Massachusetts’ Domestic Workers Rights Bill. Time to write letters?

by cv harquail May 12, 2015

Massachusetts Host Families with Cultural Care Au Pair received the email, below, from their agency. As with so many forms of ‘official’ government communication, it’s hard to understand exactly how this bill might affect Au Pair Host Families and what any Host Family ought to do about it. Here’s the letter, please share your thoughts […]

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Helping an Au Pair with Depression – without Rematch

by cv harquail May 11, 2015
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It’s more than homesickness. It’s more than a bad day, or a bad mood. It’s depression, and it’s a serious disorder. Is there anything a host parent can do to help? HostMomInParadise writes: I am a host mom in transition. My au pair had been here 8 months and left suddenly, stopping work abruptly and […]

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Mother’s Day: Open Thread for Au Pairs

by cv harquail May 8, 2015
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How do you describe your Host Mom? What’s wonderful about her — as a mom, as a host mom, as a friend, as a person? Au Pairs, here’s your chance to celebrate something about your Host Mom that you personally appreciate.   Pencils by ADCShop available for purchase on Etsy

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Upcoming Celebrations on AuPairMom: Mothers Day & AuPair Appreciation Week

by cv harquail May 7, 2015
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Spring has sprung, which means it’s time to celebrate! We celebrate daffodils, columbines, and first bloomers in the garden.  Ice cream trucks, camp signup forms, and that new pair of FitFlops that you deserve. The pair with sequins. And, here on AuPairMom, we celebrate Mother’s Day and AuPairAppreciation week! For both events, we’ll have a focused […]

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Managing Your Au Pair When Someone in the Family is Sick

by cv harquail May 7, 2015

from ShouldBeWorking: Background: Anorexic teen daughter is in hospital. This is a relief, actually. We had some very bad weeks and now she is getting good care and nutrition. I have been beyond exhausted, anxious and miserable trying to re-feed her and seeing things just fall apart. While she is inpatient I’m trying to rest […]

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Energetic Male Au Pair Lacks Judgment. Should we rematch?

by cv harquail May 6, 2015
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Dear AuPairMom —  Our family has had au pairs since 2008. We had some amazing aupairs some mediocre and some terrible experiences that resulted in rematches. So one would think that we went through so many situations, we now know how to pick the right au pair and we know when it’s time for rematch. […]

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Open Thread: A Break

by cv harquail May 1, 2015
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Hi All-  Much excitement here at AuPairMom Headquarters this week. I fractured my scapula and two ribs on Sunday, by falling off a horse that spooked and started galloping towards the woods. My helmet and safety vest protected most of me, but the fractures, bruises, and etc. have taken a toll on both my ego and […]

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When Au Pairs Plan In Advance Not To Complete Their Year

by cv harquail April 23, 2015
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Au Pair contracts, for both the au pair and the family, exist so that both parties are absolutely clear about what they can expect from each other. A Host Family pays an agency fee that they expect to cover 12 month of service. Indeed, knowing that you can amortize the cost of finding and training an […]

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Can an Au Pair Help An Anorexic Host Mom? Should She Try?

by cv harquail April 21, 2015
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When an au pair notices that the host mom is having some kind of personal problem, should the au pair try to talk with the host mom about it? When I think about this question in the abstract, my answer is “Of course! If the au pair cares about the host mm as a person, […]

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Sheet Pan Suppers: Easy Meals for Au Pairs to Cook

by cv harquail April 17, 2015
Sheet Pan Suppers for Au Pair to Cook

“Mom, this chicken’s a winner.” ~ DD1 “You should email the cookbook author and thank her for that recipe.” ~ AuPairDad “Yay! You’re making the Spicy Peanut one again!” ~ DD2 These are all real quotes, prompted by a gift that Host Mom Page E. sent me– a cookbook called Sheet Pan Suppers, by Molly […]

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