My husband and I tried for five months before we conceived our daughter. Those five months were filled with a lot of anticipation, a lot of stress and a lot of heartbreak as each month passed.
Then we got pregnant.
I know how fortunate we are. For many Canadian couples, fulfilling the dream of having a child is not so easy. Read more…
Who doesn’t love breakfast in bed? I, for one, am delighted to be surprised with this treat (okay, not really surprised as I am usually woken up by the chaos ensuing downstairs as my husband and children prepare breakfast for me). Sure, there’s usually crumbs and a kid inevitably spills milk or coffee, but who cares, right? Every once in a while, we deserve to be spoiled…and if it’s a day where I’m getting spoiled, I’m not cleaning up anyway! Read more…
We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming this week to bring you what may or may not be a ridiculous rental property here in Vancouver. This one was brought to my attention by one of my twitter compadres.
The Craigslist ad reads:
Hmmm…intriguing. I haven’t rented in a while, but I’m guessing that $899 is reasonable – is it?
Here’s what it looks like:
Nice big windows, hardwood floors…and is that exposed brick I see? Very funky, indeed. Read more…
I am the maid (I can’t get on board with MATRON) of honour at my cousin’s upcoming wedding this weekend. When deciding on what to do for her bridal shower, I wanted to go a a little outside the box, and beyond just silly games and cake.
I decided to do a southern style shower (she’s moving away down south, so I thought this would be a fun theme).
Here’s how it went down. Read more…
This year’s EAT Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival will feature an all-Canadian star lineup on the Food Network Celebrity Stage including: Spice Goddess Bal Arneson, Anna Olson of Bake with Anna Olson, Chef Chuck Hughes of Chuck’s Week Off, and Vancouver’s own Iron Chef: America winner and Food Concept Architect for Cactus Club Restaurants, Chef Rob Feenie
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Heather Hansen is a married mother of two and an allied health professional living in the Greater Vancouver area. She is the author of www.motheryourbusiness.com where she writes about her business of being born a mother.
In possibly some of the worst “advice” I’ve seen someone give to first time buyers, mortgage broker James DuVuyst tells Abodable.com readers to get while the gettin’s good here in Vancouver. Ugh. Stuff like this really irritates me. Not only is it bad advice, but it’s dangerous. People are already buying and living beyond their means. Having “experts” tell them to strike while the iron’s hot, because there are still bargains to be had, seems irresponsible.
Here’s DuVuyst’s rationale for why young Vancouverites should jump on the bandwagon (is there even a bandwagon to jump on anymore??):
Interest rates are SOOOO low
Interest Rates are at all-time lows and they keep dropping depending on the lender and program. Currently, right now, you can get a 5 year mortgage, high ratio (20% or less down) at 2.79%. That’s amazing considering in 2010 rates were at 3.69% and creeping into the 4% range. This allows first time buyers who choose a 5 year term to be qualified at 2.79% on a 25 year amortization. What this does is extend your purchasing power (assuming you have the minimum 5% down). Because of this, first time buyers can qualify in a higher price range, allowing them to enter into the expensive Vancouver market. I mentioned in a previous blog to think about increasing interest rates and how it affects your budget. Don’t overextend, but always keep the thought in the back of your head, “if rates were to increase by 1% how would this affect me?” Look into the future and plan!!! Read more…
A world-renowned festival of performing arts for young audiences, the Vancouver International Children’s Festival has been educating, entertaining and inspiring young audiences since 1978. I remember going to this event as a child (with my school, parents and friends) and have fond memories of the shows, activities and treats I enjoyed there. I am so delighted that this festival continues to flourish and am excited to attend with my own children each year.
The festival is running this year from May 27th to June 2nd.
I am delighted to offer a Family 4-Pack of Activity Wristbands, which can be used to access the World of Art in the festival’s Granville Island activity zone.
To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me your favourite thing about the Vancouver International Children’s Festival. For extra entries, follow the directions in the Rafflecopter form below. Winner will be notified on May 18th.
Happy Mother’s Day to all my fellow mamas out there. Every once in a while we all feel like we are failing as mothers. The images below will assure you that you are, in fact, not…unless, of course, you have done any of these things.
Read more…We’re almost halfway across Canada!! This week we’re in Ontario and, for the sake of keeping the comparisons in one area, I’m going to focus on Toronto.
First up is this gorgeous home for just over $2 million:
Located in Central Toronto near some of the city’s esteemed private schools (woo hoo!), this classic home has 6 bedrooms, a big family room, modern kitchen with breakfast area, spacious master suite with 6 piece bath, and a finished basement with nanny suite!
