Sheila Gallant-Halloran, Author at

Finding $ for your dream vacay: Guest blogger, Jacquie Bushell

Guest Bloggers, Travel Tips & Advice / Sheila Gallant-Halloran

Today, I have a special guest blogger, Jacquie Bushell, AMP, of My Ottawa Mortgage. Jacquie is a residential mortgage specialist, with particular expertise in arranging mortgages for self-employed professionals. Jacquie is sharing her knowledge with this guest blog: “Finding $ for your dream vacay.” Thanks, Jacquie! (Please contact Jacquie for all your mortgage needs. Her contact details are at the […]

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Disney's Hair Wrap Rap

Disney / Sheila Gallant-Halloran

Hangin’ at the Poly with my two l’il girls. They need to sit a sec, and leave the “volcano pool” whirl. They see a lady at a stand that’s doing a flip. With bright colours swinging all around, her peeps look quite hip. “Oh Mom, we must”, they cry. “We just need to look cool.” “This won’t wash out

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Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disney

Disney / Sheila Gallant-Halloran

If you’ve seen the movie “Cinderella,” you know that the Fairy Godmother waves her wand, and as she’s transforming Cindy from a cinder gal into an Ella for the ball, Fairy Godmother utters the words “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo.” Magic, right? Of course, when the princess craze took hold, it didn’t take long for Disney to

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Wishes Dessert Party at Disney – Death by Chocolate

Disney, Food, WIne & Spas / Sheila Gallant-Halloran

I just read that Johns Hopkins has done a study to determine that dark chocolate doesn’t only taste good, it’s good for the brain. Ok. Check. Needed a reason to like it. (Yeah, right!) http://www.futurity.org/top-stories/how-dark-chocolate-protects-the-brain/ I like to indulge in the dark chocolate every now and then (uumm, yeah… any chocolate nearby right now?). And for anyone who likes

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"Boo, Happy Hallowe'en" – Mickey's Not So Scary Hallowe'en Party

Disney / Sheila Gallant-Halloran

I love Hallowe’en. Save Christmas, it’s my favourite holiday of the year. On October 1st each year, the kids dig out the “RIP” signs, ghosts, plastic skeleton bones, etc., and we get our yard ready for the fun. We fill big pumpkin plastic bags with leaves, and really get into the “spirit” of things. And,

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The "Why" I am in Travel (inspired by Simon Sinek's "Start with Why")

Partners, Top Posts, Why Use a Travel Advisor / Sheila Gallant-Halloran

Simple truth: I love to help families build memories. It’s why I work in travel. I listened to a speech by Simon Sinek at the “Power of Vision 2000” conference in Montreal yesterday. Simon talked about how people do not buy “what” individuals/ companies do so much as buying “why” you do it. It made me think about how

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"Alluring Anguilla" Dinner Presentation

Destinations, Other Items / Sheila Gallant-Halloran

On September 28th, I was fortunate enough to attend the “Alluring Anguilla” Dinner presentation, thrown by the Anguilla Tourist Board of Canada. The roof salon at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Toronto was a great setting for a great event. I got to catch up with Dale Pusching and Catherine Butchart of the Tourist Board, as well as fellow

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Chef Mickey's at WDW – a Family Tradition

Disney, Food, WIne & Spas / Sheila Gallant-Halloran

“Hi, my name is Sheila, and I’m a Disney-holic.” Ok, it’s true. But I’m not really interested in stopping, so forget the 12-step program! We’ve been to Disney (WDW) 18 times now. We love it. It’s a great way to spend time as a family, get lots of exercise walking, and be applauded for generally

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Fall Rhapsody in the NCC

Destinations / Sheila Gallant-Halloran

I love the fall! Cool, crisp weather. Bountiful harvests. And vibrant colours. One joy of living in Ottawa, our nation’s capital, is that we get to take in a lot of festivals each year. And there’s no festival like the “Fall Rhapsody” that our National Capital Commission (NCC) puts on each autumn. The fantastic Gatineau Park is just a

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The Dilemma: Taking the Kids out of School to Travel

Kids, Other Items, Travel Tips & Advice / Sheila Gallant-Halloran

Unless you’re a school teacher, and have few scheduling choices, most parents wrestle with the dilemma: do I take my kids out of school to travel during non-peak (and often more value-laden) times? Ask any two people, and you’ll likely get three, hotly debated, and firmly entrenched, views. Like having a baby for the first

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