Advice Wanted: Au Pair changed her vacation… now what?

by cv harquail March 10, 2009
Tiled Primrose Heather Bailey.jpeg

Moms- Big conversation going on today about Mary’s au pair…. Here’s the conversation so far…. Join in! Our au pair has been with us for 8 months. She transitioned from another family and has not been the greatest. She does the bare minimum and has left the children unsupervised. She doesn’t make good decisions and […]

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Quick Update on AuPairMom Feature ….

by cv harquail March 9, 2009
so much to tell you scribex.jpg

Hi Host Moms- You can always tell when things have been crazy at work in a good way, because days weeks pass by before I get a good post up here! I really appreciate that you keep up a conversation with each other through the comments, and I’ve appreciated the nudge to ramp back up. […]

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Sabotage your Au Pair’s Authority: 3 Easy Ways

by cv harquail March 8, 2009
on a couch dogs_web.jpg

It amazes me sometimes, the stories I hear about host parents’ bad behavior. I heard a story this week about an au pair who told her charge that he had lost the privilege of having ice cream after dinner, because he had refused to put away his toys at the end of a play date […]

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Sample Handbook from a Reader

by cv harquail March 3, 2009
Starling fabric

Hi Moms- Recall that last month I invited you all to share pages from your Family Handbook … I’ve just posted the first of those sample handbooks as a page: Sample Handbook 2, from CC Family. The Sample Handbook is based on the format provided by the Cultural Care Agency, so you may have seen […]

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Rematch. NOW.

by cv harquail February 14, 2009
cat behind post spying vibragiel

There are some times when we make a mistake and can be given a second chance. We may struggle to be forgiven, but we know that we can earn back someone’s trust in us. Then, there are those other times, when we make a mistake and that’s it. We hear stories about au pairs who’ve […]

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Your Valentine Reminder…

by cv harquail February 12, 2009
rules for your au pair au pair hosting

No matter how your choose to celebrate it, remember your Au Pair on Valentine’s Day.

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Share a page from your handbook …

by cv harquail February 10, 2009
Etsy WatermelonWishes

When I started au pair momming 11 years ago, there was no such thing as an Au Pair Handbook. My au pair agency never recommended that I create a family manual, and my LCC actually laughed when I told her that I’d put together a printed list of guidelines for our incoming au pair. My, […]

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Don’t take your Au Pair on vacation during her first 3 months!

by cv harquail February 8, 2009
Gnome Eiffel Tower

Okay host moms- I’m coming out with a pretty specific "Don’t": Don’t, I say DON’T, take your au pair on a vacation the first 3 months she is with you. Why? Because: 1. It sets up inaccurate expectations about how she will be treated (e.g., as a guest and tourist vs. as a ‘working’ member […]

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Matching: Share one great interview question

by cv harquail February 6, 2009
matching cards

Okay Moms, I give in. I will take a deep breath, and open the floodgates, because it’s time to address the topic that every host parent cares about: "How can we get the best match possible?" We have to take this one slowly, maybe even over a couple of months. There’s just too much to […]

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Would you recommend an Au Pair to…

by cv harquail February 5, 2009
Thumbnail image for Would you recommend an Au Pair to… advice for host families dad twins

… Dads with infant twins? I often get calls from people who are friends of friends of friends who want to learn more about au pairs as a child care option. Yesterday, I got an email from f-o-f-o-f who are expecting twins any day now. Beyond hiring a baby nurse for the first several weeks, […]

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