Newsletter: Sept. 2010

Welcome to September! School is now in full swing, the weather is starting to cool down, and the stores are full of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and, yes, even Christmas. Between now and the New Year, we spend a lot of time preparing for, enjoying, and cleaning up after these holidays, but don't let the hype distract you from enjoying the beautiful weather days this month has in store for us! Be sure to take advantage of this time to enjoy going to the park or even just talking a walk down your street before the weather turns cold and we start focusing on indoor activities.

This Month: Host Family and Au Pair Day

Come join us for a pizza party at The Little Gym at The Village of Providence on Friday, September 24th 5:30pm - 7:30pm.

If you are a current host family or au pair and you did not receive an invitation from evite.com, please check your spam folder. If you still cannot find it, please let me know. If you are interested in learning more about our program, we would love for you to join us! Please contact me so I can have a correct headcount for food. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone there!!

Happy Birthday!

Laetitia's birthday is Sept. 24th. Happy Birthday!!

Au Pair Arrivals and Departures

We are excited that Audrey from France will arrive in Huntsville on September 16th!! Please help her feel welcome!

Keep those referrals coming! Spread the word about AuPairCare!

Activity Cancelled

Sadly, we are unable to have our au pair meeting this month. Although we had scheduled to go on a ghostwalk on the 14th, too many conflicts have arisen for that weekend, and with the area director out of town and unavailable for the rest of the month, there is not enough time for us to get together! This is very unusual for us and I will greatly miss seeing everybody. As such, I expect everyone to already have our next activity on their calendar and hopefully there won't be any conflicts! We have International Host Family and Au Pair Day next month, so please make plans to attend!!

Newsletter: Aug. 2010

Welcome to August! The weather is still blazing hot, but it's time to start getting ready to go back to school. It's not too early to start thinking about your autumn, which tends to be a very busy time with activities, sports events, holidays, and even the run-up to Christmas. Before everything gets too hectic, plan one last fling this month and create a few more summer memories!

I have some very important information for you, so please take time to read everything! First of all, you should have received this month's newsletter, roster, and map via email. As ever, let me know if you did not receive the email or have any trouble with the files.

I will be out of town at the end of August. During that time I will be available by phone/email (barring any unforeseen issues, like, say, a faulty charger cable...). However, I have requested three days of vacation as we will be busy with wedding activities. Again, Melissa Bush has agreed to cover for me while I'm gone. Please don't hesitate to contact her if you need anything. Please see the email I sent for the specific dates.

Save the Date: this year's Host Family Day will be the weekend of September 25th and 26th. Everyone is invited! I have not yet finalized plans and would love to hear any input! Would Saturday or Sunday be better for you? Do you have any particular suggestions? For those who have been with AuPairCare for a while, what have been successful Host Family Days in the past? I will be scheduling a venue early this month, so please share any ideas you have! Also, please feel free to invite any friends who are interested in learning more about AuPairCare.

Just a reminder that my business number is now also my cell phone number. If you need to reach me on the phone, please call <number removed>. The old cell number has been deactivated. This number also now accepts text messages if that is your preferred method (though please note that I do not have unlimited messaging on my plan).

August Au Pair Activity: Huntsville Ghost Walk

Saturday, Aug. 14th at 6pm in front of Harrison Brothers Hardware, 124 Southside Square, Downtown Huntsville. The tour starts promptly at 6, so please be on time. Admission is $8.00.

Tickets sold in advance at Harrison Brothers or on the night of the walk.

Au Pair Arrivals/Departures

We are excited that Veronika from Germany will arrive in Huntsville on August 12th!! Please help her feel welcome!

Lunch with the Au Pairs

This month we had planned to enjoy a leisurely lunch at a local restaurant that serves homemade southern fare. Unfortunately, I didn't think to check their schedule until the day of our meeting and discovered, to my dismay, that the restaurant is not open on Sundays. This led to a hasty round of emails and Facebooking, during which I was truly thankful that I have an internet-capable phone, because my family and I were not at home for the entirety of the morning! But by the time lunchtime rolled around, we all found ourselves at the same place and enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Applebee's. The food was good, the conversation was great, and the company was even better. Thanks for a great afternoon girls! See you next month!!

Newsletter: July 2010

Happy Fourth of July!! This month we celebrate our nation's independence. What fun activities do you have planned? Many families enjoy celebrating the holiday with picnics or BBQs, swimming in a pool or playing at a park, and, of course, no 4th of July is complete without a fireworks show!

Also this month we have an Au Pair birthday to celebrate: Kirsten's birthday is July 27th. Be sure to wish her a happy birthday!!

July Au Pair Activity

This month we're sampling homemade southern fare at Lyn's Gracious Goodness at 2306 Whitesburg Drive. We'll meet at the restaurant at 1pm on July 25th. Let me know if you need a ride! You can check out the website and take a peek at the menu at www.lynskitchen.com

A Couple Reminders

Please remember that I am out of town at the beginning of this month (please see email for specific dates). I will be available by phone or email; however, if you need immediate assistance, please contact Melissa Bush.

Also, remember that the AuPairCare offices will be closed Monday, July 5th in observation of Independence Day.

Harmony Park Safari

This month we went on a Safari right here in Huntsville. Since there are only four of us right now, we only needed one car, which was nice! The park is a drive-though safari, so we stayed in the car almost the entire time. It's not a huge park and the circuit didn't actually take very long. There's food for sale at the entrance to the park, and although we didn't buy any, the animals know that incoming cars have lots of food, so we immediately found ourselves surrounded by goats, deer, and ponies. The goats were so upset we didn't have anything for them, that one actually head-butted my car! Eventually the animals moved off the road and we were able to continue our trip. During the rest of the safari we saw more goats, deer, and ponies, as well as camels, emus, peacocks, buffalo, cows, and alligators. At the end of drive we parked and got out to see the turtles and some other reptiles that live inside a small structure. The safari was definitely a great way to see lots of exotic animals up close (and I mean UP CLOSE) from within the safety of the car.

Au Pairs in attendance: Kirsten, Gaby, Isa

Newsletter: June 2010

This month we remember to honor our Dads: Father's Day is Sunday, June 20th. While many dads can be hard to shop for, remember that a handmade card is sometimes better than another tie. You may also want to plan a special dinner, or a fun activity.

Summer Safety Tips

The occasional thunderstorm notwithstanding, summer is upon us! If you are caring for your children, keep sunscreen and sun hats handy. If you are in charge of the children near water, never take your eyes off the kids! Water emergencies can happen in the blink of an eye. Always follow the host parents' rules regarding child safety.

June Au Pair Activity

We're going to a baseball game! We'll see The Huntsville Stars play The Montgomery Biscuits on Sat. June 19th. Meet at the ticket counter at 5:45 for the 6:00 game. Tickets are $8; parking is

$4 (cash only for parking). See you there!

Au Pair Arrivals/Departures

This month we are pleased to welcome Laetitia from France! She will arrive on Thursday, June 17th. Please help her feel welcome!

We have no au pair departures this month.