Open Thread: May 31

by cv harquail May 31, 2014
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Welcome to our weekend open thread. If you’ve got any au pair issues at loose sends, you can tie them up here with the help of the AuPairMom community.   This thread will be open for comments, ideas and questions (subject to moderation, for first time commenters) until Monday morning or 100 comments, whichever comes […]

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Bridging Yards, Bridging Cultures, Guest Post by Amy Massey

by Amy Massey May 29, 2014
bridge between two back yards, with girls lauging

Here’s a guest post from Amy Massey, a long-time reader, a host mom, and now a placement director with A.P.EX PROaupair. Amy writes about her experiences as a host parent who — like her backyard neighbor– has a child with special needs. Please note that this post isn’t sponsored by PROaupair, nor is it an advertisement […]

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What to do when an Au Pair doesn’t spend her whole *education* budget

by cv harquail May 26, 2014
Sweet Surprise Book with Muffin

The cost of college credits is so high, it’s hard to imagine that some au pairs don’t spend their entire Education allowance ($500) on meeting their education requirement. But, sometimes an au pair gets fees waived or they find a program with lower costs. Some au pairs take classes (like ESL) that get them credits […]

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Open Thread: Memorial Day Weekend

by cv harquail May 24, 2014
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Drumroll Please, for this weekend’s Open Thread! If you’ve got something you want to share, jump right in. If your comment doesn’t show up right away, it may be that my All-American software has automatically held the comment in moderation, waiting until I put down my gin and tonic.  This thread will remain open until […]

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Vacation Ideas for Au Pair: Fun, low cost, not too lonely?

by cv harquail May 23, 2014
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I need some helpful advice about vacationing ideas for our AP. Together, we had coordinated vacations, but now her plans have fallen through. Our au pair is coming with me and the kids on a cross country trip to Seattle.  I suggested to her that she take a week off on the west coast once my […]

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Improving the Matching Process: 10 Things I Wish Au Pairs Would Do

by Texas HM May 21, 2014
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Matching well matters — for both Host Parents and Au Pairs. Asking good questions and getting thoughtful answers helps a lot when it comes to finding a good match, but there’s more that host parents and Au Pairs can do.  TexasHM had some great ideas (I italicized the points I particularly loved): “In the matching […]

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When Host Parents Reserve Treats For Themselves

by cv harquail May 19, 2014
knives

How do you communicate to your au pair that something in your home is ‘off limits’ to them, even though you host parents enjoy it liberally? Things like hot tubs, wine, the ‘nice’ car, the expensive balsamic vinegar, or a favorite coffee mug can become a source of tension, when these things are purchased or […]

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Grocery Budgets for An Au Pair: What’s a fair amount?

by cv harquail May 12, 2014
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Including an Au Pair in your grocery shopping means more than throwing another package of chicken breasts into the cart. For any of us (all of us?) with budgets and cost constraints, including an Au Pair takes more than figuring out ‘how much’ more food we need to nourish an additional adult.  It also asks us to gauge […]

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Open Thread: Mother’s Day Edition

by cv harquail May 10, 2014
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My friend Liz, in her official author/blogger role as @Hello_Ladies, made a provocative suggestion: Instead of Sunday being Mother’s Day, Mother’s Day Should Fall on a Monday. Then, we moms would actually be able to take some time off to relax from *all three* of our jobs: Mogul, Mom, and Maid. This morning, as my […]

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Au Pair Asks: My Host Family Fights. Is it okay to rematch?

by cv harquail May 8, 2014

Personally, I can’t imagine living in a family where the members actively fight with one another. It’s one thing to have sibling bickering, or to have the parents yell at each other (very) occasionally when something goes wrong. But to live in a household where people are actively hostile? That would depress me no end. […]

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