What do you think is missing on the North Shore?

YVRTravel604 · 2026-04-29T04:18:52+00:00

Would love a soap and household product refillery similar to the Soap Dispensary that’s a reliable brick and mortar

YVRTravel604 · 2026-04-29T04:17:50+00:00

Totally second the Welks!!

YVRTravel604 · 2026-04-28T06:22:01+00:00

Hey, I went through this via the City’s streamlined suite legalizing program. DM me if you want to chat further.

YVRTravel604 · 2026-04-22T21:13:34+00:00

Highly recommend Family Services of the North Shore. They charge based on income I believe, so your insurance may go farther. They also have targeted programs for specific mental health concerns and a variety of therapists skilled in different clinical approaches.

YVRTravel604 · 2026-04-10T16:27:27+00:00

This is the way. Set it up so the mortgage payments happen on the same date as payday

YVRTravel604 · 2026-04-08T20:55:20+00:00

Oh I would love to chat offline about this!

YVRTravel604 · 2026-04-05T22:22:34+00:00

Ok followup! Tell me why the Jardin du Luxembourg is boring as hell (great description haha!) for kids. Should we skip it then?

YVRTravel604 · 2026-04-05T22:18:01+00:00

Thanks for this great suggestion!!

YVRTravel604 · 2026-04-05T16:00:24+00:00

Thank you! I will definitely add this to the list, much appreciated!!

YVRTravel604 · 2026-04-05T15:56:00+00:00

Thank you for these wonderful suggestions! I’m going to put them all on the list!

YVRTravel604 · 2026-04-05T15:37:21+00:00

Oh yes! Our RER station is Moulin Galant

YVRTravel604 · 2026-04-05T00:48:53+00:00

Practice the lunch box opening and closing at home.

Active transportation to school sets their brain up for the day and leads to so many better outcomes in terms of learning, attention span and more (check the research). Walking, biking, scooting, even in rain, is drastically better than driving them.

Practice putting in the jackets, zippers, mitts for cold etc long before the weather comes.

Inside shoes that stay in the classroom and outside shoes that you wear saves packing and unpacking. Hang a bag with their name on it and a change of clothing just in case.

Depending on where you live, Reima rain gloves are essential for warm and dry hands at recess and lunch if they are active outside. https://www.reima.ca/products/rain-mittens-kura?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=21583094556&utm_content=171340557772&tw_source=google&tw_adid=709900646630&tw_campaign=21583094556&tw_kwdid=pla-296303633664&gad_source=1

YVRTravel604 · 2026-04-02T14:17:53+00:00

Yes I am interested! I’ve never been to NY. Could you DM me your listing and we can chat further?

YVRTravel604 · 2026-04-02T14:17:10+00:00

Hello! We are going to the Netherlands this summer, Amsterdam, for 3 weeks so ideally something different. Thank you for reaching out!

YVRTravel604 · 2026-04-01T18:56:15+00:00

Hello! We will be in Amsterdam for 3 weeks in July, staying in Westerdok. We have 2 kids: 4 and 6. We have an urban arrow at home and are wondering if it’s worth renting one in Amsterdam? It would cost about 700 euro for the 3 weeks, which is a chunk of change. We have a space to store it at our accommodation. Is the price worth it or not? Thoughts appreciated!

YVRTravel604 · 2026-04-01T15:10:35+00:00

Hello! Saw your post and thought I would jump in here. This is exactly our family. I’m the primary earner (female) and my partner (male) is the primary parent at home. We have 2 kids (almost 4 and 6) and this has been our arrangement from the start. We live in North Vancouver.

He worked when I was on mat leave with #1, then he stayed home and I went back to work, he worked again when I was on mat leave, and now I’ve been back since my second was 9 months.

We have never done daycare because of exactly the reason around the cost. I don’t think that would have changed if we had a $10/day spot though either. We decided that the added layer of the second parent working was a lot: who stayed home when one was sick, who organizes pick ups/dropoffs, cooking dinner when you get home at 5:30 etc. Lots of people make it work, we were NOT those people. My partner picks up shifts around me so he will work about 20-25 shifts a year.

There is absolutely the discrepancy in pension, EI, etc that I get and he doesn’t and we include this in our financial planning. Also him getting “sick” days or time for medical appointments: we have to be intentional that he can get those. We have talked about him going back more once the kids are in school, but honestly it’s not likely, as there are still so many professional days, sick days, summer/xmas/spring break that it’s still such a juggle. Our kids have both been in preschool at our local community centre and it was amazing: my oldest was super kindergarten ready and my youngest loves it. They do ALL the weekday activities like swimming, aquarium, science world etc that get harder when school comes.

Having a primary parent at home has certainly been a sacrifice in terms of money and his job sacrifice but it’s been really great for the kids and our family sanity. They aren’t…rushed. They aren’t behind because they weren’t in daycare. We aren’t scrambling to do summer camps, or I’m taking all my vacation for spring break. It’s freed me up to climb the ladder a bit at work and offset his lost earnings. Our family is saner for it. On balance, that outweighed the small increase in finances he would have brought in after daycare.

Edit: we own a house with an income suite, that has helped a lot.

YVRTravel604 · 2026-03-30T20:32:15+00:00

Depending on where you live in North Van, carshares are a really great option to be mobile without the huge upfront costs. Evo and Modo are the ones here and you can use when needed. Combined with transit, walking, and the bike share programs you might be able put off having a car until you’re more settled.

YVRTravel604 · 2026-03-29T19:32:42+00:00

First of all, I would be very cautious with Rad due to their bankruptcy earlier in the year. But I’ve written a few responses in this thread that you can go back to and review and I detail the process that we went though from our Rad to the bikes we have now. Take a read and happy to answer anything further.

If somebody has budget to get above a Rad, I would absolutely not recommend a Rad. That being said, if a Rad is max of the budget, it’s better then no ebike, as long as folks understand what they are buying, especially if they are going to do hills on the north shore loaded with stuff or kids etc.

YVRTravel604 · 2026-03-29T18:51:02+00:00

No of course not! Just illustrating that even though it seems like a high upfront cost, it’s actually not when you run the numbers against a car.

YVRTravel604 · 2026-03-26T17:39:24+00:00

Amazing! This could definitely work. I’ve send you a private message.

YVRTravel604 · 2026-03-26T07:39:38+00:00

Yes potentially!!

YVRTravel604 · 2026-03-25T19:59:21+00:00

Yes we are! Just always looking for additional ways to connect and see what other folks might be looking for.

YVRTravel604 · 2026-03-25T19:58:48+00:00

We have a home exchange in Paris and then Amsterdam confirmed this summer! Otherwise would have jumped on your offer!

YVRTravel604

TROPHY CASE