5 movies from your childhood to share with your kids

Brand new movies are great! It’s so much fun standing in line at the theater, breathing in the buttery popcorn smell, giddy with anticipation when a new movie is released.

My children love watching the latest and greatest movies, but I just grin when I hear my children singing the songs I used to sing as a kid – “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” or “Tomorrow”. Hearing their little off-key renditions is the best music to my ears.

Have you introduced your children to the movies you enjoyed when you were younger?

Swiss Family Robinson (1960)

The Robinson family gets shipwrecked near an island. With hard work and togetherness, they build a majestic tree house. They are faced with many trials - wild animals, weather, and pirates, but their ingenuity carries them through. Great family values!

The Parent Trap (1961)

Twin daughters are raised not knowing about each other, each living with one parent. They unexpectedly bump into each other at summer camp, put two and two together, and work out a scheme to get their parents back together again. This movie is just plain good fun.

Mary Poppins (1964)

Mr. and Mrs. Banks are both so preoccupied with their own interests that their children, Jane and Michael are unhappy. When the magical nanny, Mary Poppins enters their lives, she brings the family closer. Between the penguin scene, the chimney sweep dance, and the magic, your children will be entranced.

The Sound of Music (1965)

The hills are alive with the sound of music. Your home will be alive with the sound of music once your kids watch this one.

Annie (1982)

Oh, how we love Annie! The music, the dancing, the wealthy Mr. Warbucks, and a happy ending. It doesn’t get much better than that!

These five movies are a must in every family library. Share the memories, and sing the tunes. It’s ok if you’re a little off-key. I won’t tell.

Teen toys- what s in and what s out

Day in and day out, teenagers are looking for and more variety of toys and gadgets to keep themselves entertained. The toy industry is constantly innovating in the hope to find that next best seller which will capture the fancy of teenagers the world over. Every year, the market is flooded with new toys. While some make it to the top selling list, becoming the fancy of every teenage boy or girl, for a couple of months, some do down without a trace; never to see the light of day again.

Evergreen teen toys

Some teenage toys are classics and part of the ever popular category. No matter what, years down the line too, these toys will hold the fancy of teens. To cite some popular examples, here are some toys, you will agree, are still on the best seller list.

* Rubik's Cube

This popular puzzle has been on the best seller list for decades. It is one of the most popular teen puzzles to date and is loved by teenagers' world over. Testing the mental faculties, this puzzle helps to develop skills like logic & reasoning and also tests one’s patience. This puzzle will never go out of style!

* Video games

There will hardly be a teen that is not acquainted with the concept of Video games. Video games have been popular among teenagers from the time they entered the market. Popularized by Nintendo and then by newer entrants in the market like PlayStation and Xbox, the use of new technology have made these games a must have for any teen. Today, these video games are available in many plug and play forms like mats, wireless pointing devices, eye and head phones for virtual reality games etc.

* Dirt bikes

Dirt Bikes have been a dream toy for teens for a very long time. At some point, every teen aspires for one. There is an association with the tough and the rugged that possibly drives this craze. At any rate, it is here to stay!

* Dance mats

These were only invented about a decade ago. These mats really became popular after the launch of the show, American Idol, on TV. With associated branding, overnight, these mats became a rage. These mats are fun and can be used to learn how to dance as well. Popular among teens and also people young at heart, these mats have captured the hearts of many!

Latest toys

Every year, more and more toys hit the market. As trends change, some stay around while others are replaced by more innovative ones. The popularity of the toys, besides being dependent on the uniqueness of the toy, also depends on the trends as well as branding, which also determines how long they will remain on the hot selling list! Today, we have a completely new set of toys which are 'in vogue'.

* School toys

Gone are the days of using highlighters in schools to mark important notes. Today, we have a new toy for teens who are copious note writers in school. This is the all famous pen scanner which slide over your text as you read it and scan the important notes and store them in its memory. The gadget can be attached to the computer to download the copy of important notes.

* Puzzles

Hand held puzzles have seen a new rage. While just a year ago, hand held word puzzles were popular, today, our teens prefer the much more popular touch screen Sudoku! These have caught on like fire on a global level. After the Rubik’s cube, this puzzle is said to be the second most popular puzzle in the world.

* Music toys

Earlier, teenagers who loved music demanded music systems and music CDs of the most popular rock bands or rock idols. This is the thing of the past! With music downloads freely available, music lover teens are now interested in carrying their favorite music with them or making their own music. The iPods and DJ Turntables are in! The iPods can store up to 60 or 80 GB of songs while the smaller shuffles can store up to 2GB of songs. Available in trendy colors and skins, these compact music hold alls are a perfect toy! As popular are the iKaraoke used with iPods. These are some of the most sought after music toys today!

* Digital cameras and camcorders

Today, whether a teen loves photography or not, they all aspire for a digi-cam or camcorder! There are many advanced digital cameras and especially camcorders, today which are not complicated to use. Teenagers love to carry them around.

* Cell phones

Having your personal phone connection in your room was a thing of the past! Today, cell phones equipped with the latest in technology are the hottest teen toys and a practical must-have! Most teenagers today carry a cell phone. The more features the cell phone has, the better. The list of must-have features includes a camera, mp3 player, expandable memory card, document reader etc.

How to buy a funeral or cremation urn

Buying an urn is something most people hope they never have to do. Unfortunately, at some point in our lives we will probably have to purchase an urn or a casket for a loved one. Here are a few things you will want to know.

First, what happens if you go to a funeral home or cremation society and decide not to purchase an urn from the selection that is offered? In that case, you will receive your loved on in is a very unattractive plastic or cardboard box. It is estimated that 50%-70% of the time people leave a funeral home with this minimum option. It makes no difference if you spend $500 or $1,800 on the cremation, the boxes look the same. Many people are shocked when they go to pick up the ashes of a loved one and get a plastic or cardboard box back.

The ideal combination for selecting an urn is one that can be personalized or in some way is reflective of the person’s life inside as well as being practical for what you plan to do with the ashes of the deceased.

What you need to think about is; what do you plan to do with the remains? Here are a few of your options:

1. Bury the ashes.

2. Scatter the ashes.

3. Leave them in your home until you make a decision or until you die and someone else will have to decide what to do with them.

4. Put them in a niche in a mausoleum.

5. Divide the ashes up among family members.

6. Travel with the urn to a memorial service and then do one of the above.

If you plan on burying the ashes you will want to check with the cemetery and see if they have a requirement. There are a few “Green Cemeteries” in the country that only allow biodegradable urns. Many cemeteries will have guidelines for you to follow.

Scattering ashes can be a delicate art. There are plenty of stories of people placing the ashes off of boats only to have the wind blow the ashes back into the person’s face. This can also happen in aircraft. While the urn will not do much to prevent that, you may want to consider a biodegradable bag if you plan to place the ashes in a lake, stream or ocean. This way you will not have a problem with wind or waves and the same time you won’t be harming the ecosystem. When selecting an urn for scattering, you may want to consider a memory chest or an urn that can hold photos and other mementos. Again, if you use a biodegradable bag you can keep the urn to hold keepsakes. There are some urns on the market that are designed to be used in water. You can do an internet search or ask your funeral director for assistance. If you are scattering on someone else’s property you will want to get permission if you would like to do it the legal way. You may also need a permit. Personally, I’ve spoken to many people that do their own thing with remains and it’s basically don’t ask and don’t tell.

If you plan to take the remains home, you will obviously want to choose a safe place out of reach of young children or pets. You may also consider the weight of the urn. Some bronze urns can be very heavy, and if you need to dust around the urn or move it consider the weight. Another thing to consider, what would you like done with the ashes after you are gone? You may want to mention this in your will or put a note on the bottom of the urn.

If you have chosen a mausoleum, you will want to place a call to get their guidelines. Many mausoleums will not accept wooden urns or anything besides plastic, ceramic or metal. You will also want to play close attention to size. Each niche has a specific size and you will want to make sure the urn you select fits inside the urn. You may also consider having the urn engraved or somehow personalized. If a natural disaster were to occur it is more likely that the remains will be identified if the urn is personalized.

Should you plan to share the ashes with loved ones, you will want to choose smaller urns or boxes for the remains. The ashes should be placed in a small zip lock bag and then into the smaller urn. Usually you will have one larger urn and a few smaller urns depending on how many people have expressed interest in receiving part of the ashes. Options like pieces of blown glass and even diamond rings are available that have the ashes put into the piece.

If you plan to travel on a commercial airplane with an urn, you will want to make sure the urn is Transportation Security Administration (TSA) compliant for travel.

Urns should not be made of metal due to the Transportation Security Administration's new procedure on the transport of crematory containers as carry-on baggage on airplanes. Passengers may still carry-on crematory containers, but they must pass through an X-ray machine. If an urn is made of metal or is metal-lined, it will show up as opaque on X-ray machines, preventing the security screener from being able to see what is inside - an obvious security risk. Please review this site for more detailed information tsa. gov/public/interapp/editorial/editorial_1296.xml.

Also consider who will see the urn. Will the design look dignified and respectable at a life celebration or memorial service? You may want to consider materials that are soft to the touch and colors that are soothing and up-to-date.

Finally, think about price. How much would you like to spend? You may want to ask the Funeral Director if they have a variety of catalogs that you could look through and you will want to check on the internet where you will find urns in many materials, designs and prices.

In summary, while it is never an easy decision choosing the right urn, by following these guidelines hopefully the process will be a bit easier.

Summit lifts a brief history

People who are physically handicapped or disabled often have trouble going up and down the stairs. For many this can mean not having access to a large portion of your home, or relying on others to help you up and down the stairs. A much better and safer alternative is to invest in a stair lift. A stair lift is a motorized device that physically carries an individual up and down the stairs. Usually a stair lift will utilize a chair to carry the person, but there are some stair lifts that utilize a small platform called a perch. There are several prominent manufactures of stair lifts today, and one company that has been very successful is Summit Lifts, Inc.

Summit Lifts Inc. has over 75 years of experience in the stair lift industry, and prides itself on good old fashioned business values and quality customer service. Its founders all have very deep roots in the stair lift industry and have devoted much of their lives to these great devices. It is not often that you find people with such a personal connection to their products, but each of the founders of Summit is completely dedicated to quality as opposed to quantity.

Mark Hill began working for a company that manufactured stair lifts in 1972. He continued to work there for over 20 years and learned about all aspects that are involved with the development, creation, and maintenance of stair lifts. In 1981 Mike Vogt began working at the same company as Mark Hill. Vogt spent 10 years designing lifts, and also considerable time in the customer service department at the company. Mark and Mike had intended to stay working at this company until retirement, but due to a corporate take over were unable to fulfill this goal.

Instead they joined forces with a very talented individual named Mark Jackson and Summit Stair Lifts was born. Mark Jackson brought to the table an in depth knowledge of Computer Aided Design and precision machining skills. With this incredible powerhouse of experience and ability it is no wonder that they are one of the leading manufacturers of stair lifts today. They focus on quality, precision, and reliability and do not believe in cutting corners to cut costs.

The founders of Summit Stair Lifts are dedicated family men that understand the meaning of integrity, faith, and responsibility. They have applied these same standards that have served them well in their personal life to their business, and this is in part what makes them such a great company. Their products are all manufactured in the United States, and are built with an attention to detail that is seldom found in today's world of assembly lines and mass production facilities.

There are many different manufacturers of stair lifts today, but few compare with Summit Stair Lifts, Inc. Their company motto is "Taking you to new heights" and this is just what they have done. They have continued to manufacture products that are reliable and in many ways bring back the good old days when products were made using quality manufacturing techniques that focus on dependability rather than cost.