Tag Archives: winter

Flu Shot Reminder

With the weather turning cold and winter fast approaching,  many host parents will ask you to get a Flu Shot to protect you from becoming ill with influenza. The news is reporting that this winter is expected to be a very bad flu season.
While I agree that taking more medicine than is necessary is not a good idea, I am also a strong believer in Flu shots.  My family and I got our Flu shots for the year in September, as we have every year for the past 10 years.
Having the shot will help keep you healthy, but mainly it’s about not exposing the children you care for.  Unfortunately thousands of people in the U.S. still die from the flu every year – usually small children and the elderly. So lets make sure we don’t accidentally infect our little ones!
Unfortunately, your medical insurance doesn’t cover the cost of a flu shot, but most Host Parents are willing to pay the $40 or so that it costs at the local drug store ($20 at Costco if your host family has a membership).  The LA County Public Library offers free flu shots at different locations each week from now through the fall.  And the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health website has lots of information about Flu Shots, including low-cost Flu Clinics.

Make Your Own Play Dough

Play dough is the perfect modeling material for children. Their small hands can pat, poke, pinch, roll and knead it into many shapes. Keep it in an airtight container to use another day, or let it air dry into favorite shapes.

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Measure 2 cups of flour, one cup of salt and 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup of oil to one cup of water in a separate bowl then add the mixture to the dry ingredients. For colored play dough, squeeze 10-20 drops of food coloring into the water before you add it to the mixture. Cook the dough at low heat in a wide pan, stirring constantly until it becomes rubbery. Remove the dough from the heat and knead it for a few minutes. When it cools the kids can play too!

Photo: Kevin Jarrett (Flickr)

Avoiding Homesickness this Holiday Season

Homesickness can be a problem during the holidays, even if it hasn’t been at any other time of the year. Au pairs often miss their friends and family, familiar places and their own traditions and customs. The holiday activities in the United States seem, and may actually be, different just at a time when an au pair would welcome something familiar. 

It is common for au pairs’ emotions to be close to the surface during the holidays. Her highs are higher, her lows are lower. The enormity of what she has done–actually living in another country (which is an amazing thing when you think about it!)–hits her and throws her into a self-protective mode.

Host parents can help her through this unfamiliar territory by talking to her about what your specific family activities will be (gifts, meals, visitors, religious services, in-home traditions, or none of these, as the case may be.) In the spirit of cultural exchange, ask her if she has any favorite holiday traditions or foods that you might be able to incorporate into your family’s celebration of the season. Let her know what you will be doing, when you will be doing it, and what she can expect. Talk to her about what has to be accomplished and get her involved and interested. Don’t expect her to just “know” what needs to be done. Give her some clear, agreed upon assignments. Make her feel a part of things. And, let her know her contribution is needed and appreciated.

Photo: Sheila Sund (Flickr)