Gone with the Family

Book of the Month: Maeve Binchy Novels

I was incredibly saddened to learn this week of the passing of Irish novelist Maeve Binchy at the far too young age of 72.  I have devoured every book that she has written over the years, enjoyed every single page and every character and fell in love with Ireland in the process.

The Canadian Museum of Civilization

The Canadian Museum of Civilization has always been my favourite museum in Ottawa and we have visited it several times.  The distinctive architecture and the lovely location on the banks of the Ottawa River are appealing, but what I truly love about the museum is that it's a natural history museum focused on Canadian history and culture providing an opportunity for my children to learn more about our country's past in a fun way.  It also includes the amazing Canadian Children's Museum which introduces children to the idea that experiencing the world is a great adventure.  I'm clearly not alone in loving this museum as it welcomes more than 1 million visitors a year, making it one of the most popular places to visit in the National Capital Region. 

London With Kids - 14 Favourite Attractions And Activities

All eyes are on London as the world prepares for the 2012 Summer Olympics and the city just happens to be one of my favourite family destinations.  English author Samuel Johnson famously said, "If a man is tired of London, then he is tired of life" and there's no reason that this adage can't apply to people of all ages and genders.  London is a city that can be visited again and again and you will still only have scratched the surface.  

Castaway Cay, Bahamas

The theme for Disney (Almost) Wordless Wednesday this week is The Letter 'C' which immediately brings to my mind an image of Castaway Cay, Disney's private Bahamian island.  Castaway Cay is a tropical paradise reserved exclusively for the use of Disney Cruise Line's passengers and is one of the most popular ports on it's Bahamian and Caribbean cruises.  

The Lord Elgin Hotel

Emma and I recently stayed at The Lord Elgin Hotel on a weekend trip to Ottawa.  That's not how the weekend had been planned, however, a couple of days beforehand what was supposed to be a family getaway to Ottawa morphed into a mom/daughter weekend.  We had booked a 2 bedroom apartment at Minto Suites but Emma and I didn't need that much space so we decided to switch to a more centrally located hotel and chose the Lord Elgin in the heart of downtown Ottawa.

Capture The Colour Photo Contest

A contest called Capture the Colour is inviting bloggers to select a photo that best captures each of the following colours: Blue, Green, Yellow, White and Red.  Thank you to Lisa from New Life On The Road and Cathy from Traveling With Sweeney who both nominated me to participate.  

Big Thunder Mountain At Disneyland Paris

The theme for Disney (Almost) Wordless Wednesday this week is Disney Weenies.  I had no idea what that meant but it turns out that Walt Disney and his team of imagineers coined the phrase "Weenies" for the iconic structures which are focal points in each of the parks or lands. 

Impressions of Glasgow

 

This is a guest post by my daughter, Katie, who is currently in St. Andrews, Scotland attending a 3 week summer program at the International Summer School of Scotland.

Paris With Kids? Mais, Bien Sûr

This past March, our family spent 9 days of our spring break exploring the City of Light.  Leading up to that vacation, I was asked many times where we were going for the break and when I answered “Paris” the reaction was invariably the same – complete and utter surprise that we were taking our children to Paris.  It had never occurred to me that I shouldn’t take my kids to Paris, however, it seemed quite clear that there are a lot of people who don’t think of the city as a child-friendly vacation destination.

Casey Jr. at Disneyland Paris

The theme for Disney (Almost) Wordless Wednesday this week is transportation which lends itself to a lot of possibilities.  There are cruise ships, monorails, safari vehicles, jungle boats, horse drawn trolleys, and even flying elephants and magic carpets but the most memorable ride our family has had at Disney was on Casey Jr. at Disneyland Paris.