Great class for your Child and Au Pair

If you are looking for something fun for your au pair and child to do together sign up for a Kinder Music class. Both my children have taken classes and loved it. Kinder Music with Joy is a great resource. They offer classes in Overland Park,KS and Brookside, MO  Here is a link to their website
http://www.kindermusikwithjoy.net/
This is a great way for your aupair to learn English by singing with your child. Music has no language barriers and is a great way for your child and Aupair to bond.

How to find the great Au Pair

   I am currently searching for my ninth Au pair. You would think after having done the process so many times you get better at it and it becomes easy. I am always overwhelmed at the process. But I have developed a system that seems to work pretty well for me, 7 out of 8  of my au pairs have been great! I start the process by looking at pictures, if the profile photo appeals to me I save it in my favorites. I skim what they have to say but really the photo is what determines whether you end up in my favorite box or not. After looking through photos for a few days going back over them many times i determine who to interview. I read through the essay and get a feel for the persons family life and their enthusiasm for kids. With my current Aupair I only interviewed her and no one else. I was sold on her photos and our first Skype conversation. You can tell a lot by talking via Skype.

    I remember when I started with the aupair care service the process was not on the internet, you recieved three profiles by fed ex , that the office in San Francisco picked for you. You would read through terrible hand writing and horrible second generation copied photos. If you did not like what they sent you would have to wait another week to get the next batch. Thinking back on it I can't believe how easy it has become now. The fact that you can view over 100 profiles and narrow down at your own will who you like and save them so you remember who you liked  is amazing!

   So back to my current search, I have used my same process of photo elimination and only one person stood out. We are in the process of interviewing and she seems like a winner. Let's see if the photo process worked this time too. Stay tuned.

Our wonderful Au Pair Sabrina one of the best!

Sharing traditions

Maluh's birthday cake

Maluh and the kids

Sharing traditions and customs is one of my favorite things about having an aupair. They can share their customs with us and we can share ours with them and this way we make the world a little smaller. A tradition at our house is to celebrate birthdays with cake in bed for the birthday person. The person who's birthday it is wakes up early in anticipation of cake and gifts in bed. With my girls the celebration usually starts at 6am because they are so excited. Last year we shared this tradition with our Brazilian Aupair Maluh. She had taken in part in everyone's cake in bed celebrations. She was a die hard and would not miss them. I remember once she came home at 5am on my daughters birthday (it was a Saturday) after a long night on the town. She lay down on the couch in the living room to wait because she did not want to miss the cake in bed event. So when her birthday came around of course she too got the cake and gifts in bed. Tomorrow is her birthday and we will think of her and maybe have a little cake in bed.