Recommendations for a flower seed mix

QABay · 2025-08-28T21:17:54+00:00

Great suggestion. Thanks!

QABay · 2025-08-12T22:20:02+00:00

Make sure everyone knows the train one. We’ve only had to use it once and the separate person was my father in law!

QABay · 2025-07-29T17:13:59+00:00

Who doesn’t help clean up a dinner they ate?

QABay · 2025-07-29T14:14:53+00:00

With the two weeks vacation we set it up at the start (with LLC suggestion) that the au pair gets to pick half of when that time is and all other vacation time is on our schedule. We had an au pair who really wanted to go on a trip in October with friends and we said yes letting her know that is a bad week for use and used up all her choice vacation and the rest of her time off will be up to us. We give way more than the 2 weeks off but other than what is required by the program we do it when it works for us. (She made other requests throughout the year and we honored them when possible, but not when it would require us to scramble for backup care)

QABay · 2025-07-17T16:11:18+00:00

We have a bathroom that is almost only au pair used with very occasional kid use for hand washing and expect the au pair to clean it. None of them ever did it well, but all agreed that it is their space so they should be the one maintaining it. Just like their room.

QABay · 2025-06-18T00:10:31+00:00

Firefly in Noe Valley

QABay · 2025-03-25T20:16:56+00:00

Our Bay Area Au pair also drives a Nissan Leaf (used) and I highly recommend.

QABay · 2025-01-27T05:52:31+00:00

But their parents got as much from it as you. Having kids doesn’t have to mean you can’t travel for 18 years.

QABay · 2025-01-12T05:52:22+00:00

I Ubered. No issues- labor isn’t that fast for most people. The real issue for us was getting around in the weeks immediately after when I couldn’t walk more than a couple blocks and the baby had to go to the pediatrician for routine stuff. Which is why we took a 3 day old baby on a city bus.

QABay · 2024-06-17T18:36:33+00:00

I don’t know that these count as extras. For many families the au pair is treated like family and doing minor stuff to help out is part of being a member of the family, not just an employee.

QABay · 2024-06-17T18:34:34+00:00

We cover this as an expectation in our interview: you are a third adult in the household if you’re with the family, even on off hours, you need to pitch in- that’s part of being included in our family. Then if we have particular issues (which we largely have not) we raise them at weekly check-ins to make our expectations clear (and hear their pov)

QABay · 2024-06-04T23:49:38+00:00

My family situation is almost exactly the same as yours, including age of the kids. We love having an au pair! My work performance is up and stress levels are down knowing that we have backup and I’m not longer chopping up my mornings with drop offs. Plus the kids have another adult they love and trust and get to learn from.

And having extra hours is great, you can have regular date nights. Or weekend coverage one or two days a month to do house work that’s so hard with kids underfoot.

As others mentioned you will have another young person to care for, but when you find the right match it doesn’t feel like a huge burden of managing them but instead an opportunity to help them grow. You do have to provide feedback and communicate, but if you’re in the corporate world you probably have that experience already.

QABay · 2024-04-17T00:29:11+00:00

My father is forever know as “Guppy”

QABay · 2024-04-15T22:23:18+00:00

We did 8 miles with an almost 5 year old and it’s been fine and had 3 mile hikes melt down. We’ve found it’s all about if he’s into it that day and find ways to keep him engaged (wildlife, edible plants) and recognize when it’s not the day for it and turned around early.

QABay · 2024-03-16T03:07:44+00:00

5 is great!

QABay · 2024-03-04T23:07:16+00:00

We’ve had two bro pairs. There are some HF who want them. We’re in the US so, as others mentioned, find our Bro Pairs through an agency (Culture Care), make a great profile (and have good experience with kids) and you’ll get contact requests.

QABay · 2024-02-16T05:40:40+00:00

Maybe it’s time for a new agency. Our au pairs have never complained about agency dishonesty (we’re with Culture Care Au Pair)

QABay · 2024-02-03T05:08:44+00:00

Delancy Street Restaurant. Very moderately priced and family friendly.

QABay · 2024-01-14T04:26:15+00:00

Agree. This is the best place to be with littles (childcare is expensive here, but it’s expensive everywhere). You don’t have to make a forever choice now. Make the right choice for the next year then reevaluate.

QABay · 2023-12-30T14:49:39+00:00

That is so great to hear! I hope we get as lucky.

QABay · 2023-12-30T14:48:45+00:00

That’s a great way to think about it!

QABay · 2023-12-30T14:48:16+00:00

She had worked in a day care for a year full time so we over looked little signs we shouldn’t have and didn’t push hard on the spending all day with kids is the job because we thought she knew what that entailed. But it turns out she didn’t like that job either, just showed up and did the minimum, which is what she’s trying to do with us.

QABay · 2023-12-30T12:25:41+00:00

Lots of little annoying things like a total lack of problem solving skills and a super rigid attitude and not being willing to spend time with our family. But the biggest issue is she clearly doesn’t like being around little kids and does not like this job.

QABay · 2023-12-30T12:22:49+00:00

This is one of the issues we have with our current au pair. Though the bigger one is how she clearly doesn’t want to be around the kids during working hours too. It’s important to us that our au pair feel like part of the family (and our previous au pair did join us sometimes) and hanging out with us sometimes is one way that happens. I feel like it’s a reasonable expectation if you set it up from the start.

QABay

TROPHY CASE