Author Archive
St. Patrick’s Day in St. Paul
March 14th, 2019by Jennifer Harriss | Comments Off on St. Patrick’s Day in St. Paul
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17, which is this coming Sunday. Americans tend to go a little nuts over this. From what I’ve heard, Irish people are more than a little bemused by our antics – in Chicago, they DYE A RIVER GREEN! Nevertheless, it’s a fun holiday. Bruegger’s Bagels will have green […]
Au Pairs and American Diets
February 23rd, 2019by Jennifer Harriss | Comments Off on Au Pairs and American Diets
As we all know, American diets can be a big change for au pairs. Many au pairs are afraid they will gain weight while they are here. Here are some tips from a host mother, who runs the realfoodrn blog (https://realfoodrn.com/) In order to maintain a healthy weight while in the United States: – don’t […]
20 Things To Do in Minnesota in Winter from the Sierra Club
February 15th, 2019by Jennifer Harriss | Comments Off on 20 Things To Do in Minnesota in Winter from the Sierra Club
I found this and though it sounded like something helpful at this time of year – all the fun holidays of winter are past, and we have a lot of time left to look at the snow. I’m not sure about ho to credit this, so here’s the original link: https://www.sierraclub.org/minnesota/blog/2015/02/20-things-do-minnesota-winter Get out there and do […]
May Day in Minneapolis
April 25th, 2018by Jennifer Harriss | Comments Off on May Day in Minneapolis
If it’s the first Sunday in May, it’s time to celebrate May Day at Powderhorn Park! This festival has been going on for 44 years. Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre and the communities around Powderhorn Park put on an amazing show to welcome the warm weather. May Day this year will happen […]
Severe Weather Awareness Month in Minnesota
March 31st, 2018by Jennifer Harriss | Comments Off on Severe Weather Awareness Month in Minnesota
April is Severe Weather Awareness Month and it’s important to be ready. Late spring is when we see a large number of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, so here’s how to handle that. A severe thunderstorm is one which may include any or all of the following: frequent lightning strikes (which can be extremely dangerous,) high […]
Rainy Spring Days
March 28th, 2018by Jennifer Harriss | Comments Off on Rainy Spring Days
Image by Tilda Rice Rainy days and Minnesota spring go together like hot dish and tater tots. You can count on cold, windy, rainy, muddy weather well into May. So it’s best to have a plan ready. Otherwise, kids can get pretty squirrelly stuck inside! Think about the kids you are caring for when thinking […]
American Thanksgiving
November 15th, 2017by Jennifer Harriss | Comments Off on American Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is an American holiday (as well as other countries) where we, naturally, give thanks for our family, friends, etc. It is always on the fourth Thursday in November. It originally celebrated a good harvest, which explains why it is in the end of fall. Now it also signifies the beginning of the ‘holiday […]
Fall in the Twin Cities
September 26th, 2017by Jennifer Harriss | Comments Off on Fall in the Twin Cities
Fall is such a beautiful season here in Minnesota! We have such great public spaces throughout the area, and such great events to celebrate the season. The Renaissance Festival in Shakopee is one of the first Ren Fests, and it gets better every year. It runs weekends and Labor Day through Oct. 1st. http://www.renaissancefest.com/ The […]
Summer Institute for the Gifted
April 24th, 2017by Jennifer Harriss | Comments Off on Summer Institute for the Gifted
Opportunities for Gifted Children Au Pair in America’s parent company, the American Institute For Foreign Study (AIFS), offers additional enrichment opportunities for gifted and talented children at the Summer Institute for the Gifted (SIG). This is a program designed for children between the ages of 5 and 17, whose children may benefit from SIG’s fun and […]
Easter!
April 8th, 2017by Jennifer Harriss | Comments Off on Easter!
Many cultures have a spring celebration similar to Easter, so no matter where your au pair is from, she will probably have some great traditions to share with you while learning about yours. Most au pairs have Sundays off (not all, of course!) but they still want to experience things like this. Make sure you […]
