Yearly Archives: 2013

Holiday & Vacation Reminders

With Memorial Day just passed and Fourth of July coming soon, I wanted to remind everyone about program rules on holidays and vacations.

Holidays

  • Host families are NOT REQUIRED to give au pairs any specific holidays.
  • Each host family will make different arrangements on holidays, some au pairs will be off and others will be required to work.
  • Au pairs should NOT make plans for holidays without checking with your host family FIRST.

luggage maliasVacation

  • Au pair earns 2 weeks of paid vacation during the course of her year.
  • The host family can pick a week and the au pair can pick a week, if an agreement is not reached.
  • All vacation should be preplanned (at least 4 weeks in advance.)
  • All au pair’s friends and/or family visits/vacations should be pre-approved prior to purchasing a ticket.
  • If an au pair travels with their host family, it should be discussed UP FRONT whether this is the au pair’s vacation or if she is working.
  • If an au pair travels with the host family to work, the host family is required to pay for her transportation, lodging and meals.

Important: An au pair MUST have her DS2019 signed PRIOR to her departure from the US. More info. about this can be found on the right side of this page under “Travel Links for Au Pairs.”


Privacy, Personal Information & The Internet

fb twitter youtubeJust a reminder about how important it is to respect your host family’s privacy and not share personal details and information.  This applies to all kinds of situations, including: personal conversations, email and social websites.

For your own safety, it is a good idea to be careful what personal information you share about yourself as well. You should not be giving out information like your telephone number and address to people you don’t know.

Once you post something on the internet (even if you later delete it), it can show up elsewhere.  Unless you have specific permission from the host family, you should not post pictures of them, their children or their home on the internet.

If you have a blog or website where you post in your native language, remember there is translation software.  So, even if you say it in your native language, be sure it is not something you will regret.

Make Every Day Special – Lunchbox Art

I just saw this on Facebook and I thought it was such a simple idea that could really make your kids day. Imagine if you were a kid and every day when you open your lunch box, you find a different drawing on your sandwich bag.

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The person who made the designs here just uses colored Sharpie markers on regular ziploc lunch bags. Check out his Flickr album for lots of inspiration. This is something you could start right now at the end of the school year or plan for next school year. The designs can be simple, so you don’t need to be a great artist to make this special. You can decorate the baggies ahead of time or get up early and enjoy some art time before the kids get up. The possibilities are endless! If you give this a try, I would love to see some of your creations, so please share.

Six Flags for Summer Fun

300707_10150310024799057_7650508_nWe are lucky to have Six Flags America amusement park in our cluster area. Since lots of au pairs have expressed interest in going there, I wanted to share some tips on how to get the best deal on admission.

Prices and offers are subject to change. This info is correct as of 4/23/13. Check website for specifics.

Admission

Six Flags has Season Passes for $49.99+tax per person, if you buy them in packs of 4. If you can get together with some friends to take advantage of this deal. If you buy less than 4 season passes, they are $59.99+tax per person.

Single-day Admission to Six Flags is $39.99-59.99, depending on whether you buy them online or at the gate. So, it is a much better deal to get the season pass.

If you decide not to get a season pass, you should buy your Single-day Online Ticket in advance to $15-20 off the price you would pay at the gate.

Season pass and other tickets may be purchased here on the Six Flags website.

Other costs to consider

Parking – Single Day ($20) or Season Pass ($50)

Food & Drinks – Meals are approx $15

You are not allowed to bring outside food and drinks inside. To save money you can pack a lunch and keep it in the car.  There is a picnic area in the parking lot where you can go out and eat lunch and then re-enter the park. Make sure to get your hand stamped on the way out in order to be able to re-enter the park that day.

Discount Tickets for Other Amusement Parks
MNCPPC offers discount admission tickets to Six Flags, Kings Dominion, Hershey Park and several other amusement parks in neighboring states. Those are available at community centers in Prince George’s County. Check the PG Parks website for details.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17, because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.  It has become a holiday all around the world, where everyone can share in the fun and be Irish for the day.

Fun Ideas with the Kids

St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

  • Rainbow Cupcakes
  • Irish Soda Bread
  • Corned Beef & Cabbage

    • Fun Facts

    • The color green is also commonly associated with Ireland, also known as “the Emerald Isle.”
    • One estimate suggests that there are about 10 000 regular three-leaf clovers for every lucky four-leaf clover.
    • Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.

    Handling Expenses

    8226519319_b5c169a2bbMiscellaneous Expenses

    There are different ways to handle the little day to day expenses that come up.  Things like when an au pair takes the kids out for ice cream or picks up a gallon of milk.  Some families keep a cookie jar fund, a little cash that they set aside weekly or monthly for this kind of expenses.  Here are some suggestions for avoiding problems with expenses.

    Host Families

  • It’s important to be clear about how long this money should last and what types of expenses are approved.
  • Let the au pair know whether or not you expect receipts.

    • Au Pairs

  • Only spend the money on approved expenses.
  • If it is something you are not sure about, ask first.
  • Put your receipts in the cookie jar in place of the money to avoid any confusion.

    • Gas and Fare Cards

    Host families are responsible for the au pair’s transportation costs:

  • to and from classes and cluster meetings
  • driving the kids

    • It is a good idea to figure out how much gas an au pair will use for these trips and either put gas in the car or give a gas allowance.   If your au pair is riding to classes or cluster meetings with another au pair, you should offer to share the cost of gas.

    Au pairs are responsible for their own transportation at all other times.  You should replace the amount of gas used for personal use.

    Photo: Andrea Travillian

    National Cherry Blossom Festival

    The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual event that celebrates springtime in Washington, DC as well as the 1912 gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan. This year’s festival will be MARCH 20-APRIL 14!

    The predicted peak blooming period of the cherry blossoms for this year is  – MARCH 26–30.

    cherry blossom

    They have Free Apps for iPhone & Droid to help you keep track of the festival events and share your festival experiences via social media.

    Here are some of the highlights:

    Family Day – Saturday & Sunday, March 23-24, 2013
    National Building Museum
    401 F Street, NW
    Metro Judiciary Square, Red Line
    Sat – 10 am-4 pm & Sun- 11 am-4 pm

    Smithsonian Kite Festival – Saturday, March 30, 2013
    Washington Monument Grounds
    10 am-4:30 pm

    Fireworks Festival – Saturday, April 6, 2013
    Waterfront Park – 600-900 Water Street, SW
    1-9 pm
    Fireworks at 8-9 pm

    Cherry Blossom Parade – Saturday, April 13, 2013
    Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Streets, NW
    10 am- 12 pm

    There are many more great events, visit the festival website for more information.

    Helpful links:

    Cherry Blossom Festival Website
    National Park Service Bloom Watch
    Metro Website (use the trip planner feature on this website to find the metro options, taking metro is much better than driving for the festival events)

    SoberRide Home for St. Patrick's Day

    If you are under 21, it is illegal to drink alcohol in the U.S. If you are over 21, please celebrate responsibly and never drink and drive. If you plan to drink alcohol, arrange for a designated driver, take public transport (Metro) or use the SoberRide service for a free cab ride home.

    WRAP’s 2013 St. Patrick’s Day SoberRide campaign will run Sunday, March 17th from 4:00 pm to 4:00 am on Monday, March 18th. For a FREE ride HOME (up to a $30 fare) call 1-800-200-TAXI (8294). AT&T users may dial #WRAP from their wireless phones. You must be 21 or older to use this service. This service only applies to calls in a specific area which includes DC, Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland and some areas in N. VA.

    For more information visit www.soberride.com

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