Open Thread: March 29

by cv harquail March 29, 2014
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  Welcome to our Weekend Open Thread!   Open threads are for comments on any subject at all, including past posts, things we haven’t posted on, what you’ve been thinking or doing, etc. You can even let me know if there’s a topic you think I should queue up for the coming week. Just be […]

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Scheduling Your Au Pair: When does “On Duty” start and stop?

by cv harquail March 28, 2014
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When does an au pair actually ‘start’ or ‘stop’ being on duty? When we’re counting up the hours in the week that we need childcare, it’s tempting to imagine that we can start and stop ‘on duty’ time right on the precise minute. How else are we to cover an entire week? I look back […]

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Au Pair is harsh and negative with Host Kids: Can we change her interaction style?

by cv harquail March 27, 2014
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Dear Au Pair Mom Community, I really need your advice about a situation I have where I don’t think “rematch” is feasible (and besides my husband is totally against it). Basically we have had an Au Pair (our 3rd) for the last 9 months. The first 6 months were great. She’s organized, responsible, a good […]

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Two Weeks, Three Lies, and One Next Step: Rematch

by cv harquail March 26, 2014
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Unsafe behavior. Confirmed serious lying. These are the two unquestionable reasons for rematching– even if your au pair is brand-new. Of course, the agencies and even we ourselves ask that we give each new au pair situation a chance to work itself out. Many of us have had au pairs who turned out to be […]

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Bending the the Wrong Direction? Giving your Au Pair what she really wants

by cv harquail March 25, 2014
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One day when I was feeling really overwhelmed by the administrivia, chores, chauffeuring and routines of our household, I asked my tweenage daughter: “Of the things I do for you and your sister, which ones matter the most to you? What do I do that helps you feel really loved?” I thought the answer might […]

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Create A Bucket List for Au Pair Adventures

by cv harquail March 24, 2014
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If you could create a ‘bucket’ list for any Au Pair coming to the USA, to help him or her make sure to take FULL advantage of the Au Pair adventure, what would you recommend? Writes TexasHM: This morning I had a random idea – what if I created for my AP a list like this […]

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Open Thread: March 22

by cv harquail March 22, 2014
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Welcome to our Saturday Open Thread!   Open threads are for comments on any subject at all, including past posts, things we haven’t posted on, what you’ve been thinking or doing, etc. as long as it follows our basic comments policy. This thread will be open for a full weekend, from today until the evening of […]

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Blended Family Challenge: Half-Time Custody but Full Time Au Pair?

by cv harquail March 20, 2014
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My partner and I have three daughters between us and are looking into the AuPair Educare program. All three of are girls are in school full time and we would essentially only need before and after care. The question is: We have our daughters every other week. We attempt to have all three of them […]

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Welcome Your Au Pair With A Custom Google Map

by cv harquail March 19, 2014
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HostMom Pippa takes advantage of easy online tools, and comes up with *surely* one of the greatest ideas for helping your au pair visualize her/his new surroundings (aka your world). She recommends creating a Custom Google Map:  An easy way to share information with your incoming AP before he or she arrives is to create […]

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Help Your Incoming Au Pair Visualize Her Adventure

by cv harquail March 18, 2014
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My au pair is doing a project for the agency and has requested photos of us, neighborhood, etc.  Should I send her pics of our house and her room?   Absolutely! Send photos! It’s understandable that your new au pair wants to be able to visualize where she is going to be. I think it’s […]

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