Babysitter!!

Elena Robu has been sitting for us during IWC meetings for two years now, and would like to have her contact information posted on our blog. I (Saskia) personally highly recommend her. She is like the pied piper. One of my children can be difficult to manage, but he adores and listens to her.
Here's her information:
Languages: English& German (fluent), French (good), Italian&Spanish (conversational)
E-mail: Elena.Robu@campus.lmu.de

Working experience with children: 8 yrs

European Cultural Studies student in Munich
References upon request.

I would like to be contacted by e-mail. It is easier for me to answer the messages quickly.

Teach Your Child to Read

Are you worried that your child's not learning how to read soon enough? Or is he/she simply expressing a readiness to read that you don't know how to address? Laura Curtis, a new member, has already taught three of her children to read (well, one's a work in progress) with the book:

"Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons"
Siegfried Engelmann; Taschenbuch; EUR 17,99

It's very easy to follow, with short lessons. Give it a try and let us know what you think! It can be purchased at Amazon.com: click here to order. There are dozens of positive reviews on Amazon.

Child-friendly Holiday Place

Looking for a very inexpensive holiday with the kids? Laura Curtis has recommended the following summer resort: http://www.ferienpark-bischofsmais.de/. It's about an hour and a half from Munich. She says it is far from luxurious, but is ideal for children, with numerous activities, apartments with kitchenettes rather than having to eat at restaurants (though there are board programs), and great prices.

Getting a clean house and not doing it yourself

When I lived in the US, I wouldn't consider hiring a cleaning lady, even though I had two more-than-part-time jobs. Once we moved to Munich, I wouldn't have minded one, but had no idea how to find one, as I couldn't speak much German. And then I met my friend's cleaning lady/babysitter, and I thought she was incredibly nice and smart and sweet. She had a university degree, but had the bad fortune to be from a country where her salary wasn't enough for her to make ends meet. And so she became my cleaning lady/babysitter/friend.

It takes a cleaning lady 4 hours to clean my house, and that's without the kids' interruptions. If I were to do it myself, it would take a whole day. And then nothing else would get done that day. I highly recommend it. The going rate is approximately 10 Euros an hour. And the best way to find a cleaning lady is to 1) ask a friend who has one for a recommendation, or 2) ask a cleaning lady for a recommendation. Many have university degrees and are also able to care for children. Many are trying to save up to buy an apartment back home. While most do not speak English, some do.

My current cleaning lady (our original cleaning lady has gone back to her home country to go to medical school) attends an ethnic church and through that knows many young people like her who are looking for cleaning and babysitting jobs. Some speak English, too. If you would like a recommendation, please let me know!