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18 May 2023
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Hi! I'm Brittany - nice to meet you! We are an awesome family of 5+2, so I'm looking for someone to come help me keep my house from burning down - just kidding!! I'm needing help with the general daily tasks of keeping our home running: laundry, meal prep, cleaning, etc (more on that in the section below).
First things....
- we're only looking for female Workawayers at this time
- you have to be ok with kids - they're always around
- preference given to Spanish-speakers - I especially want to hear from you!!
- looking for a longer-term arrangement, but our intent is to offer lots of flexibility (more on that below).
Here's what our 5+2 family looks like....
The 5: Nathan, my husband & fantastic other half, works long shifts 4 days/week and is gone before our kids are even up in the mornings. Speaking of kids, we have 3 (ages 12, 7, and 5), and I'm juggling the awesome craziness of working from home while also homeschooling them. We've been in the homeschooling world for 4+ years now, and we love the flexibility it gives us - and it keeps us busy! We're often off at soccer, community classes, playdates, or other things. Fridays are our designated "Family day" each week, where we aim to play games, go out on an adventure and unplug from devices. You're very welcome to join us! Sundays we're at church for the morning (I work for our church), and you're of course welcome to join us and meet tonnes of people, but that's entirely up to your preference.
The 2: My parents! They live in our basement suite, which is entirely their own space (which you're not responsible for). We have an awesome relationship and they'll definitely be a part of who you'll get to know and be around. We laugh a LOT! Nathan cooks breakfasts on Friday/Saturday mornings, and It's guaranteed that as soon as my dad smells bacon, he shows up upstairs.
A few things about us:
- Our daughters and I are all in Spanish classes online! This is a big part of our weeks, and a huge passion of mine! I spent 6 months in Costa Rica before I had kids, and I absolutely fell in love with Latin American culture! If you speak Spanish, I'd especially love to hear from you! We'd love to practice our Spanish with you (and be just as happy to have you practice English with us, if you're looking for that)!
- Nathan is a wicked cook! The nights where he cooks, you will be in for a treat! He loves to tinker with mechanics, whether that be our vehicles, our son's remote control truck (after our son breaks it) or helping out friends or his employees.
- I love to read (if I ever get the time) and I love the sunshine!! If it's sunny, you will find me sitting outside (even if I'm working) soaking in all the rays I can get. Nothing beats the first coffee of the morning out on the patio with the sun beating down.
- things our kids are into: arts/crafts, painting, Marvel, cooking/baking, Star Wars, Harry Potter, music, swimming (we have a pool for the hot days!), sitting outside by the fire on our patio. You're not required to babysit, but if you've still got workaway hours left I'd love it if you hung out with the kids while I finished up work.
- due to the nature of my husband's job, we're very selective about pictures of our kids online, and we don't post pictures of our kids on social media platforms. Of course, as you'd be part of our family, you're welcome to take pics of your time and the memories you're building here - we all do it - pictures are precious! But we'd ask that you not post any online with their faces showing. This would be a non-negotiable aspect of your staying with us. Happy to elaborate on my husband’s job if we end up chatting :)
-we have 4 cats!! They are amazingly patient and good-natured, especially considering that our son is always carrying them around! They are ridiculous and hilarious, and each have their own distinct personalities, but they're all very personable.
- Wine and margaritas go hand-in-hand with summer BBQs, but we have no heavy drinking on the property. We have small kids, and keeping their home world stable is a must.
- absolutely no drugs/smoking allowed on the property. Not only do we have young children, but my Mom has significant health (autoimmune) challenges with her lungs, so we're very careful to protect her that way.
- we are prone to breaking out in random dance parties, and I now take great enjoyment in embarrassing my 12 year old with my 'mom' dance moves! (If you actually know how to salsa, cha-cha, tango, or anything like that, my moves need some serious help - feel free to laugh at my expense.)
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Staying with us offers a few different things:
1) Experiencing true Canadian daily life with the added bonus of being in an intergenerational home.
2) Chilliwack is part of the "Lower Mainland," and is one of the most sought-after and outdoorsy communities in Canada! If you love the great outdoors, this is the place to be. There are countless mountains, lakes, rivers, trails, walks and adventures to be had. In the summer we particularly love the river as well as a couple of the local farms that have various attractions (corn maze, games, blueberry picking, etc). In Winter months we are central to several ski/snowboarding mountains within an hour in any direction. There are also lots of outdoor clubs/groups you can join, too, which is another great way to meet lots of local people.
3) We are very much wanting to learn about your culture, too, and share experiences together. Even better if we can help one another with English / Spanish! We'd love to experience our own community through your eyes. If there are things you'd like to do, we'd love to hear it and be a part of some of those things too!
4) We are flexible! Because I work from home/we homeschool, we are open to shifting things around to make sure you can take advantage of local opportunities as well. We want this to be mutually beneficial!
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
I'm looking for help keeping my house together!
-laundry: a load a day is a huge help!
-putting together the fruit/veggie tray in the mornings
-general tidying. You will *not* be responsible for babysitting our kids (our eldest is more than capable), but creative play would be great! I do need help keeping up with them! Our kids have daily chores and they are expected to clean up after themselves, but sometimes the two younger ones need help tidying up their stuff.
-cleaning the bathrooms
-washing dishes
-meal prepping 5 suppers for the week (can be done in advance). We'd love to try foods from your home country, and if you are an avid cook and want to create meals out of your own imagination, you're welcome to it! Or if you'd like more direction then I'm happy to supply you with recipes/plans. While none of us are vegetarians, we have no problem having vegetarian meals if that's an accommodation you're looking for/are comfortable making, and we'll ensure there are vegetarian options for you during your stay. You are not responsible for grocery shopping, so if there's something you'll need for a recipe then just let me know. We share supper duties with my parents, so we prepare 5 per week, they prepare 1, and the 7th day of the week we do separately. They usually just come up to grab their food and eat on their own time as they're also super busy. If you're not going to be home for supper I can cook the meal - I'm just needing all the prep work to be done so that I can focus on the kids/work during the day.
Max 5 hours/day, 4 days/week (3 days off!). Preferably Monday -Thursday, but we're flexible on that if a local opportunity comes up that you want to be a part of (ie: a weekday event). As far as the hours, you could do it all in the mornings, or you could break it up throughout the day. As long as dinner is prepped (dishes cleaned up) and the fruit/veggie tray is done in the morning, I’m happy to be flexible with how you do the hours each day. Laundry is always there ;)
You're of course welcome to still hang out with us outside of the workaway hours!
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
My daughters and I are all in online Spanish classes and would love the opportunity to practice at home with a Spanish speaker! Please - correct us! :) and we’re happy to help with English if you’d like!
Accommodation
You'll have a large private bedroom downstairs with two big wardrobes, a couch, bed, and desk. The massive window makes it bright and airy. The shared bathroom is upstairs where you'll have your own large drawer for your own items. The wifi is strong throughout the house.
You're welcome to help yourself to the food in the fridge/cupboards, and you're also welcome to join us for any/all meals! Breakfast and lunch are a usually a mix of fend-for-yourself and relaxed snacking. Dinner, however, is where we put our emphasis and make a priority to come together and sit down as a family and catch up. We also enjoy playing board or card games in the evenings, and we'd love for you to join us as much as you'd like to!
What else ...
Adding to the benefits of our area listed above, in Chilliwack we are also really fortunate to be close to many major attractions in both our city and in other communities....:
-Cultus Lake Waterpark & Adventure Park: 15 mins
-Vancouver City: approx 1 hour
-Whistler: 2 hours
-Vancouver Island: approx 4-6 hours (with Ferry)
-The Okanagan: approx 3 hours
The eBus has daily routes all over the Lower Mainland, the Okanagan, and Vancouver areas.
We're also 20 minutes away from the USA/Canada border, and depending on what your VISA allows, these could be some great trips for you too....:
-Seattle, WA: 2-3 hours (traffic depending)
-Portland, OR: 6 hours
-Mt Baker, WA: 1.5 hours
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
One
Hours expected
Max 5 hours/day, 4 days/week (3 days off!). Preferably Monday -Thursday, but can be flexible.
