Yearly Archives: 2010

FALL IS APPLE PICKING TIME IN THE NORTHEAST

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Apples come in many varieties, colors, shapes and sizes.  Some are wonderful to munch on, others are best when cooked.  Regardless of the variety apple picking is a fun activity.  If you do go apple picking you will almost certainly bring home more apples than you can possibly eat, but there are lots of fun things to do with apples, and many ways to eat them as well.

Applesauce is very simple to make.  Remove the core and quarter the apples.  If you leave the peel on during cooking it will give the applesauce a pink color.  When the apples are very soft, remove any peel that is left, mash the pulp or put it through a sieve.  Add sugar if needed.

Try making dried apple rings.  They are easy and can be used as a nutritious snack.  Peel, core and slice as many apples as you like into 1/8 inch rings (Macintosh or Golden Delicious apples work best).  Dip each ring into a mixture of lemon juice and water to help the apples keep their color.  Pull a piece of string through the center of each ring and hang in a dry, warm place.  They take 1-2 weeks to dry and become chewy.

HALLOWEEN IS COMING – OCTOBER 31ST

HALLOWEEN FUN AND SAFETY!

batsHistory –    Halloween, celebrated each year on October 31, is a mix of ancient Celtic practices, Catholic  and Roman religious rituals and European folk traditions that blended together over time to create the holiday we know today. Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity and life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. Halloween has long been thought of as a day when the dead can return to the earth, and ancient Celts would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off these roaming ghosts. The Celtic holiday of Samhain, the Catholic Hallowmas period of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day and the Roman festival of Feralia all influenced the modern holiday of Halloween. In the 19th century, Halloween began to lose its religious connotation, becoming a more secular community-based children’s holiday. Although the superstitions and beliefs surrounding Halloween may have evolved over the years, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people can still look forward to parades, costumes and sweet  treats to usher in the season.



Au Pairs help children stay safe for Halloween


  1. Make sure to inspect the children’s Trick Or Treat candy to make sure everything is in a sealed wrapper and appears safe.
  2. Small children should not eat hard candy because of chocking.
  3. Children should be supervised when they go Trick-or-Treating.  Many parents will come home early from work on the day to go with their children.  Check with Host Parents about this.

Pumpkins and the Legend of Stingy Jack –

Jack-o-lanterns are an Irish tradition brought to America by early Irish immigrants. But early jack-o-lanterns were not pumpkins, they were turnips, rutabagas or gourds that were hollowed out. Lights were placed in them to ward off evil spirits and to keep “Stingy Jack” (the legendary Irish drunkard and prankster, believed to have made a deal with the devil and condemned to walk the earth upon death, whose namesake has been given to modern day, carved pumpkins) away. It was not until the 1800’s when Irish immigrants came to America and found pumpkins to be so plentiful and easier to carve, that the tradition was altered.

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HOW FAMILIES AND AU PAIRS HANDLE MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES

Miscellaneous Expenses

There are different ways to handle the little expenses that may 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 that.

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.

BASEBALL – AMERICA’S NATIONAL PASTIME

Philadelphia_PhilliesPHILADELPHIA PHILLIES – The Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series in 2008.  In 2009 they went to the World Series again; but lost to the NY Giants.  We’ll win that Series this year — I’m betting on it!

Major League Baseball

Baseball is called the “National Pastime” of the United States because it is so popular. There are thirty teams spread across the country, and many people have their own favorite “home team.”

The game is played by two teams. When one team is in the field, the other team takes turns at bat. A baseball player first bats at the ball and then runs around the bases in an effort to score. Points, called “runs,” are scored when a player on the batting team touches all the bases (including home plate) without being tagged or put “out” by a player on the fielding team. The team scoring the greater number of runs in nine “innings” wins the game. Each inning is divided into two halves: top and bottom. Both teams are allowed three outs per half inning.
Each team is part of a league. There are two leagues, the American League and the National League. Each team tries to win the most games in their league. The teams that win each league championship will play each other in the “World Series.”

OCTOBER NEWS

October 11- Columbus Day The day commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the “New World.” October 15 -National Pizza Month Pizza is easy and fun to make and can be a nutritious meal for the children and is easy to make at home.  You will need a ready-made pizza dough or a ready-made crust, shredded mozzarella cheese and a jar of pizza sauce. Add your favorite toppings – i.e. mushrooms, chicken, onions, or brocoli .  First the dough or crust goes on a cookie sheet or pizza pan. Then spread the sauce, add the other toppings, and last of all, sprinkle the cheese. Bake as directed for the crust. Be careful, and keep the children away from the oven as the oven must be very hot to make a nice crusty pizza. October 17– National Stamp Collecting Month –Collecting stamps is a fun and easy introduction to geography, history, art and nature. Help your children start a stamp collection by sharing stamps from your letters from home. Ask your au pair friends for stamps from their countries. October 24 – United Nations Day – This is the anniversary of the creation of the United Nations in 1947, which is committed to peace and development, based on the principles of justice, human dignity and the well-being of all people. Teach your children something about your country today – a song, a story, game, a new food or a national tradition. October 31-Halloween This is the day children dress up in costumes and, in many communities, go door-to-door to ask for candy. Safety on Halloween is extremely important – don’t take our eyes off the children and don’t let them eat unwrapped candy.


Driving in the U.S. and Getting a Pennsylvania Driver’s License

DRIVING IN THE USA

According to the Geneva Convention, visitors are permitted to drive in the USA for up to 1 year with the following 4 documents: an international driver’s license, a home country license, a J1 visa and a DS2019 form.

All au pairs should be sure to have the following documents with them when they are driving:

1. International Driver’s License

2. Home Country Driver’s License

3. Vehicle Registration

4. Vehicle Insurance Certificate

5. Copy of J1 visa

6. Copy of DS2019 form

How to get a PA drivers licenseBlank Drivers License

Follow these steps to obtain your Driver’s License in the state of PA.
  After reviewing these steps, please click on the PA DMV attachment 
below. This will give you the most up to date information directly from 
the DMV.  You must have at least 6 months left on your visa to get a Pennsylvania Driver’s License.

1. You need to apply for your Social Security number in order to get
your driver’s license. Visit this link:  http://secure.ssa.gov/apps6z/FOLO/fo001.jsp.

2. Next, you need to get a medical physical done. Print out this form and see a doctor to confirm that you are in good health. http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/pdotforms/dl_forms/dl-180.pdf.

3. After you get your physical, begin studying for the learner’s permit.  
This is a written test that you can take on the computer at a Driver’s
License Center.  You can click on this link to practice for the test. http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/young_drivers/crossroads.shtml

4. Visit a Driver License Center with: * the completed DL-180 * your visa,
your passport, and 1-94 * Two acceptable proofs of residency, listed on
reverse side of DL-180, if you are 18 years of age or older. * Your
Social Security card. * A check or money order payable to PennDOT for
 the appropriate fee. (Cash is not accepted.)  Fact sheet for foreign
applicants:  http://www.dot3.state.pa.us/pdotforms/fact_sheets/pub195nc.pdf

5. After you get your permit, you can schedule your driver’s license exam.
 This test will be in an actual driving test in a car. Call 
1-800-423-5542. Scheduling is usually done several weeks in advance so 
it is important to start the process early.

If you feel that a driving lessons or an evaluation would be helpful, here are two schools recommended by current host families:

– Cantor’s Driving School.  Phone 610-664-1039 or 610-277-1050

– Edward Savioz Driver Training in Wallingford, PA.  Phone # 610-490-1922

Note:  Only au pairs from France or Germany can surrender their foreign license and receive a US-state license, the rest have to apply for a learner’s permit and schedule a driver’s test; and that the licensing centers around Philly are really backed up and it can take 5-8 weeks to schedule a test depending on the location of the center.