Urban Paradise Dance Showcase

Fun times here in the SF Bay.  One of our Au Pairs, Oxana and I went to a showcase of Hip-Hop dance performances last night.

Oxana is a dance teacher from Russia, and it was her dream to see one of the dance troupes performing live in America.  There were a few dancers onstage with whom Oxana danced and trained with in Moscow, so to say she was excited is an understatement.

I have danced on/off my entire life and still do every week, studied dance in college (concentration), so I was greatly intrigued as well.  It was a lot of fun and definitely enjoyable.

Tennessee Valley Hike

Great day this past Sunday with Juliana, our newest Au Pair from Brazil.  We first hiked Tennessee Valley in Mill Valley, out to the water (very nice) and then we had a nice lunch at Grilly’s in Mill Valley.  Authentic delicious Mexican lunch.  Enjoyed spending time with Juliana and learning about her family and life back in Brazil.  Juliana speaks good English and is wanting to become fluent while she spends her year here working and taking a college course.  She is excited, happy, enjoying her experience very much.  Enjoyed the day.  Thank you Juliana!

Wayne Huey of Red Panda Acrobats

Thursday, February 21st @ 4 pm, Wayne Huey of Red Panda Acrobats will be performing at the Tiburon Belvedere Library.  Pre-registration is required and show is for ages 5 and up.

Wayne will perform moves guaranteed to amaze with juggling, handstands, tightly fitting into a cylinder and more!

For more information:

http://www.redpanda2000.com

Belvedere-Tiburon Library: 1501 Tiburon Blvd, Tiburon, CA 94920

Featured Country: Ecuador

Ecuador boasts a population of 15.2 million, the primary language is Spanish, and English is taught in school.  Host an Au Pair from Ecuador and chances are he/she will be proficient in English.  Ecuadorian cuisine is known for their soups, seafood, rice, potatoes and exotic fruit.  Ecuadorians tend to come from large families and Au Pairs usually have a lot of childcare experience.   Go Au Pair is offering $100 off agency fees for the month of January 2013 only for those who host an Au Pair from Ecuador.  View available Au Pairs today.

Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs- Sunday in San Francisco

I really loved Snow White as a child, and thought I had to share this event coming this Sunday to the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.  Actually, the play is running now through April 14th and tickets are affordable.  Ticket Pricing.

Fun family outing if you are looking for something to do this weekend in San Francisco.

See website for more information.

The High Cost of DayCare

Go Au Pair’s blogger, Summer Blackhurst, posted a great article yesterday featuring the Barra family of Pennsylvania who have multiple children and never thought that Au Pair care was something they could afford.  After Peter and Courtney Barra added up the cost of daycare for multiple children, they realized that in fact Au Pair care would be a lot less  than daycare for their family.  In addition,  an added bonus is in-home consistency.  The Barra’s can work late, take more time for themselves and most importantly, do not have to drag their children out of bed at 5:30 in the morning.  To date, the Barra’s have hosted five Au Pairs.

The cost of Au Pair care is per family, not per child, and Go Au Pair makes it affordable offering payment plans to make the program work for you.  If you are struggling with time constraints, or rising costs of daycare for multiple children, then it is well worth your time to read Summer’s blog post The High Cost of Sending Multiple Children to Daycare.

Cinderella

I don’t know about you, but I loved Cinderella as a child.  The Russian National Ballet presents Cinderella at the Marin Civic Center (Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium) on Sunday, February 17th @ 3 pm.

In Cinderella, the magical tale of the wistful young woman tending the hearth skips along to Tchaikovsky’s spritely score. Despite the scorn of her wickedly jealous stepsisters, Cinderella radiates jubilance after her Fairy Godmother descends and sends her off in style to the Prince’s ball. With pluck and wonder, she takes the love of the Prince and yet keeps true to her own warm heart.

See Event Website for ticket pricing.

6th Annual Sausalito Gingerbread House Contest and Tour

Participating merchants showcase festive culinary creations this Saturday, December 22nd in downtown Sausalito.  Delightful walking tour where each participant will display a decal in their window.  20 handmade Gingerbread houses will be on display in stores, restaurants and hotels.

Website of event: http://www.sausalito.org/~sausalito/userfiles/files/2012MapInside(1).pdf

Holiday Celebration – Marin Country Mart

Holiday Celebration this Saturday, December 15th at the Marin Country Mart in Larkspur

9:30 – 10:30 Scott the Storyteller

11 – 12:30 Holiday Music

11:30 – 12:30 Hall Middle School Choir and Ukelele Band

9 – 2 Pony Rides & Face Painting

9 – 2 Professional Pictures with Santa Claus

http://www.marincountrymart.com

Featured Country: Columbia

Go Au Pair’s featured country this month is Columbia.  Host an Au Pair from Columbia and receive $100 discount in agency fees.  Au Pairs from Columbia are known for being resilient, love of children, and probably knows how to cook as well.  Did you know that Columbian cuisine not only has Spanish flavors, but a touch of Italian and French as well?  Read more today.