Host Family Testimonials
Host Family: The Marcaccinis,
Location: Minnesota
Au Pair: Chiharu Matsumoto, Japan
Up until late May the Marcaccini household was held together only by chaos. With two working parents and two wonderful children, Grifyn (5) and Gwynavere (3), we seemed to move through life from one moment of chaos to the next, that all changed May 26, 2007, the day Chiharu arrived. She was the solution to the upcoming year's problem of having one child in school and one child in daycare, otherwise known to most parents as the dreaded, double drop and double pick up. Although we knew Chiharu would remedy the double drop dilemma, we had no idea of all the other benefits that she would bring to our family.
The transformation she's had on our family is a very inspiring one but the thought of an essay was very daunting. So at our house, the journey to turn all "kid" related dreams into reality begins with the same first step - mention it to Chiharu. I told her about the contest and she responded with her usual tone of modest gratitude. But, in a few weeks time, Chiharu prepared and gave to me a portion of the essay. In the same way that she went over and above all expectation levels regarding this essay (fact of the matter is, that she wasn't expected to do anything for the essay), she constantly goes over and above for our children. Read Chiharu's Essay
- It is commonplace at our house now for our children to have not just meals, but delicious and nutritious meals. My son's snacks in his backpack are apples, usually carved into some beautiful Japanese bird design.
- Their art projects are out of this world, the kids have so much more confidence in their art abilities today then they did before Chiharu, she is a wonderful artist and focuses on learning through art.
- The kids are now able to enjoy the world they live in. Prior to having an au pair, the kids were rushed from daycare to home, never really having the chance to explore their surroundings because of our busy schedule. That has all changed, and the kids are removed from the hustle and bustle of their parents' lives.
