Tag Archives: Chicago
Saturday is Sweetest Day
When I first came to live in Chicago, I had no idea what Sweetest Day was. A quick Google search enlightened me. Sweetest Day is basically Valentine’s Day in October. Apparently Sweetest Day was the brainchild of candy makers attempting to convince people there are health benefits to eating candy and chocolate everyday! Hmmmmm, or should I say YUM…but don’t let your host children hear that!
The most typical way to celebrate Sweetest Day is to exchange romantic gifts with a loved one, though families and friends may give flowers, fruit bouquets, chocolates, and cute e-cards.
Whatever you do to celebrate, Sweetest Day is a great way to brighten a dreary October day.
In 1492 Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue. Happy Columbus Day!
The Disney Trip
For the past five years Chicago community counselors Sandee and Kathy have been taking au pairs for a whirlwind tour of Disney. Between them they have been to Disney World over 50 times and plan the trip so the au pirs can see ALL four Disney Parks in three days.
- Au pairs from Chicago had a wonderful time at the Magic Kingdom, and all the Disney parks
The World Series
You may think of baseball as a summer sport, but the Major League Baseball post-season has just begun. There hasn’t been much talk about the World Series in Chicago, probably because we don’t have a team in the playoffs. Nevertheless its time to Play Ball! If you are not familiar with the rules of baseball, you can learn them here http://aupairinamerica.com/resources/life_in_the_us/baseball.asp
In my opinion, all you really need to know is what to do during the seventh inning stretch. Between the halves of the seventh inning of any game the fans all stand up to stretch, get last minute snacks and SING. Yes, they sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”. Here in Chicago the late Harry Caray regularly led the crowd in a rousing rendition of the song, originally written by Jack Norworth.
“Take me out to the ball game; take me out with the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack, I don’t care if I never get back, Let me root, root, root for the CUBBIES, if they don’t win it’s a shame. For its one, two, three strikes, you’re out, at the old ball game.”
So, au pairs, get some peanuts and Cracker Jacks and take part in a great American tradition!
Original Version of Take Me Out to the Ball Game
“Take me out to the ball game, take me out with the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack, I don’t care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team, if they don’t win it’s a shame. For its one, two, three strikes, you’re out, at the old ball game.”
Today is World Smile Day…pass it on!
Fire Safety Week
This is Fire Safety Week. Right on cue, my pre-school aged daughter came home talking about the fire drill at school. She is not a fan of loud noises so became teary eyed as the story progressed. To ease her fears we talked about what to do in case of an emergency, practiced slithering along the floor and touching the doorknobs to see if they were hot. It brought me back to when my family did this when we were younger. I especially remember the year my brother, no stranger to the ER at age five, was in kindergarten. After we talked about how we’d go out the back door he wandered off, his attention diverted by who knows what. Well, he actually went out his escape route—right out his second floor bedroom window! He was unharmed, which he credited with the pillow he threw out first–to break his fall. When I spoke to him today and reminded him about it, almost thirty years later, he still maintains he planned it that way-the pillow was perfectly placed so he wouldn’t get hurt. A little planning is a good thing it seems…
The first official blog post for the Chicago area team
Here it is- the first official blog post for the Chicago area team.
My name is Angela Weepie and I cover Hyde Park, the South and West Loops, and Bucktown and Wicker Park. I am writing the first blog post, but I am not going to be the only one blogging. This blog is a collaborative effort, so you’ll be hearing from each of the Chicagoland counselors. In my first blog post I am not going to talk about me, rather, I’d like you to join me in celebrating service awards for counselors who have been part of the Au Pair in America family for 15 years.
We salute Ginny Costigan, Kathy Kressner, Pam Mayer-Caes, Sandee Plescia, Kathy Simon, and Iris Sommer, for their service and dedication to the Au Pair in America program. We have a fantastic group of counselors here in Chicago who have set the stage for excellence in customer service. These ladies remember hand delivering au pair applications, and sitting in their cars in the mall parking lot reading applications and swapping them with each other to find the best fit for both the au pairs and host families. Technology has brought us to our SHARE system where families have the entire pool of au pair applicants at their fingertips 24 hours a day. From then until now, we continue to bring the world together. Congratulations ladies, I am honored to work with each and every one of you.
The Connecticut office often calls community counselors the face of the organization, well now you get to hear our voices…
Choosing an Agency
Au Pair in America has a field network of 180 community counselors? Au Pair in America community counselors provide daily, ongoing, local support to both host families and au pairs. Counselors are steeped in the love of cultural exchange, and their job is to
provide the best guidance they can. They have no quotas and do not work on commission, so when you need their help, there are no strings attached!
Chicagoland Community Counsellors at Project Linus volunteer event. Project Linus an agency that distributes handmade blankets to children in need.
October Cluster Events
A "first" for many au pairs-they had never carved a pumpkin in their home country
Heather’s cluster (CHE) will visit Goebbert’s Pumpkin Farm for her annual Host Family Workshop. The US Department of State requires all host families to attend an annual Host Family Workshop.
Angela (CHA) and Ginny (CHL) will meet their au pairs downtown for a performance of the Midnight Circus in Franken Plaza-aka Daley Plaza
Kathy K. (CHG) is hosting a costume party for her au pairs. The cluster will vote and decide the winner!
Sandee (CHF) is having a pumpkin carving party and her au pairs will be in costume.
Maria (CHR) is hosting a costume party with ghoulish snacks and games at her house. They will top off the evening with a hay ride and trip to the haunted forest.