Gone with the Family

A D-Day Tour of Normandy with Kids

When we started planning our 9 day spring break trip to Paris my husband expressed a desire to day trip to Normandy in order to see Juno Beach where the Canadian troops came ashore during the D-Day invasion in 1944. Apart from the fact that it was going to be a lengthy trip (about 2.5 hours by car) in each direction, I was concerned that our 8 year old daughter, Emma, would be bored by the war sites.

Spring Bunnies at Disney

My daughters have been as obsessed as most kids with Disney and our family has spent a fair bit of time visiting the parks, however, I have realized that since starting this blog just over a year ago I haven't written very much about our Disney experiences.  We have been to Disney World six times since Katie was a baby for a grand total of 37 nights.  We have also spent a day at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, a day at Disneyland Paris and cruised the Disney Magic in the Western Caribbean for 7 nights.  Clearly it's an area that I have to ramp up on the blog!

Enjoying a Spring Day in Paris' Jardin des Tuileries

The centrally-located Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Gardens) is one of Paris' most visited gardens and one of the most kid-friendly spots in the city.  The gardens are located in the 1st arrondissement on the Right Bank and run between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde.  Catherine de Medicis first imagined the creation of a garden for the Tuileries Palace in 1564 and the design was later completed by André Le Notre who also designed the gardens at Versailles for Louis XIV.  The gardens became a public park some time after the French Revolution and the people of Paris have been enjoying them ever since.

My Travel Inspiration

EasyJet Holidays has started an Inspiration Initiative asking bloggers to talk about what inspires them to travel by sharing the Who, What, Where, and When of their travel inspiration.  Thank you to Mo Travels for tagging me to participate in this initiative. 

Our Parisian Adventure

Our spring break is about to start and we are heading off to Paris for 9 nights of exploring the City of Light.  We are staying at Résidence & Spa Le Prince Régent in the 6th arrondissement which, hopefully, will be convenient for seeing much of Paris on foot.  This is the first time to Paris for Katie and Emma and my husband and I haven't been there since our honeymoon almost 17 years ago.  When we first started planning this trip, my husband expressed some concern that there wasn't enough to do for a 9 day stay, however, I assured him that there was no shortage of things to do in Paris.  I now have quite a full itinerary sketched out and I'm hopeful that we can fit in everything we want to see and do.

International Women's Day - Women Are Persons

International Women's Day is celebrated annually on March 8th with events held around the world throughout the month of March to inspire women and celebrate their economic, political and social achievements.  The theme that the International Women's Day website has chosen for the 2012 celebration is Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures.  Thinking of International Women's Day and this particular theme causes me to reflect on the advancement of women's rights in our own country and how it affects my daughters. 

Visiting the McMichael Canadian Art Collection with Kids

One of the best art galleries in Canada can be found in the village of Kleinburg, just a short drive north of Toronto.  It's a great choice for families who want to experience an art gallery with their children as kids seem drawn to the landscape art (particularly if they have studied the Group of Seven in school); the gallery is not too large so it's easy to spend 2-3 hours and see the collection; there is great programming for families, particularly on weekends; and the extensive grounds and walking trails are a great way to burn off some energy while exploring outdoors.   

When Your Teen Grows Wings...

I didn't have the opportunity to travel when I was growing up but somehow was bitten by the travel bug anyway.  When I did start traveling I came to the realization fairly quickly that when I had kids I wanted to continue to travel - both to satisfy my wanderlust and to show them the world that I wanted them to feel at home in.  

Vigeland Park with Kids

Our family visited the beautiful city of Oslo, Norway while on a summer Baltic cruise, however, we had only a few hours in port and needed to make the most of a short stay.  We opted to use the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus for transportation in an attempt to move around the city and between attractions as efficiently as possible.  I had read a great deal about the Vigeland Sculpture Park and we decided that seeing it as well as the Nobel Peace Center would be our priorities for the day so as soon as we had disembarked we caught the HOHO and headed to Vigeland.