Newsletter: Oct. 2010

Welcome to October! We have now definitely left summer behind and moved into fall (also called autumn). Have you noticed some leaves starting to turn colors throughout the city? If you're from a more temperate climate, the changing colors are quite a treat! If you're from a colder climate, you may be disappointed that it's not as spectacular a show as you would see farther north, but we do the best we can for being a southern city. When helping kids get dressed each day, pay attention to the forecast and dress them appropriately - remember that layers are great for cool mornings with warm afternoons!

I also wanted to let everyone know that our booth at the Madison Street Festival was very successful! I was kept busy most of the day and talked to over 60 people about AuPairCare. Of those, 15 families were interested in more information! I have a lot of work cut out for me, making lots of phone calls, but I'm really excited that so many families in our area are discovering AuPairCare as an option for their childcare needs! Many of them expressed interest in talking to current families and au pairs. Please let me know if you would prefer NOT to be contacted by prospective families. Thanks for your help! Hopefully we'll have a few new families joining us soon!!

Did you know that this month marks one year since I started working with AuPairCare? I've really enjoyed being your Area Director this past year! Thank you all for being such a great group. I'm looking forward to what this next year will bring us!

October Au Pair Activity: Huntsville Ghostwalk

Our Au Pair meeting for this month is Saturday evening, 10/16. We're going on a ghostwalk! Tours begin promptly at 6pm, so please plan to arrive at 5:40pm. Admission is $8.00. Tickets sold in advance at Harrison Brothers or on the night of the walk. The walk will be approximately 2 hours long, so please choose your outfit and footwear accordingly! It's been a while since we've had a meeting, so I was really hoping everyone could come, but I understand there are some scheduling conflicts this month. To avoid this issue in the future, I'd like to start reserving spots on your calendar a couple months ahead. So, please save Nov. 14th and Dec. 12th for the next two meetings. Note that we can change these dates if there's a particular activity you'd like us to do that doesn't fall on these days. However, this way we can hopefully avoid scheduling conflicts in the future! This should also allow plenty of time for everyone to arrange transportation. Questions? Suggestions for activities?

Save These Dates: Nov, 14th; Dec. 12th.
Note: dates are subject to change if there's something fun we'd like to do that doesn't correspond with the dates I've chosen. Just let me know what you want to do!

Au Pair Arrivals and Departures

We are sad to say goodbye to Kirsten who finished her year on Oct. 4th. Before returning to South Africa, Kirsten is taking advantage of her 30-day grace period to do some traveling.

We are excited to welcome Pamela from Brazil! Be sure to help her feel welcome!

International Host Family and Au Pair Day, 2010

Thank you to everyone who came to our pizza party on Friday! And a special thank you to The Little Gym at Providence! I think it's fair to say that everyone who came had a wonderful time.

Some highlights of the evening:

• Meeting our newest au pair, Audrey, and also a visiting au pair from North Carolina, Marina. So glad you came!


• Watching the kids play in the Gym, especially Krista, as she ran at the wedge-shaped mat and knocked it down with all her might!


• Celebrating Laetitia's birthday with an ice cream cake made by Vero!


• Seeing two precious, 5-week old babies. Thank you to their parents for bringing Justin and Jayden! They are darling!!


• Seeing au pairs and host families getting to know each other, and each other's au pairs and host families (does that make sense?). I hope everyone feels like they actually know who else is in our cluster, beyond just names and phone numbers on a sheet of paper!

Thanks again to everyone who came!!

Au Pairs in attendance: Gaby, Isa, Vero, Laetitia, Kirsten, and Audrey

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.