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Au Pair driving is a scary topic for me, but after much deliberation, we have decided to have our Au Pair start driving.

The thought of letting any teenager drive my brand new vehicle (even though it is an uncool minivan) is frightening, but when you add into

It didn’t take us long to start seeing the fun side of cultural exchange. While it can sound like a hum-drum duty that goes along with hosting an Au Pair, the cultural exchange aspect

I didn’t expect to be exhausted before meeting my Au Pair.

It’s ironic the amount of work that goes into preparing to host someone who’s supposed to help ease your workload. Like most women, I wanted my home to make a good first impression on my Au Pair. That meant a very long, stress-filled day of

If you take the time to prepare your children for your Au Pair before her arrival, it can help ease the transition to a first-time Au Pair. (Or in our case, from nanny to Au Pair).

Whether changes are good or bad, the fact of the matter is that change in life is inevitable. I, for

Every placement has an adjustment period. All Host Families and Au Pairs are different (kind of like how everyone tells you that every child and every pregnancy is different). And when you take into consideration how much cultural variance we have, just within the United States, it’s impossible to predict the exact experience you will

It’s important to set expectations with your Au Pair right away. If you’re stumped on how to go about this, maybe my experience can help shed some light on how to take those first steps.

I’m a bit of an over-planner, a list-making psycho. I’m what you would call a Type A+ (if there was such

At first, it can seem daunting to build rapport with someone you’ve never met before.

(Ha!  I’m a poet, and I don’t know it. I’m strange, but that’s why you read my blogs, right?!).

Because I have several months between matching with my Au Pair (in May) and when she arrives in late September, I have a lot