Woodlake Bowl
23130 Ventura Blvd.
Woodland Hills, CA 91364

It’s $1 mania night so we can bowl for $5.00 plus $1 per game and $1 for shoes.  Most au pairs like to bowl 2 games so that would be $8.00 total - a great deal!
 
Please arrive at 6:45 so you can get your shoes, your bowling ball, etc.  Be prepared to have a great time with your au pair friends!  Doesn’t matter if you  bowl well or not.

Bring your Au Pair friends, even if they aren’t in our group!  (Just let me know so I can make sure we have enough space!)

Country Western Line Dancing with lots of other Au Pairs from 3 or 4 au pair groups!  Meet at Borderline on Sunday, February 28 at 6 p.m. - Au pairs really have a great time at this annual event!  You can bring your friends from other au pair agencies too.  We will have a prize drawing for those of you who bring au pair guests!
Borderline Bar & Grill
99 Rolling Oaks Drive
Thousand Oaks, CA
Wear some cowboy boots or other low heeled shoes so you can have some fun learning line dances and visiting with your au pair friends!
$10 admission, includes unlimited sodas, dance lessons.  There is also a menu if you’d like to purchase food.

Check out photos of our fun day at the UCLA/Arizona State Game.  Your LCC, a Bruin alum, thanks you so much for bringing victory to the Bruins!  More photos in our Media section on this website!

MORE GAME PHOTOS IN GALLERY!

The whole community is invited to join us at Jamba Juice (Westlake Village) any time Friday September 18.  Drink a juice or buy a snack and 20% of your purchase will be donated to Kids First, Cultural Care (provided you use the attached flyer!).

If you have trouble copying the flyer on this page, look for our au pairs in their blue Cultural Care t-shirts (the shirts with a ‘heart’) and they’ll be happy to hand you a brochure to submit with your purchase.  All the Jamba Juice donations will be matched 100% by Cultural Care.

Kids First is the philanthopic arm of the Cultural Care organization.  Au pairs, host families and the Cultural Care organization are all committed to helping children in need throughout the world.  For more information, please follow this link: http://infosource.lcc.culturalcare.com/program-information/kids-first.aspx

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Friday, September 18 at the Jamba Juice in Westlake Village on Agoura Road (next to Vons).

Looking forward to a really fun time as we all get together on our Sea Life Cruise on Sunday, August 16.  Please read the email I sent about what to wear and what to bring.   Directions to Island Packers at Channel Islands Harbor (Oxnard) are below.  Please make sure you go there (not to their other location!!).  See you Sunday, August 16, bright and early at 8:30 a.m.!!

On Sunday, July 26th, 25 local au pairs and their host families gathered to celebrate the traditional Swedish holiday of ‘Midsummer.’  We were able to enjoy this special day due to the generosity of Malka and Craig Chiate and the creativity of their Swedish au pair Linnea Ekblad.

Linnea and her host family came up with the idea when meeting with me, their Local Coordinator, on our Two Week Orientation.  We then planned a day of fun Midsummer’s activities, coupled with an American barbecue and swimming in the ‘fantasy’ pool at the Chiate’s home.  All who attended had a fantastic time!

It took quite a while to prepare for the event.  Craig Chiate and his sons spent many hours constructing a traditional Swedish Midsummer pole.   Craig said the construction was a fun project to share with his sons, ages 10, 7, 5 & 4.  Then, on the day of our event, our group’s 3 Swedish au pairs (Linnea with Annelie Bergmark & Ulrika Eden) gathered early to decorate the pole with leaves, vines and flowers.  As host families and guests arrived, each added their own flowers to make a truly lovely Midsummer Pole.  Ulrika commented that this was the first time she’d ever seen hibiscus on a one, calling it a Hawaiian or southern California touch!

Au pairs from other countries brought snacks, side dishes and desserts to supplement the wonderful barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs provided by the Chiates.  We feasted on Italian bruschetta, German potato salad and cheese biscuits, French quiche lorraine, Swedish meatballs, potatoes and locks and a variety of yummy desserts brought by au pairs from Czech Republic, Bosnia, Serbia, South Africa, Thailand, China, Venezuela & Argentina.

After some snacking and lunch, all gathered at the Midsummer Pole while our Swedish au pairs explained this ancient festival - a time where all gather to celebrate the Summer solstice, customarily on the longest day of the year when the sun never sets in Sweden.  This holiday rivals Christmas as a favorite in Sweden!  Host families, children and au pairs joined together performing traditional Swedish dancing and singing around the Midsummer’s Pole.  After all this excercise it was time for many to jump into the cool waters of the tropically designed swimming pool or grab a cold water or juice.  Finally, as the day ended we all knew that we had shared some very special times as we all departed with smiles on our faces!

Au Pairs, Children & Families Dance Around Midsummer Pole!

California Pool Party Style!

Date: Sunday July 26, 2009

Time: 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

MIDSUMMER CELEBRATION at 2:30 p.m.

Place: The Home of Malka & Craig Chiate

(please call or write emily davis - see below - for address)

Please bring:

• - Cut flowers, vines and/or leaves from your garden for decorating our Midsummer Pole
• - Swimsuits, sunscreen & towels
• - Your appetites & sense of fun!

Each au pair will bring:

• - A snack or dessert to share. Dishes from your home countries are welcome! (Please write to me and tell me what you’ll bring.)

The Chiates will be barbecuing hamburgers for all of us.  We are also providing water & soft drinks, plus a lifeguard for the pool area.

A little bit about the custom of Midsummer:

Midsummer is celebrated in June every year. It is a time when neighbors and relatives come together to celebrate the solstice. The Community comes together, and usually a committee makes the most arrangements before, but leaves the pole down on the ground. On the day, people coming help by bringing flowers to put on the pole, which then is raised by the “strongest men” (or all who want to help Afterwards, everyone comes together to dance and sing around the Midsummer Pole.

 For more information and to RSVP, please contact Local Childcare Coordinator Emily Davis at 818-414-7240 or via Email:  Emily.davis@lcc.culturalcare.com.  We look forward to seeing you there!

August Meeting will be an Adventure Meeting to the Channel Islands, August 16.

Blue and Humpback Whale Watching Tours, June - August
Two species of endangered whales, the blue and the humpback, find refuge in the nutrient rich waters of the Channel Islands National Park and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.

We’ll take a boat out to Santa Cruz Island and have a Guided Tour of this unspoiled natural preserve: Santa Cruz Island General Information
Santa Cruz Island is located about 20 miles from the mainland coast, and travel time from Ventura Harbor on one of our swift catamarans is only one hour to east Santa Cruz Island Scorpion Anchorage, or one hour and twenty minutes to Mid Santa Cruz Island Prisoners Harbor.  Being the largest Channel Island, Santa Cruz is also the most diverse with interesting geological features including two mountain ranges, many canyons and a rugged shoreline.  At least 600 plant species, well over 120 species of land birds including the endemic Island scrub jay, and a vast expanse of wilderness area exist for the curious to explore by land or sea. 

You’ll love this trip.  Save up so you can enjoy the day!

Save the date!

Host families and au pairs.  Save July 26 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

We’ll have a wonderful time at our Swedish Midsummers-American Barbecue/Pool Party, graciously hosted by the Chiate family in Calabasas.  More information will be posted later so stay tuned

A traditional Midsummer

Sunday June 14 at 5 p.m.

Lazer Star!  Let’s have some fun playing Lazer Tag!

$7 per game or $15 for unlimited Lazer Tag games PLUS arcade games.  Meeting at 5 p.m. at Lazer Star, 1775 Daily Dr. Camarillo, CA 93010

http://www.lazerstar.org/index.html

SATURDAY OR SUNDAY - JULY 25 OR 26 - Save the Date for a Swedish Midsummer Party!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 22 - to be announced