Yearly Archives: 2009

New Year's Eve Safety Tips

I hope you all have a wonderful time celebrating the New Year.  I just wanted to remind you to please make good safe decisions.

Don’t drink and drive.

  • Take public transportation -metro, bus or a cab. Metro and buses will run until 2 am on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
  • One friend can be the designated driver (and not drink alcohol, so she can drive everyone home safely.)
  • Sober Ride Home – Take this number with you in case you find yourself without a safe ride home tonight. 800-200-TAXI
A local nonprofit group is offering New Year’s Eve revelers in the Washington region a free ride home. The Washington Regional Alcohol Program says its annual SoberRide program begins at 10 p.m. Thursday and ends at 6 a.m. Friday, with taxi cab companies providing free service to those age 21 or older.

That goes for residents in the District of Columbia and the counties of Montgomery, Prince George’s, Arlington, Fairfax, eastern Loudoun and Prince William.
The group, which includes law enforcement and business officials, says the aim is to keep would-be drunken drivers off the roadways.

The offer is good for fares up to $50. The service is available through the SoberRide phone number: 800-200-TAXI.

Don’t Drink Alcohol if You are Under 21 – It is against the law and if you are caught, you will have to purchase your own ticket and return home.

If You are Over 21, Drink Alcohol Wisely – Know your limits and don’t drink to the point of becoming ill.

Keep Your Eyes on Your Drinks – Don’t let someone you don’t know get a drink from the bar for you.  When you order a drink take it straight from the bartender and keep it with you.  If you leave your glass sitting where you can’t see it, someone can put a drug in your drink.  If you

Protecting Your Personal Health & Safety – It is safest to be together with friends.  Be careful not to put yourself in dangerous situations with people you don’t know.  Consider carefully what information you give to people you have just met.

Christmas is Tomorrow

We have host families from a wide variety of backgrounds and faiths.  Some celebrate Christmas, some Chanukkah, some Kwanzaa and some celebrate more than one of those or none of the above.

If your host family celebrates Christmas and you don’t, I would encourage you to take part and experience the customs of another religion.  This can be a great opportunity for culture sharing.  The same is true, if you are a host family and your au pair celebrates a different holiday than you.

Here is a simple explanation from History.com:

Christmas is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people around the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church, sharing meals with family and friends and, of course, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. December 25–Christmas Day–has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1870.

Here is a list from About.com of local places with beautiful Christmas light displays:

ZooLights at the National Zoo
Rock Creek Park. Washington, DC. December 4, 2009 – January 2, 2010, 6 to 8:30 p.m.(Closed December 24, 25 and 31). The National Zoo presents a seasonal display of thousands of sparkling animated lights, winter-themed crafts, ice sculpting demonstrations, choral groups, and storytellers. See Photos of ZooLights

Festival of Lights at the Mormon Temple
9900 Stoneybrook Dr., Kensington, Maryland. (301) 587-0144. December 4, 2009 – January 1, 2010. Dusk to 10 p.m. nightly. View more than 450,000 lights and a live outdoor Nativity scene each evening from 6 to 9 p.m. Live musical performances begin at 7 and 8 p.m. See Photos of the Mormon Temple Festival of Lights

Winter Festival of Lights at Watkins Regional Park
301 Watkins Park Drive, Upper Marlboro, Maryland. November 27, 2009 – January 3, 2010. HOURS: 5-9:30 p.m. daily. $5 per car; $15 for mini-buses and limos; $25 for buses; $10 for multi-visit passes for cars and vans (good for three visits). The festival is FREE on December 25. You may bring canned food items to donate to local food banks for the holidays. Winter Festival of Lights is Prince George’s County, Maryland’s spectacular drive-through Christmas light display featuring more than a million twinkling lights. See Photos of Winter Festival of Lights at Watkins Regional Park

Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens
1800 Glenallen Avenue, Wheaton, Maryland. November 27, 2009 through January 3, 2010. (Closed December 24 and 25) HOURS: 5:30 to 9:00 p.m., last car admitted 8:30 p.m. $20 per car Fri-Sun, $15 Mon-Thurs. Pedestrians cannot be admitted due to safety regulations. (Visitors must drive to the entrance gate, paying at the gate, drive into the parking lot, park their car and walk through the light show display. Garden of Lights Hotline: (301) 962-1453. This illuminated outdoor winter garden walk includes a whimsical monster, an enchanting persimmon tree, a walk through kaleidoscope caterpillar, an animated flying cardinal, and swimming geese over sparkling water. See Photos of Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens

Symphony of Lights in Columbia
Symphony Woods, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland. (410) 740-7840. November 23, 2009 through January 3, 2010. Hours: Every night, including holidays 6-10 p.m. $20 per car. Symphony of Lights is a spectacular drive-through display of more than 75 animated and stationary holiday lights. All proceeds from the Symphony of Lights benefit the services of Howard County General Hospital. See Photos of the Columbia Symphony of Lights

Lights on the Bay at Sandy Point State Park
Route 50, Annapolis, Maryland. (410) 481-3161. November 21, 2009 to January 3, 2010, 5-10 p.m. An annual scenic drive through holiday lights show sponsored by the Anne Arundel Medical Center. Drive along the shore of the Chesapeake Bay and see more than 60 animated and stationary displays illuminating the roadway. $12 per car. See Photos of Lights on the Bay

Gingerbread Playdough

I friend shared this recipe with me and I thought it would be a lot of fun on a cold snow day like this.  It is gingerbread because of the color and smell, but it is not to be eaten.  Since the ingredients are all food, it is safe if the kids sample it.  I can guarantee it will not taste as good as it smells though.

gingerbread playdough

Gingerbread Playdough

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp allspice
1 1/2 tsp ginger
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and knead* until smooth.

*knead – to massage, shape and press with your hands as you do with dough or clay.

Tips

  • If you are working with older kids, you can have them help make it.
  • If you are working with younger kids (6 and under), I recommend you make the playdough ahead of time and just bring it out for them to play with.
  • Lay wax paper on the table to protect the surface where they play with it.
  • Bring out playdough tools and/or kid-safe kitchen tools (cookie cutters, plastic knives, etc.)

Holiday Cluster Meeting Photo Montage

Here is a montage created with all the photos my wonderful au pairs sent me.  I left my camera in our suite at the hotel when we visited ICE, so I didn’t have any pictures.  My au pairs helped me out and sent me a whole lot of nice pictures to post here.  Enjoy!

You can find most of these photos on our Cluster Photobucket Album.

Please vote in our Holiday Cluster Meeting Photo Contest.

Holiday Cluster Meeting Photo Contest

We had a wonderful time at the Gaylord Hotel at National Harbor.  Below are some photos taken by au pairs in our cluster at the hotel and ICE!  Please take a look at the photos and vote for your favorite.  Voting is super easy, just click on your favorite photo, select it’s number from the list and submit.

Vote early, vote often and send your friends this link to get more votes.  Winner will be announced on December 21.

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Chanukkah Begins at Sundown this Friday

Chanukah

We have host families from a wide variety of backgrounds and faiths.  Some celebrate Christmas, some Chanukkah, some Kwanzaa and some celebrate more than one of those or none of the above.  That is something that makes America special, we can all be different, but still one united together.

I wanted to give a brief overview of Chanukkah and some of the customs you might observe.  Something important to note is that Chanukkah is not the Jewish equivalent of Christmas.  From a religious standpoint, it is a relatively minor holiday.  So, the amount of emphasis put on Chanukkah and how it is celebrated will vary from one family to the next.

If your host family celebrates Chanukkah and you don’t, I would encourage you to take part and experience the customs of another religion.  This can be a great opportunity for culture sharing.  The same is true, if you are a host family and your au pair celebrates a different holiday than you.

Here is a simple explanation from Judaism 101:

Chanukkah is the festival of lights, commemorating the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after a successful revolt against the Seleucid Greeks. As part of the rededication, the victorious Jews needed to light the Temple’s menorah (candelabrum), but they had only enough oil to last one day and it would take eight days to prepare more oil. Miraculously, the one-day supply of oil lasted for eight days. The miracle of the oil is commemorated with this eight-day candlelighting holiday.

Chanukkah begins between Thanksgiving and Christmas. About half of the time, it overlaps with Christmas, but there are many years when Chanukkah ends long before Christmas. In 2002, for example, Chanukkah began on Thanksgiving and ended in the first week of December, but that is unusual.

Almost all Jews light candles with their families for at least some nights of the holiday, so people like to be at home during this holiday. Although almost nobody takes off from work or school for this holiday, many may not want to work nights or travel during the holiday so they can light candles with the family, and accommodations should be made for this.

Here are some links for more info and children’s activities:

Some local Chanukkah events:

National Menorah Lighting December 13, 2009, 4 p.m. The Ellipse, 1600 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC (202) 332-5600. Celebrate the beginning of Hanukkah with speeches, music, activities for kids and the lighting of the National Menorah by Rabbi Levi Shemtov. This event is free, but tickets are required.

Chanukah Family Spectacular December 13, 2009, 5 p.m. Bethesda Row, 4801 Bethesda Ave., Chabad of Bethesda-Chevy Chase sponsors an event, featuring the largest Lego menorah in the Washington area, entertainment, crafts for the kids, latkes and chocolate coins.

Note: You will see Chanukkah spelled Hanukkah and several other ways. The correct English spelling is up for debate.

Safety Tips for Holiday Shopping

Womanshoppingbags

It is easy to get distracted at this time of year and when you are distracted you are at a greater risk for holiday crime.  Here are some tips that are always a good idea, but especially important to remember at this time of year.

  • Always pay attention to your surroundings.  Avoid distractions like using cell phone or listening to your iPod when you are coming and going from stores.
  • Avoid carrying large amounts of cash.  Take just the amount you need or use debit or credit cards.
  • Keep your money in a front pocket.  Pay close attention to your wallet when you are in crowded places like buses, metro and elevators.
  • Be careful not to lay your purse or bags down on the floor or out of your sight at the mall.
  • Save your most expensive purchases for the end of your shopping when you will be going straight to the car.
  • Whenever possible, shop during daylight hours and if you must shop after dark, go with a friend.
  • Be aware of strangers approaching you for any reason. Criminals will use different methods to distract you and steal your belongings.
  • Look around the parking area when you are leaving.
  • Do not approach your car alone if there are suspicious people in the area.  You can go back into the store and ask security to walk out with you or wait for a family or other group of people to walk out at the same time with you.
  • Trust your instincts, if something seems suspicious or unsafe, you are probably right.  Following the saying, “Better Safe Than Sorry.”

We Made Nearly 600 Sandwiches for the Homeless!

Yesterday, we had a cluster meeting where au pairs gave their time to prepare sandwiches for the homeless.  We were joined by a few moms and cub scouts from Pack 403.  Thank you to Holy Trinity Episcopal Church for allowing us to use the parish hall.  Together, we were able to make almost 600 sandwiches!!! These sandwiches are going to the DC Central Kitchen to feed homeless people in Washington, DC.

I want to thank everyone who showed up, brought bread, made sandwiches and helped us surpass my initial goal of 400 sandwiches.

Here are a few photos.

First two au pairs to arrive getting right to work.

First two au pairs to arrive getting right to work.

Sandwiches, sandwiches, sandwiches

Sandwich assembly line

Having fun making sandwiches

Having fun making sandwiches

Many hands make light work.

Striking a fun pose after all that hard work.

Group Photo with our Finished Sandwiches

Group Photo with our Finished Sandwiches

At least once per year, we have a cluster meeting that is a service project.  Some of our past volunteer/community service events include:

  • DC Help the Homeless Walk
  • Bowie International Festival
  • Preparing lunches for Habitat for Humanity
  • Donating items to children affected by Hurricane Katrina
  • Working at Silver Diner to raise money for Tsunami Relief
  • Wrapping gifts for needy children