Tag Archives: celebrate

Halloween

October 29, 2012 – 1:32 pm

Jack-o'-Lantern_2003-10-31 Ghouls and goblins will take over the night.
But even scary creatures need to be safe and celebrate Halloween right.

Halloween’s greatest hazards aren’t vampires and villains, but falls, costume mishaps and automobile collisions.
The Red Cross wants your family to have a safe Halloween so we’re providing these tips:

The Lucky 13:

1. Map out the route that you plan to roam, so adults are assured you will find your way home!
2. From the bravest of superheroes to the noblest of knights, everyone should remember to bring their flashlights!
3. If you visit a house where a stranger resides, accept treats at the door and, please, don’t go inside.
4. When you get ready to put on your disguise, use face paint instead of masks, which will cover your eyes.
5. Always remember, before you embark, to wear light-colored clothing to be seen in the dark! (And remember to use reflective tape, even on bikes, and brooms and the edges of your cape!)
6. Whether you walk, slither or sneak, do it on the sidewalks and not in the street.
7. As you roam through the neighborhood collecting your treats, please look both ways before crossing the street! (And speaking of streets, the corners are the place for trick or treaters to cross no matter their pace.)
8. Wigs, capes and costumes are flammable attire, so avoid open flames to prevent a fire!
9. Use a glow stick instead of a candle so your jack-o-lantern isn’t a safety gamble!
10. You may fly on a broom or a space ship from Mars, but please be on the lookout for drivers in cars! (Between parked cars is no to hide, be sure that you’re seen whether you’re a clown or a bride.)
11. Monsters and zombies should stay off the lawn, and only visit homes with their porch lights turned on!
12. You may be dressed as a werewolf, a cat or a frog, but be cautious around strange animals, especially dogs.
13. For additional information on how you and your family can be prepared for emergencies on Halloween or on any day of the year, please visit www.RedCross.org

Upcoming Cluster Meetings

October 17, 2012 – 1:05 pm

Please add the following dates to your calendar:

Sunday October 21, 2012 – 2.15PM – Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia

Sunday November 4, 2012 – 4PM to 6PM – Thanksgiving Dessert Party

Sunday December 2, 2012 – 7PM to 9PM – Holiday Party for Au Pairs

January 2013 – Snow Tubing date to be determined

Friday February 1, 2013 – 7:30PM Philadelphia 76ers Basketball

It’s time for Goblins and Ghosts!

October 17, 2012 – 11:29 am

Going trick-or-treating?

Below are tips to help make the festivities fun and safe for trick-or-treaters

	Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be short, soft, and flexible.
	Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.
	Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.
	Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before eating them. Limit the amount of treats you eat.

	Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you. Always WALK and don’t run from house to house.
	Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent possible skin and eye irritation.
	Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible.
	Lower your risk for serious eye injury by not wearing decorative contact lenses.
	Only walk on sidewalks whenever possible, or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.
	Wear well-fitting masks, costumes, and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips, and falls.
	Eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid eating homemade treats made by strangers.
	Enter homes only if you’re with a trusted adult.
	Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.

Culture Fest 2011!

May 5, 2011 – 12:55 pm

Host Families, Au Pairs, Children and all friends are invited to attend

Cultural Fest!

2011

Sponsored by Au Pair In America

Hosted by Hatboro-Horsham Educational Foundation (HHEF)

Visitors will be treated to the sights, sounds, and flavors from the many cultures that make our world go around.

Area restaurants will provide tastes of their own special cuisine. There are many international flavors all around us and we will bring them together for this very special celebration.

Date: Sunday – May 15, 2011

Time: 12pm to 3pm

Place: Hatboro-Horsham High School

899 Horsham Road

Horsham, PA 19044

Website for directions:

www.hatboro-horsham.org/domain/190

Please RSVP to your Counselor

Janet Kratzke: jckratzke@yahoo.com

(Host Family Workshop requirement will be fulfilled by attending this event)

Happy Passover

April 19, 2011 – 7:35 pm

Passover 2011 begins at sundown on Monday, April 18 and lasts for seven days in Israel and eight days in the rest of the world.

Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) commemorates the formative experience of the Jewish people: their transformation from scattered tribes indentured in Egypt to a nation on the road to redemption. As the Israelites hastily prepared for their precipitous flight from Egypt, they had no time to allow their bread to rise. Instead they baked matza, a flat, yeastless cracker of flour and water.

At the last minute, Pharaoh changed his mind and gave chase; God parted the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to pass through on miraculously dry land while causing the pursuing Egyptians, along with their horses and chariots, to drown in the briny deep.

The seder:
On the first night of Passover (the first two nights, outside of Israel), a ceremonial meal called a Seder is held, usually in the company of family and friends. The Seder, replete with symbolism, revolves around bringing the Exodus story to life.

The other six days:
The Biblical Song of Songs is read during synagogue services on the Saturday that falls during Passover (the second if there is more than one). On the final night of Passover, some recall the splitting of the Red Sea — which, according to tradition, happened on that day — by gathering to sing songs of praise to God, with a bowl of water on the table before them. Chabad Jews dedicate a special meal on this day to the Messiah, complete with cups of wine

St Patrick’s Day Parade in Philadelphia

March 8, 2011 – 1:10 pm

The 2011 Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade Returns March 13, With 20,000 Performers In Marching Bands, Dance Groups, Floats And More

The 241st St. Patrick’s Day Parade takes place March 13. (Photo courtesy Irish Philadelphia)

Philadelphia’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is actually the city’s largest parade, with 20,000 participants representing more than 150 groups including marching bands, dance groups, youth groups, Irish associations and floats.

Thousands of festively green-bedecked spectators line the Ben Franklin Parkway to enjoy the parade each year, a religious and cultural celebration of St. Patrick, on the Sunday prior to St. Patrick’s Day (this year’s parade: March 13, beginning at 11 a.m.). The first documented St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Parade in Philadelphia was held in 1771, marking this year’s the 241st year.

The parade begins at 16th and JFK Boulevard before making its way down the Ben Franklin Parkway. Click here for the full parade route. Some best bets for vantage points include Logan Circle and the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where a dance floor will be set up at Eakins Oval.

A series of awards are given to parade performers, ranging from Outstanding Float to the group that best exemplifies the spirit of the parade, so you can weigh your own opinions against the judges’ decisions, revealed Wednesday, April 13, 6-9 p.m. at a ceremony at Finnigan’s Wake.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade, a Philadelphia tradition, is a celebration not to be missed. If the weather is less than exemplary, you can watch it live on CW Philly 57 from noon to 3 p.m.; it will also stream live on the station’s website. And also check out Hear Philly’s look at St. Patrick’s Day bar tours in Philadelphia for an added layer of holiday fun.

Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade
When: Sunday, March 13, beginning at 11 a.m.
Where: Begins at 16th and JFK Boulevard
Cost: FREE
More info: www.philadelphiastpatsparade.com

Chinatown Brunch-Cluster Meeting

March 8, 2011 – 12:48 pm

March Multi-Cluster Meeting

Chinatown Brunch

Date: Sunday, March 13^th2011

Time: 12 – 2 Please arrive promptly!

Place: Charles Plaza

243-236 North 10^th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107

(about a ten minute walk from Market East train station)

Cost: $14 includes lunch, soda, tax and tip

Please bring exact change If possible!

Please respond by March 10th. I need to give the restaurant an accurate count and they charge us for each reservation.

This is a fun and delicious meeting and a great way to get to know the other au pairs in the area. We are expecting a group of 80 to 100 au pairs!!

Presidents’ Day

February 22, 2011 – 10:48 am

PresidentsDay-w
Presidents’ Day is celebrated in February to honor two of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. The holiday is celebrated in the United States on the third Monday in February. George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 and was the first president of the United States. Abraham Lincoln was president during the Civil War and was born on February 12, 1809.

Most of your host children will be off this week from school. Traditionally this is a winter break for Long Island schools. It is a great time to plan some activities in and out of the house with your host children. Many of the libraries and museums will have special activities for the kids home from school. Check online and bring your kids to explore these activities.

flower-craft-free-kids-pop-sticks-easy-patty-pans1 Mid winter is a great time for crafts and for board games. Pull out the games the children received for their holiday gifts and play them together. Gather the craft supplies and get creative! Dreaming of spring? How about coloring or painting some pictures of with the kids of spring flowers? Decorate the room with the colorful pictures! It might be cold and snowy outside, but inside the flowers are blooming on the walls! Enjoy!!

Happy Birthday Au Pair in America.

February 8, 2011 – 10:20 am

Au Pair in America Celebrates 25 Years!

Au Pair in America was established in 1986 as the first federally approved au pair program in the United States. We have established high standards of excellence, partnering with the U.S. government, international partners, our U.S. field network, AIFS staff and orientation team to provide a quality cross-cultural experience for over 87,000 au pairs from around the world and thousands of American families. Join us in celebration

A Very Merry Christmas!

December 22, 2010 – 10:29 am

HERE’S WISHING A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM MY FAMILY TO YOURS!

Christmas around the world

Millions of children around the world are familiar with plump and jolly Santa Claus, much loved of North America, with his red suit, black boots and twinkling eyes. He arrives Christmas Eve bearing gifts from the North Pole in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. Other countries have their own native gift bearers of the holiday season as well.

Christmas Customs

Christmas around the world: In Italy, children receive gifts from the good witch La Befana, old, bent and dressed in black. La Befana was a widowed, childless woman when the Three Kings passed on their way to see the Christ child. When they asked her the way to Bethlehem she was busy cleaning and sent them away. Realizing her mistake, she left to search for the Baby Jesus. To this day she is still searching going from house to house on Epiphany, January 6, leaving a gift for good children.

Russian children await gifts from Babouska, a farmer’s wife who offered food and shelter to the Three Wise men on their journey to Bethlehem, Baboushka declined their offer of travelling with them to visit the Christ child. Realizing her error on the eve of Epiphany, she tried unsuccessfully to find them, but handed the presents she had intended for the infant Jesus to children she passed along the way.

In Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico and South America, the Three Kings or Wise Men bring Christmas gifts to children, while in France children eagerly await the coming of Father Christmas or Pere Noel who brings their gifts.

In some cultures, Saint Nicholas travels with an assistant. The old bishop Sinterklass arrives in Holland on December 6 in his red bishop’s costume astride a white horse. In many port towns, he is said to have sailed in on a ship from Spain. Beside him walks Black Peter with a black sack and a book recording each Dutch child’s behavior through the year. Good children receive a gift from the bishop while bad children may be carried away in Black Peter’s sack

In Germany Saint Nicholas also travels with a helper, known as Knecht Ruprecht, Krampus, or Pelzebock, and comes with a sack on his back and a rod or switches in his hand. Saint Nicholas gives gifts to good children, while those who have been bad are punished by the assistant with a few hits of a switch.

Swedish children wait for the gnome Jultomten, also called Julemanden or Julenisse, who dresses in red and carries a sack of gifts on his back. He flies in his sleigh pulled by the Julbocker, the goats of Thor, the god of thunder. Elves, called the Juul Nisse, hide in the attics of families throughout the year, eagerly waiting to help him. Children leave bowls of milk or rice pudding in the attic for the elves, hoping they will be empty in the morning.

In Austria and Switzerland it is Christkindl or the Christ Child who arrives bearing gifts. In some towns children await the Holy Child and in others Christkindl is a beautiful girl-angel who comes down from heaven bearing gifts.

And in England a thinner version of Santa Claus known as Father Christmas, wearing long red robes with sprigs of holly in his hair, delivers gifts to children.

Merry Christmas around the world

Afrikaner (Afrikaans) ~ “Geseënde Kersfees”
Argentine ~ “Felices Pascuas”
Bohemian ~ “Vesele Vanoce”
Brazilian ~ “Boas Festas”
Chinese (Cantonese) ~ “Saint Dan Fai Lok”
Danish ~ “Glædelig Jul”
Dutch ~ “Vrolijk Kerstfeest”
English ~ “Merry Christmas”
Filipino ~ “Maligayang Pasko”
Finnish ~ “Hyvaa Joulua”
French ~ “Joyeux Noël”
German ~ “Froehliche Weihnachten”
Greek ~ “Kala Christouyenna”
Hawaiian ~ “Mele Kalikimaka”
Hebrew ~ “Mo’adim Lesimkha”
Icelandic ~ “Gledileg Jol”
Indonesian ~ “Selamat Hari Natal”
Irish ~ “Nollaig Shona Dhuit”
Italian ~ “Buone Feste Natalizie” – Natale italiano
Japanese ~ “Kurisumasu Omedeto”
Korean ~ “Sung Tan Chuk Ha”
Lithuanian ~ “Linksmu Kaledu”
Malay ~ “Selamat Hari Natal”
Maori ~ “Meri Kirihimete”
Norwegian ~ “God Jul” – Jul i Norge
Romanian ~ “Craciun Fericit”
Peruvian ~ “Felices Fiestas”
Portugese ~ “Boas Festas”
Slovakian ~ “Vesele Vianoce”
Spanish ~ “Feliz Navidad” – Cyber Navidad
Swedish ~ “God Jul” – Jul i Sverige
Welsh ~ “Nadolig Llawen”