As kids, most of us can remember borrowing one of our mother’s towels, draping it over our shoulders and attaching it in the front with a clothespin.  The transformation was instantaneous.  With that addition of a makeshift cape we could instantly become a superhero—at least in our own childlike mind.  Why did we want to be one of these caped heroes?  Did donning that cape somehow empower us?

This past week the feature film Captain America came out in movie theatres across the nation.  Moviegoers everywhere can’t wait to see the latest adventures of this well-known, patriotic superhero. The popularity of movies that feature superheroes doesn’t seem to ever wane–in fact, these movies seem as popular as ever.  What is it about these characters that we love?  What do these heroes mean to us, even as adults today?  Before you head to the theatre to see Captain America or any of the other great films out there featuring these shining superstars, there’s a few things for you to consider.

Superheroes help us to escape reality:  Life can be and is difficult at times.   The recession has brought with it hard times and struggles for many.  Getting away from the realities and the harshness of life for a few hours to watch something uplifting can be very therapeutic.  In superhero movies, good almost always prevails over evil and that is a pleasant and rewarding thought process for most.  Superheroes live in a wonderful fantasy world that can be a great escape from the realities of the present moment.

Superheroes can offer hope to your own life:  No matter how strong and powerful the superhero is, his situation is often fraught with various dangers and perilous situations.  It’s never really easy to be a superhero and even though the hero usually comes out on top, they often come dangerously close to losing it all.  Fighting through difficult challenges and never giving up are uplifting messages for everyone.  Learning that perseverance through difficult challenges often pays off offers hope to keep trying when things get really tough.

Live Vicariously:  Superheroes do things that no human being could ever really do, at least not yet (unless of course you’re wearing a superhero costume!)  It’s fun to imagine the possibilities, however, and to imagine what it might be like to scale up walls like Spiderman, or fly through the air like Superman.  The inspiration for the world’s greatest inventions started as a simple dream—where will you go with yours?

Believe you can make a difference:  Every single person can be a hero to someone, whether it is in a very small way, or by doing something that has a much a greater magnitude.  Simple gestures such as an encouraging word to a co-worker or reading a book to a child can create a lasting impact.  Never underestimate the sphere of your influence, as it’s probably much greater than you might think.  No one expects you to duck into a phone booth, make a quick clothing change and then fly up to the top floor to pull desperate people out of a burning building.  Your heroic acts are likely much smaller and although they may feel insignificant, may have lasting meaning to those on the receiving end.

A strong moral figure:  People like believing in something that is bigger, stronger, and better than they are to inspire them.  Seeing someone who is fighting for right and trying to fight against evil is inspiring.  This type of example gives each of us something to look up to as well as try to emulate.

Inspiration:  Superheroes offer each of us the opportunity to recognize heroic traits that are still lying dormant within us.  Some of the qualities we see in superheroes through their acts of strength and bravery can make us realize that some of these characteristics actually already lie within our own selves.  With a little inspiration, perhaps each of us will believe we can be much better people than we currently are. 

Making dreams into reality:  There’s a passionate dreamer in each of us.  Having the chance to think outside of the box and imagine the possibilities that exist in every facet of life is a good thing.  Superheroes offer us the chance to dream about something a little bit bigger than we really are.  Where that dreaming takes you of course, is entirely up to you.

The final word:  There is a quote from May Parker in the movie Spiderman that sums up what superheroes mean to us quite well. It goes like this:   “Everybody loves a hero.  People line up for them, cheer their names, and years later they’ll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them to hold on just a second longer.  I believe there’s a hero in all of us.  It keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride.”

Everyone needs a hero.  Go out and be somebody’s hero today.

One simple way to keep kids busy for hours can be summed up in one simple word…costumes! Kids love them!  Some of our children’s favorite shows are on Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel.  There’s nothing better for a child than to be able to dress up as one of their favorite characters. 

Besides the superheroes and princesses, children will love the Yo Gabba Gabba costumesand the Sponge Bob costumes!  Encouraging your child to use his or her imagination and letting their creative juices flow is a great way for them to have hours of fun when they’re stuck inside on a wintery day!

Ring in the new year dressed as your favorite Hollywood star, a character from your favortie movie or perhaps even a superhero. The possibilities are endless! Make a political statement and dress up as a president (past or present). There’s plenty of crazy politicians out there that you could dress up as. Take the humorous route and portray a famous sports figure that made headlines this year…Tiger Woods instantly comes to mind!

Be the life of the party and try out a sexy costume from Halloween Express! Make the guys notice and the girls jealous by making this a New Year’s Eve party to remember! And don’t forget the accessories…never underestimate the power of a mask and cape!

The original movie Iron Man was released on May 2, 2008 and quickly became a huge success.  For children and adults that love their superheroes, Iron Man became a household name.  There were a lot of “little” Iron Man’s trick-or-treating and a lot of “big” Iron Man’s at costume parties around the country that year for Halloween.

Well, the much anticipated sequel, Iron Man 2 has finally arrived and will be released on the big screen next Friday May 7th.  The billionaire genius, Tony Stark is back and wittier than ever!  If you saw the first one you know that they couldn’t have picked a better actor to play the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man than Robert Downey Jr.  He was excellent!  He’s accompanied by some other big name actors such as; Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Don Cheadle and Scartlett Johansson.   Of course leave it to Mickey Rourke’s acting skills to make the evil bad guy, Whiplash into a great character.

Iron Man costumes are going to be flying off the shelves again this year, so don’t wait to order yours.  I know my son can’t wait for May 7th so he and his friends can go see the movie.  He’s already told me he wants to be Iron Man and his best friend is going as the enemy, Whiplash for Halloween this year.

This is definitely going to be one blockbuster sequel you’re not going to want to miss!

Families across the country are planning for their spring break trips since the kids will be out of school for a week. Over the river and thru the woods many families will be traveling to visit relatives. Others will be heading south to warmer temperatures for a little fun in the sun family style (which is quite a bit different than the college style of spring break)!

However with the economy the way it is a lot of families will be celebrating spring break at home. I’ll be joining that club this year too so we might as well let the kids have some fun and be able to entertain themselves for awhile. How do we do that? Well, costumes of course! Kids love costumes! It brings out their creativity and imagination and let’s them run wild with it for hours on end.

Get your child a superhero costume and watch them transform right before your eyes. With the right costume, they can become anything they want to be; superheroes, ninjas, princesses, rock stars, cowboys, athletes, etc. and the list goes on and on.

This spring break have fun with your children while letting their imaginations run free! Put on a play or have a neighborhood costume party. You don’t need to go anywhere for your kids to have plenty of fun right in their own backyard!

We’ve all grown up with the classic male superheroes of Batman, Superman and Spiderman.   It seems the majority of superheroes are men for some reason (maybe it’s the tights).  Anyway, women make amazing superheroes and I have to admit we look way better in our costumes!

Women superheroes have been around forever.  They just seem to fall between the cracks and not get noticed.  Well, not anymore with a sexy superhero costume from HalloweenExpress.com!  These costumes scream superhero sexy!  Tight spandex and short skirts will certainly get you noticed this Halloween!

The heck with Batman, bring on a Secret Wishes Batgirl costume and Sexy Robin.  Oh, and don’t forget Wonder Women and Super Girl; now there’s a couple of costumes you won’t soon forget! 

I think it would be so much fun to get a group of your girlfriends together and all of you go as a sexy superhero.  Everyone can be a different character but all within the same theme.  Or, go with your significant other and have them be the male counterpart of your female superhero!

Every year at Halloween kids and adults alike are trying to find out what the hottest trends are in costumes!  What is the number one costume for sexy costumes, funny costumes, couples costumes, kids, teens, adults, toddlers…even your pet has his own Top Costumes for 2009 list!

• What are the cool and popular costumes?
• What will everyone be wearing?
• What is the number one costume in every category?

Well, look no further!  HalloweenExpress.com has the answers to all these questions and more!  With a simple touch of a button you’ll have everything you need to make the right decision on that perfect Halloween costume right at your fingertips.

Here is a list of the categories you’ll find:

1. Top 10 Kids Costumes
2. Top 10 Teen Costumes
3. Top 10 Toddler Costumes
4. Top 10 Baby Costumes
5. Top 10 Sexy Costumes
6. Top 10 Funny Costumes
7. Top 10 Couples Costumes
8. Top 10 Plus Size Costumes
9. Top 10 Pet Costumes
10. Top 10 Halloween Masks

So this year surprise your friends with your outstanding “knowledge” on what’s hip and cool this year when it comes to Halloween cotumes!  They’ll be coming to you with all their “what should I be for Halloween” questions and you’ll know just what to tell them.  Don’t worry, it will be our little secret!

In the coming weeks I’ll do blogs on each indivdual category so that you’ll see just how much fun the Top 10 Lists are!

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen once again held on to the top spot at the box office this past weekend but shared the title with another great movie, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.  Both earned an estimated $42.5 million over the July 4th weekend!  I’m a big fan of both Transformers and Ice Age so it was a fun weekend here!   

I’ve been reading everywhere that this Transformers sequel is the “worst-reviewed movie to ever make the $400 million club.”  Well that just goes to show you what the critics like and what the mass movie-going population like are completely different.  Who cares what the critics say!  If that many people are going to see the movie then they must be really wrong on this one!  We loved it.  My son is a huge Transformer fan and has recruited his dad and I into that same category.  It really is a great movie!

However, my all time favorite movie – the one that can make you belly laugh through the whole thing – is Ice Age!  Sid the Sloth is hilarious!!  So it was no surprise to me that this new 3rd sequel Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs did well at the box office.  What’s so neat about Ice Age is that even though it’s a Disney/Pixar animated series the humor is for children and adults alike.  You never stop laughing!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is coming out on July 15 and is sure to be a huge hit!  People of all ages just can’t seem to get enough of old Harry!  This will be the 6th novel turned big screen hit by J.K. Rowlings.  They’re saying this might be just the movie to beat out Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen at the box office.  Well we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we!

Movies make such a big impact on Halloween that movie costumes are flying off the shelves.  Transformer costumes and Harry Potter costumes will be huge this Halloween.  If you plan on attending the movie premiere of Harry Potter be sure to get all your Harry Potter costume and accessory needs at HalloweenExpress.com.   Both movies make for great group costumes too!

Movies make up a large part of Halloween costumes.  There are so many great movie characters from the past and present that it’s hard to choose just one.  From adult costumes to kids costumes, HalloweenExpress.com has them all!

Superheroes are always at the top of the charts when it comes to costumes.  Batman, Spiderman and Superman are the three most popular superhero costumes.  They’re the classic tried-and-true of the crime fighting, save the world superheroes.

Of course you can’t have Halloween without Jason, Michael and Freddie!  Friday the 13th, Halloween and Nightmare of Elm Street are old school Halloween and everyone loves them! 

Star Wars, Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean are just a few movies that have stood the test of time when it comes to great Halloween costumes. 

This year with big blockbuster hits like Transformers, Wolverine and Star Trek making appearances on the big screen there’s no doubt that the Halloween movie costumes of 2009 will be spectacular!