Things to Look for in an Au Pair's Application

Before you start looking at au pair applications, here are a few tips on what you  may want to look for to make sure she is the right fit for your family.  This will help you narrow your search down to the candidates that you really want to call and interview further.

** Childcare experience. What are your needs?  What are you expecting from your au pair?  What ages is the au pair experienced in and what ages are your children?  Do you have multiple children?  Does the au pair have experience taking care of more than one child at a time?

** Something that makes the right candidate stand out. Is there something extra that would make the au pair that much more fit for your family?  Perhaps she plays the piano, enjoys hiking, speaks a certain language, etc?

** Letter and photo collage. You can find out a lot about a person and what is important to them in both the pictures they submit as well as their letter.

** References. Look at their past experience and length of time they held other child care positions.  Read over the references and see what they have to say about the au pair.

** Driving experience. What are your driving requirements?  Do you live in a city?  Rural area?  What kind of traffic will she be driving in?

Featured Country--Brazil

Each month Go Au Pair features a country and offers a $100 discount for families who match with an au pair from that country.

For the month of July, the featured country is Brazil.  I personally have a place in my heart for the people of Brazil as my husband is Brazilian.  I've been to Brazil four times and have fallen in love with the people, the food, the culture, and the Portuguese language.  They are a warm, fun-loving, happy people with a strong dedication to family and friends.

Click here to find out more information on the Brazilian culture, language, food, etc.

Kids Bowl Free

Looking for something fun to do this summer with the kids? I have my kids signed up for this free bowling program and I thought I'd share it with you--it may be the perfect solution for au pairs looking to get the kids out of the house for a few hours!

Simply go to www.kidsbowlfree.com, select your state, and sign each child up.  You'll get coupons online for two free games of bowling every day! You only pay for the shoe rental.

Happy 4th of July!

Have a wonderful 4th of July!!

As the Go Au Pair offices are closed today, please contact your Local Area Representative with any emergencies.

Fun Idea for Kids--Origami

Go Au Pair recently sent out a newsletter to all au pairs with ideas for entertaining the children.  One idea was origami making.  Here is the link to the article (that was also posted on the Go Au Pair blog) if you are interested in doing this activity with your host children!

Toddler Tantrums

It's ironic that I should be writing about this right now, as my two year old is throwing a tantrum because he wants some candy.  I think we all experience the toddler tantrum our share of times throughout each week.  It can be a bit frustrating trying to deal with a small child who is throwing a fit.  Which is why this article caught my eye...

I found it on Baby Center and think it can be helpful to both au pairs and parents.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_tantrums_11569.bc?scid=momstodd_20120619:2&pe=MlV5WVJwRHwyMDEyMDYxOQ..

Now it's time to put it into practice...gotta go :)

Fun 4th of July Food Ideas

I love coming up with fun, festive holiday menu ideas (or even just treats that help celebrate the holiday).  I just received my Target ad and they had some fun Kid-Friendly ideas that I wanted to share with both Host Families and Au Pairs.  Here is what they suggested:

Star Burgers--use a cookie cutter to create star shaped hamburgers

Strawberry (I'll throw in Blueberry or Raspberry, too) Lemonade--add frozen fruit to ice cube trays for extra flavor

Make your Own S'Mores Station--Offer ice cream toppings to make super special s'mores

Fun-Flavored Hamburger Sliders--Create different kinds, like BLT sliders, meatball sliders and buffalo sliders with blu cheese

Sweet & Salty Corn on the Cob--Use flavored popcorn salts to jazz things up

Fruit Salad Skewers--Add chocolate, marshmellows, and other treats (their picture showed watermelon stars, blueberries, raspberries and Strawberries so it had the good old red, white and blue)