Yearly Archives: 2010

Au Pair Health and Insurance

Avoid the ER and save some money.  For au pairs arriving in 2009 and after there is an additional ER deductible of $250.  **Note there are several plans with differing deductibles.  Visit http://aupairinamerica.com/resources/life_in_the_us/insurance_3.asp for full details. 

If you get sick, your best option is to visit a walk-in clinic or Urgent Care location such as the ones listed below.  You should carry your insurance card with you at all times.

 

Walk-in Clinic-South Loop- Phone: 312.663.3522 Board Certified ER doctors

71 E 16th St. Chicago IL, 60616  Mon-Fri 9:30-7pm  Sat 9:30-2pm

 

Physicians Immediate Care- Walk-In clinic, No appointment necessary

811B South State Street Chicago, IL 60605
Ph: (312) 566-9510

http:/: 7:30am – 8pm
Saturdays: 9am – 6pm
Sundays: 9am – 4pmWeekdays

 

Walgreens Take Care Health Clinics-Nurse Practitioners
1601 N Wells Street Chicago, IL 60614
Mon-Fri 8:00am-7:30pm
Sat-Sun 9:00am-4:30pm Chicago, IL 60603

79 West Monroe

Mon-Fri 7:00am-6:30pm 10265

 
CVS Minute Clinics-Nurse Practitioners

State and Adams

137 South State Street Chicago, IL 60603

Mon – Fri 8:30am to 7:30pm

Sat – Sun closed

 

Clark and Division
1165 North Clark Chicago, IL 60610
Mon – Fri 8:30am to 7:30pm
Sat 9am to 5:30pm
Sun 10am to 5:30pm

You will need to pay for services at the time of your appointment and submit a claim to insurance.

Full details and a list of doctors who are familiar with the insurance can be found onthe Au Pair in America website http://aupairinamerica.com/resources/life_in_the_us/insurance_3.asp

Disney Trip!!!

Pack your bags for the 7th Annual  Au Pair in America  trip to DISNEY WORLD

For Au Pair in America au pairs only

JANUARY 27 – JANUARY 31, 2011 $390.00 Per person

 Includes 4 nights in All Stars Music Hotel on Disney Property, 3 day hopper pass and transportation to all 4 parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios, Animal Kingdom) and transportation from the Orlando airport to the hotel on January 27 and transportation to the Orlando airport from the hotel on January 31. Price does not include meals.

 

4 Au Pairs to a hotel room .Each room has 2 double beds

 

Au Pairs will need to book air travel to and from Orlando, Florida. 

 

Email Kathy at kkressner@comcast.net

Summer Fun with Bees!

Bee searching for pollen

Bee searching for pollen

Fun with Bees!

Summer is a great time to observe and learn about the wonderful world of bees, but be careful not to get too close!

At the Library:

Look for books about bees such as Berlioz the Bear by Jan Brett or Bumblebee, Bumblebee, Do You Know Me? : A Garden Guessing Game by Anne Rockwell.

Arts and Crafts:

  • Make a large “Bee Garden” poster: Use green paper and create a flower garden using markers or construction paper or crayons. Draw bees visiting the flowers.
  • Make a Bee Headband: Use a 1-1/2” wide piece of construction paper measured to fit the circumference of the child’s head for the headband. You need chenille stems (pipe cleaners) if you want to make the flowers stand up. Make the flowers out of tissues or stiff paper.

Make a Bee Snack

Make pumpernickel (dark) bread with melted cheese stripes.

Six Buzzing Bumblebees (a finger play – use your fingers as the bees)

Six buzzing bumblebees
Flying ‘round the hive,
One buzzes off and then there are five.
Five buzzing bumblebees
Flying near my door,
One buzzes off and then there are four
Four buzzing bumblebees
Flying ’round a tree.
One buzzes off and then there are three.
Three buzzing bumblebees
In the sky so blue.
One buzzes off and then there are two.
Two buzzing bumblebees
Flying toward the sun.
One buzzes off and then there is one.
One buzzing bumblebee
Looking for some fun,
Oops! It stung me….off it buzzes.
Then there are none.

Father's Day is here!

Calendar Day

Father’s Day

What Makes A Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle’s flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it … DadAuthor is unknown

To honor the father in your family, work together to make one of these special homemade gifts:

http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/fathersdaycrafts/?once=true.

Here are some other ideas for Father’s Day crafts:

http://crafts.kaboose.com/holidays/fathers-day/

When the working day is through….

Au Pairs work hard all week long.  They provide childcare for their Host Families for up to 10 hours a day and 45 hours a week.  They have fun with the children; taking them to the park, playing games, reading, helping with homework, driving to activities and so much more.  So when the work week is over, Au Pairs love to take a break and relax.

On Friday, April 16 three Au Pair in America clusters from the western suburbs gathered at Expression Dance Studio in Westmont for:  “Au Pair Dance Night Out.”  They were joined by their local Community Counselors Maria, Pat and Pam, and one very brave set of Au Pair parents for some dance lessons and a whole lot of fun.  The au pairs learned a few “smooth latin moves” and how to have fun, and look good out on the dance floor.  One Au Pair commented:  “Dance Night was so much fun, we should do this again very soon.”

 Au Pair Dance Night Out 2010

Happy Easter

 

 

 

 

   Easter is on Sunday, April 4 for both “Western” and “Eastern Orthodox” Christians this year.   Here is some Easter trivia from around the world:

  According to widespread belief, Easter owes its name to “Eastre”, the Anglo-Saxon goddess symbolizing hare and egg. Another theory suggests that it comes from the early German word “eostarun”, meaning dawn and white.
   Easter always falls between March 22 and April 25.
   Easter is a “moveable feast” as it does not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars. The full moon determines the date of Easter.
   “Pysanka” is a name given to the tradition of Easter egg painting.
     The color used in painting the eggs differ in different nations. Orthodox Grecians paint their eggs red to symbolize the blood of Christ. Some Germans and Austrians paint their eggs green and use them on Holy Thursday. Slavic peoples decorate their eggs in gold and silver patterns.
   Chocolate eggs   were traditionally given as gifts in Europe.
  In 19th century Europe, bitter dark chocolate was used to make small egg shapes. These chocolate eggs were traditionally exchanged as Easter gifts, especially in countries like France and Germany.
   Ninety million chocolate Easter bunnies and 16 billion jelly beans are produced each year before the commencement of the Easter festivities. As a holiday, Easter comes only second to Halloween in terms of the annual sale confectionary items.
   76 percent of people eat the ears on chocolate bunnies first.
    According to the Guinness Book of World Records the largest Easter egg ever made was just over 25 feet high and weighed 8,968 lbs.
   In countries like Hungary and Transylvania, the day after Easter is called “Locsolo Hetfo” meaning “Watering Monday”. This is because water, perfume or perfumed water is often sprinkled in exchange for an Easter egg on this day. Flowers001
   

Passover begins Tuesday, March 30

March 30, the first day of  Passover, is also known as Pesach or Pesah,is a Holy Day, observed by several religions, begins Tuesday and lasts seven or eight days, depending on your beliefs.  It commemorates the exodus and freedom of the Israelites from Egypt.  It is also observed by some Christians to commemorate the deliverance from sin by the sacrifice of Jesus.

Palm Sunday

March 28- Palm Sunday Palm Sunday is a Christian celebration that always falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his Passion.  In many Christian churches, Palm Sunday is marked by the distribution of palm leaves (often tied into crosses) to the assembled worshipers