Category Archives: Uncategorized

Winter Driving Tips

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There are some basic rules to remember to stay safe in the car in difficult driving conditions:

  • Start early and take your time
  • Accelerate slowly especially on hills
  • Drive slowly to avoid having to stop while going up a hill, as it will be hard to start again
  • Don’t make any sudden turns or stops,
  • Be sure that the mirrors and windows are always free of snow and ice,
  • If you skid, try to steer in the direction the car is sliding to regain control.
  • The changes in temperature sometimes cause potholes in the streets. If you don’t see the pothole in time to steer around it, apply the brakes before hitting the pothole and release them just before you reach the pothole. If you keep the brake on as you hit the pothole it will do more damage to the tire.
  • Try to keep your gas tank at least half full.
  • If your wheels spin on ice switch to low gear, even on automatics.
  • Leave extra space between you and the car in front of you.
  • Remember that bridges and exit ramps are icier than roads.
  • Ask what kind of brakes your car has and how to use them in case of a skid.

HEALTHY TIPS

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Now that cooler weather is upon us and the flu season is approaching, we wanted to offer some general suggestions and reminders to help you and the children under your care to stay healthy throughout the year.

Keeping a healthy body, mind and spirit= Balance:

Get enough sleep
Eat healthily
Exercise regularly
Take some time each day to relax
Rest or slow down when you feel tired
Maintain a balance between work, rest, relaxation and your social life
Go outdoors! Even when it’s cold.  Cold air doesn’t cause illness, staying cooped up inside with the germs usually does it. Plus the sunshine (Vitamin D) is good for you.

Protect yourself and others:

Please remember that preventing illness and the spread of disease protects not just you and your family, but also children who may have serious conditions affecting their ability to fight off infections. Kids who may have asthma, diabetes, heart disease, severe allergies, cystic fibrosis, cancer or other conditions are more vulnerable.

Avoid spreading germs, wash your hands, cover your cough, and stay home if sick
Cover coughs or sneeze with the crook  of your elbow or a tissue-not your hand
Frequent hand washing with soap and warm water will help prevent the spread of influenza, strep throat, stomach viruses, and many other diseases.  Please keep children home from school if they have a respiratory illness, fever, diarrhea or vomiting.
Shower regularly
Avoid contact with people who have cold or flu symptoms

Keep a clean and healthy home environment:

Keep frequently touched surface clean(kitchen counters, computer keyboards and computer areas, telephones, doorknobs)
Keep the children’s play area and toys clean
Keep your bedroom dust free as possible.Vacuum regularly and empty your waste basket daily.

Prevent the flu:
Did you know the flu virus can knock you out for a week or more? Symptoms include high fever and severe head and muscle aches. Infection can lead to complications like ear and sinus infections, dehydration, and bacterial pneumonia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older should receive a flu vaccine each year.

Where can you get the flu vaccine?:
Flu vaccines are available NOW in medical offices, pharmacies and at your County Public Health Division.  You don’t need to have a regular doctor or nurse to get the flu vaccine.

To find flu shots near you go to http://vaccine.healthmap.org/ and type in your zip code.

Have a safe and healthy year!

FALL BACK….

daylight savingsDON’T FORGET TO SET YOUR CLOCKS BACK THIS WEEKEND.

You will be setting your clock back one hour, following the adage of “spring forward, fall back.” The extra hour gives you a chance to catch up on the sleep you lost in March when the clocks moved forward and Daylight Saving Time began.

What will you do with that extra hour?

HALLOWEEN

 

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It`s Halloween! It`s Halloween!
The moon is full and bright
And we shall see what can`t be seen
on any other night:

Skeletons and ghosts and ghouls,
Grinning goblins fighting duels,
Werewolves rising from their tombs,
Witches on their magic brooms.

Jack-o’-lanterns grinning,
Shadows on a screen,
Shrieks and starts and laughter…
This is Halloween!

Happy and Safe Halloween Everyone!

HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS:

Alphabet letter S Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be short, soft, and flexible.
Alphabet letter A Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.
Alphabet letter F Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.
Alphabet letter E Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before eating them. Limit the amount of treats you eat.
Alphabet letter H 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.
Alphabet letter A Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent possible skin and eye irritation.
Alphabet letter L Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible.
Alphabet letter L Lower your risk for serious eye injury by not wearing decorative contact lenses.
Alphabet letter O Only walk on sidewalks whenever possible, or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.
Alphabet letter W Wear well-fitting masks, costumes, and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips, and falls.
Alphabet letter E Eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid eating homemade treats made by strangers.
Alphabet letter E Enter homes only if you’re with a trusted adult. Only visit well-lit houses. Don’t stop at dark houses. Never accept rides from strangers.
Alphabet letter N Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.

HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL with Global Awareness

Wishing you all a very happy and safe” BACK TO SCHOOL”

 

Are you interested in becoming part of our global community?

Global Awareness is a free educational program offered thru Au Pair In America . The goal is to promote multi-cultural understanding within the communities in which Au Pair in America  au pairs live.

To find out more about this wonderful program, please click here .

Au Pair In America au pairs, click here to find out how you can take part in a global awareness activity in your community.

Happy learning and happy sharing!

BEACH AND SWIMMING POOL SAFETY TIPS

Here are some good tips for kids, au pairs and host families to follow :

Swim safely.

  • Take swim lessons if you don’t know how to swim. Sign your kids up for lessons as soon as they are old enough.
  • Swim near a lifeguard and never swim alone.
  • Don’t drink alcohol if you are swimming or watching children.
  • Use floating toys like water wings and noodles for fun – not for safety. Don’t use them in place of life jackets.
  • Watch out for rip currents. A rip current is when the water pulls you away from shore. If you get caught in a rip current, swim along the shoreline until you are out of the current, then swim to shore.

Watch children carefully.

  • Make sure at least one adult is watching when children are near or in the water.
  • Don’t read or use the phone while you are watching young children.
  • Watch all children in the water, even if they know how to swim.
  • If you have a pool, install 4-sided fencing that’s at least 4 feet high and separates the pool from the house or yard. Use self-closing and self-latching gates that open outward and are out of reach of children.

Check water and weather conditions before going swimming.

  • Don’t swim in lakes, rivers, or the ocean after heavy rain. Water is more likely to be polluted after a rain storm.
  • Check for signs or warnings about bacteria or other pollution in the water.
  • Get out of the water right away if you hear thunder or see lightning. Strong winds can also be dangerous.

Protect yourself and others from germs in the water.

  • Try not to get water in your mouth.
  • Make sure everyone is clean before swimming. Shower with soap. Wash your hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers.
  • Take your kids on bathroom breaks or check diapers often. Change diapers in a bathroom or a diaper-changing area.

Protect your skin from the sun.

  • Wear plenty of sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 15.
  • Put on more sunscreen every couple of hours and after swimming

This information was provide by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

The Folklife Festival will take place June 27-July 1 and July 4-8. 

The annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival is an international exhibition of living cultural heritage. Attracting more than one million visitors yearly, the two-week long celebration is the largest annual cultural event in the United States.

The Festival is held outdoors on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., between the Smithsonian museums. There is no admission charge. Visitors should dress for hot and humid weather. Parking around the Mall is extremely limited, so visitors are advised to use public transportation. L’Enfant Plaza is the closest Metro station to the Festival site. National Archives, Smithsonian, and Federal Center stations are within a half-mile. For assistance planning how to get around, visit www.goDCgo.com. For general Smithsonian visitor information, http://www.si.edu/Visit or call 202.633.1000 (voice).

Festival hours are 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with special events taking place most evenings beginning at 6:30 p.m. View the schedule here.

I highly recommend that you visit their website to plan your visit http://www.festival.si.edu/

VALENTINE’S DAY IN THE USA

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Valentine’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 the children you care for over the next couple of weeks!

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/

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Have fun!

A traditional American Holiday

Thanksgiving is a public holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November every year in the United States. It started as a harvest festival and has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789.  The most important part of Thanksgiving for American families is to spend family time together.  Here are some fun facts about this special holiday:

·         The first Thanksgiving was held in the autumn of 1621 and included 50 Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Indians and lasted three days.

·         The first Thanksgiving was eaten with spoons and knives — but no forks! Forks weren’t even introduced to the Pilgrims until 10 years later and weren’t a popular utensil until the 18th century

·         Thanksgiving is the reason for TV dinners! In 1953, Swanson had so much extra turkey (260 tons) that a salesman told them they should package it onto aluminum trays with other sides like sweet potatoes — and the first TV dinner was invented

·         Presidential pardon of a turkey: Each year, the president pardons a turkey and spares it from being eaten for Thanksgiving dinner. The first turkey pardon ceremony started with President Truman in 1947. President Obama pardoned a 45-pound turkey named Courage, who has flown to Disneyland and served as Grand Marshal of the park’s Thanksgiving Day parade!

·         Why is Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November? President Abe Lincoln said Thanksgiving would be the fourth Thursday in November, but in 1939 President Roosevelt moved it up a week hoping it would help the shopping season during the Depression era. It never caught on and it was changed back two years later

·         How did the tradition of watching football on Thanksgiving start? The NFL started the Thanksgiving Classic games in 1920 and since then the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys have hosted games on Turkey Day. In 2006, a third game was added with different teams hosting

·         About 90 % of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day

·         The ‘wishbone’ of the turkey is used in a good luck ritual on Thanksgiving Day.

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

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