Au Pair Parenting Skills: Try WhatToExpect.com

Boy toddler. (Photo: Wikipedia, Public Domain)

Here’s the crib sheet you’ve been waiting for! The one to make you look sooooo professional.

WhatToExpect.com is for anyone who loves babies and childcare. Topics  include Preconception, Pregnancy, First Year and Toddlers, and Family Life.

Articles are submitted by real moms and dads who are passionate about the young lives they care for. Articles are short, 300-500 words. The tone is “upbeat, lighthearted, helpful, relatable, and funny.”

WhatToExpect.com is a great resource for au pairs—and for Host Moms and Dads (who might also enjoy writing about their families). Articles are submitted online and paid through the Word of Mom News Writer Program or the Word of Mom Writer Program.

Want to do say it with video instead? Get the free ap.

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Who is Au Pair Sis?

GoAuPair has done it this time! Au Pair Sis is online—a companion, a friend, and a counselor for cultural au pairs.

Have a question about the Au Pair program? Need tips to improve your experience with your Host Family? Want some advice on how to adjust to a new culture? Ask the Au Pair Sis!

Au Pair Sis does it all: Blog, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook—and videos, like these on fitness.

Check out the Au Pair Sis for daily activities to make the cultural au pair lifestyle a totally new experience!

Let the party begin!

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Fall Sniffles and Flu? Au Pairs to the Rescue With Ginger Lemon Ale

(Photo credit: Wikipedia, Public Domain)

Early fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year. Golden trees and Canada geese flying south fill the heart with joy. But, nasty contagious “bugs” also abound. A simple home remedy to soothe sniffles and tummy aches is Ginger Lemon Ale.

The recipe is simple:

• 1-2 scoops lemon-flavored electrolyte mix (be sure to check for any recommendations by age)
• 10 oz bottled ginger ale

Place the scoop(s) in the bottom of a glass or tumbler. Pour in the ginger ale, slowly to allow the extra fizz to settle. Enjoy, and take credit for being a thoughtful cultural au pair.

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November: Transitions From Hallowe’en to Thanksgiving

“The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth” (1914) By Jennie A. Brownscombe (Photo credit: Wikipedia, Public Domain)

Cultural au pairs are international nanniesfrom many different cultures. While Hallowe-‘en (All Hallows Eve) is celebrated around the world, Thanksgiving is an American and Canadian holiday. How does an au pair help make the holiday transition for his/her Host Family and Children?

Fall is fall, and golden decorations that reflect nature continue through November–but they darken to brown, and red as the season advances Pumpkins and decorative gourds remain appropriate until Thanksgiving, though they are turned into pie instead of of Jack O Lanterns. Candles (properly supervised) provide soft warm light as grey days increase. Strings of colored lights enchant young minds, as they change now toward the winter and Christmas colors just around the corner.

The main theme of Thanksgiving is the abundance of the harvest. The pilgrims had worked hard, with the guidance of N

ative Americans who understood how to make things grow. At Thanksgiving they celebrated and feasted one last time, before the cold harshness of winter set in.

A traditional formal Thanksgiving round to sing is Dona Nobis Pacem. In northern areas, where snow may come early, there is a common cultural favorite:

 “Over the river and through the woods,

to Grandmother’s house we go.

The horse knows the way, to carry the sleigh

Through the white and drifted snow.”

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Cornucopia: A Thanksgiving Craft for Au Pairs

English: California: The Cornucopia of the World. (Photo credit: Wikipedia, Public Domain)

A cornucopia is a symbol of abundance, filled with fruits and other harvest bounty to grace a Thanksgiving table. A simple cornucopia is an inexpensive basket available at craft stores everywhere. A good size might be 14” to 18.”

If the cornucopia is to be used with fresh fruit, check to see if there is a safety rating for contact with food. If not, an unfinished cornucopia may be the better choice.

Fill the cornucopia with fresh apples (perhaps the au pair  and his/her Host Children can pick them from family trees). Oranges are another good fruit to add, plus nuts in the shell (be sure to supervise children when they use the nutcracker). Small jars of fancy preserves, cranberry sauce, or minced meat may also be gathered and added to the cornucopia, waiting to be enjoyed with Thanksgiving dinner.

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