Q: Describe your family’s interests. What activities are you involved in?
A: Our interests as a family tend to follow the interest of our boys. Quinn has been very interested in magic and wizardy for the past few years, so recent excursions include going to a Harry Potter exhibit and the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. Callen is consumed with he Lego builds, and you can find them in almost all corners of the house. We also enjoy bike rides, hiking in the nearby state park, trips to the local attractions, our favorite being Knoebel’s, which is probably one of the world’s greatest amusement parks. Quinn is interested in the arts and has acted in a play, so we attend other theater and music events- we have a ‘music room’ in our house where you can find us playing the piano, guitar, ukulele, violin, and other instruments. Vanessa and James are not particularly “country” but we live in a rural area, so the boys love tractor pulls and county fairs. Both boys love trips to Clyde Peeling’s Reptileland, T&D Cats, and Lake Tobias- 3 local zoos that are within 20-60 minutes from our house. They also enjoy going to the , local arcades and bounce places, and outdoor parks. They both have scooters and bikes that they like to ride on the ramps at our local parks, as well. They both like to play catch with the football, baseball in the backyard, and both boys have started playing teams sports, which keeps us very busy with games and practices. The boys have have been playing Pokemon Go and Minecraft for some time, and recently discovered Fortnite this year and they both really love playing those games, although we try our best to balance time on their screens and getting outside to play.
Q: Describe a typical weekday in your home (daily routine, schedule, chores, activities.)
A: James’s schedule varies. When he works seeing patients, he is out the door by 6am. Other days he works from home or is off work entirely during the week. Vanessa is usually starting work around 830. We have a Monday nanny currently who has been with us for 8 years and we would continue with for as long as she is interested, so Monday’s she would be in the house as well. Quinn gets dropped off for school around 800, and gets picked up at 3pm (his school is a 20 minute drive away). Callen goes to the nearby elementary school. Jorge takes him most days around 815, and Callen rides the bus home. Jorge or James usually meet him at the bus stop at 4pm. The boys have various activities throughout the week, but we try to have dinner as a family every night. After dinner, we all play for a bit, until it’s bed time around 9pm.
On weekdays, the au pair typically starts at 730 to help get the boys out the door to school. Jorge makes their lunch each day before taking Callen to school. After the boys go to school he usually does some different chores each day, along the lines of the boys laundry, some grocery shopping or other family errands and then is free until the boys return home. He is usually off duty around 530 each day.
Q: Describe a typical weekend in your home.
Weekend activities depend somewhat on whether James is working or not. He works about one weekend per month. Saturday’s we try to spend the morning cleaning up the house a bit, but then plan a family adventure or outing of some sort, for the afternoon. Outings include the local fairs, museums, music events, special exhibits, trips to the zoo, and many special weekend outings that depend on the season (sports games, pumpkin and apple picking in the fall, trips to local zoos, trips to our favorite theme park, special excursions to surrounding towns and cities). Many Sunday afternoons we spend with Vanessa’s mother, sisters, and other extended family who all live in the area, about 45 minutes away.
Q: Describe the relationship you would like to develop with your au pair as host parents.
We’d like our au pair to feel like he/she has a second home. Like any family, ours has its rhythms, and we hope he/she would become a part of that. We want most of all a relationship that is comfortable for both sides. We want you to meet all your goals of being abroad, and we want to help you achieve those goals. Vanessa and James have both mentored many college aged students and have enjoyed very much getting to know them, but also seeing them grow and mature, and being a part of that process. We hope our kids, and our family, will teach you just as much as you will teach them throughout the year.
Q: How would you like your au pair to integrate with your family outside of work hours?
For most things, our au pair would be a welcome addition. But we totally understand needing to get away at the same time. There is a growing group of local au pairs, so we hope you might befriend them or other students in the area (there is a university in our town and several of the surrounding towns). We would fully expect you to head out for your long weekends for trips to New York, Philadelphia, etc, but would also welcome you to just ‘hang out” around the house if you prefer, or come to Sunday dinner, or really whatever. We want you to make the most of your time. We do take several vacations each year, which we would be happy to have you come along on.
What is your communication style as a family? How do you prefer to resolve challenges and miscommunication?
Often and early. We try to have a check in at the end of each day, which allows problems to be addressed as they arise. We don’t want things to be buried or ignored. With our children we believe in lots of positive praise as a way to drive home behaviors we support.
Describe any limits you might have on your au pair inviting friends, visitors or overnight guests to your home.
Your room is located in a finished basement, and has a set of private stairs through the garage, which you could use to come and go when off duty as you please. We don’t have a problem with visitors, so long as we get to say hello to them, just so we know who is in our house. Overnight guests are allowed, but we prefer to be made aware of having guests ahead of time and would also prefer having met them before they sleep over. We’re totally open to talking about it and figuring out something acceptable to everyone.
The Connolly Troiani Family 