It looks like Christmas windows in London, England aren’t that different than what we have here in the United States. There’s glee and jolly, and a ton of Disney/Pixar characters. Nothing says “happy holidays” like Santa Woody.

I’m only kind of joking. I do love me some Toy Story.

This month we are featuring Holiday Window Decorations! Normally on Tuesdays we run the UpTake Tuesday Roadside Attractions Series. If you have a photo of an odd, funny or interesting roadside attraction that you would like to see featured here please submit it via the link in the sidebar with subject line: Roadside.

This past weekend I attended the D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA to see what all of the hullabaloo was regarding the event. Turns out, said hullabaloo is well-founded.

D23 is the official fan club of all things Disney, and while the event offered a number of perks and benefits to its members, expo tickets were available to the general public (now at Disney prices!).  All were welcome to enter.

The expo featured panels, sessions and meet and greet opportunities with Disney brass, legends and stars. For instance, in a two hour period I was a few feet away from John Lasseter, Kermit the Frog (the REAL Kermit the Frog), Miss Piggy (the REAL Miss Piggy), Jason Segel, Robert Downey, Jr. (actually, all of the Avengers minus Captain America and the Hulk, yes that means the beefcake from Thor and Scarlett Johansson were also there), Billy Crystal, and the cast and artists behind a number of Disney favorites, be they parks, movies, Marvel, Muppet or Pixar. It was really impressive. Also, churros. Read More »

This contest is closed. Thanks to all that entered, and congratulations to our winner, Vanessa Vasquez!

Pixar is at it again. The geniuses behind the hit movie Cars are revving up their engines, making sure their Mickey Mouse antenna toppers are secure, and setting off on the ultimate road trip. Cars 2 hits theaters on June 24, 2011 and the trip promises to be an exciting one.

The good news is that you don’t have to wait for the movie to start your own adventure. You can hit the road whenever you want (although you may want to check with your boss first).

The better news is that you can take the gang from Cars 2 with you! You read that right. The good people at Kimberly-Clark have joined with Disney-Pixar to offer their customers the opportunity to collect Cars 2 “credits” — good for free gifts and products (codes and legal info can be found on individually marked packages of Kimberly-Clark products like Cottonelle, Kleenex, Pull-Ups, Huggies, Scott and Viva — codes are redeemable online for a limited time).

Why am I telling you this on a site about family vacations? Because we’re having a Kimberly-Clark Cars 2 Road Trip Survival Kit Giveaway! It doesn’t get any more family vacation than that. Read More »

They've got friends in each other.

If you’ve got kids and plans for summer travel there is a good chance that you might find yourself in an amusement park. The trick is to stay amused. It’s hot. It’s crowded. The lines are ridiculous. Sometimes you just need a hug to get through the day.

Words of advice about visiting theme parks with children: drink TONS of water, wear plenty of sunscreen, stop and rest often — including a nap, even if it means driving back to the hotel. Also, if anyone from Toy Story 3 stops by, tell them I said hello.

For more family-friendly travel photos visit DeliciousBaby’s Photo Fridays.

Photo taken at Disneyland by Whit Honea