Canadian Moms & Moms to be!

[Maggs]

Thanks maggs I really was just wondering how high eff they actually are LOL... I really like rads in rooms... LOL... they are the best for drying apple slices and stuff

Toms only concern was that they would be hot to the touch for the kids. But he seemed to think that what the house said it was was some really great special heating system lol

You don't actually see that many for sale here that are brand new gas boilers either so it isnt something I know much about.

Off to work for a couple days! I get the weekend off and then for 2 weeks I am going to be working crazy shifts... not looking forward to that I will probably die before its over lol. I figured out that I will need to work until the end of June if I want my top up to carry on until xmas... I don't think im going to make it working that far though. I already want to quit LOL.... gotta get past taxes and birthday stickers and stuff though.

When do you have to go back to work maggs???? I know all that stuff is super stressful

As far as effeciency goes, I can't really comment on how cheap it is because heating & electricity is through the roof here! We pay a fortune for it and we barely have it on. But even gas is like that too. We have these radiators...

https://www.wickes.co.uk/double-universal-radiator/invt/205134/

Which are just slightly more modern looking than the ones in that house. There are dials on the side that you can turn down the heat output from 1-5 so when it's on it's lowest setting, heat is still coming out but it's fine enough to touch. When it's on 5, it's roasting! It wouldn't burn their skin but it would certainly be close. You have to bleed the air out of the radiators every few weeks too. We don't have our heating on much, because of the cost of it. So the chance of Jack touching it when he's older is pretty slim. It's usually only on morning & evening and only in the colder months. We keep the thermostat set and it just comes off and on through the day.

I'm due back to work mid-June, Jack will be nearly 9 months old at the time. I'm only part time and I always thought we'd let my sis-in-law watch him but now I'm having my doubts about it. Childcare is so expensive so I need to figure out the most I can work and pay the littlest amount of childcare possible. So if that means working mostly evenings & weekends when my husband is around, then so be it.

I'd love to move back to Canada after seeing the price of that house though! Holy crap! We always said we might move back when my stepson is old enough to be off to college. He's 12 this fall. For we pay for this house, we could easily have a house twice the size and 30 acres of land with it too!! LOL Oh, I looked at your journal briefly too and I see your Jasmine shares the same b'day as my stepson! And Peyton was due on my birthday but was born the week later LOL

 

[Maggs]

Oh and a side note to that, I go back to work only for a month then have a month off as I'm going to Nova Scotia from about mid-July to mid-August. My Mom is coming over to spend a week and a half or so then fly back with me. Then about 2 weeks after I get there, DH is flying over so he'll get 2 weeks there too.

 

[Sarahkka]

Maggs - the rural Ontario houses are so pretty and AFFORDABLE!!!! It's kind of lucky that most houses in Calgary are so ugly that we haven't even been tempted to buy here. Because ugly and silly expensive aren't a good combination...
We were sorely tempted to see what kind of work husband could get in Goderich when we saw what all those beautiful old farmhouses cost out there.

Quiet morning here. Have a few quick chores to do, then off to the science centre, I think. It is supposed to be gorgeous and warm out, so I think I will bring the mud gear along for a walk.

 

[Newt4]

I know what you mean Sarah. Its so dam expensive here. Doesn't help that there is another economic boom on the rise. Bigger than the 2009 one. Good for my husbands job I guess.

 

[Maggs]

Maggs - the rural Ontario houses are so pretty and AFFORDABLE!!!! It's kind of lucky that most houses in Calgary are so ugly that we haven't even been tempted to buy here. Because ugly and silly expensive aren't a good combination...
We were sorely tempted to see what kind of work husband could get in Goderich when we saw what all those beautiful old farmhouses cost out there.

Quiet morning here. Have a few quick chores to do, then off to the science centre, I think. It is supposed to be gorgeous and warm out, so I think I will bring the mud gear along for a walk.

It's the same in the Maritimes as well. If we move back eventually, we could be anywhere in Canada but unlikely we'd be in the Maritimes as DH works in the aviation business so he'd probably find a job in either Ontario or out west. Unless he gives that up altogether and just does whatever.

 

[Sarahkka]

Newt - how was your hot date with Tony?
I had a rest day yesterday and get to see his smarmy face again tonight for a romantic evening of working on my chest, arms, and back....

You know what is interesting about the projected boom, though?
In terms of real estate, mortgages are tighter than they were last time, and more reforms are expected. Lots of places are anticipating another rush as buyers try to get in before Flaherty tightens the credit flow. And I jump on mls every few weeks to check out stuff in our neighbourhood and I have to say, there are a LOT of places that haven't moved in a few months. I think that there aren't a lot of people left to get in the real estate game (we're at a record high for home ownership in Canada at 70%), and those left are going to have a much harder time buying something they can't afford because the 0/40 is gone. Or they are like me and have done the math and concluded that renting is just so much cheaper? (depending on situation, of course)

 

[Sarahkka]

Just realized that my description of my hot date with Tony sounded slightly dirty... We all know I'm talking lifting weights and doing push-ups, right?

 

[Melissa_M]

Sure sure Sarah

Our house was pretty expensive for what it is. We had to pay a premium though because it's one of the pieces of the monopoly DH's family has going on the neighborhood haha. There are six houses in the immediate neighborhood and his family owns five.

 

[Sarahkka]

Does this mean that you are surrounded by his family, Melissa?
Or did they buy them up as investment properties?
Well, block parties would be like family reunions, which would be fun!

 

[Sarahkka]

Oh dear.
Enjoying my cup of coffee and the sunshine streaming through the window and not at all motivated to get the vacuuming done or the laundry or the dishes.
I am such a crap housewife.
Lady of leisure - now there I excel!

 

[Melissa_M]

Screw the housework!! I'm enjoying tea while both girls are napping and ignoring the dishes in the sink

And yes, I'm surrounded by his family haha. We live next door to BIL, his wife and two kids, then two houses down is SIL and her husband, and across the road are the parents-in-law. The other house is a weekly rental in the summer with a barn that was transformed into a reception hall.
I actually love it. His parents are farmers so his mom doesn't work much in the winter and therefore gets bored and wants to watch the kids as much as we'll allow her. BIL's two kids are the same age as Alia and Joni so we can have lots of play dates, andthere are also many advantages to living on a farm

 

[Sarahkka]

That sounds awesome!
I get along really well with all of our families, so that kind of arrangement would be great, I think!
There are times when I am really glad that we have the space we do, but also lots of times when I think how nice it would be to have more access to cousins and grandparents!

 

[Melissa_M]

We have a giant side yard so next door is far enough that I don't feel too close haha

 

[readynwilling]

hi all!

thanks for J's birthday wishes it was a great day. she had her check up this morning and has dropped major in height %iles but the dr doesnt seem overly worried, although it worries me...

hope you all have a great day, its crummy weather here

 

[Sarahkka]

Oh poor Sara!
Try not to worry - kidlets can really accordion as they grow. Simon has been so skinny a few times! Remember to look at the baby, not just the chart - if she's otherwise healthy, happy, energetic, etc - then keep an eye on it but try not to fret. (easier said than done, I know!)

 

[readynwilling]

im not stressing too much but it would be nice to not have it nag in the back of my mind... but i did tell the dr she's only been eating properly for a month or so now... so she could have fallen behind, but will surely catch up now that she's eating the babysitter out of house and home LOL

 

[Newt4]

No I had to take a break yesterday but I also have a hot sweaty date with Tony tonight lol.

We paid a lot for our house as we were in competition. We don't pay that much for mortgage though as we made a very good investment in our first house. We pay less than rent would be on a house this size.

 

[Newt4]

Sara- I'm sure it's just a stall before a growth spurt.

 

[BlackBerry25]

hi all!

thanks for J's birthday wishes it was a great day. she had her check up this morning and has dropped major in height %iles but the dr doesnt seem overly worried, although it worries me...

hope you all have a great day, its crummy weather here

Elliot dropped too, but the nurse said if they look happy and fine...that they are just that!

 

[Sarahkka]

Yeah, as first-time home buyers, we're kind of screwed unless prices come back in line with incomes. Which they have with a vengeance in the States and many places in Europe. It is really regional, but the IMF went on record a few weeks ago saying that in general, Canada's housing market is at an overvaluation of 10%, possibly more. And a lot of other international analysts are predicting that Canada is next for a major correction. It comes down to debt and the historic relationship between income and house cost. Throughout history, it has always returned to the mean of housing costing 3.5 times the household income. Banks used to base lending on that mean - that's how dependable it has been over time.
So in places like Vancouver, Toronto, and Calgary, where the average cost of a single family house is now anywhere from 5.5 - 8 times the average household income, there are classic bubble conditions (the USA was at 4.5 overall when their real estate crash happened).
For us, it just comes down to that affordability. We can carry the cost of owning if the house is around that 3x income marker, but when we see what that buys (~$300-350k for us) in the areas where we want to live.... we just save so much money by renting. It is really hard to justify as we would essentially have to live somewhere much less desirable for way more money. This way, we get to save and have a better lifestyle. It would be really nice to have more say over things like putting in a dishwasher, or doing some painting, but for now, the money wins out over the nesting for me!
And maybe the price correction will put something we like back in our price range. We've seen drops (some big ones) in areas that we'd like to live, so who knows?
In the meantime, life goes on!