Time to search for a new au pair

Well, as a working mom with two kids and a full-time law practice, I need solid childcare and we've been using au pairs for the last three years. It is very afforable and has been a good experience overall. Our son, who is four, has learned so much more about foreign cultures than I ever imagined and both kids become quite attached to the girls.

We are now about six months out from the end of our current au pair's year and are starting to think about reapplying and interviewing someone new. For legal reasons, we use an agency, Cultural Care Au Pair, www.culturalcare.com, and that way we have no worries about visas, taxes or health insurance. The cost averages out to be about $320 per week for 45 hours of live-in care and light housekeeping.

We also register on Great Au Pair, www.greataupair.com, so that we can informally look through more applications and sometimes you can find your own au pair and then get a discount when they sign on with the agency as a "pre-match."

This is a sad but exciting time, because we hate to even think about losing our au pair but it gives us time to think about what our kids will be doing in the next year and what new and different qualities the new person could add to the kids' experience. Garrett will be getting close to starting school in the next year and Carly will be going through potty training. Wow. Anyway, I'll be sure to give updates on our progress from time to time.

If you are interested in the au pair program, let me know and I'll happily give you more info.