Never forget MOM
Mother’s Day in the United States is annually held on the second Sunday of May. It celebrates motherhood and it is a time to appreciate mothers and mother figures. Many people give gifts, cards, flowers, candy, a meal in a restaurant or other treats to their mother and mother figures, including grandmothers, great-grandmothers, stepmothers, and foster mothers.
Help your kids make something special for mom this year!
Check out these crafts on Pinterest
This year again Au Pair in America will have a team and join the Walk for Hunger
A Regional Event with au pairs from the greater Boston area.
All au pairs and host families who would like to join our team please register on the link below
Team name: Au Pair in America
It’s free to register but you can certainly donate as much as you want. Please ask you host family, friends or neighbors if they would donate money to your team.
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Dr. Martin Luther King
– Martin Luther King, I Have a Dream Quote
Nearly 50 years after his death it is King’s words and deeds that live on in the American memory .
Below are some links about the history of this holiday including a biography of Dr. King
To read the full “I Have a Dream” speech click here Dr. Kings Speech
Here are a couple examples:
I wanted to make sure everyone understands how the medical coverage works for sports related injuries. There is a list of “high-risk sports/activities” that are not covered with the basic or upgrade medical insurance plans. Those activities are only covered with the Sports Insurance Package (also known as Option A.)
The Sports Insurance Package was available pre-departure and may also be purchased at any time during your year. It takes effect within 48 hours of your enrollment and it is good for the remainder of the year. The cost will be the same ($60) whether you have a month left or your whole year ahead of you. I recommend you pay for it early on, if you didn’t already purchase it. You never know when an opportunity might present itself and you don’t want to miss out on an adventure. You also don’t want to take a risk on getting injured and being responsible for the bill on your own.
Below is a partial list of sports that are only covered with the sports insurance package:
Football, Rugby, Scuba diving, Ski-doo, Wakeboarding, Skydiving, Parachuting, Rock climbing, Zip line, Skate boarding, Rollerblading, Roller skating, Ice Skating, Skiing, Snowboarding, Snowmobiles & Snowshoeing. View the full list on page 3 of the insurance brochure HERE
Note: Injuries sustained while partaking in these sports are covered with purchase of the Sports Insurance ONLY.
How to register for the Sports Insurance
Download the form SPORTS INSURANCE FORM and follow the instructions.
Touching John Harvard's shoe for luck!
Au Pairs from the Boston area gather each year to tour the hallowed grounds of Harvard University. On a beautiful September day over 80 girls came to Cambridge to learn about student life and the diversity of one Americas oldest and most prestigious schools.
Tour guides provided us with 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? Want to guess what the top two are? Needless to say the day was full of interesting facts and sights of Harvard!
click here for pictures —-> Harvard Tour 2013
This is the start of the Fall semester!
Part of a successful year as an au pair includes your education requirement. You’ve heard about it at orientation, and, hopefully, thought about it already, but one way or the other, now is the time to act.
So how do you get started? Any of the Au Pair in America resources will give you all the details, but for a quick start, here are a few pointers that will guide you on the road to educational success.
Begin the process! Every accredited school has its fall schedule of courses available online and locally, schools are all in the registration period right now so get going! You may be able to register late, but classes fill quickly. Even if there is room available, it will cost you extra money and courses are already expensive, so this is something to avoid.
Think about how you want to fulfill the requirement. You can take one course or a few, travel, or become a student on an American college campus. Do you want to improve your English? That is a good place to start. This could be an opportunity to see another city by taking a travel course worth 3 credits, to explore new subjects that you have always been interested in, or to study a subject that you have already planned a career in. If you really have no interest in any of these possibilities, the UCLA online course is available for your 6 credit requirement. You have many choices, but there are other steps that you need to take before you are done.
Talk to your host family, your community counselor, and other au pairs. Ask your host family about the time in your schedule that is available for you to take courses. Your counselor will tell you whether a school is accredited. Other au pairs will give you their opinions about courses that they have taken.
Research the choices by using the Au Pair in America website (www.aupairinamerica.com) to view all the choices that other au pairs in your cluster have made. Select one or two classes that you would like to take, their cost, where and what time they meet. Then ask for a host parent or community counselor’s opinion.
Register after you and your host parents have discussed the details. This requires payment. Since your host parents have some responsibility for the cost of your classes for the year, they will help you to register.
Participate! Now that you are a student on an American campus, enjoy it. Use the library, sit on campus, go to the bookstore, mingle with the other students. And above all, study! You’ll be proud of your success when the semester ends.
Movie Night
Music & Movie Fridays at the
Boston Harbor Hotel
(plus more free events – check out this site)
click the link here –>Celebrate Boston!
The most important thing now is to understand that as horrific as this event was we are still safe to move about our normal days.
So many people have reached out to help the survivors. As individual Americans we tend to donate to certain charities that help those who have been injured. As Au Pairs it helps for you to be aware of the enormous efforts that are taken to help in time of crisis.
Since April 15th, both traditional and new organizations have offered help and support to those hurt physically and emotionally by the deadly blasts at the Boston Marathon.
The American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts says it’s served 5,000 meals and snacks. A new group, The One Fund, announced by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino, has been set up to get money to the families of those killed and most severely wounded.
Three people died in the explosions: 8-year-old Martin Richard, and Krystle Marie Campbell, 29, both of Massachusetts; and Lingzi Lu, a Boston University graduate student from China, and 176 were injured.
The American Red Cross, Eastern Massachusetts
Since Monday, the Red Cross has “provided about 500 units of blood and blood products to hospitals in the Boston area,” the organization says on its. “Blood supplies are currently sufficient to meet patient needs and people who want to give blood are strongly encouraged to schedule a donation appointment in the days and weeks ahead.”
The One Fund Boston
The will act as a central repository to “receive much needed financial support,” Gov. Patrick said Tuesday in a statement. “At moments like this, we are one state, one city and one people.”
Within an hour of the explosions, Mayor Menino said in a statement he had calls from business leaders and philanthropists “who were heartbroken by the impact this hideous tragedy” had on individuals and families, and wanted to do something about it.
As of Wednesday, officials said, more than $7 million has been pledged to The One Fund by corporate partners and individuals. Individuals have contributed more than $500,000 so far.
The John Hancock company has pledged $1 million, and there are other commitments for contributions from the Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox and Bain Capital.
On April 20, AT&T said customers who want to support One Fund can text the word BOSTON to 80108 to donate $10. The donation will be reflected on customers’ monthly AT&T bill.
The Amputee Coalition
Members from this are working with Boston hospitals that are treating patients. The coalition works regularly to raise awareness about amputees, create peer mentorship programs and has a summer program for children with limb differences. To learn more, visit the coalition’s main website .
It is never too early to start reading to children. Children of all ages enjoy having stories read to them. Reading, cuddling up on a couch or reading before a child takes a nap or goes to sleep at night, is comforting for the child. This special time together builds a bond, take the time to read to the children in your life. 
louder for others. A sing song voice is fun for young children.
The tradition of Valentine’s Day originated in Rome in the 5th century as a tribute to St. Valentine, a Catholic bishop who was beheaded by Emperor Claudius on February 14, 270 A.D. The story goes that the Emperor banned marriage in his empire and put Valentine to his death when he found out that Valentine was secretly marrying young people.