Au Pairs from around the world sharing holiday customs with each other!    Wonderful evening of fantastic food, new friends and great memories of America.

Our group enjoying an organized tour of Yale University.   Rich in history; educational AND fun!    Even enjoyed a Yale football game afterwards!

Attention Host Families!
Is your Au Pair a Superstar?

The International Au Pair Association (IAPA) hosts an “AU PAIR OF THE YEAR” award every year as a way to celebrate au pairs around the world and enhance the public’s awareness of this enriching cultural exchange opportunity. We know there are amazing young women who are deserving of the title “Au Pair of the Year”.

Help us identify these au pairs and nominate them for the award! All of the information host families need to know can be found at:
http://aupairinamerica.com/aupairoftheyear/2013.asp.

November 29– Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving and is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season. Black Friday is not an official holiday, but many people have the day off, which increases the number of potential shoppers. Merchants and the media use the term Black Friday to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black i.e., turning a profit for the year. Sales are everywhere–set your alarm and hit the stores before the sun comes up to get an authentic experience this unique day!

November 28 Thanksgiving – Thanksgiving dates back to the first European settlers in North America. After hardship, illness and hard work the Pilgrims celebrated a successful harvest that they shared with their Native American friends. This national holiday is a day to feast with family and friends and most importantly, to give thanks.

November 5th is election day this year. Public schools in our area are closed. To learn more about US elections, visit:

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/

for a simple presentation of information about the US government including elections. Talk to the children about what you learned and create an Election Day theme at home: decorate in red, white and blue (how about colored napkins on the table?) Put out an American flag, and serve red, white and blue snacks. Blue and white corn chips with red salsa, vanilla ice cream with strawberries and blueberries or layers of colored Jell-o served with whipped cream.

Halloween can be a lot of fun but it is also a time when safety should come first. Here are some tips for the au pairs tonight.

Adult supervision is essential. Always accompany the children if they are going door to door to trick or treat

Try tick-or-treat-friendly homes. Ensure the children only visit houses with lights on. And, you might also suggest the houses they visit have some sort of Halloween decoration on the porch.

Stay outside. Make sure the children don’t go inside someone’s house. They can trick or treat on the porch.

Remain visible. Dress the children in bright costumes or have them wear reflective strips or carry a glow stick or flashlight.

Quality-check treats. Check the candy before they eat it. Throw out any candy that is not in its original wrapper or looks like it has been tampered with.

Say “no” to strangers. Remind the children to never accept a ride or go anywhere with a stranger.

Most of all…have fun!

October 14- Columbus Day – Today commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the “New World.”

October 23 – Game One of the Baseball World Series – In baseball the World Series is the championship games of Major League Baseball in North America, played in October after the end of the regular season between the pennant winners of the American and National Leagues. The Series winner is determined through a best-of-seven playoff, meaning that the first team to win four games wins the series. The World Series has been an annual event since 1903. It is played at the baseball stadiums of the two teams in the series. Baseball is so popular that it is sometimes called the “national pastime.” The word “ballgame” in the United States almost always refers to a game of baseball, and “ballpark” to a baseball field.

October 31-Halloween This is the day children dress up in costumes and, in many communities, go door-to-door to ask for candy. Safety on Halloween is extremely important – don’t take our eyes off the children and don’t let them eat unwrapped candy!

Great memories are what life is all about.   We got group tickets to Wicked!    Au Pairs from Germany, Mexico, So Africa, England and New Zealand thoroughly enjoyed this AMAZING show!!   Afterwards, everyone enjoyed a beautiful day in NYC.   It was a very special day.

Au Pairs  in Fairfield County from around the globe volunteered at Only You’s 5 K race by setting up an International tent to raise awareness and help raise money.