Clothing guidelines for Aupairs and Host children

Attached is Clothing Guideline that was created to help Au Pairs and host families discuss the proper clothing children should be(and should not be) wearing to and from school and when playing outside during these colder temperatures. As every family is different with different age children and different guidelines, it is important that each family discusses with their Au Pair and their children about the proper clothing to wear in the mornings to school or playing outside. I know that my own children like to wear shorts to school or no jacket and they fight me in the mornings(and they are 12 and 14 years old).  Your Au Pair needs to know what he/she needs to do when a child refuses to put on a the suggested clothes that you require them to wear.  Some families would say "My child is old enough to make his/her decisions and understands the consequences" and some families would say "Do not let my child leave for school without a jacket or they must be wearing long sleeves". If this is the case, the Au Pair needs to know that it is ok to be late until the child listens or does she force the child to wear it?  Like I said, every family is different and it is so important to discuss difference scenarios with your Au Pair depending on your children's ages.

Because all Au Pairs come from different climates, Host Families should not "expect" the Au Pair to know unless you give them your rules based on living in Michigan.  It is important to remind the children as well before they go to bed or in the morning "Don't forget it is colder today/tomorrow so you must wear a long sleeve shirt to school along with your jacket".

Au Pairs, when winter comes, it is very important to have a list of what each child needs to wear "Hat, scarf, boots, gloves, jacket". It is also VERY VERY IMPORTANT that you make sure the children come home from school with all the items they left for school in the morning.  It is very common for children(young and old) to leave their jacket, gloves and hats at the school and if it is Friday, it will be important to get them back for the 

weekend.

Happy Halloween and a scary good night to all

Annual Aupair Halloween Party

This is my favorite party/monthly meeting of the year. Every year I have all the aupairs over to my house and they all dress up in great costumes. We sit around and talk and then we take lots of photos and eat snacks.

Time to make some money aupairs and host families

From October 15^th through December 31^st 2013, current host families, current au pairs, and previous host families will receive a $300Amazon gift card for each new host family they refer who matches.
Please help me spread the word about the great program of Aupair Care . If you are a current or past host family, talk with your friends and family and let them know about the benefits of the program.
If you are a current Aupair with Aupair Care then talk to the people you meet at the park, school, playground any where you go and let them know how great it is to have an aupair to care for your kids.

Great time to get an aupair

Federal Government shut down and how it affects the aupair program

• During the government shut down you will likely have many questions come your way. I would like to clarify some of the more common questions about what will affect aupairs and host families during the Shutdown:  
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• Not affected
  • Department of State J-1 program. This is a fee based program and has its own funds to continue operations. There is no current worry of our program shutting down.
  • US Embassies. Currently still issuing Visas.
  • Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)/Transportation Security Administration (TSA). CBP and the TSA are still operating as they are considered essential to National Security. There is a minor staffing reduction, which means that traveling aupairs can expect longer wait times when entering the US.
  • The Postal Service: Aupairs waiting on DS forms and other paper work can still expect to receive them in the usual time frame.

 

• Affected
  
  
  • The Social Security Administration (SSA). While the SSA is still operating, they are not issuing any new Social Security Numbers during the Government Shutdown. That means that any aupairs that have not yet applied for their cards will have to wait until after the shutdown. When I spoke with a SS Office, it was unclear what is happening with applications that were being processed when the shutdown happened, but there is potential for delays.
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Top 10 driving mistakes

 

1. Driving under the influence.

Drugs and alcohol might make you feel confident in your driving skills, but really all they’re doing is impairing your judgment.

Statistics show that, approximately every 45 minutes, someone is killed by a drunk driver, and in 2008 alone, roughly 11,773 people died in accidents related to drunk driving. In 2006, nearly two million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.

In other words, if you don’t kill yourself or someone else, you’ll most likely go to jail.

2. Not getting enough sleep.

 During the past decade researchers have shown sleep deprivation can have the same effects as being drunk. Reread the above.

3. Not wearing a seat belt.

Wearing a seat belt decreases your chances of becoming injured or dying in a car accident by about 45 percent. It’s as simple as that.

4. Packing too many passengers in the car.

Car pooling is great for the environment, but there is some truth to the adage “too much of a good thing.” The more passengers you have, the more noise and distraction you have.

Never offer rides to more people than you have seatbelts for, and always make sure your passengers keep the noise and potentially distracting behavior to a minimum.

5. Not coping with road rage.

Best case scenario? Someone hears a dirty word or sees an obscene gesture. Worst case scenario? Someone dies.

If you know or have been told you suffer from road rage, pinpoint your triggers and work toward learning defensive driving – rather than aggressive driving – techniques. The outcome of a road rage incident could affect you, your passengers, innocent drivers-by, and even your family and friends. Ignoring your problem is plain irresponsible.

6. Improperly traveling with animals.

Whether it’s a trip to the vet or a move to a new home, nearly every pet owner has to travel with his or her animal(s) at some point; however, just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s always safe.

Anyone traveling with a pet must make sure the pet is secured in the vehicle before heading out on the road. Otherwise, the driver ends up with a scared cat trying to hide under the brake pedal or an overexcited dog trying to jump out the window, and trying to prevent these situations mid-drive could result in a car crash.

7. Playing music too loudly.

Loud music not only distracts you from other drivers and driving conditions, but also it can prevent you from hearing the emergency sirens of a police car, ambulance, or fire truck.

8. Driving with unchecked emotions.

Your boyfriend broke up with you. You found out your child is sick. Your boss just fired you. Your cat just died.

We’ve all been there at some point.

When you suffer a blow, be sure to take some time to calm down before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle; if it looks like that’s not happening any time soon, call someone for a ride.

9. Not learning (or paying attention to) safety laws.

These days, most teen drivers learn about safety laws through a state-mandated drivers education or training program; however, not all states require these driver safety courses and not all teens (or adults) are willing to enroll in them if they don’t have to.

Safety laws teach you important basics such as how to handle a four-way stop sign, how far from a railroad crossing you should be, and how to properly veer onto another highway. Without this knowledge, you could find yourself in the middle of a serious accident.

10. Being arrogant.

Arrogant drivers think they know it all – regardless of how much they actually know.

Understand that if everyone around you is driving too slowly, perhaps you’re driving too fast; driving a big four-wheel-drive SUV in a sea of tiny two-door compacts does not make you a god; and just because you’ve never been in an accident doesn’t mean you’re invincible.

Halloween is around the corner

Halloween is October 31 but the celebrating will start before that! Although the holiday is observed around the world, few countries celebrate to the extent
that people do in the United States. The name "Halloween" is short for "All Hallow's Eve", being that it is the day before All Saints' Day, a Christian holy day.
In Ireland and Scotland, where the holiday is thought to have originated, people would dress in masks and disguises so that the spirits of the dead would not
recognize them. This evolved into the tradition of dressing in costumes. Today's "trick-or-treating" resembles the medieval practice of "souling", when poor
people would go door to door on November 1, receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls' Day, November 2.

Halloween is always exciting for children. And most au pairs will enjoy trick-or-treating with their host family's kids before attending Halloween celebrations
of their own. Please help keep children safe by checking all treats before allowing children to eat them. Costumes should be easy to move in and not pose a
tripping hazard. If you are out after dark with the kids, be sure to carry flashlights and hold their hands when crossing the street. And of course, have fun!