Category Archives: Fun Things We Do

Au Pair Breakfast

This month we congregated at my house for a breakfast in my backyard.  We had a beautiful day with warm temperatures.

September is always a big cluster meeting.  Many new au pairs have arrived over the summer and everybody is home now after traveling over the summer.  It always is a good chance for the new and more seasoned au pairs to intermingle and get to know each other.  Many phone numbers were exchanged!   Some au pairs also brought their host kids who had a good time playing with each other in the backyard.

It was time for our quarterly childcare focus talk.  This time we read and talked about  “A Memorandum from a Child” which discusses constructive ways to interact constructively with children.

For more photos, please go to September 2013 breakfast.

Au Pair Barbecue

For our cluster meeting this month we congregated in my backyard for a barbecue.   We had a nice big group of au pairs, lots to eat and many good conversations.

Summer is a big change-over time in the au pair world, so for many of my au pairs it was their last meeting and for some their first.   It was so nice to see how the more seasoned au pairs gave advice to the newer au pairs.  It is not easy leaving your family and friends in your home country.  My cluster meetings are an excellent opportunity for au pairs to establish a new social network.

For more photos, please go to July Barbecue.

Host Family Day at Gillette Stadium

Boston area community counselors held their annual host family day last weekend at Gillette stadium in Foxboro.  Host families and their au pairs were invited to a tailgating party before the soccer game.  We had a beautiful sunny day for it.

The annual host family day satisfies the State Department requirement for host families to attend an annual host family workshop.   It provides an opportunity for host families to connect to other families in the program and to discuss aspects of it.     For more photos please go to Host Family Day.

Boston area counselors with marketing director Blair Weinberg

Boston area counselors with marketing director Blair Weinberg

Free Friday movies at the Boston Hatch Shell


Free Friday Flicks at the Hatch Shell 2013Now a beloved, summertime tradition for New England families, Free Friday Flicks are classic & popular, family-oriented movies shown each Friday night throughout the summer at the DCR Hatch Shell on the Esplanade for FREE!

People of all ages flock to the banks of the Charles River with their own chairs, blankets and picnics to enjoy these Free movies under the stars.

All movies are shown rain or shine at sundown (approximately 8:30pm). But come early to grab your spot on the lawn…and visit the WBZ Tent for lots of free giveaways, food samples and fun interactive games!

2013 Schedule – What’s Playing This Week?

Friday July 12, Sunset (8:21 pm) – Despicable Me
Friday July 19, Sunset (8:16 pm) – Wreck It Ralph
Friday July 26, Sunset (8:10 pm) – Here Comes The Boom

Friday August 2, Sunset (8:02 pm) – Madagascar 3
Friday August 9, Sunset (7:53 pm) – Rise Of The Guardians
Friday August 16, Sunset (7:43 pm) – Jack The Giant Slayer
Friday August 23, Sunset (7:33 pm) – Oz The Great & Powerful

For more information or cancellation due to weather, call the Free Friday Flicks Hotline: 617-787-7200 or visit wbz.com

Au Pairs learn about self-defense

This month we joined another cluster for a self-defense class with “Not Me” (www.not-me.org) .   We gathered at Panera Bread in Lexington.   Au pairs learned that healthy boundary setting is the first step toward defending yourself.   Presenters Erik, Lisa and Melissa talked about their own experiences with boundary setting and talked au pairs through situations they might encounter.   It was helpful to hear the signals we give to others unknowingly that indicate if we are an easy target or not.

We also discussed summer safety with children of different ages.  This is an important component of the au pair program that aims at providing safe, quality childcare to our host families.

After the class, we said good-bye to Natalia who finishes her year next month and will go back to Costa Rica.  We also said good-bye to Dennis who is moving to another Boston cluster.  Good luck with your future endeavors!

For more photos, please go to Self-Defense

Coffee Meeting at my house

Early this month I decided to spontaneously add an extra meeting to connect more with my au pairs.   The summer is coming and I have to do a lot of year end business with au pairs that are leaving.   It was nice to have the extra time to do this.  It was also nice for those of au pairs whose schedule prevents them to come to some of the evening meetings.   Some au pairs came with their children and it was nice to watch them interact.

Maple Sugaring Tour

Maple Sugaring Group

Maple Sugaring Group

It’s maple sugaring time again!   As our March regional event, we offered a tour at the Belmont Habitat to our Boston area au pairs.  In addition to our regular monthly meetings, these regional events offer all au pairs in the area a second opportunity to meet other au pairs and engage in cultural experiences.

Introduction

Introduction

On a cold, sunny day, 35 of us gathered inside the visitor’s center.  Before talking about maple sugaring, our tour guides talked with au pairs about their favorite sweet from their country.

We then split up in three groups and through our very knowledgeable tour guides, learned about the history and the process of maple sugaring.  We also learned how to identify a sugar maple and how to tap a tree.

We took a walk through the Habitat, looking at different maple trees, including tapped ones.   We tasted maple sap directly from the tree and compared it with samples of maple syrup.

Our tour included a taste test to see if we could differentiate real maple syrup from chemically produced syrup that consists mostly of corn syrup.  In the end, we were treated to Vanilla ice cream with maple syrup.

For more photos of our tour, please go to Maple Sugaring

Au Pairs Celebrate Valentine's Day

This week my au pair group met at my house for a Valentine’s Day celebration.  We made heart-shaped pizzas and also enjoyed heart-shaped fruit and cookies as well as Valentine’s candy.

We said good-bye to Lena who is moving to another cluster and to Wi who will be going home to Thailand.   We welcomed new arrivals Janice, Malin and Luisa.

We also had a discussion about taxes.   Au pairs that are here for more than 18 weeks for the tax year need to file taxes.  That can be confusing.  Our agency is very helpful in providing the necessary information, but it was helpful to go over it again and get questions answered.

For more photos of our meeting go to Valentine 2013

Boston Au Pairs Go Snowtubing!

As the temperatures were falling toward the single digits, my au pairs braved the weather last Wednesday night and headed West to the Nashoba Valley Snowtubing Park.  We met five other Boston area au pair groups and were able to take advantage of the group rate.  Always a good thing for my au pairs to save money!

We gathered at the cottage, which was was nice and warm, and au pairs kept coming in to warm up with hot chocolate and cookies.

We welcomed Malin and Luisa, who arrived this month, into our group.  They easily made connections to other au pairs and already know some from their first three days of orientation in Connecticut.