Monthly Archives: February 2016

President’s Day

NOLPresiden's day
Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22 ~ Washington’s actual day of birth ~ the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for American workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.
To see a listing of all U.S. presidents go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents.  Click on each president to find out who they were and what they achieved during their presidency.  Most American school children have to learn their presidents,  this is a great site to go through with them and test their knowledge

Happy Mardi Gras

As always and forever au pairs enjoyed celebrating Mardi Gras with their host families and friends. Many things delighted them – festive crowds, music, dancing, pageantry, King Cakes slathered in thick, gooey but oh so delicious icing … and the fun of making and parading in their very own carnival costumes!!

NOLNadineCarnival

Nadine from Germany put her inner costume designer in overdrive and came up not with just one but four different carnival outfits!!

 

Valentine’s Day in the USA!

NOLValentine'sValentine’s day is celebrated in the United States every year on February 14th. There are many stories and legends behind who the real St. Valentine was, but most scholars agree that he was a martyr who was killed by Roman soldiers because he was marrying people in secret at a time when marriage was outlawed.  Later in the Middle Ages, a great writer named Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem as a present to King Richard II, who was going to be married soon. In it, he mentioned St. Valentine, and over time, the idea of Valentine’s Day became associated with the idea of love.
During the Victorian times (in the 1800s), Valentine’s Day became extremely popular! Men and women spent a lot of time making beautiful Valentine’s cards with ribbon, fancy paper and even lace. In those days, people were very reserved and they did not often say what they were feeling. Valentine’s day gave them a way to express their feelings to someone they were in love with anonymously.  The sender would remain a mystery until they could speak more freely.
In the last few decades, Valentine’s day has changed a lot! Today we still exchange cards, but many people buy ready-made cards instead. We also give flowers or chocolates as a gift to remind people of our friendship and love for them. Most Valentine’s gifts and cards make use of the colors red and pink, and are decorated with images of hearts or roses. Another common symbol of love on this day is Cupid, the Roman god of love. He is usually shown as a little angel with a bow and arrow. According to legend, anyone who is struck by his arrows will fall in love.
Here are some links with ideas about how you can celebrate and have fun with your host children.
 
Click here for Valentine’s Day Cards, coloring pages, recipes, crafts, games and puzzles: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/
Check out our Au Pair in America Pinterest page for Valentine’s Day for more ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/aupairinamerica/valentines-day/

Volunteering Options in New Orleans

volunteer

Below is the partial list of volunteering options in New Orleans. There are quite a few more opportunities where you can show your volunteering spirit but this list should be sufficient to get you started.
Why volunteer? Because volunteering is a very important part of American culture that you’ll only appreciate if you give it a try. It also helps you “broaden your horizons”, both physically and mentally, and allows you to make friends that you’d never meet otherwise.

Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans

http://www.voagno.org/about-us

Hands on New Orleans

http://www.handsonneworleans.org/

Beacon of Hope Resource Center

www.beaconofhopenola.org

Camp Restore

www.camprestore.org

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans

www.ccano.org

Common Ground Relief

www.commongroundrelief.org

Grow Dat Youth Farm

www.growdatyouthfarm.org

Habitat for Humanity

www.habitat-nola.org

Hike for KaTREEna

www.hikeforkatreena.org

Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans

www.jagno.org

KidSmart

www.kidsmart.org

Projects with Purpose

www.projectswithpurpose.org

Rebuilding Together New Orleans

www.rtno.org

Second Harvest Food Bank

www.no-hunger.org

Jewish Community Center

www.nojcc.org

Youth Rebuilding New Orleans

yrno.com

New Orleans City Park Volunteer

http://neworleanscitypark.com/info/volunteer

Audubon Institute (Zoo, Aquarium, Insectarium)

http://www.auduboninstitute.org/volunteers

Uptown Shepherds Center

http://uptownshepherdcenter.wix.com/uptownshepherdcenter

Louisiana’s Children’s Museum

http://lcm.org/volunteer-internships

New Orleans Museum of Art

https://noma.org/support/volunteer/

Longue Vue House and Gardens

https://longuevue.com/give/volunteer/

Contemporary Arts Center

http://www.contemporaryartscenter.org/support-us/volunteer

Touro Hospital

http://www.touro.com/content/careers/volunteer.htm

Tulane Medical Center

http://tulanehealthcare.com/about/volunteer.dot

Children’s Hospital

http://www.chnola.org/Volunteer

East Jefferson General Hospital

http://ejgh1.tru-m.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27&Itemid=71

New Orleans Public Library

Anyone interested in volunteering may contact Human Resources at 504 596-2607

Jazz Fest

http://www.jazzandheritage.org/get-involved

French Quarter Festivals

http://fqfi.org/pages/detail/118/Volunteers

Mahalia Jackson Theatre

http://mahaliajacksontheater.com/general-info/volunteer

Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre

http://summerlyric.tulane.edu/audition.cfm

Jefferson Performing Arts Society

http://www.jpas.org/support-us/volunteer-with-jpas/

SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)

http://www.la-spca.org/donate/volunteer/opportunities

Crescent City Classic (racing)

http://www.ccc10k.com/volunteers

Susan G. Komen New Orleans (cure for breast cancer)

http://komenneworleans.org/get-involved/volunteer/

Rock & Roll Marathon Series

http://www.runrocknroll.com/new-orleans/the-weekend/volunteer/