English Words That Every Au Pair Should Really Understand

by cv harquail July 28, 2014
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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
Gdaisy hair

(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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AuPair in Rematch? Best Places to Find a New Family Fast

by cv harquail July 25, 2014
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Sharing from behind the scenes here at AuPair Mom — I often get emails like the one below from either AuPairs or Host Parents hoping to help someone make a rematch quickly. As we all know, au pairs have only two weeks or so to find a new host family before they get ‘sent home’ […]

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Open Thread: July 24

by cv harquail July 25, 2014
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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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When a Host Family Takes Advantage of ‘Pitching In’

by cv harquail July 17, 2014
sink-dishes

Readers- Here’s the email that prompted my earlier post about defining what it means to “pitch in”. Clearly, someone in this Host Family has a different interpretation of what that means. Hi AuPairMom, I need your help in forming an opinion for my self regarding dishwashing. I am working with a family of 2 parents, […]

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“Pitching In”: What does that mean in your host family?

by cv harquail July 15, 2014
Print by OrangeTwist, available for purchase at Etsy

What does it mean to “pitch in” with host family chores? Pitching In (defn): To join the family in doing some everyday household upkeep, to help keep the household running smoothly In anticipation of an au pair question that will get posted later this week, I wanted to sketch out the basic advice (okay, my aupairmom […]

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Open Thread: July 12

by cv harquail July 11, 2014
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We’re baaaaack! I know that you’ve missed the Open Thread — I can tell from all the re-directions in the comments on the posts! Use this open thread to toss out any question or concern you have — except for one:   If you are an au pair outside the USA whose host parents are somehow […]

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Scheduling Your Au Pair: The Minimum Length of a Work Shift

by cv harquail July 11, 2014
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The US State Department sets firm, legal parameters for scheduling an Au Pair.  But the US State Department rules, and the contractual stipulations of each Au Pair Agency, form only the required, minimum guidelines for scheduling an Au Pair. Within this rough outline, host parents and au pairs need to negotiate what is sensible, fair, effective […]

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Do you really want to know what your Au Pair is up to?

by cv harquail July 9, 2014
au pair, breaking rules, advice, secrets

‘Let me live in my fantasy world, where where Au Pairs drink only Diet Coke.’  This is what I’d say to Potential Tattletail AP. How about you? Dear AuPairMom-  I have a bit of a delicate question that I would love to get some feedback on from a HF perspective if possible.  I was an […]

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When Your New and Old Au Pairs Get Jealous of Each Other

by cv harquail July 6, 2014
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How hard is it to see the incoming au pair making connections with the kids, settling into the AuPair room, learning to drive in the USA, and talking about all she’s going to do in her year of adventure? If you’re the host mom, it’s not hard at all– you *want* to see this. But if […]

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