When I got home from work on Friday, I noticed Jackson (6) had left some art work on the fridge…
The best part though, was the message on the back…
Translation if you need it: “I’m pretty sure you’ll like this, Mom”.
…and as a matter of fact, I do;)
I have long been a believer that real estate prices will go down. Really.far.down.
I’m sure the fact that I’m a renter accentuates that belief, but the math is just not computing. Prices have gone up too far too fast, the mortgage-to-rent ratio is completely out of whack, and household incomes are not increasing.
When the topic comes up, I’m never really good at explaining why I believe so strongly that the bubble is going to burst. Thankfully, now I don’t have to. Check out this post from a local real estate blogger. He has obviously spent hours putting together these graphs and charts and making it all look pretty clear…
Check it out here.
PS - click on the graphs to make them bigger
So this year, we wanted to plan another quick getaway after Christmas. We bounced around some ideas with the kids. Victoria, Seattle, Whistler…of course there are lots of options. But the convenience of being able to get to our destination in 15 minutes, combined with the fact that hanging out in downtown Vancouver is a pretty fun way to spend a few nights…brought us right back to the Palisades.
Sometimes it’s tough to recreate the magic of an event the second time around, but this year’s trip did that with flying colors. I think it’s partly because the kids are a little older now and are becoming more fun and less work all the time. We dined out more than last year…Hon’s for Chinese (and I use the word “dine” loosely for that place…but definitely a fun experience for the kids), great sushi down the street and dinner and breakfast at Zin’s (located right in the hotel). Have you ever eaten at Zin’s? The food is outstanding, the presentation is lovely and the staff is wonderful…completely friendly and welcoming to the kids.
During our stay, we went for a long walk down Robson street…in the pouring rain with 5 umbrellas, snuck in a trip to Science World, swam in the hotel, stayed up late and slept in (a little).
Next time you’re stuck as to where to go with limited time, don’t forget about your own city. It could prove to be a great family adventure.
I actually wrote this at this time last year, but we ended up having a similar adventure this year, so I thought I’d post this now…with part 2 coming soon…
We had planned on going to Whistler for a few days over the holidays, but when that fell through, I needed a back-up plan in a hurry. I came up with something that seemed kind of strange at first. I booked us a getaway to…downtown Vancouver! Yep - just a 15-minute drive from home. Not even enough time for fights in the car!
Kids love hotels, so really, you can have a great time in one whether you’re on the other side of town or the other side of the world. If you’ve got elevators, a pool and ice machines, it doesn’t really matter where you are. There are a few must-haves in a hotel when traveling with kids….one for me is definitely a kitchenette. It’s nice to be able to do at least one meal/day at “home”. Another necessity – an extra bedroom! Sitting in the dark after the kids fall asleep isn’t ideal, so if you get a suite, the kids go in the bedroom and you can stay up past 8.
I soon discovered that what I was looking for was not so easy to find in Vancouver. That was until I came across The Pacific Palisades. It had it all…a kitchenette, extra bedroom and a pool – yeah!
To say the staff was outstanding is an understatement. They were friendly and helpful and so nice to the kids…even inviting them to the wine and cheese (and juice) reception. Which is where we received what would become one of the highlights of the weekend…the card for complimentary Haagen Daz…delivered to our door! Yippee!
We ended up having the time of our lives. We shopped Robson Street, ate out in the hotel at Zin (YUMMY), swam lots and rode the elevators. It was a fantastic spur-of-the-moment getaway that my kids are still talking about.
Here’s one of the boys waiting for that tub of Haagen Daz…
First off…I’m back. I’m going to try really hard to continue my blog on a regular basis. It’s a time-zapper though, that’s for sure!
My son Jacob (8) is in hockey for the first time. It’s been a bit of a challenge for him as most of the kids he plays with have been playing for a few years already. He has taken that challenge with flying colors though…bouncing out of bed at 6am on the weekends, smile on his face, and getting fully dressed himself before waking Steve up.
He played in his first tournament over the holidays and on December 28th at 3:57 of the first period…HE SCORED HIS FIRST GOAL! Yippee!
It seems the fruit flies are worse than ever this year, which I assume is from the masses of rotting garbage collecting around Vancouver homes. When I woke up one morning to a cloud of them around my banana bunch, I knew something had to be done.
A quick Google search and I have found the perfect solution…
Take a small cup or glass (I used baby bottles since I’ve got a whack of them that I don’t need anymore) and add cider vinegar or wine (I imagine there are a number of liquids that would work…I used cooking sherry since I had some in the cupboard that hasn’t been touched in years). Put Saran Wrap over the top and make a few holes. The fruit flies go in…but they can’t get out! Kind of morbid, but it beats having dirt with wings swarming about…
My husband Steve is a piano player (and a really amazing one if I may say so myself) :) Yesterday, Angela Kelman and the rest of her band were over at our place for a rehearsal for a show they’re doing this weekend.
I took Jackson (5) and Jayla (2) downstairs to listen to the band (not a bad way to spend a morning at home!) Jayla just wanted to dance, but Jackson chose to lay on the floor with his eyes closed and really take it in. He opened his eyes after a few songs and whispered to me…
“Mom, when I hear this music I feel like I can do anything!”
I had a boss once that used to take care of “housekeeping” at the end of meetings. I always liked that term.
First off…I had said I would write about my travels this summer after the 12 loads of laundry. Well, the laundry is finally done, but the travel blogs are not. When I got back from Christina Lake, I found out I’d be doing the morning show for the next month. So, my focus has been on getting to bed early enough to feel somewhat normal when the alarm goes off at 4…and trying to be coherent for my kids in the afternoon. And that’s it. There really isn’t time for much else.
The strike continues in Vancouver. For those of us that live right in Vancouver, it’s a stinky situation. There’s not a whole lot of news in that dept. but you can always go to www.vancouver.ca for strike info.
Kids go back to school next Tuesday. Is it just me, or does time keep going faster each year? I seem to recall the summers lasting forever…
Tomorrow is my last day filling in for Fred & Cathy. I can’t believe how much I’ve enjoyed it. Yes, the 4am alarm is nasty, but by 4:05 it’s all good. THANK YOU so much to everyone who took the time to call in or post here on the blog with comments of support and encouragement. I really, really appreciate it… :)
The technical problems have been fixed!
If you tried to enter Fleetwood Mac this morning and were told “Sorry, you’re wrong!”, you will now be able to enter it again. You’ll be rewarded your 500 points (it’s pure pleasure Tuesday), an entry into our Mexican Destination Showcase, and a chance at $1000 cash from Capital Direct to pay down your credit card.
Thanks for your patience and sorry for causing you a little stress this mornin’!
There was a Telus line cut at Cambie and Broadway yesterday which knocked out all of our computers. While most of our technology is back up and running, there are no phones into the control room. I’m filling in for Fred & Cathy…if there’s something you’d like to say in the morning…feel free to leave it here…just click “comments”.
