Child care challenge: what to do with sick kids?

As the CDC announces today the 2012 flu season has started.  There you are as a working parent surrounded by sick co-workers and dropping your kid off at daycare with possibly sick children, the perennial question arises;  what do I do with a sick kid?

Most daycare facilities and schools do not allow your children to attend their facilities for at least 24 hours if your child has a fever.  What do you do?  By this time of the year you've used your paid time off for that awesome vacation during the summer or you want to use it to catch up on your Christmas shopping or to spend extra time with family and friends.  If you have a nanny, you have a few more choices that is unless your nanny or nanny's kids get sick.

Take a look at one of our host mom sharing her experience with juggling her work schedule and sick kids here.  Remember you can follow Au Pair Buzz blog with just a click.   What are some of the arrangements you and your family make when you have a sick child?

Host Family Poll: Do you ask your au pair to incorporate her native language into her childcare responsibilities?

Interesting information that was worth posting within the blog.  All host families have unique experiences with their au pairs.  To learn more about host family experiences follow our au pair blog (a link can be found within this blog) or at our website.  If you are interested in learning more about hosting an au pair in your home, feel free to contact me.  

The article and poll can be found here:  Do you as your au pair to incorporate native language....

Au Pair Available for December

Lisa is a 19 year old au pair from Austria with 2 years experience driving, including standard transmission, who likes inline skating and skiing and plays volleyball with her friends in her downtime.  Lisa is fluent in English, German and Spanish and is searching for an active family who likes the outdoors.  Her childcare experience includes caring for younger nieces and nephews as well as coaching  and work as a camp counselor.  

Lisa would prefer caring for children 2 years of age or older and some of the activities she would like to engage in are gardening (regardless of season), swimming, playing at the playground and bike riding.  The maximum number of children she would feel comfortable caring for at once is three.    

Lisa is available for placement with a host family in the United States in December.  Does Lisa sound like a good fit for your family?  If you welcome her into your home before January 31, 2013 we'll waive your registration fee (a $75 value)!  Contact me today to learn more!

Program discounts updated

Program discounts have been updated!  Registration fee is waived for all new families that welcome an au pair into their home by January 31,2013.  Questions?  Contact me if you have any questions or would like to receive a free brochure at houstonaupairmom@gmail.com.

Democracy, Debates and Kids

As I've mentioned, I'm the mother of two girls, 16 and 11, and one of the many things I love about being a parent is having the opportunity to watch them grow not only developmentally but also as individuals.  My 6th grader had her world greatly expanded last year by the introduction of World History and the study of events before and after World War II.  Having a discussion with her takeaway from class and the development of how she sees her place, and America's, on the world stage has been a truly rewarding experience.  I've been having these types of discussions with my oldest since she first decided to become a vegetarian and discovered the Beetle's catalog at age 10.  So it's with great enthusiasm that we as a family prepare to watch the presidential debates of 2012.  

As parents it is critically important that we raise engaged and responsible citizens that vote and care about the issues that directly impact their lives.  I know that some teachers are also encouraging their students to watch the debates tonight and have set aside time to answer general questions about the democratic and debate process.  Will any of you be watching the debates with your kids tonight?  If so, share some of your  stories, I'd love to hear about some of your experiences.

Nicole

How to find a Great Pediatrician for your child

Here's a great article from Playground Dad for those of you who are expecting or are searching for a new pediatrician for your child.  Choosing a physician is such a critical and personal choice for both you and your child.  Most of the resources cited in the article are online but there are also some great general tips as well.

Nicole

The Workplace and Pregnancy

As is the usual case, there has been some chatter during this election cycle about women in the workplace.  Can a woman have it all and still be available and connected to her family and children in a meaningful manner?  Should any woman have that expectation in the first place?  Is work just another "choice" that women make in this country?  

No matter where you fall politically, I think any reasonable person would hope (notice I did not say expect) that a manager or employer would make reasonable accommodation for a pregnant woman on the job.  As the following article notes, women make up half the workforce in America.  For some, if not most, families a pregnant woman must work for as long as possible because her paycheck is needed.  Whatever happened to common sense in the workplace?  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/25/workplace-pregnancy-bill-opposition_n_1914062.html