Our August Adventure—Day 1: Welcome to Camp Fun!

Two months ago, one of the au pairs in my cluster asked me if I would organize a camping activity.  “Hmmm…that might be fun,” I thought.  There are tons of great places to camp in New England.  I wanted to find a place within two hour’s drive where we could leave on a Saturday afternoon, set up camp Saturday night, and explore the area on Sunday.

Another au pair wanted to have a beach day.  So, I thought, “Why not combine these two activities?”  After researching different areas, I found a cute little family campground on Cape Cod that was willing to give us a sweet  “youth group” deal for $8/per person for the night.  (Shout out to Sippewisset Campground in Falmouth, MA.) I figured we could go to one of the many beautiful beaches on Sunday.

Getting ready for an experience of a lifetime!

A few weeks later, my kids went on a weekend camping trip with their Boy Scout Troop on Martha’s Vineyard.  They took the ferry out of Woods Hole.  They all brought their bikes to Martha’s Vineyard and biked around the island.  That’s when my wheels started spinning and I decided that’s what our au pair group could do on Sunday after camping.  We could take the ferry over to Martha’s Vineyard for the day and rent bikes there.  We could do it all!  Camping, beaching, exploring, shopping, biking….all in one fun-filled weekend.

So fast forward, two months later, and as we are making our final plans for our weekend trip, I find out that the Falmouth Road Race, which attracts over 40,000 spectators to the tiny Cape Cod town, happens to be on the same weekend as our camping trip.  And a few days later, I find out that President Obama and his family would be vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard that same week.

Falmouth Road Race + POTUS + Cape Cod Vacationers= 2 Hour Traffic Delay!

Add these two events together, and what do you get? A 3-hour traffic jam to Cape Cod. The 1 ½ hour drive took us over 3 hours.  But that’s okay.  We made the most out of it by having great conversation in the car.

We finally arrived at the campground and began our fun adventure.  I made the “roommate assignments”, and we began setting up our tents which had been borrowed from host families and friends.  This was not as painful as I thought it would be.  I was really impressed that the au pairs came prepared and knew how to set up their tents!

Setting up our tents was a breeze!

Putting up tents makes you hungry! It’s a good thing we had snacks.  After we ate our snacks, the au pairs wanted to walk to the beach.  There is a lovely 11.5 mile bike bath in Falmouth along the coast called the Shining Sea Bikeway.  It is a beautiful scenic trail that meanders along the coast through wood lands, salt marshes, ponds and seascape.  The campground is located on the Shining Sea Bikeway and has a  path with direct access to the bikeway.  The au pairs planned to walk to the beach along the scenic bike path.  (It’s about a 2 mile walk.)

Shining Sea Bikepath

Beautiful scenery along the Shining Sea Bikepath.

I stayed behind because I was still waiting for one of the au pairs to arrive.  After she arrived, we joined the others on the path to the beach.  We took a long walk, but decided to head back before we reached the beach.  If you are ever in the Falmouth area and are in the mood for a bike ride or just a relaxing scenic stroll, I highly recommend visiting the Shining Sea Bikeway.  It will take your breath away!

After everyone returned to the campsite, we ate dinner and decided to build a campfire. As it turns out, building the campfire was an adventure on its own.  No one could seem to get the fire to stay lit.  It was obvious that there were no Girl Scouts among us…until Angie from Panama and Chris from Brazil came to our rescue.  Who knew girls from tropical climates were good at building fires?

Roasting marshmallows by the campfire.

Gooey marshmallow + chocolate + graham crackers = delicious!

What’s a campfire without s’mores?  We roasted our marshmallows over the fire and then made the traditional camping dessert by smashing the gooey white stuff and a wedge of Hershey’s chocolate between two graham crackers!  The s’mores were a huge success.

Of course, when there’s a campfire, there must be campfire songs.  One of the au pairs suggested that they take turns singing songs from their country.  This part of the evening was very entertaining.  Some of the girls sang in groups while a few people actually sang solos.  I was pretty impressed with the singing talent among our group of au pairs!

Check it out:

After that, we decided to call it a night and go to bed.  (Or at least SOME of us tried to go to sleep, while others spent the next couple of hours singing and giggling.  I won’t mention names here. ) Everyone finally went to sleep after midnight, so of course, around 2 am, a baby started crying and didn’t stop for at least an hour. Just as I finally started to drift off around 5 am, a crow decided to feast on our trash (while crowing!).  Sleep?  Who needs sleep? Ah…the joys of camping.  To be continued…

Winding down after a fun-filled day and night.

Boston Area Au Pairs Keeping Cool on the Charles River

Wow!  I can’t believe that summer is almost over.  Where did the time go?  Our Boston area au pair group from Go Au Pair has been keeping active this summer.  In July, we stepped outside of our comfort zones (literally) and ventured out on the Charles River for a morning of kayaking.

A kayak is a small, narrow, human-powered boat that is designed to be manually propelled by a double-bladed oar.  Kayaking is a fun, easy to learn sport that is also a great upper body workout!  Obviously, there are serious kayakers who would disagree with me, but I think it’s something that just about anyone can do with very little instruction.

Getting Ready to Go Paddling!

We met up at Charles River Canoe and Kayak in Cambridge.  (I highly recommend this place!  The people are so friendly and helpful there. )  We had a choice between 2-man kayaks and 1-man kayaks.  The 2-man kayaks were the best deal.  At $20 per hour, two people could spend 2 glorious hours on the Charles River for the bargain price of $20 per person.  Since there were 15 of us, I was the odd man out.  Oh well…it’s lonely at the top.

Safety First! Au Pairs Getting Their Lifejackets On.

We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.  The sun was shining and the wind was not too strong.  The temperature was in the high 70’s.  After a brief instruction on paddling technique and water safety, we suited up in our life preservers, hopped in our boats, and began our journey.   (Well, I guess “journey” is a bit of exaggeration…)  We decided to stay close by since I was the only one who had any experience with kayaking.

New Arrival Stacy from S. Africa

We paddled down the channel, took a right turn out onto the Charles River, and then

JinJin and Stephanie Taking a Break!

crossed the river into the Esplanade.  The Esplanade is a beautiful state-owned park with an outdoor concert pavilion, playground, ball fields and community boating.  Some of the au pairs paddled through the Esplanade, taking in the views of the city, while a few of us stopped and enjoyed a picnic lunch on the shore.  After that, we made our way back to the kayak launching area where we met up with some of the other au pairs who had already returned.

Our Beautiful View from the Esplanade

We said our goodbyes to our friends, including one final farewell to Ying from China and Kuschke from S. Africa who would both be returning to their home countries before our August camping trip.  Safe travels, friends…until we meet again.

Red Sox Baseball Game A Big Hit for Boston Area Au Pairs

For our  June monthly activity, our Boston area au pairs had the exciting experience of attending a  Red Sox baseball game.  What could be more American than that?

Well, apparently, there is some controversy as to whether baseball was invented in the United States.  Legend has it that the first baseball game was played in Cooperstown, NY in 1839.  The game was supposedly organized by a Civil War soldier named Abner Doubleday. In 1903, a reporter named Henry Chadwick, a native of Great Britain, disputed the claim that baseball was invented in the US, citing evidence of the similarities between baseball and a game called rounders that he had played as a child in Great Britain.  But whether you believe the sport was invented in the United States or not, there is no denying that baseball is the great American past-time.  And Boston has a long history of being one of America’s favorite teams.

The Boston Red Sox organization that we know today was formed around 1901.  And our beloved Fenway Park, the current home of the Red Sox, was built in 1912. There have been many legendary players who have played on this sacred field, but, by far, the most famous of them all was George Herman “Babe” Ruth.  Babe Ruth joined the Red Sox in 1914. The Boston Red Sox won 3 World Series championships with the Babe on board, their 4th in 7 years.  But some people thought Babe Ruth was trouble. In 1920, the Red Sox traded the Babe to the New York Yankees, one of the worst teams in the league.  Babe Ruth was not very happy with this decision and vowed that the Red Sox would never win another championship game.  And for decades, the “Curse of the Bambino” appeared to be in full force as the Red Sox just couldn’t claim a championship while the Yankees became baseball’s golden team.  After many close wins resulting in no championship, in 2004, Boston was finally able to “Reverse the Curse” and win their first World Series in 86 years.   And to solidify that the curse was gone, they won again in 2007. They are currently ranked number 1.  Could this be the year that they win it all again?

Baseball’s Most Beloved Stadium…Fenway Park. The red pennants represent 7 World Series Championships.

Our au pairs could say they had the opportunity to witness a championship team in action…and at a bargain price!  I was able to get us all group tickets for $28/each.  (It’s good to have connections!)  We had great seats at center field.  We were originally supposed to attend the Friday night game, but due to some major rain, the game was rescheduled to Saturday afternoon.  This required a little scrambling to rearrange everyone’s schedules, but we all managed to make the rescheduled game.

We were happy the game had been rescheduled because Saturday afternoon was a beautiful,  sunny day…a perfect  day for some baseball!  It was a well-fought game, but the Los Angeles Angels beat the Sox 9-5 in the first game of the series.  We still had fun watching the game, singing “Sweet Caroline”, and eating our Fenway franks.  (Fret not, because the Sox came back in the second game of the double-header and defeated the Angels 7-2.  And they finished off the series with a win on Sunday.)

Boston area au pairs from Go Au Pair (and me) enjoying the great American past time!

Free Fun Fridays In Greater Boston This Summer!

Thanks to Nemo, Sandy and an assortment of winter storms, it seemed like school here in the Boston area would never end!  But the good news is that school is finally out, and summer has officially begun!  As the kids rejoice, au pairs and host parents everywhere are now wondering, “What can I do to keep these kids entertained this summer without breaking the bank?”

Well, here’s some good news for our au pairs and host families.  Thanks to Highland Street Foundation, an organization committed to addressing the needs and concerns of families with children in MA (and CA), “Free Fun Fridays” is back for the 5th year.

Visit one of The Boston Harbor Islands for free!

What is “Free Fun Fridays?”  Well, starting tomorrow, Friday, June 28th, families can visit one or more of 60 participating venues on Fridays for free! For the next 10 weeks, you’ll be able to choose between 6 venues each week. That’s right…absolutely free admission to museums and other venues.  You will need to refer to the website for specific instructions on how to obtain free admission.  In most cases, tickets or coupons are not required, but you’ll want to check for the specific requirements from each venue before trekking out.

The kids will love the interactive exhibits at the Boston Children’s Museum.

Enjoy popular area attractions like Tanglewood, The Boston Children’s Museum, The Stone Zoo, Boston Harbor Islands, Garden in the Woods, The JFK Library,The USS Constitution, and Plimouth Plantation.  The participating venues are different each week, so check the schedule and start planning now! Free Fun Fridays Schedule. 

Or perhaps a trip to the Stone Zoo?

Beware of Pranksters…Don’t Be An April Fool!

Tomorrow is April Fools’ Day here in the USA.  Although this is not an official holiday, this is a fun day that is celebrated in many parts of the world.  It is a day when humor reigns supreme.  This is the one day you can play a practical joke (a funny, harmless trick) on your family and friends without retaliation. (At least until next year!)

There seems to be some debate regarding the origin of April Fools’ Day, or All Fools’ Day.  Many historians believe the holiday began in France in the 16th century after the adoption of the Gregorian calendar.  Prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, New Years was celebrated near the end of March to coincide with the vernal equinox.  However, many of the French people continued to celebrate New Years on April 1st, either because they did not agree with the change or they had not received word about the change.  Their fellow countrymen began playing pranks on their neighbors to “make fun” of them for their foolishness.  The tradition soon spread throughout Europe.     Other historians believe the tradition started much earlier than that.  The Romans, for example, celebrated “Hilaria”, which was a festival of good cheer that also coincided with the vernal equinox.

However it came to be, April Fools’ Day is always fun at my house!  Living with three boys, there is definitely never a dull moment.   Give them a free pass to play a prank?  Well, that’s just trouble waiting to happen.  They are always tricking me on April Fools’ Day.

This year, I decided that it was my turn to get them back.  So, I did a little research.  And I’m going to share the ideas that I found with my host parents and au pairs.  (I found these on Parenting Magazine’s website, so they have to be okay?  Right? Disclaimer: I am not responsible for your child’s wrath if you decide to try these tricks at home.)

Here are 10 Kid-safe April Fools’ Pranks:

1. Put a few drops of food coloring in a pitcher of milk (choose your kid’s fave shade). Make sure she’s watching when you nonchalantly fix her morning bowl of cereal!

2. Take out cereal bags and put them in mismatching boxes. See how long it takes for everyone to find their favorite cereal.

3.  Wait until your kids are asleep, and then switch them in their beds.

4. Put water in a cereal bowl, and freeze overnight. The next morning, offer to fix your kids a bowl of cereal. Pour the cereal on top of the ice, completely covering it, and watch them try to dig in.

5. Put part of a post-it note over the tracking ball on a computer mouse — it won’t work! (Make sure to write “April Fools!” on the note).

6. Serve up a topsy-turvy dinner to throw your kids for a loop: bake meatloaf in a 12-cup muffin tin and frost with mashed potatoes for a “cupcakes” dinner — bonus if you add food coloring to the spuds. Then toast strips of pound cake for a dessert of “French fries”. Don’t forget red-tinted frosting for ketchup!

7. Bunch up TP and stuff it in the toe of the victim’s shoes. They’ll wonder why their shoes suddenly don’t fit.

8. Add a squirt of lemon juice to a glass of water when your kid’s not looking, then wait for his sour face.

9. Use a pin to make a few small holes in a plastic disposable cup, and make sure to put it back on the top of the stack. Watch as your victim gets a drink and it ends up all over his shirt.  P.S.: Make sure it’s a drink that doesn’t stain, or the joke’s really on whoever has to do the laundry!

10. Take a screenshot of the desktop of Dad’s computer, and leave the image open. Sit back and let him freak out for a few minutes, believing the computer is frozen.

These are just a few ideas.  Try to think of some creative ideas of your own to “fool” you host kids.

Is April Fools’ Day celebrated in your home country?  Feel free to share how you celebrate April Fools’ Day in your country!

Au Pairs Hit the Ice for Some Winter Time Fun

Ying, Amity, Sophie and Sophie take a moment to pose for a snapshot.

Wow!  I’m so behind on my writing, but I am trying to get caught up over the next few days so everyone can hear about all of the fun things we’ve been up to lately.

Our friend, Nemo, managed to shut down all of Boston the  entire weekend that followed the much-anticipated storm.  Luckily, Massachusetts was prepared and we all escaped unscathed.  Our planned au pair outing at Kendall Square’s Community Ice Skating in Cambridge, however, had to be cancelled.  And that’s too bad because we had a record number of au pairs and friends planning to attend this fun, inexpensive, outdoor winter activity.

As the Local Area Representative for Go Au Pair here in the Boston area, I love planning our monthly outings and au pair get togethers.  These monthly activities are an important part of an au pair’s introduction to Amerian culture and provide a great venue for me to get to know these young people and provide them with local support and helpful advice when they need it.

We rescheduled the activity for the following Saturday.  We had a great time, but, unfortunately, many of our au pair friends were unable to attend due to schedule conflicts.

We had some first-timers who had never ice skated before.  Ying, an au pair from China, started the morning off holding on to the railing. After I held her hand a few times around the rink, I eventually let go, and she was skating like a pro!  I love witnessing young people experiencing something new.  It is like watching your child take his first steps.  This is one of the reasons I love my “job”.  (If you can really call this a job?)

Of course, she did fall down a few times, but the important part was, she kept getting back up.

Marcela, Erika and Angeles taking a break.

Angeles, from Mexico and Lily from China, also learned to skate that day.  And then there were some showoffs, like Margaryta from Ukraine, who was practicing her skills ice skating backwards.  Good job, ladies.  I’m proud of you.  Here are some pictures from our fun outing.

Margaryta and Monica–BFF’s

Ying fell down, and she got right back up!

Give Me A Break During School Break!

As the school bus pulled in front of my house last Friday, I knew I was in trouble!

The bus stopped in front of my house at precisely 3:20 p.m. last Friday and my two elementary-school-aged sons scurried off the bus with a little more pep than usual.  

“Where are we going?”  “What are we doing?”  “Can Matthew spend the night?”  “I want to see the ‘Lightning Thief’!”   “I want to learn to snowboard.” “I want to go to Disney World,” my four-year-old chimed in.  

They had obviously recovered from the disappointment they had felt the morning before when they woke up to a mere 2 inches of snow rather than the 12-18″ that was predicted.  Yes, it was time to get excited about the prospect of 9 days without school! 

Sure, they were excited. But what about me?  My husband had just started a new job, so there was no trip to Disney World in our immediate future.  I was on my own.  It was them against me.  And they outnumbered me 3:1.  If only I still had an au pair.  That would have made my life easier.   But the absence of my full-time salary pretty much squashed that for our family.  Now, instead of hosting an au pair, I advise them and area host families in my role as the Local Area Representative for goAUPAIR.  

So, there I was…trying to figure out how I was going to entertain a nine-year-old, an eleven-year-old, and a four-year-old for a week without breaking the bank.  

Well, for those of you who are au pairs, who have au pairs, or just wish they did, the good news is that it is possible to keep a variety of age groups happy without spending a fortune.  

Now taking in a movie may not seem like a huge extravagance, but it can really add up–especially if you want to see an evening show.  But if you or a friend has a membership to AAA Travel, you can get access to discount movie passes.  For example, a movie pass to Showcase Cinemas is $7.75, compared to the adult ticket at the box office at $11.00.  (I have a AAA membership, by the way and would be happy to pick up discounted passes to any host family or au pair in my cluster.) Check out www.aaa.com if you want to look into getting your own membership.    

As far as skiing goes, Blue Hills (www.ski-bluehills.com) may not be Sundae River in Maine, but the quick drive to Canton (about 15 minutes south of Boston) sure beats 3 1/2 hours in the car with three screaming kids.  And the rates are much cheaper.  A half day lift ticket at Blue Hills is $18 for a child under 13 years-old compared to $45-$65 the resorts up north get.  And a lesson is only $25.  There are other local ski areas that offer similar rates.  

Another thing you can do to entertain the kids during school vacation is take in a museum.  There are many great museums in the Boston area.  The Museum of Science is my older kids’ favorite (www.mos.org), and the Children’s Museum (www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org) is my little guy’s choice.  The New England Aquarium (www.neaq.org) is fun for children of all ages.  But again, this can by pricey.  

Ask around.  Many of the larger companies in Boston offer free passes to their employees as a perk. (I am actually bringing my kids and au pair group to the Museum of Science on Sunday utilizing free passes that I got from a friend!) 

If you don’t have a friend with connections, make a visit to your local library.  Many libraries have museum memberships which residents can “check out” for the day just like you would a book.  Museum memberships provide free or reduced admissions.  Keeping in mind that entrance to the Museum of Science costs $20 per person, this could add up to signficant savings! 

As far as hosting sleepovers go, obviously that is cheap entertainment that your kids will love.  However, this presents other problems.  You have to feed and entertain other people’s children.  The best case scenario is to have your kids sleepover at the other kid’s house.  However, if it’s your turn and you can’t get out of it, my next best advice is to feed them pizza.  Pizza is cheap, easy to serve, relatively nutritious, and most kids love it.  If you want to save money on your pizza order or any take-out order, check online for coupons.  A great site to visit is www.retailmenot.com.  You just go to the site and type in the web address of the restaurant you are going to order from.  You will see a list of coupon codes that you can try using at checkout.  These are coupon codes that have been submitted by community members; so beware, they may be bogus or expired.   But I usually have really good luck with finding valid coupon codes on this site.  My most recent deal gave me 20% off at www.papaginos.com.  I highly recommend that you visit this site before finalizing any online order for anything, not just food. 

As far as cheap entertainment for sleepovers goes,  if you don’t have a subscription to Netflix or you haven’t had a chance to mail back the three movies that you watched two weeks ago, I recommend visiting the Redbox.  For those of you who don’t know, Redbox is basically a vending machine that dispenses DVD’s for $1 per night.  They can be found locally inside most Shaws/Star Market stores, Wal Mart, and Hannaford Brothers to name a few.  The great thing about Redbox is, not only is it cheap, but it is convenient.  Unlike Netflix, there is no pre-planning involved.  PLUS, here’s the great part that you may not know–you can return the DVD to ANY Redbox.  This is especially handy if you are taking a road trip.  

You can pick-up “Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs” at Shaw’s in Norwood.  The kids can watch it on the portable DVD player on your two hour road trip to New Hampshire.  You can return the movie at Wal Mart (or “the Wal Mart” as it’s known here) in Plymouth, NH, and pick up “Ice Age 3” for the drive home.  It’s the best invention since the portable DVD player.  (I recommend that you visit www.redbox.com prior to your road trip so that you can map out the Redbox locations along your route. I’m wondering if there’s an iPhone app for that?)  

Well, our vacation is just about over.  It is Saturday, and we are now back to the hustle and bustle of getting two kids to two different basketball games at two different locations at the same time.  I did survive.  And I hope I have provided you with some useful tips because April vacation will be here before you know it!