We are pleased to welcome you into our family.  We want you to feel comfortable in our home and in your role.  Our jobs keep us busy and you will play an integral and important role in taking care of our two daughters.  We see ourselves – parents and Au Pair – as a team.  We are both very committed to our family.

 

We live in a town in Illinois, which is approximately a 30-minute train ride from Chicago.  We live in a three-bedroom house on a tree-lined street.  Our town has an active downtown with shops, restaurants and several museums.  Downtown Chicago is accessible by train and there are lots of other au pairs nearby for you to meet up and go out with.  Chicago has lots of interesting and fun places to go including Navy Pier, the Art Institute of Chicago and Millennium Park.  It has a beautiful lakefront on Lake Michigan where the city provides incredible activities throughout the year.  Chicago is also one of the friendliest cities in America.

 

Many of our neighbors are families with young children and there are a few other families in the area who host au pairs.  We are both attorneys and, through our jobs, we encounter a variety of personalities and we have learned to be open to new experiences and have enjoyed sharing our experiences with others.  We know you will have places you want to go with your friends so we will schedule this with you as we need you.  This is our fifth year in the Au Pair Program.  We are excited to have you join our family.  We like having someone live in our home to care for and play with our children during the day while we are at work.  We hope we can provide you with an understanding of America and our customs.  We hope you will enjoy playing with our children and that you are excited about joining our family.  We have learned that mutual respect and communication are important in maintaining a successful relationship with an au pair.

 

Our family activities typically involve going to the zoo (there are 2 great zoos in the Chicago area), museums, local parks or swimming pool.  We also enjoy playing outside with our girls and other children in our neighbourhood.  Our daughters are 5 and 7 years old and their weekly activities include artwork, playing outside, singing songs and reading stories.  We would expect the person who comes to live with us to continue these activities.  We expect our au pair to interact with our kids to make sure they feel loved and cared for.  We would enjoy having you join us for dinner and we will either cook dinner or eat from a restaurant most nights during the week.  We eat a wide variety of foods including meat, fish and chicken and try to eat mostly healthy foods.

 

We have three cars so that we have an extra car for you to use for school and your activities.  You will have your own bedroom with a television and computer with Internet access.  We are looking forward to having you join our family!