Chinese New Year Parade

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Locations: Chinatown - Phillips Square
Cultural Village - East West Bank, 68 Harrison Ave

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Date: Jan 29, 2012 Sunday
Time: 11am-5pm

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Cost: FREE

• Parading all through Chinatown all day
• Follow one of the many clubs around as they parade from business to business
• Come eat, stay, play!

http://www.chinatownmainstreet.org/events.php

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Ready for some fun? Let’s go snow tubing!

When: Sunday, February 5th

Time: 10am-12pm

(Please arrive no later than 9:45am to check in with me and sign a waiver)

Where: Nashoba Valley Tubing Park, 179 Great Road, Littleton, MA 01460

Meeting point: Lodge/ restaurant in the snow tubing park

Cost: $23/ person

IMPORTANT: The Ski Area and Tubing Park have different entrances. Make sure you take the one to the Tubing Park (The Entrance to the Tubing Park comes first. If you hit the Ski Area entrance, you went too far!)

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Friends are welcome, but in order for them to get the group rate, you need to send me their names by January 26th — no exceptions!

As always, let me know if you have any questions.

~ Marion

January Au Pair Meeting: Karaoke!

When: Monday, January 9th, 2012 at 9pm

Where: Fire & Ice in Harvard Square

See you there!

I recently received the following email. Sounds like fun so go check it out with the kids!

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COME INSIDE AND PLAY!
Somerville Rec is thrilled to announce the opening of our BRAND NEW, REDESIGNED, beautiful, fun, and spacious indoor PLAYSPACE!

We have been hard at work renovating our new space, which will include
- Large dramatic play room where kids can pretend to shop in the market, become a rock star on our stage, play “house” and prepare meals the home area, play teacher in our schoolhouse, and let their imagination run wild with a wide array of dress up clothes and accessories to help them pretend and make-believe to their hearts’ content!
- Huge, “Open Road” filled with ride-on cars, scooters, hippity-hops and more where kids can ride and run free regardless of the weather outside!
-Cozy reading and game room stocked with books and games where children and caregivers can read a book together, play a favorite game, or just relax.
- A separate, designated baby room just for babies under 12 months and their caregivers, where our non-walkers can play with soft toys and blocks, look at a board book, or find a new favorite toy.
- Fun,safe,and huge free play and movement room filled with an ever-changing array of toys and activities including: building area with big blocks, legos, and other manipulatives; A safe and fun “Jump-o-Line”, plus mats, slides, and tunnels to bounce on and play in; Train tables with trains,cars,and more,and so much more that will change on a regular basis to keep kids interested and engaged.
-A separate Arts & Crafts room with sensory tables that are rotated regularly with wondrous sensory materials for hours of learning, exploring, and “hands on” fun.Plus paint, fingerpaints, crayons and markers, plus paper of every size, shape and texture, various materials to cut, sort, shape, color and create! In this rooms, kids can make a mess and even draw on the walls! Literally!

We will have expanded hours and special programs depending on YOUR needs, so let us know what you need, and we’ll try to make it happen. The space can also be rented to host birthday parties!

Our GRAND OPENING is.. TUES. JAN 3rd at 9 am. In the “Recreation Comission” Building at 19 Walnut St. Somerville. If you do not have a Somerville parking permit, there are metered spots nearby in Union Square.

The first season will run through March 30th. Our Normal hours will be Mon thru Thurs from 9am to 1pm (with hopefully the addition of some afternoon and Saturday hours coming soon!) and the cost is only $60.00 /season (that means for the 13 week season, you pay just over $4/week!), OR $30.00 /month, OR $15.00/week per family.

This will be a wonderful, affordable, safe and fun space for the community, where kids can safely run and play and parents/caregivers can connect. I am so thrilled to be a part of it, and I can’t wait to meet all the other parents and caregivers (And KIDS!) that make up this wonderful, vibrant community. Please come by, introduce yourself and say hi!

Wishing all my host families and au pairs a very Merry Christmas and

a Happy and Healthy New Year!

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Another greeting by Smilebox

Thank you all for coming to the holiday party. Your cookies were delicious!

Wishing you and your host families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Have you been considering hiring a live-in au pair to take care of your children?

New families who register through December 6, 2011 will receive a $75 application fee waiver and a $800 program fee discount when welcoming an au pair by March 30, 2012.

Just to give you an idea of what the au pair program is all about:

• Up to 45 hours/week and 10 hours/day of childcare coverage for up to 2 years

• The flexibility to customize those hours to a schedule you decide

• An average weekly cost of just $345 (per family, not per child)

• Help with household duties related to your children (including laundry, room cleaning and meal preparation)

• The convenience and peace of mind that comes with live-in help

Your children benefit, too! They will enjoy:

• One-on-one supervision from an energetic, loving caregiver

• The comfort of being looked after in their own home by someone who knows the rules and routine

• An opportunity to learn a second language and exposure to another country’s games, songs and cuisine

If you would like more information about the au pair program, please contact me directly at marion.goodwin@lcc.culturalcare.com or 781-648-2410.

Thank you!

~ Marion

Thank you all so much for coming to the host mom & au pair get-together. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!

A special thanks to host mom Jody for welcoming us into her home and for making the most delicious cupcakes!

I would like to wish all my host families and au pairs a very happy Thanksgiving!

~ Your LCC Marion

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‘Tis the Season to be Jolly!

Come join me and the other au pairs for a holiday get together!

When: Sunday, December 11th from 4pm-6pm

Where: My house (I will email you my address)

Please bring some Christmas cookies to share as well as a small present (worth $5-$10) for a gift swap!

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Ho Ho Ho

~Marion