Monthly Archives: August 2014

Academic Year in America

Dear Prospective Host Families,

I would like to call your attention to a special offer from our sister program, Academic Year in America (AYA), operated by the AIFS Foundation. The AYA program is seeking host families to welcome a student into their home this month!!

* Host families can host for a short welcome period of 4-6 weeks, a semester for the full academic year
* Host families can be from anywhere in the U.S.
* Students are ages 15-18
* Students available are from Germany, China, Brazil, South Korea and Thailand
* Host families provide a bed, meals, a place to study and welcome the student as a son or daughter
* Students will attend local high school
* Students come with full medical insurance and their own spending money
* Local Support is provided by an AYA Local Coordinator for the family and student throughout the year plus support from the AYA National Office 24/7

Please take a few minutes to think of all the people you know and pass along a name or two to AYA! Please send me a message for more information!!

You can make a difference for a young student this fall!! 

Thank you!

King William Paddle Trail

For this month’s cluster meeting, the au pairs got to spend time kayaking up and down the San Antonio river!!
It was a beautiful (but hot) summer day and everybody had a great time 🙂


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Love the enthusiasm 🙂

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Caroline from Sweden & Annerien from South Africa

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Annerien, Caroline with Johanna from Colombia       Hana and Iveta from Czech Republic

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Saaynaam and Nut from Thailand

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To see more pictures, please visit Texas Pack and Paddle’s Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152398965876888.1073742023.107903396887&type=1


Going Unplugged During Work Hours

Au Pairs – Imagine for a moment that you went to the hospital and you were in the care of doctors and nurses.  How would you feel if those doctors and nurses who were there to care for you were more interested in texting or using their personal computer than caring for you?  How would that make you feel, about yourself and about them?  Would you think that you were getting the treatment you deserved?  Would you feel like paying the bill after your stay?

Life as an au pair, it is a fine balance between employee and family member. You live with your host family and participate with them as a member of the family, but you also have clear responsibilities as a childcare provider. Being a childcare provider is truly one of the most important jobs I can think of, because you are helping to shape our next generation.  What message are you sending them when you would rather interact with a computer than with them? How will they feel about themselves and about you? Children feel as though everything is about them. They will see this as a rejection of them and they will be more likely to act out.

It also poses a safety concern when you are not paying enough attention to the children in your care.  Accidents happen, but when an adult care giver is close by and appropriately supervising the chances of a major injury dramatically reduce.


During work hours, the following would not be considered acceptable:
-Texting
-Talking to friends on the phone
-Chatting with friends online
-Using Skype or Facetime
-IMing
-Emailing
-Updating your status on Facebook
-Using Orkut, Google+, Studivz, SiempreGente or any other social media site
-Watching videos on YouTube (even my really fabulous ones)
-Tweeting on your Twitter
-Uploading photos on Instragram or Vine
-Anything else on the computer, unless it is going to Nickjr.com together with your host children


Think about this — even if you work 45 hours a week, that leaves you 123 hours per week for all of that other stuff, or about 70 hours (if you are getting the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep per night.)

Host Parents – You need to be clear about what you consider acceptable during work hours to avoid misunderstandings.  Also, please understand that you are dealing with a new generation of people who are very accustomed to being plugged in at all times.  Their intention is not to be rude, they don’t necessarily realize how their actions will be perceived.  Please use this information as an opportunity to begin a dialogue on the issue.

Craving something sweet??

Carrot cake (or cupcakes)…… Need I say more???

Cake:

3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 (2 1/2 ounce) jar carrot baby food
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups finely grated carrot (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped pineapple
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Frosting:

1/3 cup (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 Tsp butter, softened
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut, toasted in oven


1. Preheat oven to 325 F
2. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a food processor, until well blended. Place flour mixture in a large bowl. Combine sugar, canola oil, baby food, and eggs; stir with a whisk. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moist. Stir in grated carrot and pineapple. Spoon batter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 325 F for 40 minutes (or 14-17 minutes if you’re making cupcakes). Cool in pan on a wire rack, then transfer to the fridge (this keeps them moist).
4. To prepare frosting, combine cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating at low speed until smooth. Spread over cake, sprinkle with coconut.