Because I am spending some well needed quality time with my family during the last two weeks of December, I am running some of the most popular posts of the year.  Another post that many people tended to gravitate towards was the Top 10 Apps for Au Pairs. Like any young woman between the ages of 18-26 years old, Au Pairs are attached to technology.  Most Au Pairs have smart phones or devices, whether the host family provides it or they purchased their own.  To make their transition go more smoothly and help them feel more acclimated, here are top 10 Apps for Au Pairs. Alarm Clock Free Alarm Clock Free turns your mobile device into a beautiful digital clock and alarm clock for free! It even displays live, local weather conditions and temperature that makes you know about the weather immediately when you wake up. Cost: Free Platform: iPhone and Android   Gas Buddies Find the cheapest gas (petrol) around you. GasBuddy uses gas price information provided by our users to bring drivers together to support the common goal of saving money on gas.  Gas prices only for USA and Canada. Cost: Free Platform: iPhone, Android, and Blackberry   Circle of 6 Circle of 6 lets you choose six trusted friends to add to your circle. If you get into an uncomfortable or risky situation, use Circle of 6 to automatically send your circle a pre-programmed SMS alert message, with your exact location. It’s quick. It’s discreet. Two taps on your phone is all it takes. Cost: Free Platform: iPhone and Android   Wi-Fi Finder  Over 650,000 locations in 144 countries worldwide! Quickly and easily find FREE or paid Wi-Fi when you travel with the JiWire Wi-Fi Finder. Cost: Free Platform: iPhone and...

Another popular post from the year, Who Did Your Au Pair Bring Home? This is so pertinent because so many Au Pairs travel during the holiday season that they need to pay attention to who is sleeping in their beds with them. Does your Au Pair travel? Does your Au Pair stay in cheap hotels/motels or hostels?  Most likely the answer to these questions are yes.  Has your Au Pair heard of bed bugs?  The most likely answer to this question is no and if they have heard of bed bugs it is because the commonly  used phrased by parents worldwide when tucking their children into bed. “Sleep tight; don’t let the bed bugs bite.” This is no longer just a phrase. This past August our Au Pair had friends visit that frequented several hostels while traveling the United States East Coast.   Not only did her friends stay at our home, but they left some uninvited guests – bed bugs. According to Orkin Pest Control, they have seen a 33% rise in bed bugs since 2011.  As of 2012, New York (ranked 10th in the country) and Washington, DC (ranked 7th in the county), of course two of the places my Au Pair’s and their friends frequented. Every morning for about a week, our Au Pair would wake up with bug bites all over her legs, neck and back. We thought at first that they were mosquito bites and then perhaps spider bites finally my husband – who lived in New York – said that we might have bed bugs.  Of course I was mortified and automatically started itching. I knew nothing about bed bugs, so immediately I did research, but my husband did.  You can’t get rid of bed bugs with RAID and...

Here is the follow up post on 50 Holiday Gifts for Host Dads.  My Au Pair thought it would be great if I could publish a 50 Holiday Gifts List for Host Moms and Dads. She told me it is very stressful buying for host parents, especially when they seem to have “everything” they want. Here is my 50 Holiday Gifts for Host Dads.   This is for all those Au Pairs that are not quite sure what to buy for their Host Dads. Click on the picture on the right hand side and it will open the 50 Holiday Gifts for Host Dads pdf.  The pdf has hyperlinks, so scroll over the item you are interested in and click through to the website where you can purchase the gift. The 50 Holiday Gifts for Host Dads gifts range from under $25 – under $100.  You can also find more gift ideas under my Gift Ideas for Host Dads on Pinterest. Here is a selection of 10 gifts out of the 50 Holiday Gifts for Host Dads. Pinterest Boards Dedicated to 50 Holiday Gift Lists Pinterest: Gifts for Au Pairs Pinterest: Gifts for Host Dads Pinterest: Gifts for Host Moms Pinterest: DIY Gifts From Kids...

After writing my 50 Holiday Gifts for Au Pairs, my current Au Pair thought it would be great if I could publish a Holiday Gift Guide for Host Moms and Dads. She told me it is very stressful buying for host parents, especially when they seem to have “everything” they want. Here is my 50 Holiday Gifts for Host Moms.   This is for all those Au Pairs that are not quite sure what to buy for us Host Moms. Click on the picture on the right hand side and it will open the 50 Holiday Gifts for Host Moms pdf.  The pdf has hyperlinks, so scroll over the item you are interested in and click through to the website where you can purchase the gift. The 50 Holiday Gifts for Host Moms gifts range from under $25 – under $100.  You can also find more gift ideas under my Gift Ideas for Host Moms on Pinterest. Here is a selection of 10 gifts out of the 50 Holiday Gifts for Host Moms. Stay tune for the Holiday Gifts for Host Dads.   Pinterest Boards Dedicated to 50 Holiday Gift Lists Pinterest: Gifts for Au Pairs Pinterest: Gifts for Host Dads Pinterest: Gifts for Host Moms Pinterest: DIY Gifts From...

Buying for an Au Pair, nanny, and/or child care provider can sometimes be difficult and for most parents more stressful than buying for their significant others. Your child’s care giver is watching your most precious asset(s) everyday and you want to ensure they feel appreciated.  The questions that go through my mind when shopping for my Au Pair are: How much do I spend? How much is too much? Do I buy multiple presents or just one? Is cash OK? Do I give gift cards? I have an Au Pair that lives in our house and is our adopted daughter, so I budget for her gifts like I do my other two children. She will be spending the holidays with us and waking up on Christmas morning with just as much anticipation and excitement as my three year old. Most Au Pairs have never experienced Christmas and/or other seasonal holidays American style, so in my experience all of our Au Pair’s are just as or more excited than my children. Because it can be challenging to come up with some ideas, here is a list with 50 Holiday Gifts for Au Pairs with gifts ranging from under $25 – under $200.  You can also find more gift ideas under my Gift Ideas for Au Pairs on Pinterest. Pinterest Boards Dedicated to 50 Holiday Gift Lists Pinterest: Gifts for Au Pairs Pinterest: Gifts for Host Dads Pinterest: Gifts for Host Moms Pinterest: DIY Gifts From Kids Here are eight gift ideas out of the 50 Holiday Gifts for Au Pairs.  ...

Au Pairs live in our house and care for our children and I want to ensure they are as equipped with the most knowledge to protect themselves and my children from harm’s way. In addition, I want to provide an environment that is fun, healthy and presents the best experience for the Au Pair and my children.  Here are my top 5 important reads for Au Pairs & Child Care Providers. Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning.  Now that summer is here, most Au Pairs are frequenting the pool with their host kids. Please read this article because what you think a drowning person should do, they won’t be able to do.     Child Care Emergency Check List.  As an Au Pair, if you do not have this information at your finger tips, please ensure you ask for immediately.  We have this information located in kitchen on the wall by the phone and phone chargers, in the diaper bag (you can put it in the kids pool or school bags), and a few more strategic places in the house.       Mom, you told everyone! Kids Privacy Online.  We have social media guidelines in our house.  Most Au Pairs we know us Facebook to communicate with one another or another form of social media. Please ensure they know what your rules are about posting photos of your kids, home, etc. or using your children’s real names.     Who Did Your Au Pair Bring Home?!?! “Sleep tight; don’t let the bedbugs bite.” This is no longer just a phrase. According to Orkin Pest Control, they have seen a 33% rise in bed bugs since 2011.  As of 2012, New York (ranked 10th in the country) and Washington, DC (ranked 7th in the county),...

If your kids are home for the summer whether it is with you or with a care giver, here are 50 great summer activities for kids 2-5 years old. There are many versions of these activities below and can be tailored to your location; so make it fun for you and your kids. Have a wonderful summer and enjoy!...

What does your Au Pair do during the day while your children are at school?  I have been pondering this question for three years now because our Au Pairs have only watched babies and toddlers (not of school age).  My Au Pair’s work all day and gets only a slight reprieve when both my kids nap in the afternoon; of course, that is if my three year old cooperates.  In the past three years, I would estimate that at least 95% of the Au Pairs we’ve met are Au Pairs for school age children. From what they tell us, they generally work from 7:00 AM -8:30 AM to get the kids off to school and then from 3:00 PM -6:00 PM when the kids get home from school to when their host parents get home.  Yes, some work some additional week nights and weekends and have other required household chores, but that still allows a lot of downtime for these young ladies.  I am curious what one does with the time between 8:30 AM – 2:30 PM? Are the Au Pair’s bored? Do they join a gym?  Do they take their required courses?  Do they prepare activities for the day or week for their host kids? Do they cook meals because they can? The reason for asking is I have seen a correlation between the busier an Au Pair is less the homesick they are.  From interviewing more than my share of Au Pairs, I have learned that for most of these girls it is the first time away from their home and their country. They either just finished school, or taking a break from University, or taking some time to decide what they want to be when they grow up. These girls have...

Like any young woman between the ages of 18-26 years old, Au Pairs are attached to technology.  Most Au Pairs have smart phones or devices, whether the host family provides it or they purchased their own.  To make their transition go more smoothly and help them feel more acclimated, here are top 10 Apps for Au Pairs. Alarm Clock Free Alarm Clock Free turns your mobile device into a beautiful digital clock and alarm clock for free! It even displays live, local weather conditions and temperature that makes you know about the weather immediately when you wake up. Cost: Free Platform: iPhone and Android   Gas Buddies Find the cheapest gas (petrol) around you. GasBuddy uses gas price information provided by our users to bring drivers together to support the common goal of saving money on gas.  Gas prices only for USA and Canada. Cost: Free Platform: iPhone, Android, and Blackberry   Circle of 6 Circle of 6 lets you choose six trusted friends to add to your circle. If you get into an uncomfortable or risky situation, use Circle of 6 to automatically send your circle a pre-programmed SMS alert message, with your exact location. It’s quick. It’s discreet. Two taps on your phone is all it takes. Cost: Free Platform: iPhone and Android   Wi-Fi Finder  Over 650,000 locations in 144 countries worldwide! Quickly and easily find FREE or paid Wi-Fi when you travel with the JiWire Wi-Fi Finder. Cost: Free Platform: iPhone and Android   Clothing Size Conversion While shopping abroad, travelers often run into the dilemma of figuring out foreign sizes. Whether you’re shopping for shoes, pants, a shirt, or even a bra, the app converts sizes for a number of different countries (Britain, Japan, Korea, France, for to name...

Does your Au Pair travel? Does your Au Pair stay in cheap hotels/motels or hostels?  Most likely the answer to these questions are yes.  Has your Au Pair heard of bed bugs?  The most likely answer to this question is no and if they have heard of bed bugs it is because the commonly  used phrased by parents worldwide when tucking their children into bed. “Sleep tight; don’t let the bed bugs bite.” This is no longer just a phrase. This past August our Au Pair had friends visit that frequented several hostels while traveling the United States East Coast.   Not only did her friends stay at our home, but they left some uninvited guests – bed bugs. According to Orkin Pest Control, they have seen a 33% rise in bed bugs since 2011.  As of 2012, New York (ranked 10th in the country) and Washington, DC (ranked 7th in the county), of course two of the places my Au Pair’s and their friends frequented. Every morning for about a week, our Au Pair would wake up with bug bites all over her legs, neck and back. We thought at first that they were mosquito bites and then perhaps spider bites finally my husband – who lived in New York – said that we might have bed bugs.  Of course I was mortified and automatically started itching. I knew nothing about bed bugs, so immediately I did research, but my husband did.  You can’t get rid of bed bugs with RAID and normal spray…it does nothing; over the years bed bugs have become more resistant to pesticides.  First, we found a reputable bed bug exterminator and one that used canines to detect if we had these little mites. Low and behold, the dog detected...