Victoria's Blog for the Potomac River Shoreline Cluster

About 30 Host Families and Au Pairs attended the picnic at Great Seneca Park’s Doe Shelter. It was a hot and sunny day but the shelter provided some shade and we had lots of cool drinks. New Au Pairs made friends, old friends met again and host families and their children shared lunch, delicious desserts and the fun with each other.

Au Pairs from Latvia had put together a great table with great posters about their wonderful country and a computerized slide show. Ieva and Kerry both cooked for hours on the morning of the event to prepare Latvian food that everyone could try: soup, cake, etc. DELICIOUS! Thank you! We now have 2 Latvian au pairs with Alisa to arrive in July and Zane in August.

Children played on the playground, enjoyed face painting done by Imelda’s daughter and friend, participated in a raffle of Au Pair items, and lined up for balloon sculptures made for each child of an item of request (crown, heart, sword, bunny etc.) by our own Brazilian Au Pair, Bartira Frank. Thank you!!!

Then we all heard the thunder, but a park ranger came by and told us that we had about 15 minutes to pack up the fun as a big storm was on the way. We all hustled and packed up JUST in time! A big storm did follow, but we had had almost 2 hours of our wonderful picnic.

What great music! Au Pairs can move! We all enjoyed a Zumba class at Fitness First in Gaithersburg/Darnestown, Maryland. Some of us stopped at the nearby Starbucks to grab a sip of caffeine to be ready for the dance class. Fitness First is offering a discounted rate at many of their area locations to Au Pairs. If you are interested let Imelda Farrell know as she has the contact information: ifarrell96@comcast.net. Thanks to the MANY au pairs who participated in this fun event!!!

[caption id="attachment_209" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The front row!!!"][/caption][caption id="attachment_207" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Getting into the beat!"][/caption]

At our cluster meeting on January 19th, many au pairs donated supplies to create hygiene packets for victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

Here are some photos of au pairs and the great number of donations.

Here is the link for the organization that is sending the packages to Haiti.

On Sunday December 13th, about 40 Au Pairs from our cluster joined Victoria and her family in their home for an evening of fun and Christmas spirit. Au Pairs basked in the glow of a roaring fire, constructed and decorated two gingerbread houses (which were raffled to two lucky winners to take home), enjoyed sweet and savory food favorites, decorated the Christmas tree, participated in a zany “left/right” gift exchange, won prizes in a raffle, and made new friends and enjoyed the company of old friends. Happy Holidays to all Au Pairs and Host Families! Please send in more photos and I will add them to this posting!

Below is the Winter Schedule for parenting courses offered by the YMCA at various nearbyl locations.

These topics may be useful for parents, au pairs  or both. Many classes are free of charge! These courses are for  information/education only and do not count toward the APIA education requirements.

To sign up for courses please contact: Pam Mintz Parenting Education Coordinator; Call (301) 229-1347 or email:  parenting@ymcadc.org or www.ymcadc.org

Dealing with a Strong Willed Child

Do you sometimes feel your child is more determined, more sensitive, more argumentative, more volatile than others?  Come and learn how to turn these strong characteristics into positive attributes and make day to day family living more tranquil.

Monday, January 11  7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Free.  Donations appreciated.   Silver Spring Library, 8901 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring

Ten Reasons Children Don’t Succeed… and Eleven Things Parents Can Do

Come to this parenting skills workshop to discover common pitfalls of parenting that deprive children of the opportunity to succeed with daily tasks of living.  Parents will learn strategies for helping kids become more confident, courageous, capable and caring.

Wednesday, January 20, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Free. Donations appreciated.     Bethesda Library, 7400 Arlington Rd., Bethesda

Parenting Without Threats and Bribes

Parenting tools will be the focus of this how-to workshop.  While the use of rewards and threats in disciplining may be effective in controlling behavior in the immediate situation, over time it can decrease mutual respect in the relationship.  Come learn alternative approaches.

Tuesday, January 26, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.  Free.  Donations appreciated.   Davis Library, 6400 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda

Choosing, Making and Keeping Friends

Parents will learn how to help their child assess social situations, strategize ways to have more positive interactions, recognize and read social cues, and feel better about him or herself.

Monday, February 1, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.   Free. Donations appreciated.   Potomac Library, 10101 Glenolden Dr., Potomac

Words:  Parenting Classes

Parenting Children

Parents will learn to identify the purposes of a child’s misbehavior and develop effective discipline and encouragement strategies for positively redirecting these behaviors.  Skills include: Developing effective consequences, structuring choices, and ending power struggles.   Required text, available first night: $20; class fee: $30.

Wednesdays, Feb 3 – March 10, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.  YMCA Ayrlawn Program Center, 5650 Oakmont Ave., Bethesda

Parenting Teens

A down-to-earth and practical way to meet the challenges of raising teenagers.  The group discussion format teaches skills to help improve parent/teen relations; develop teen self-esteem and self-reliance; and promote responsible teen behavior at home, school and in the community.  Required text, available first night: $20; class fee: $30.

Tuesdays, February 2 – March 9, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.    YMCA Ayrlawn Program Center, 5650 Oakmont Ave., Bethesda

Family Anger Issues

This class will help parents understand their own and their family members’ intense feelings.  Topics include:

·          Parent-child issues:  power struggles and emotional outbursts

·          Child-child issues:  sibling rivalry, dealing with conflicts.

·          Looking for patterns and creating strategies for change

·          Prevention strategies:  trigger thoughts, temperament issues

Required text, available first night: $20; class fee: $30.

Tuesdays, February 2 – March 9, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.   Silver Spring YMCA, Child Development Ctr. 9800 Hastings Drive, Silver Spring

Improving Communication Skills for Couples

Working together as a team is a challenge for many couples.  We will learn from volunteer couples who have agreed to share the challenges and successes in their relationships.  This class will demonstrate ways to improve listening skills, increase mutual respect and stimulate playful and joyful interaction through an open forum marriage demonstration.   Class fee: $30.

Thursdays, February 4 – Feb 25, 7:00—8:30 p.m.  United Church of Christ, 9525 Colesville Road, Silver Spring

It’s easy to register on line.  Go to www.ymcadc.org.  Click on the Easy Enroll Icon and search by our branch:  YMCA Youth & Family Services

Pam Mintz Parenting Education Coordinator YMCA Youth & Family Services 7425 MacArthur Blvd Cabin John, MD  20818 301-229-1347

It was a gorgeous, autumn day and 20 enthusiastic Au Pairs joined their counselor, Victoria Paton, to walk in the Potomac Day Parade on October 24th.  Au Pairs wearing Au Pair in America t-shirts met families along the route and gave children stickers as a gift.

Just as we crossed the “finish line”, the rain clouds broke and it began to pour. Still, a great morning was had by Au Pairs as they participated in a very American activity.