Finding Your Ancestors

Have you recognized your own family history? If you’re interested to identify your whole origins and ancestors; you can start doing your genealogy project. Who knows that actually your great grandfather or grandmother was a famous person at the time! There are some ways to trace your origins. Some people prefer to use social security death index, a large database of death records that created from US SSA.

Visit competent genealogy websites. That’s a right place for you to access the social security death index. In the SSDI, you can find very useful information on birth, death and last residence of reported dead people who had Social Security Number.

To build your own family tree, social security death records in the SSDI can give data that you need about your ancestor; such as the last and first name, date of birth and death, state of domicile, and very last identified address. Since your genealogy project is about learning your family history and keeping private record of your ancestors, the social security death records can be your great reference!

Of course, you can also gather information from relatives and friends. Every three months, there’s a family gathering between relatives in my father’s side. I often use this gathering moment to find out more about my great grandfather and grandmother. Start building your extended family tree and mark your position inside!

image source:shutterstock.com

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Family Friendly Holiday Ideas throughout Victoria

Finding fun ways to spend the holidays with your family can require a bit of research as not all places and activities are suitable for children. Luckily for families, Victoria has quite a lot of options that are guaranteed to keep your whole family happy and entertained. The following are just some of the great ways to have a great holiday with your family in beautiful Victoria.

Ballarat

For a holiday where you and your kids are all sure to learn something, head to historic Ballarat, home of the great gold rush of the mid 1800’s and of course the very famous Eureka Stockade uprising. Sovereign Hill is your best bet for keeping the kids entertained, and between the interactive exhibits and the exciting history, they are sure to be tuckered out by bedtime. Speaking of bedtime, Ballarat accommodation options include heaps of family friendly places, so you can rest easy knowing everyone will be taken care of.

Phillip IslandIf your kids are the animal loving types, as most are, take them to Phillip Island next holidays where you can all get an amazing up close look at the cute colony of Fairy Penguins. Unlike a lot of wildlife viewing, you are guaranteed to see these little ones, as they have to come up to the beach to return to their burrows each night. A great place to go for a day trip or even to spend a few days, take your family to Phillip Island and enjoy the natural beauty, the fresh air and of course the wildlife.

The Alps

When the winter has set in and your outdoor options seem to have all but dried up, treat the kids to a taste of what winter is like for most of the rest of the world and head for the snow! The Victorian Alps are only a few hours north from Melbourne and will blow your kids’ minds if they’ve never seen snow or been skiing before. Just make sure you line up all the necessary rental gear, as you don’t want to be caught out by a nasty case of frostbite.

Melbourne Gaol

Everyone in Australia should know the story of infamous bushranger Ned Kelly, so why not take your kids to learn about his life and see his bones at the Old Melbourne Gaol? The gaol was built in the mid 1800’s and was the place where Ned Kelly was hung back in 1880. It has been well restored and showcases an awesome part of Australian history, so get your family onto one of the great Melbourne tours that takes in this remarkable Aussie relic.

Victoria really does have a bit of everything so if you find yourself unsure of where to go with your family next holidays, have a closer look at Victoria. Whether you are looking for wildlife, sport, history, art or culture, there is just the right amount of each here in beautiful Victoria, so what are you waiting for? Start planning your new Victoria holiday today!

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8 Things to Teach your Children before Age 4

There are certain things that children need to know as soon as possible. Providing children with the basic survival skills of life is an extremely important part of being a parent. Whilst this will not absolve you from the responsibility of properly supervising your children, it will enable you to relax slightly more without worrying all of the time. A very young child will potentially run into the road if you let it, so the goal has to be to create boundaries and rules in the child’s mind, even if they do not understand the consequences. Just as you would be sure to keep your family safe with a home security system, it is essential to prepare your children for life properly. This article will consider some of the things that parents need to teach their children so that they are better prepared to cope in inevitable real life situations.

1. Children need to know their full name, address and a contact telephone number. If children ever get lost then you need to be able to locate them easily. You would not put a tag on a child, so necessarily your child needs to be able to inform anyone who finds them of where they live and of who they are. It is also sensible to write this information on the inside of their school bags and other possessions so that adults can identify them if they are lost.
2. When in a busy shopping centre it is sometimes possible to lose sight of your child. Whilst this should be avoided at all costs, it does occasionally happen. Your child needs to understand that they should stay where they are until you find them and that they should not leave a shop without you under any circumstances.
3. Explain the boundaries of human contact. Children are completely innocent and do not understand what is appropriate touching and what is not. This applies to both your child touching others and your child being touched. Explaining that children should always tell you if they have been touched by an adult will enable you to help them determine the boundaries and alert you if anything is amiss.
4. Teach children the meaning of alarms. A fire alarm can be a very intimidating noise if it is unknown. Explaining what the noise is and how to act when they hear it is a very important stage of development and could potentially save their life.
5. Children should know never to go anywhere without their parent or guardian. It is important to explain the dangers of children leaving with strangers or even with familiar but unexpected people. This is particularly important when it comes to the collection of children from school or activities.
6. Tell your children that they must never open the front door unless you are with them. Opening the door to strangers can be as dangerous as leaving with a stranger so it is important to always monitor their behaviour.
7. Explain to children that they are able to say no to adults if they ask them to do things which make them uncomfortable. They need to know that they do not have to do everything that an adult says and should not allow unwanted contact or to be taken away from the sight of other people.
8. Most importantly, children need to know that there are no secrets between parents and children. They should know that they should tell you everything, even if someone else tells them that they shouldn’t. It is also important to explain the difference between surprises and secrets so that they can appreciate that some things are ok and some are not.

Image:more4kids.info

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A Small Bus Stop

We must postpone the opening date of our little eating place as the promotion banner isn’t ready yet. Hope we can launch it this week!

For Blue Monday, I share a blue bus main stop inside my city (Bogor, West Java, Indonesia). These ¾-type buses called Trans Pakuan and use bio-diesel fuel. Since June 3, 2007, the buses serve the 14 km route, about 16 stops along the route.

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Advantages of Owning a Cat at Home

- Iput, my late cat-

Do you have cats at your home? What's your reason to keep cats as your pets? I like seeing their faces, hearing their 'purr' sounds, and facing their unique characters.

Here are some advantages of having cats as pets :

Most cats are easy to take care.

You don’t need to take cats for walks because they have already worked out while they are playing.

Sort-haired cats don’t need much grooming. They can maintain themselves clean and tidy.

Cats don’t require a lot of space, but they need to have places to climb, jump, hide in dark 'cubbies' and to explore.

They are pleased to live in small homes.

Cats spend most of their time sleeping, particularly during the day.

Cats will often sleep while you are away, so that they can play when you get home.

Cats are not very big and easy to handle, because most cats weigh about 4 kilograms.

Most cats like to be patted or stroked.

When they relax they purr, which also helps to make you relax.

Many cats enjoy playing, even when they are quite old.

They like to play with balls of string and cat toys.

Cats are very graceful and light on their feet.

They usually do not break things around the house.

Cats like to have their own area to live in.

They do not like to travel, and take time to settle into new places.

Cats are friendly and like to be around humans.

But they still like to be independent, and do not learn tricks as easily as dogs.

source:www.petalia.com.au

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Decorations That Add Life to Your Party

Setting the mood for your party is not only about the type of people you invite, but largely depends on the type of atmosphere you have created. And while taking a pool cover to the pool and creating a dance floor, or hiring a lovely space can get you started, there is a lot more to truly creating an atmosphere.

The look and feel of your party can make or break it – it can become one of those stuffy affairs during which people nibble politely and have a nightcap or two, or a crazy rock’n’roll party that gets out of control and leaves you cleaning up for weeks. Or possibly best, easy but entertaining evening that no one forgets quickly. All this depends on the atmosphere you create.

Here are just some of the factors to consider when creating atmosphere:

1.Theme and thematic decorations

The main element that dictates what your party is all about is the theme you choose. This will influence all of your decorations, your music, how people show up, and the way you use your venue. The thematic decorations used to show off the theme, will go one step further to get people in the mood you want them to be in. For example, if you create an ‘Aladdin style’ party, the theme decorations will consist of scarves and curtains, props like flavoured tobacco and shishas and traditional music.

2.Lighting

Lighting also goes a long way towards your theme and creating atmosphere. If you leave the lights on high all evening, people are less likely to get into the mood, and are more likely to stay a little reserved. Softer lighting creates a more relaxed feel, while lights off, and simple spots or a disco ball really get the party started. Lighting effects, such as pool lights you can get from your pool supplies store can give a great eerie effect for a Halloween party! Going back to the Aladdin party, soft lighting will help people relax, get talking and feel comfortable.

3.Special effects

Special technological effects are becoming more common at parties, especially corporate ones. Elements such as laser lights, projections of images onto surfaces using lights, as well as videos and multimedia productions can really create a feel, transform a venue, and transport guests to a whole new world! This sort of lighting can usually be sourced from an AV or event hire company.

4.Furnishings and decor

Staying in theme can also be achieved by using your furnishings as decor. Retro pieces can go a long way towards seventies or eighties parties. Metallic pieces for a space-age party, or for the Aladdin party, lots of coloured sheer curtains, cushions and long lounges, will create an atmosphere that will take people away!

5.Entertainment

In addition to lighting, furnishings and technology as decoration – what about people? Hiring models to really take your atmosphere to a new level can mean the difference between a party and something spectacular. For example, a Toga party with living Greek statues will capture guests’ attention and convert your venue into a real Greek party scene. Belly dancers in the Aladdin party will create a level of atmosphere that will top off the other decorations and make your party a night to remember.

6.Music

Finally, the music you choose needs to match your theme to put the finishing touches on your atmosphere. Select carefully – you want something thematic but worth partying and dancing to. 

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