Rhode Island au pairs celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at their Sunday Evening Cluster Meeting on March 17th. It was a festive event – with au pairs dressed in green and wearing their beautiful St. Patrick’s Day tiaras and accessories! Dinner consisted of the traditional St. Patrick’s Day entree of Corned Beef and Cabbage, Irish Soda Bread, and Green “Beer”, with a festive St. Paddy’s Day cake and cookies for dessert.

Announcements included a formal introduction of our newest arrival– Elin from Sweden, acknowledgement of Tatiana’s upcoming birthday on April 6, and a “heads up” regarding an invitation that will be going out to all au pairs and host families to a large regional “Host Family Day” event (New England Revs Soccer Game and Tailgate Party) which will be held on June 2 at Patriots Place in Foxboro.

After the Blizzard of 2013 cancelled our original February cluster meeting, we were finally able to celebrate a belated Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year on Sunday night, February 17. The desserts were enjoyed by all, and the fortune cookies seemed to be a big hit!

Pizza Night/Tax Questions and Answers

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Taxes aren’t much fun, but the U.S. government requires that they be paid by everyone who earns money in the U.S., even au pairs. At our January meeting, we enjoyed pizza together and reviewed tax information (the pizza helped to make the tax discussion a little less painful:-) Au pairs had access to 2012 tax forms and had an opportunity to ask questions about who should file a tax return and how a return is to be filed. Tax information, instructions and forms can be accessed by clicking on the link to the right of this page entitled “Au Pairs – Tax Information”. The deadline for filing tax returns in the U.S. is April 15. If an au pair has earned enough money during 2012 to owe taxes (it will depend upon her arrival date), she can file her tax return any time between now and April 15.

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Our Holiday meeting took place on December 20th – a “Potluck” dinner and gift exchange. Our Potluck consisted of appetizers, entrees, veggies and desserts — a great selection, which included a German potato dish, French crepes, Czech Christmas cookies, among many other tasty treats! It was nice to get together just before the busy holidays that would soon be upon us — holiday dinners and celebrations, school vacations, and travel plans for some au pairs.

Most au pairs will be experiencing their very first Thanksgiving celebration this year. Thanksgiving Day in America is a time to gather with family and friends for holiday meals. It is a time of giving thanks for all of our blessings. There will be football games and parades, but “feasting” is the most significant activity that occurs on Thanksgiving Day. The main food for the feast is roasted turkey with dressing, usually accompanied by mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, cranberry sauce , fall vegetables and pumpkin pie.

History of Thanksgiving
In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. The following website includes the history of thanksgiving and lots of activities that au pairs can enjoy with their children.
http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/