Family of Five!

The time has come to add another person to our household. No, no - I do not mean a BABY! What were you thinking?! (I don’t even have time for the dog that the kids keep asking for!) The term for our addition is au pair. As soon as Michael started interviewing in Charlotte, I did the proactive thing and started the process of finding someone I could count on to be there for Delia and Andrew 24/7. No other option, unless there are elementary boarding schools. (I think they call them orphanages!) I need to be able to travel for Red House whenever, and had to assume that Michael would be gone part of the time too. As it turns out, he’s already away on a project for the bank – all week. Good thing I’m home right now. In fact, today I’m literally home, cleaning out the refuse from Natalie’s room. By tomorrow it will be spotless, every last cigarette butt and beer bottle gone, because someone is moving in!

The au pair I found sounds great, really ideal, but I had to interview eight candidates before I found the qualities I was looking for. And even if she is perfect, I can’t get too comfortable because this is only a one-year program, after which she’ll return home to continue her education. Once home, she will probably want to gather her friends and classmates around the campfire to extol the virtues of Napa. And over time, she will unlearn whatever bad habits she might have picked up crossing paths with Natalie. Let’s not even think about that right now!

Here are a few highlights from my phone interviews with a few of the runners up:

Irina from Ukraine: Seemed a little too disappointed that Napa wasn’t a suburb of L.A. Sorry, Iri, weekends clubbing in Hollywood are not an option.

Marta from Costa Rica: Very close to graduating from college and didn’t sound serious about committing to a whole year. And why would a Petroleum Engineer want to be an au pair anyway?

Neha from India: Does not drive, which is not what it said on her application!

Kirsten from Norway: She cried! I asked what her biggest fear was if she took the job and she said missing her family. (Next year I’ll check to see if she’s available, and whether she’s outgrown the apron strings – I liked her otherwise.)

And the winner is (drum roll!) ---- Kat from Scotland! I liked her accent. Well, and she just sounded really bubbly, capable and kid-oriented. Even better: she wants to be a Child Psychologist. That should be handy with our man Andrew and his kindergarten antics! And how about the cultural advantages of having someone from another country around?! She can teach us about the history of clans, plaids, moors, golf and single malts. And cook oats and haggis! (Or not…) And hmmm… I wonder if Kat might like dogs. What better time, right? I won’t spring that idea on her right away!