Au Pair and host family are committing for another year! Success Story!

Deciding to extend your au pair year can be a difficult decision but for Taila from Brazil, it was certainly the right one. Read Taila’s story in her own words below!

"I am in my second year with my host family. While deciding whether to stay with the same host family or get a chance to have a new experience with a new host family, I chose to stay. It was the best decision I could have made. I stayed with the same host family, but kept experiencing new things like moving to a new house and welcoming a new baby girl. I’ve been taking care of two little girls that have won my heart. These children brighten my day!

I refer to my host family as my American family. We are pretty much like a team and I love them. We have a lot of fun together. While living with them, I have learned not only about the American culture, but I have learned more about life. Spending 44 hours of my week with my two little girls helped me to see the world in a different way. I wake up every morning wondering ‘What am I going to learn with these girls today?’ Most of the time, I learn to appreciate the little and simplest things of life. We explore the world together every day, whether going on an adventure in the backyard or trying to figure out how things work inside the house. After a tough and long day, their smile comforts my heart.

I’ve caught myself singing lullabies when I’m not working, thinking about activities to do with the girls that help their development, smiling in front of the computer while going through ‘old’ pictures we took together, wondering who they are going to be when they grow up, and thinking of what a boring life it could be when I leave this family. 

AuPairCare au pair, Taila reads to her host children

Now, a little bit over 4 months from the end of my au pair program, my host family and I talk about ways to keep in touch and deal well with the distance.

The au pair program has added to my personal and professional life. I’ve improved my English, my creativity and my patience. I’ve learned to pay attention to what kids have to say and see things from other's perspective"

Host Family is excited about extending with their German Au Pair

Rebecca, an AuPairCare au pair from Germany cares for a little boy under 2 in New York and decided to extend with her host family for another 12 months. We love that our au pair Rebecca is teaching her host child German traditions at such a young age. Take a look below at why Rebecca’s host mom describes her as more than just an au pair but part of their family too!

“We chose Rebecca because she seemed so gentle and caring, as well as very experienced, and we were specifically looking to find a German-speaking au pair as we are raising our son bilingually (he has one American and one German parent)… Rebecca is so nurturing and kind; she is always reliable and flexible, always there to help us with managing our busy and hectic lives here in NYC. She is so positive and loving and always mindful of the baby's safety, his emotional and physical needs, and willing to join our

Au Pair, Rebecca, tackles dinner time

family in family activities and adventures, whether it's the German-American parade, Halloween, trips to the park, or an out-of-town trip to the Poconos. When the baby has the meltdowns or gets a booboo that come with being a toddler, it is Rebecca who can soothe and calm him best. She makes his favorite foods, sings songs with him, and teaches him new German words every day. She bathes him, dresses him, teaches him the rules he needs to grow safely, and even lets him Skype with her friends! Sometimes, before they both know we are home, we just stand outside the door and listen to how happy they are together and it warms our hearts to know we picked the right person to trust to help us raise our first child.”

Click here to see some of the responsibilities an au pair can have with your children.  Au Pair Responsibilities

Have you lived overseas?

AuPairCare's Thai au pair at Fourth of July parade in Chesapeake with host children

Having cultural experiences are what having an au pair is all about.  Some of our host families have lived in other cultures and want to continue having that culture in their household after they return to the United States.  Currently, AuPairCare in Hampton Roads has families that have lived in Thailand and Japan while serving our military.  They have chosen an au pair from those countries in order for their children to continue learning the languages they began while living overseas.  The families also love having the food of those countries cooked for their children and sharing the cooking with an au pair.

Spring is in the air and au pairs are active with their host children!

Au Pair with Host Child

City parks are the perfect spot for an au pair to have a picnic with their host children this spring.  Make the most of sunny days and pack a healthy snack or lunch and get out of the house for an hour or two.  Children sleep better after some time outside and children are often more cooperative when they have a fun activity to keep them engaged during the day.  A change of scenery also helps everyone enjoy each others company.  A picnic is the perfect spot for an au pair to teach their host children new words in the au pair's native language.  There are many parks in Hampton Roads including  Oak Grove Park in Chesapeake which is a favorite among the au pairs in Chesapeake.  Also, Mount Trashmore, despite the name, is a wonderful place for au pairs in Virginia Beach to take their host children.  It is an especially good place to fly a kite.  If you are in the Williamsburg, Hampton, or Newport News area of Hampton Roads, try Newport News City park or Yorktown Beach which is located in Historic Yorktown.  Au pairs often call each other and meet in these various city parks with their host children, so the children are exposed to so many cultures that the world opens up before their eyes. 

WONDERFUL ECUADORIAN AU PAIR AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY!

I'm trying to help Fabiana find a new placement as an au pair in our area. Fabiana arrived in the United States from Ecuador on January 6 as a participant in the AuPairCare program. She is excited about being in the U.S. and loves caring for children! The family that Faby is currently working for doesn't think her English is strong enough for them, but her area director finds it easy to communicate with her. She's taking ESL classes and has greatly improved!  Also, if you would like to reinforce your children's Spanish or teach them Spanish at a young age, Fabiana is perfect.

Fabiana comes from a large family of 6 children so she loves caring for kids and keeping them busy during the day. She has also worked as a nanny over the past three years in her home country. Fabiana has a sweet disposition and is eager to please.

If you would like to interview Fabiana, please visit AuPairCare's link at Application . AuPairCare is a premiere au pair agency that has been helping families find quality childcare for over 25 years. The cost to host an au pairs works out to only $8 per hour; much less than hiring a nanny or paying for daycare! 

Our current promotion:  New Families, apply for just $50 and receive free financing on our Family Friendly Payment Plan ($340 Value) when you apply by March 20th. That’s $640 in savings!

Promo Code: MARCH$640

March promotion at AuPairCare ends March 20th

AuPairCare has a fantastic promotion for those living in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia.  This promotion is good for families seeking an au pair in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and other surrounding areas.  Our special links for families in the Hampton Roads area for an au pair is:  http://goo.gl/JG4N8g and enter the promotion code:  MARCH$640.

Here are the details on AuPairCare's fantastic spring savings:
Savings: $50 Application ($300) + Waived Finance Fee ($340), for a Total Savings on an au pair of $640

Eligibility:  *Families must apply between March 6 and March 20, 2014 to receive this discount.  This promotion is for new host families welcoming an overseas au pair and cannot be combined with other offers.

NOTE:  There is no "match by" or "arrive by" date connected to this promotion, so apply now at http://goo.gl/JG4N8g and your au pair can arrive at your convenience.

AuPairCare March Promotion for an au pair in Hampton Roads

March Promotion for and au pair in Hampton Roads

Apply now at:  AuPairCare.com

Au Pairs in Hampton Roads love to do activities with their host children

Ideas for au pairs to do with host children. Imagine expanding this to astronauts, firemen, and pirates to include all the children

Perfect activity for an au pair to do with your children

Thoughts from an Au Pair about life in places such as Chesapeake, Virginia

Being an Aupair by Sabrina from Germany

- Participating in cultural exchange programs –
When I think back to the time I`ve been an Aupair, a lot of precious memories come to my mind. I remember meeting and living with the greatest and kindest host family I could have ever wished for and being with the two cutest and funniest two girls who soon would become like little sisters to me.

Family that loves their au pair

Together we`ve been creative, silly, explored places, shared new experiences and discovered interesting cultural differences. We`ve been to playgrounds, made up games, did handicrafts together and set up playdates.

Although time is running and it`s been three years since I´ve completed the Au Pair Program, my host family and I are still in touch. We share photos and news and even visit one another once in a while.

That`s how I get the opportunity to watch my two girls growing bigger and bigger.
I`ve also made friends all over the world: France, Brasil, Australia, Great Britian, the Netherlands and many more. With some of them I´m still in touch.

My American host family and my friends made it possible to live the American lifestyle. That`s for instance how I`ve got the chance to find out Thanksgiving and Halloween are the most exciting holidays I`ve ever experienced.

Au Pair enjoys taking care of her host children

I got to travel all around the United States to see the most impressing scenery and cities.
Without noticing, my English improved to its best and I've even had the opportunity to sneak into college life on my own.

I`d do it all over again and still think about my host family almost every day.

-Sabrina from Germany

How diverse are the au pairs in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Williamsburg, Suffolk, and all of Hampton Roads?

Au Pairs represent many countries in the Hampton Roads area.

How many countries do our au pairs represent in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Williamsburg, Suffolk, and all of Hampton Roads?

Currently:  Germany, Colombia, Mexico, Sweden, South Africa, Brazil, and Slovakia.

Past: Japan, Serbia, France, Czech Republic, Poland, England, Turkey, Peru, Thailand, South Korea, Denmark, Switzerland, Estonia

That is a lot of culture in southeastern Virginia.

Au pairs learn about each other's culinary cultures, swap recipes at international potluck--Au Pairs from Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Williamsburg love it!

No matter what country you come from, food is regarded as a way of bringing people together and sharing something integral to your personal culture. And food recently brought together a group of au pairs who gathered at an international potluck to learn more about each other's culinary cultures and enjoy yummy treats from all over the globe.

AuPairCare Area Director Janell Fielding recently held an international potluck for au pairs at host family Senich’s home in Virginia. Host Mom Senich wanted to introduce her new male au pair Basti, from Germany, to the rest of the program participants in their community. Basti’s arrival further diversified this cluster of 50 au pairs, who come from Japan, Thailand, Spain, France, the Czech Republic, Brazil and more.

All of the au pairs brought a dish from their home country, creating a true feast of international proportions. Each au pair introduced themselves, what food he/she brought and shared what they were grateful for since starting their au pair program. Then a panel of judges voted for the top 3 dishes.

The winners were:
1st Place Basti from Germany with German Pancakes
Basti explained the tradition behind his German Pancakes:

“I chose a common German dish called potato pancakes, in Germany better known as Kartoffelpuffer or Reibekuchen. We eat them for a lot of occasions but usually on colder days. Without knowing, I also chose one of my host family’s favorite dishes. It was surprising to hear that Latkes (לאַטקע), that's how they call them, also play a big role in the Jewish tradition and are usually eaten on their Hanukkah festival. Such a coincidence! We had a really good time eating them. The procedure of making this kind of pancakes is not hard at all. Grounding potatoes and onions, mixing it with eggs and then frying it in a pan is basically all you have to do. Finally you can top them with applesauce, sour cream or serve them without garnish. I don't even remember when I learned the recipe, but my Mum taught me how to do potato pancakes years ago.”

2nd Place Anna from Italy with Tiramisu
Tiramisu means ‘pick me up’ in Italian, which is no surprise considering the layers of coffee, eggs, sugar, mascarpone cheese and cocoa found in this world famous dessert.

3rd Place Tabatha from Brazil with Brigadeiros
Brigadeiros are an extremely popular chocolate bonbon often served at birthday parties. They are made by mixing sweetened condensed milk with cocoa powder, heating them and then rolling them into chocolate balls covered in granulated chocolate.
The international potluck event was a smash hit, utilizing a traditional American potluck setting to bring together culinary dishes from across the world all on one host family’s table.

Funny!

Looks like Punxsutawney Phil the groundhog saw his shadow which means 6 more weeks of winter!

For all the au pairs wanting to experience a Virginia summer, you will have to wait 6 more weeks.

February Activities for Au Pairs in the Hampton Roads area including Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach

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