Au Pair Chatter

On Tuesday, March 20 all Rita’s Italian Ice locations will give each customer a FREE regular size Italian Ice. What a sweet way to start the season!

What is Italian Ice?
From the Rita’s website:
“Rita’s signature product is our Italian Ice, which is much smoother than a snow cone and combines ice with real fresh fruit; made fresh daily at each location and served within 36-hours of mixing. Trans-Fat Free and made fresh daily in dozens of deliciously refreshing flavors.”

There are Rita’s locations in Silver Spring, College Park, Riverdale, Bowie, Crofton, Annapolis & more. Check here on their website to find the nearest one for you.

**Contest** – The first au pair in my cluster to send me a message telling me their favorite flavor of Italian Ice will win a gift card for a sweet treat.

UPDATE – Winners are Sabrina & Cherise

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual event that celebrates springtime in Washington, DC as well as the 1912 gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan. It is normally a two week festival. This year to honor the 100th Anniversary it will be more than a month long, MARCH 20-APRIL 27!

The predicted peak blooming period of the cherry blossoms for this year is  – MARCH 20–23.

New This Year…

They have Free Apps for iPhone & Droid to help you keep track of the festival events and share your festival experiences via social media.

Here are some of the highlights:

Family Day - Saturday & Sunday, March 24-25, 2012
National Building Museum
401 F Street, NW
Metro Judiciary Square, Red Line
Sat – 10 am-4:30 pm & Sun- 11 am-3:30 pm

Smithsonian Kite Festival – Saturday, March 31, 2012
Washington Monument Grounds
10:30 am-4:30 pm

Fireworks Festival - Saturday, April 7, 2012
Waterfront Park – 600-900 Water Street, SW
1-9 pm
Fireworks at 8-9 pm *

*Check our cluster Facebook group for meeting details (time & location) for the Fireworks Cluster Meeting.

Cherry Blossom Parade – Saturday, April 14, 2012
Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Streets, NW
10 am- 12:30 pm

There are many more great events, visit the festival website for more information.

Helpful links:

Cherry Blossom Festival Website
National Park Service Bloom Watch
Metro Website (use the trip planner feature on this website to find the metro options, taking metro is much better than driving for the festival events)

Our au pairs worked very hard preparing and representing their countries.  Below are some photos. Click the photos to see them in a larger format on our Cluster Photobucket Album.

I am missing a few countries. If you have photos that I may add, please email them to me.

Daylight Saving Time
During DST, clocks are turned forward an hour, effectively moving an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening.  Today, approximately 70 countries worldwide utilize Daylight Saving Time in at least some portion of the country.  If you don’t come from one of those countries, I am guessing that the idea may seem strange.

Before you go to bed, be sure to set the clocks forward one hour!

Each year around the world, International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8. Hundreds of events occur not just on this day but throughout March to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women.

Organizations, governments and women’s groups around the world choose different themes each year that reflect global and local gender issues.

To find out more visit: http://www.internationalwomensday.com

Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day.

So, perform a few random acts of kindness- hold the door for a stranger, let someone go ahead of you in line at the grocery store, pay the road toll for the car behind you, give a compliment… the ideas are endless.

See if you can “pay it forward” and make today a great day!

A is for Art – try drawing, painting or gluing
B is for Baking – bake a dessert together for dinner
C is for Clay – Use non-hardening clay or play dough to shape and mold
D is for Dance – put on a lively tape
E is for Exercise – be sure to get some everyday
F is for Friends – invite some over
G is for Greenhouse – find a local greenhouse to visit to enjoy the sights and smells
H is for House – make a playhouse from a large appliance box
I is for Ice skating – take the children to a local rink
J is for Jigsaw puzzle – be sure to pick one that isn’t too difficult
K is for Kitchen science – try a safe experiment
L is for Library – borrow some new books
M is for Movie – make one with a video camera, or watch one
N is for Necklace – make one out of cereal or macaroni
O is for Origami – learn to make simple paper creations
P is for Puppets – socks make easy and fun puppets – put on a show!
Q is for Quiet Time – everyone needs some of this
R is for Reading aloud – choose a good book and a comfortable place to sit
S is for Seeds and Suet – put out food for the birds and watch them eat
T is for Tent – make one from old blankets and chairs
U is for Unplugged – do a day with no TV
V is for Variety – try something new everyday
W is for Walk – take one in any weather (be sure to dress appropriately)
X is for Xylophone – make your own with glasses, water and a metal spoon
Y is for Year – make a calendar or scrapbook to remember the year
Z is for Zoo – visit the animals

This year’s game features the New England Patriots vs. New York Giants. The Super Bowl is the annual American Football championship and a popular time for friends to gather in front of the TV. Each year millions of people watch the game, the half-time show – or just the commercials!  People will be talking about the commercials for days. To learn more about football visit the “Life in the US” section of this website http://aupairinamerica.com/resources/life_in_the_us/football.asp

The 46th Super Bowl will take place on February 5, 2012. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 ET on NBC.

Click here to read the post on Wall Street Journal website

Check out this post on the Wall Street Journal online.

It’s written by reporter, John J. Edwards III and he talks about his thought process in deciding to hire an au pair.

He is planning to post updates as he and his wife continue in the process of becoming a host family.

Traditionally, the groundhog is supposed to wake up on February 2, and come up out of his burrow. If he sees his shadow, he will return to the burrow for six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, he remains outside and starts his year, because he knows that spring has arrived early. In the U.S., the “official” groundhog is kept in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and is called “Phil.” Though not based in science, it is a fun US tradition.