love to sneak over here during a break in my other work to see the latest comments. And I know you do too, because AuPairMom’s biggest traffic spike is at around 11:15 a.m. on the weekdays that a post goes up ….)
I always hope that this conversation translates into new knowledge for you all, that makes hosting (and au pairing) more rewarding. But I must admit, I can only write sporadically when I find the time, and that means that my posting rhythm is not consistent (a big blogging no-no). I would love to be able to have a constant flow of posts, advice, questions, and insights… and I would love to have readers (like you! yes, you!) get more involved in the blog.
What would it mean to “write for AuPairMom”?
Writing something for AuPairMom could be a one-time thing, an occasional outlet for your parenting brilliance, or even something more regular. It could be a chance for you to experiment with blogging, to write for fun, to clarify & share what you know, and to make a difference in the world of a host family. It could be as easy as sending me an email with the draft of a post, or as complete as signing into the blog as a contributor and posting just the way I do (easy to learn!).
I’d love to be able to share the role of ‘convening conversations’ on this blog with some host parents (or even a motivated au pair), so let me know if you’re interested. Just send me an email at mom at au pair mom dot com.
I’m thinking– the more, the merrier — so let’s get some more of you all involved.
– Invite your host parent friends to read AuPairMom!
– Invite your host parent friends to subscribe to the AuPairMom email newsletter!
– Write for AuPairMom!
Be our päkapikud?
{ 11 comments }
I just sent my LCC an email and asked her to send out a cluster email that lists aupairmom.com as a valuable resource.
Also, I was thinking of posting a topic on CC’s community board encouraging readers to check our aupairmom.com
I love this site!!!!
Thanks PA apm! I’ll bet that one of the reasons you enjoy it is that you participate and often share your insights… interesting, I’m learning that the more we comment/share etc, the more fun we have (individually and collectively) cv
I tell every host parent I know about this site. I told my LCC at AuPairCare and asked her to pass it along to all of her new host families. I don’t think we’d still have an au pair without this site, and with the new au pair, things are going so well! I’m so glad we stuck with it.
I thought I was being annoying with all of my letters to you, CV, but I suppose I’ll keep sending them when things come up. Only now nothing’s coming up because I have a great au pair! Catch 22.
JJ– Too funny! But fight that impulse to keep quiet about the good stuff… We want to hear that, too, especially if we can help figure out how to create it in our own homes/relationships!
I look forward to your emails ;-)
cv
I actually find that I post more now that I have a GREAT au pair.
I sent the link along to my LCC a few months ago, and she immediately sent it along to our cluster. I’m hoping some of the hosties in our cluster are reading.
Hi there, just to be different I sent the link for the site to my au pair and asked her to send it on to her buddies. I love this site because of the interaction between hosts and au pairs. It gives au pairs insight into our reasoning and our decison making. This site holds huge advantages for au pairs if they read the posts. The comments will give them an idea of what is expected of them and in general terms what they can expect from a host family. I personally love it when an au pair comments, it means that they are out there listening to us.
I would hope that if only one message gets across on this site, it is that we (the HF’s) care.
[cv note: I had to bold that last statement, b/c it is all too true. Thanks EUmom.]
I think it would be great to have people forward topics to you. I would like to help with a post, and will come up with a topic after Christmas. Right now my mind is full of fog!
I’d also be happy to help with writing posts, how do you want us to go about it? Propose a subject or pick from the list of what people want to talk about?
Steph
Hi Steph- I just realized you are Steph – in- Boston, not Stephin. oops.
I think that it is easiest to write when something is important to you, so in general I’d think that suggesting a topic and writing about it is easier… I also have a long list of topics, though, so there is a lot to prompt someone with. I’ll spend a little time over the holiday thinking about a good process (something more clever than, oh, emailing you a list. that would be so 1.0.) More soon– so glad you’re interested! cv
(Off the topic)
Well, to be exact, päkapikud is päkapikk in plural. Päkapikud cannot be ”a”. It’s ”a päkapikk” then. But I was very surprised when I read the title. I thought I was too sleepy to see correctly, because I am an Estonian myself, and finding an Estonian word in American(?) blog is quite 0,00001 chance. But it’s nice!
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