Gone with the Family

The Village des Bories in Gordes

The Village des Bories, located a short distance outside the trendy Luberon hill town of Gordes, was one of the more unique places we visited while vacationing in Provence.  

Belle and the Beast

The theme for Disney (Almost) Wordless Wednesday this week is the letter "B".

Canadian Summer Vacations

It's that time of year again when schools are closing their doors for summer break and families are planning vacations.  Haven't booked a family vacation yet?  Don't panic - there's still time to plan a fabulous holiday for your family without leaving Canada and I have a few suggestions to get you started.

Mickey Mouse Through The Years

Mickey Mouse is the character created by Walt Disney, and introduced in the animated cartoon Steamboat Willie in 1928, who has since become the symbol of the Disney company and probably the most recognized cartoon character in the world.  We have seen Mickey numerous times over the last 15 years starting with our first visit to Disney World early in 1997.  It is fun to look back at our photos with Mickey that have been taken during different stages of my daughters' lives and see how they have grown up with Mickey Mouse.

Cows - Yummy Ice Cream And So Much More

Our first visit to Prince Edward Island on Canada's east coast was the summer before Katie turned 2 years old and we fell so hard for the island that we returned again and again.  Our island vacations resulted in many wonderful family memories but if you asked either of the girls they would tell you that one of the best things about PEI is Cows ice cream.  Cows began making ice cream in 1983 using all natural ingredients, and a recipe dating back to the days of Anne of Green Gables, and continues to use the same old-fashioned ingredients today to make the more than 32 flavours available at its retail outlets.

Percy Jackson and Our European Trip

When preparing for a trip, I always try to find books that are related to our destination in order to familiarize my daughters with the things that they are going to see and to get them excited about their upcoming travels.  Last summer, we were planning to spend a few days in Rome prior to a Mediterranean cruise with ports of call in Greece, Turkey and Italy and, primarily, I needed books to pique the interest of my younger daughter, Emma, who turned 8 just a couple of weeks prior to the trip.

Osborne Family Lights at Disney's Hollywood Studios

The theme for Disney (Almost) Wordless Wednesday this week is Disney Hollywood Studios in celebration of International Hollywood Studios Awareness Week.  I love the Hollywood Studios park (formerly known as MGM Studios) in no small part because of my great love of theatre and movies.  We aren't a family that loves thrilling roller-coasters so we have never been on the big name rides here.  We go to this park for the shows and attractions like The Great Movie Ride and Voyage of The Little Mermaid.  

A Stroll Around Parliament Hill in Ottawa

I don't think that I have ever visited the Canadian capital without going for a stroll around Parliament Hill - it's definitely one of my favourite things to do in Ottawa.  On our recent weekend in the city, the first thing that Emma and I did after checking into our hotel and dropping our luggage was walk over to see the beautiful buildings and statues and enjoy the impressive views. 

National Arts Centre - Oscar Peterson Sculpture

A fun thing to do in Ottawa is to stop by the National Arts Centre on Elgin Street to see the sculpture of legendary jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson.  Canadian sculptor, Ruth Abernethy, created the bronze sculpture which includes a larger-than-life grand piano and the great pianist sitting on the bench alongside.  The sculpture was unveiled by Queen Elizabeth in downtown Ottawa in June, 2010.

Disney Dads

The Disney Wordless Wednesday theme this week is a calendar shot for the month of June.  There are two big events on our calendar in June - the last day of school and Father's Day.  It's a bit hard to tie the last day of school to Disney so I decided to go with Father's Day.  Now to find a Disney Dad!