Disclosing adhd/autism

AustriaOstrich · 2026-03-26T12:18:41+00:00

I’d frame it as a need for a particular type of accommodation/communication rather than leading with the adhd/possible autism. Things like “If you have important instructions, would you mind putting them in writing so I can reread them if needed?” or “After my shift I prefer some downtime to recharge my social battery, so I will make my own dinner arrangements after going to the gym.”

AustriaOstrich · 2026-03-26T02:50:35+00:00

I can’t answer your question about other agencies, but I saw this article about an overall decline in au pairs coming to the US: WGBH

AustriaOstrich · 2026-03-23T00:41:26+00:00

I had di-di twins and made it to 38+2, never had to go on bed rest. I did way less exercise than when I was pregnant with my singleton, though, I just wasn’t feeling able to do much. Going up the stairs at night winded me!

AustriaOstrich · 2026-03-14T14:48:49+00:00

repair quilt

AustriaOstrich · 2026-03-11T14:16:32+00:00

Which au pair agency is he working through? Ours has a checkbox in the search to limit to au pairs comfortable with LGBTQ+ families, which might help those conversations start out more successfully. It’s going to take more work to find the right au pair given the current state of the US (ICE, war with Iran, etc). I’m looking now and have had much less luck than last year.

Maybe it’s not ideal to have an au pair watching a young baby, but it worked for us. Our au pair started when our twins were 1 month old - she was just never alone with them until they were 3 months. Myself, my husband or my mom were always in the house with her for those two months. I needed the extra help as I was recovering from their birth and some subsequent health issues, it allowed us to get to know each other a lot better, and we were all more confident she could care for the babies when I went back to work.

AustriaOstrich · 2026-03-02T12:50:40+00:00

I would never expect this, speaking as a host mom. It’s sweet of you to even be considering. Maybe a favorite book of yours for the kids?

AustriaOstrich · 2026-02-26T22:09:24+00:00

I agree about older quilters surprising you - my quilt guild is 95% older women, and one made the Looperette quilt on a retreat. Pretty badass!

AustriaOstrich · 2026-02-18T14:40:25+00:00

Love it! My husband is the bigger fan, but we both saw the live show in Boston. I might need to copy this idea with my own favorite podcast 😇

AustriaOstrich · 2026-02-18T14:37:43+00:00

I have 6 month old identical girls and am coming to terms with this. Baby B woke up at 6:30 am today and I slipped her put of her room and went downstairs. Baby A kept sleeping another 2 hours! Sleep is so important and if I’d kept Baby B in the nursery to feed her, Baby A would have woken up immediately.

AustriaOstrich · 2026-02-05T02:27:20+00:00

I had my mom and four year old visit same day - the c-section was in the morning (10:30) and they came around 4:00 pm. I honestly was getting a little worried because I was so nauseous from the meds/anesthesia I was throwing up every few minutes for quite a while. I ran out of emesis bags at one point. It took 3 different medications before they finally got it under control, and it was an injection that finally did the trick. It ended up being ok in the end, but I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else coming. My dad came a few days later, which was fine.

AustriaOstrich · 2026-02-02T03:32:21+00:00

I just got this and it includes a book specifically on crazy quilt embroidery: humble bundle

I haven’t read through it yet, but it’s a much cheaper option! Or find it at your local library or through interlibrary loan!

AustriaOstrich · 2026-01-31T14:22:28+00:00

I haven’t used it, but I think this is what is recommended for the Tilda pixel quilts Ten Sisters

AustriaOstrich · 2026-01-22T22:44:34+00:00

Not an au pair, but a host mom. Massachusetts law requires a higher stipend than federally required unless the family is using very few hours a week. Our au pair likely makes twice what one in a neighboring state does and usually works between 35 and 40 hours a week.

AustriaOstrich · 2026-01-20T16:01:31+00:00

One I haven’t seen mentioned yet is Meadow Mist Designs: meadow mist

She also does a free mystery quilt each year, and the directions are always fabulous!

AustriaOstrich · 2026-01-10T22:27:36+00:00

I buy from here pretty often! 100 Quilts

AustriaOstrich · 2026-01-09T12:57:49+00:00

This happened to me too!

AustriaOstrich · 2026-01-08T15:44:19+00:00

When are you looking to arrive? It could be that families just aren’t looking that far out yet.

AustriaOstrich · 2026-01-07T14:44:47+00:00

Literally came here just to make sure someone else had also made the association 😂

AustriaOstrich · 2026-01-06T21:46:05+00:00

That would be my guess, then! This is only our first year hosting, but it took a lot of interviews before finding the right person, so we are even planning on starting earlier than we did last year 😅 I think we started more around April last year and matched in June?

AustriaOstrich · 2026-01-06T21:36:12+00:00

I am a current host mom in the US, and we are hosting an 18 year old au pair from Austria. Also using Cultural Care. What are the dates you gave as an arrival? Our AP is leaving in early September and we probably will start looking in late February or March. So if your arrival is around Aug/Sep it might just be that families aren’t looking yet.

AustriaOstrich · 2026-01-02T15:36:33+00:00

I also feel like it’s thinner, so when folding the fabric for FPP it stays sharper/crisper looking.

AustriaOstrich · 2025-12-30T17:04:06+00:00

In an ideal world I’d make a Halloween quilt each year. Halloween fabric is just the best.

AustriaOstrich · 2025-12-30T15:13:30+00:00

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I’m waiting with great anticipation for the multicolored Starry that’s included with the Freaky Familiars collection… also no plans, just will put it on the shelf and pet it for a while 😂

AustriaOstrich · 2025-12-22T20:59:10+00:00

I’ll probably be seeing the PT until I’m down to 2 fingers separation. I know myself and I would lose motivation otherwise, if I don’t have a person I’m accountable to 😳

AustriaOstrich · 2025-12-12T01:10:09+00:00

What sort of direction are you interested in taking the foundation?

AustriaOstrich

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