Category Archives: Uncategorized

Boston area au pairs visit the Prudential Center Skywalk

This month we joined other Boston area au pair clusters for a visit to the Prudential Center Skywalk.  50 floors above Boston, we had a bird’s eye view of Boston’s Hancock Tower, Fenway Park, the Boston Common and Public Garden, the Esplanade and Hatch Shell, the Charles River, MIT, Harvard University, and countless other Boston landmarks.  Au pairs also had the chance to use interactive exhibits which provided them with a real flavor of the city’s distinctive culture and neighborhoods.  Multimedia players were provided detailing the city’s historic past and current sites.

Afterwards, we walked to Panera Bread and enjoyed food and conversation.  We welcomed Erika from Italy to our cluster and said good-bye to Nhung and Aneta.

For more photos, please visit Prudential Skywalk.

Au Pairs participate in yoga class

In March, we met at Together in Motion for a yoga class taught by me.  11 au pairs participated and we had a good class.

Afterwards, we gathered for some food and discussions.  Taxes were still a big topic as tax day is April 15, and we discussed that in detail.   We also had our quarterly childcare/safety meeting and discussed host family expectations with regard to electronics use and engaging children in activities.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures!

Valentine's Meeting

In February, we had a Valentine’s meeting at my house which included sweet Valentine’s treats.   Since taxes are due in April, we also discussed the process of filing taxes for au pairs.  It is an easy process, but it doesn’t feel so easy when you are from a different country and haven’t done it before.

It was nice sitting around the table and chatting.  It is always a good chance for au pairs to exchange experiences and get feedback from others.  We also said good-bye to Jaque, who left our cluster in January.

Boston Au Pairs Go Snowtubing

For our cluster meeting this month, we joined 4 other Boston area au pair clusters for snowtubing at Nashoba Valley.   Approximately 50 au pairs hit the slopes in pleasant temperatures.

This month we said good-bye to Deborah and to Mayela, and we welcomed Vanessa and Jana.   We took some time in the lodge to connect before heading out and enjoyed refreshments.

For more photos, please visit Snowtubing 2014

Au Pair Holiday Party

Last week, we had our annual au pair holiday party.  We joined another cluster in Lexington and went to the Yantze River Restaurant in Lexington Center.

Au pairs ate from the plentiful buffet, did a yankee swap game and sang holiday songs in their language.     

We ended the meeting by caroling around the Lexington Center Christmas tree.

For more photos and some videos please visit Holiday Party

Thanksgiving

THANKSGIVING

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Time for Family & Friends

In The United States Thanksgiving tradition began in 1621 after the first harvest by the Pilgrims who came from England.  New York was the first state to celebrate Thanksgiving in 1817 and in 1863 it became an official holiday.

Thanksgiving is generally seen as a time to get together with loved ones, eat a ridiculously large amount of food, watch some football, and of course give thanks for all the blessings in our lives. Many homes will be decorated with horns of plenty, dried corn, and other ’symbols’ of Thanksgiving.  Schoolchildren across America will ‘reenact’ Thanksgiving by dressing as either pilgrims or Wampanoag Indians.

230512-Royalty-Free-RF-Clipart-Illustration-Of-Happy-Pilgrim-Children-Serving-A-Thanksgiving-Turkey Start a Thankful List with the children:

Have each child write a list of things he or she is thankful for and hang it on the refrigerator.  Keep adding to the list by asking the children at least once a day what they were thankful for that day. If the child is too young to write, have the child tell you what he/she is thankful for and you write it down.

This could be shared with the family at the Thanksgiving table!

Au Pairs play laser tag

This month, we joined another Boston cluster and visited Lasercraze in Woburn for a heated game of laser tag.   Adrenaline was pumping as 2 teams of 20 pairs each competed against each other in this riveting game.  It is amazing to observe how competitive one can be!

We also enjoyed sitting together, having refreshments and talking about au pair business.

For more photos, please go to Lasertag.

October Cluster Meeting

For October, I had planned a fun host family and au pair picnic at Honey Pot Hill Orchard in Stow.  Unfortunately, that had to be cancelled due to rain.   We had the au pair meeting at my house instead.   In true fall fashion, we had apple cider donuts and apple cider.  We also had a good-bye cake, saying our official good-byes to Lilly, Ning and Allegra who are leaving our cluster the next month.

For more photos of this meeting, you can go to October 2013.

Helpful Webinars for Au Pairs

Webinar Schedule (All times Eastern time zone)

October 15

8 pm               Nutrition. Good eating for you and your kids

9 pm               It’s Up to You. Making the most of your Au Pair year

10 pm             Activities to do with Preschoolers

October 29

11 am             Language Development: Birth and beyond

12 noon         Tantrums are no fun for anyone. Help, my kids are fighting again!

1 pm               American holidays: what they are, activities and getting through

the holiday blues

November  11

8 pm               Managing play with more than one child

9 pm               Repatriation

10 pm             Feeling Sad or Stressed: Tips for gaining balance in your life

November 26

11 am             Help! My kids are fighting again

12 noon         Activities for School Age Kids

1 pm               Homesickness. Making it through

December 5

8 pm               Activities to do with Preschoolers

December 6

9 pm               Successfully communicating with your host family

December 9

10 am             Homework: Finding the right strategy for your child

December 15

9 pm               Homesickness. Making it through

10 pm             Toilet Training 101

December 17

8 pm               Tantrums are no fun for anyone

Boston Au Pairs visit Harvard University

This is one of my favorite regional events that we offer for our Boston area au pairs:  a Harvard University tour.   Counselor Patti Estabrook organized it this year and almost 100 au pairs showed up on a beautiful fall day.

Au pairs learned about student life and the diversity of one Americas oldest and most prestigious schools.  Tour guides provided historical facts and stories.  Did you know that the statue of John Harvard (which by the way is not John Harvard, but a student who was asked to model, in the absence of any known pictures of John) is the 3rd most photographed statue in the country?

For more photos, please visit Harvard Tour 2013.