Having triplets, however adorable they are, can be a handful. So, once the children turned two, Terri started looking for an au pair. She realized that what her family really needed was the flexibility of having another adult in the home helping to look after the children. Six years later, CHI Au Pair USA has now matched the Lymans with Supika, Manami, Sitala, Palida and most recently, Eva.

Opening their home to five au pairs has been an amazing experience for the Lymans. The family looks for an au pair that is mature and self-reliant. They also try to find individuals who have a lot of energy, a positive attitude and experience living on their own. While the Lymans love spending time with their au pair, taking care of triplets can be very time consuming, so they encourage their au pair to develop their own friendships and become involved in activities that interest them. This balance works great for both the family and the au pair.

Each of the Lyman’s au pairs has been unique, and has brought so much into the family’s lives. The au pairs each share their personal history, their language, their food and culture and form a real family relationship. The triplets actually don’t know what life is like without an au pair. They love having a new ‘big sister’ join their family each year as the school year begins. Terri shares, “I might have the only kids to ever bring homemade sushi for lunch every day”.

The Lyman’s know that CHI Au Pair USA offers the family the flexibility they need, and the cultural enrichment they want. Having extra help has even given Teri the time to start her own business. Her husband Thaine also enjoys the security of knowing that even if he has to work extra hours at his job, the kids are always in excellent hands.

One tip the Lymans have learned after five au pairs – they always have their au pairs’ schedules overlap by at least a couple of weeks, to help ensure a smooth transition, and allow for things learned over the course of a year by their outgoing au pair to be passed on. CHI thanks Terri and her family for their loyalty, and for being a great example of a family who takes full advantage of all the benefits an au pair program offers.

New au pair Eva from Hungary (right) is welcomed by the triplets and leaving au pair Palida from Thailand (left)

]]> http://chinewsblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/december-au-pair-orientation/feed/ 0 chinewsblog December AP Orientation http://chinewsblog.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/au-pair-of-the-year-nomination/ http://chinewsblog.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/au-pair-of-the-year-nomination/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:27:41 +0000 chinewsblog http://chinewsblog.wordpress.com/?p=2711 ]]> Attention CHI Au Pair USA Host Families – it’s not too late to nominate your au pair for IAPA’s Au Pair of the Year Award.  To learn more, please read the letter below.  If you would like to participate, send your completed nomination letters to chiaupairops@chinet.org before January 15th.

Click on the letter below to view all of the details.

Start searching for your perfect au pair today!

]]> http://chinewsblog.wordpress.com/2011/12/01/chi-au-pair-usa-winter-discount/feed/ 0 chinewsblog IMG_1157 http://chinewsblog.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/available-in-country-au-pairs/ http://chinewsblog.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/available-in-country-au-pairs/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:00:01 +0000 chinewsblog http://chinewsblog.wordpress.com/?p=2210 ]]> Post Updated: February 17, 2012

All in-country au pairs have currently been placed, please check back soon for new in-country au pairs!

For more information, please contact CHI Au Pair USA Operations at chiaupairops@chinet.org or call 1-800-432-4643, extension 176 or extension 131.

The coordinator position is a part-time independent contractor position that is a great position for stay at home moms or retirees who enjoy working with people. A background in education, counseling and/or marketing is preferred. Coordinators work with families and Au Pairs to ensure that all government regulations are being met and assist with mediation to ensure the program is as enjoyable as possible for all involved.

If you are interested in the position, please send an email with your resume and a short cover letter to chiaupairops@chinet.org with the subject line: Application for Coordinator Position in Hartford, CT.

To help aid her with her travels, Carole came armed with a French San Francisco travel guide and during her orientation, made a plan to visit each and every attraction listed in her guide book. There was one small issue that complicated this plan, but as Carole herself describes, this just made her journey all the more adventurous.

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I started my American double life on June 7, 2010. Double life? Au pair and tourist, of course!

What follows is the story of my tourist life. (My life as an au pair has been truly amazing and rewarding as well and has changed my life forever!)

I arrived in San Francisco on June 10th , 2010 with my French green Michelin San Francisco guidebook and one goal: visit every single place my guidebook describes!

Easy task? It could have been if my guide was brand new! But… nope, it wasn’t! It was actually a friend of mine’s dating from 1999! If you think that the Golden Gate Bridge, the crooked Lombard street or the Twin Peaks have not moved in all these years, well you’re RIGHT! However, this city is constantly changing and I’ve been facing some unexpected surprises!

You’ll think about the opening hours of a museum, for example. Well, in 11 years, yes, a lot of museums, historical societies, houses, missions, temples, churches, libraries, banks, theatres, auditoriums, any center and any other kind of building you can get in have changed their opening hours!

You’ll also think about the admission fee. And again, you’re RIGHT! You cannot even imagine how much prices have increased in 11 years!! Well, maybe you can!

But can you imagine buildings moving? Come on, just remember the Asian Art Museum sharing a building with the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park a couple of years ago. Well, it’s now located in its own building in the Civic Center. This one was easy to find, though! But for some others, for a lot of others actually, it has been so hard to find their new locations that I’ve just abandoned the idea they still exist! Yep, I’ve arrived to some factories, centers and temples finding a locked door, a blocked up door, ruins or just something else!

Some places were also just difficult to find themselves, even though nothing had changed. I’m of course talking about Chinese temples in Chinatown!! When I write temples, you imagine a temple the same way I do! As you know, many Chinese people live very close together in Chinatown, so they built temples in surprising places.  For instance, some temples are set up in the upper floor of some ordinary buildings. If this was the only barrier! After having the courage to climb steep stairs starting in the back of a restaurant’s kitchen to be faced with a locked gate with a bell and a sign written in Chinese! I rang the bell, and a nice Chinese lady appeared to the door and didn’t understand nor speak a word of English! You must think that I was not able to visit this temple… YOU’RE WRONG! I am thankful that my Chinese speaking friend was with me on that day!

Last but not least, I kept my favorite story for the end!

Walking around the Financial District, I was excited to enter the Transamerica Pyramid Building to get in the Virtual Observation Deck, to see nice views of the city.

I entered the building, and surprised not to see any signs but a gate with a concierge, I simply asked him: “Where is the entrance to the Virtual Observation Deck?” his answer, “It has been closed to public since 2001”.

I’m sure I was the first one in a while to ask him this question, and probably also the last one!

On March 31, 2011, I finally visited the last place mentioned in my guide and that I’d not been to earlier: Filoli. This mansion surrounded with a vast though very well-kept garden made me feel like I was in the French country!

Of course, I also visited a lot of new places that didn’t exist in 1999! My new knowledge makes it fun to play the tour guide for some other au pairs, and my friends and family who visited me from France.

So now you are waiting for my ranking, aren’t you? Okay, here are my favorite places… drum roll…

In the Bay Area:

• In Third Place: A romantic dinner at the Cheesecake Factory with a view by night of Union Square.
• In Second Place: The Lincoln Fountain in Yerba Buena Gardens. I love the idea of walking behind a waterfall.
• AND the winner is: Mount Tamalpais and its neighbor Marin Headlands! The hikes I went on took me to such breathtaking views! The heart of busy San Francisco, surrounded between green mountains. Watching the sun sparkling on the cities of San Francisco, Sausalito and Berkeley as well as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Richmond Bridge was amazing.

In California: I cannot decide which is better so these are all ranked evenly!

• Yosemite: Where I went on an amazing hike that brought me to the top of the highest waterfall in the United States with breathtaking views of the valley below.
• Sequoia National Park: Where I had a thrilling and scary meet up with a bear!
• Tahoe: Where I loved the amazing postcard type views that became real and so breathtaking when I got to the mountain peak

Now it is one year later and you may think I am finished with being a tourist. Of course, that is not the case! I am starting again, but on a larger scale this time! In my second year, my goal is to visit all of the must see places in the United States! Wish me luck and lots of fun!

A few more of Carole’s photos: