Yearly Archives: 2013

Holiday Cluster Brunch

Even though I forgot to take photos and distribute all of my holiday gifts while everyone was at my house, we had a good time and some great food, thanks to all of the au pairs who shared their native dishes.  Delicious guacamole,  mushroom pie, tuna fish,  2 different kinds of potato salad, a chocolate cake, wonderful German cookies (what are they called again?),  and, of course, bagels, French Toast and Bacon, egg and cheese.  What a feast!  Thank you all for sharing a little of your holiday traditions with us.IMG_1317IMG_1319IMG_1320IMG_1322

December 2013 Calendar

December 21 – First day of winter Animals handle cold winter weather in a variety of ways. Some travel to a warmer climate. Others grow thicker fur coats so they can stay warm and active during the winter. Many animals hibernate during the coldest weather – they spend the warmer months eating and storing as much body fat as they can and then live off this extra weight as they sleep.

Visit Earthplace, Westport’s own Nature Center, which has hiking trails suitable for young children, a great playground (open to the public after nursery school hours) and a wonderful place to learn about our local animals.

Or visit our Westport LIbrary, which has wonderful programs, books, films, art and toys for all to enjoy.

December 25 – Christmas Every family and culture has their own Christmas traditions. Embrace those of your host family and share some of your own.

December 26 – Kwanzaa –This festive, non-religious African-American celebration was started in 1966. It lasts for seven days. On each day a candle is lit and the day focuses on one of seven principles.

December 31 – New Year’s Eve. Westport celebrates the New Year with First Night, an evening of family fun activities throughout downtown Westport from 4-10 p.m..  Jugglers, musicians, face painters, dancers, comedians and all sorts of other artists will be performing.  One button purchased admits you to all of the performances.  Visit http://www.firstnightww.com/ for the schedule of events, information and where to purchase your button.

Chances are you will have to work tonight, so after the kids go to bed, sit down and watch Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve and think about how to make 2014 better. Before they go to bed, you and the children can choose simple “New Year Resolutions.” Or create a keepsake of the year that is ending by making a time capsule or a scrapbook of memories. Include what are cool, slang words, popular activities, clothes, games, names of popular songs or games, and a picture of the hottest toy. If you are making a time capsule, put a date on it and decide when they will open it – in a year, 5 or even 10. Don’t forget to include a photo of you and the children! Tomorrow, the first day of the New Year, is a federal holiday.

Au Pair Award Nominations

I am excited to announce the opening of the 2014 IAPA Au Pair of the Year award! The International Au Pair Association (IAPA) hosts this 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 in our cluster who are deserving of the title “Au Pair of the Year”.  Host families should visit http://aupairinamerica.com/aupairoftheyear/2013.asp. for more information.

Submitting a nomination is easy- host families simply must email their nomination essay to aupairoftheyear@aifs.com no later than Friday, January 10th. Photos and videos are welcome in addition to the essay.  Go Westport!

November Calendar

November 3 – Daylight Savings Time Ends-In most parts of the country you’ll get an extra hour of sleep – set your clock back one hour.

November 5 – Election Day – Schools are closed in Westport. Looking for something to do with your host children?  Take them on a hike at Lake Mohegan in Fairfield or Earthplace, the Westport Nature Center.  If it is raining, try the Westport Library or YMCA.  Ever been to My Three Sons in Norwalk?  It is a video arcade, with bounce house and laser tag. Do you have older children?  Take them to the Museum of Natural History in NYC or the Yale Art Museum in New Haven.  Chanukah comes early this year. It is the same day as Thanksgiving so today might be a good day to get the kids to decorate the house for Chanukah or make Chanukah cards for their relatives and friends.

November 11 – Veteran’s Day
A day to honor American veterans of all wars, Veterans Day is a federal holiday

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 and give thanks.

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!

Tour of Yale University

Au pairs from all around CT came together for a tour of Yale University, in New Haven, CT on Saturday Nov. 2ndIMG_1184IMG_1185IMG_1188IMG_1189IMG_1190IMG_1191IMG_1192IMG_1193IMG_1194IMG_1195.  Afterwards many stayed for the Yale vs. Columbia football game.

Fun Things to do with your Host Children:

Dinosaurs are fascinating but no more so than to preschool and young school age children. Check your local library for fact and fantasy about these prehistoric creatures. Take out some dinosaur books or videos.  Westport Library will loan them for free.

Collecting stamps is a fun and easy introduction to geography, history, art and nature. Help your children start a stamp collection by sharing stamps from your letters from home. Ask your au pair friends for stamps from their countries.

Make a Pizza – Pizza is easy and fun to make and can be a nutritious meal for the children. Buy a ready-made crust, shredded mozzarella cheese and a jar of pizza sauce. The crust goes on a cookie sheet, then spread the sauce and sprinkle the cheese. Bake as directed for the crust.

October Calendar

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