October - Baseball, Halloween and My Baby Turns 1!

Ahhhh October. It's one of the best times of year. Baseball playoffs, college football, pumpkin patches, cooler weather, Halloween and now, a birthday in the family!

I can't believe my baby is turning one. And she is our last baby of which I have been highly enjoying every moment I can. It's harder with the second one - you feel bad that you can't give her the same focus, time and energy as our first daughter due to having two kids and much more craziness all around. But she goes with the flow, is a total sweetheart and adores her big sister, so I don't think there is any problem there.

I just think I give her a different kind of quality time - a frenzied, mama is trying to give you the time you need but oh yes, where did your sister go? - of which she has the extra benefit of having a sister around to chase, screech to (or at) and generally giggle with. I think it's a blessing and the dynamics between our two girls make it all worthwhile.

We are watching the Red Sox and hoping for a victory. My Cubs blew it but that's nothing new. There's always the cliche! hee hee. Auburn football is keeping us entertained and we go pumpkin shopping this weekend. Auburn plays LSU Saturday night for some foosball on the Bayou, so bring it on. It is a great time of year, and we have lots to be thankful for.

Speaking of being thankful, here are four neat organizations in the event you are searching for ways to pay it forward, do good for mankind, make a small yet valuable difference in the world.

http://www.AdoptAPlatoon.org - I never agreed with the war, but vowed to support our friends and family who are fighting to make the world a better place. Find out how you can be a pen pal and make a world of difference in a soldier's life. They pair singles with singles and married soldiers with married/families. It's really rewarding and the people I have met who are putting their lives on the line are amazing. They need our hopes and prayers.

Do One Nice Thing - http://www.doonenicething.com/ - I signed up for this newsletter and they are chock full of ideas of nice things you can do that take anywhere from one minute to one hour to do. It's a great idea and I enjoy receiving the newsletter each week. You can donate skymiles - I donated a ticket to a military family. How cool is that?

My aunt and uncle sent me this note and my goal is to participate in this for the holidays. I want to find a person to loan money to with my daughter - hopefully a mother/daughter company and we can watch their business grow. My daugher will learn about gifts that give. You also get your money back!

"Take a look at http://www.kiva.org/. If you have not heard about it, I am telling you now. It is a wonderful service and it will make you feel better. We need to change the view of the rest of the world has about us."

http://www.kiva.org/ - Loans that change lives - Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you've sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back.

http://www2.worldvision.ca/gifts/app - Last Christmas, my aunt & uncle in Canada gave us two hens and a rooster, or rather, a needy family, two hens and a rooster to help them support their family and earn a living. How cool is that? Our daughter didn't need an extra toy but she learned that she is helping a family survive on their own with animals that were purchased in her honor. The true meaning of Xmas - giving.

The Tale of a Defiant Soccer Mom

Soccer moms, SUVs and sass, oh my!

Our family has begun the entry into kids sports.

My four year old daughter has started playing soccer this season. It's hilarious - all the kids running around the field and sometimes kicking the ball. She is enjoying it although she's a little hesitant to go get the ball and is sensitive to other's aggression. I think it's a great first sport. A field, two goals, a bunch of kids and two confused coaches trying to guide the madness.

What I wasn't ready for was the sudden self-awareness that I am the only working mom showing up late at practice in business casual wear while everyone else is in their leisure outfits and flip flops with folding chairs and cellphones so they can keep up with their friends and whatnot.

My husband kids me that I am now a soccer mom. I am in protest. I don't really feel that I fit that stereotype and before, I really didn't think it was real. Now that I am exposed to it and briefly crossing into that world, I realize there is this great divide between working moms and stay at home moms. There is just such a difference in the lifestyles.

It's an interesting observation and I will continue my journey into the world of soccer life in another post.

Radiohead makes a bold move

It's a bold move in the music industry but one that is an interesting marketing test. Radiohead has legions of loyal fans. It will be interesting to see how this pans out and how it affects the industry.

Radiohead says to hell with it, lets listeners set price for new album

How much would you pay for Radiohead's new album?$5? $15? $20? Not a damned penny? Then that's the price.
http://moblogsmoproblems.blogspot.com/2007/10/radiohead-says-to-hell-with-it-lets.html

Auburn Football and the best time of the year.

It's that time again. The best time of the year. When baseball and summer are still hanging on, yet a glimpse of fall appears with college football and tailgating.

Here are some fun Auburn football memories. Early times gang, unite! War Damn Eagle.

Let Freedom Ring

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends who lost a loved one on this day six years ago.

I am also praying for of all of the families of soldiers who lost their lives abroad while making this world a better place.

Here is a moving tribute from Atlanta radio station Q100. It is hard to listen to, but it is worth taking a moment to remember all those precious people who lost their lives.

God Bless America.

The Bert Show's 9-11 Tribute...Every year on the Bert Show, we honor the anniversary of 9/11 with an incredible montage that Producer Tracey created. Here's also our disclaimer...like seeing the images on TV today, this montage may be painful to listen to. Thank you, Tracey, for a powerful tribute. Click here to listen with your Real Player
Click here to listen with your Real Player

http://www.allthehitsq100.com/bertshow/

Honor the Fallen
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/honor.html

No More Robocalls - Let’s Create A Political Do Not Call Registry.

I recently learned in a Network World article about the do not call registry that politicians among others, are exempt. Exempt! And that it is time to renew your do not call status (it's every 5 years.)

There is also a new non-profit that wants to stop these political telemarketing “robocalls.”

I invite you to sign up for noticifaction when they start a registry. I know I don’t want to receive all those automated political calls and the last local election in Forsyth County was a nightmare. Our answering machine couldn’t keep up with those calls.


Stop the Robocalls!

Thanks for contacting Citizens for Civil Discourse (a non partisan non profit corporation), the home of the National Political Do Not Contact Registry!This is a grass roots initiative. We the people need to take back control of the political discussion and tell politicians not to call us (or mail or email) if we ask them not to do so.

What is next?

Building the Political Do Not Call Registry website and database –-> launch in mid to late September, 2007.

Once it is launched, you will be notified and asked to officially sign up and join the Registry.

What you can do in the meantime:

If appropriate, please tell your friends and family about this exciting non profit by asking them to visit:
http://www.StopPoliticalRobocalls.org/

Let us know why you care so much about this issue. Do you have a story to tell? Do you remember a particularly disagreeable phone call you received? What would you like to tell the politicians (from all parties)?

Please feel free to contact us with any further questions you may have.
Cheers,
Shaun Dakin – CEO & Founder
Citizens For Civil Discourse

Bio @ http://www.linkedin.com/in/shaundakin

info@citizensforcivildiscourse.orgCCD website:

http://www.StopPoliticalRobocalls.org/

Technorati Tags: do, not, call, registry

It's not easy being green.

I saw an Inconvenient Truth a few months ago. It was disturbing and I think there really is something negative going on our planet that we have caused.

At the end of the doc, they tell you ways that you can make a difference in your daily lives. I liked that and was comforted to know that we have already been doing many green things for a few years.

Use an automated thermostat. Recycle. Reduce trips out. Run the dishwasher and laundry at night. Replace energy efficient lightbulbs when your old ones burn out. Wrap your water heater. Replace air filters regularly. Telecommute. Insulate your home. Use energy efficient appliances. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check.

I don't have an energy efficient car now although I had a VW Jetta that rocked and was efficient.

I was disturbed to know that you shouldn't rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. I'm a rinser. I admit it and it's a habit I cannot break. Maybe because our frickin' dishwasher will not rinse everything and I end up having to wash it.

Other things I didn't know - unplug electronic devices as they use energy even when turned off. Computers, hairdryers, cellphone chargers, tvs and the like.

Anyway, if you haven't seen the documentary, it's worth seeing. And for more ways to make changes in our daily lives, check out these sites:

http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/whatyoucando/

http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/

Duran Duran and the video revolution

Ahhh Duran Duran. My memories of Simon, John, Nick, Roger and Andy and being a teenybopper with teen beat magazine-laden walls of these MTV video posterboys will always be fond ones.

I just watched the Concert in honor of Princess Diana and was amused to discover that she was a big D2 fan as well. Another reason to like her!

Anyway, I need to order their best-of video collection. They truly were pioneers for the video generation.

http://www.duranduran.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duran_Duran

http://duranduranmusic.com/

"My head is full of chopstick and I don't like it."

Do One Nice Thing

I read about this web site in Glamour magazine recently. The point of "Do One Nice Thing" is that you can in a matter of minutes do something to help someone whether it be send an email to support the troops or send a card to a sick child.

I had lots of extra skymiles and learned that I could donate skymiles for the Fisher House which provides free or low cost lodging to veterans and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers. I donated a ticket in a matter of minutes from the Delta web site.

The nice thing about Do One Nice Thing is that they provide summaries and links and they make it easy for you to do something quickly. They also have a newsletter.

Do One Nice Thing
http://www.doonenicething.com

Fisher House
www.fisherhouse.org

Donate Delta Miles to charities
http://www.delta.com/skymiles/use_miles/donate_miles/skywish_charities/index.jsp

1009 W Ashley Folly Beach - Don’t Stay in this Beach House Rental

Fred Holland Realty advertised a beach house rental that is good for “large family gatherings” on the beachfront. It has 4 BR and 2 BA and if you count the mold infested mothball smelling downstairs room, it has 5 BR and 1 more bath but it’s not livable down there.

We complained when we arrived 1) that it wasn’t cleaned from the previous week’s visitors with food on the counters and floors among other nasty findings and 2) that the house itself was in need of a major upgrade. I have a 9 month old baby and we had to put a sheet on the floor as it was so dirty that your feet were black after walking around on the carpet. We covered the furniture as it was disgusting as were the curtains and mattresses.

So, Fred Holland Realty’s answer? You get what you pay for. $3,000 a week for a nasty, dirty beach house? I don't think so. Why don’t you take pride in all of your homes and insist they be clean? Why don’t you insist that the owner upgrade it to living conditions or take it off your list?

Tell the owner, Mr. Jerry Zucker, the second richest man in South Carolina to replace the dirty carpeting and floors and make it a respectable property. Well, that won’t happen. And more families will stay here. Which is why I’m warning you now. Do not stay here. It is not family friendly and the realty ruined the start of our family reunion and my dad’s 70th birthday.

More to come including their listing of the house vs. the actual listing that it should read.

1009 W AshleyFolly Beach, SC 29439
http://holland.vrmreservations.com/vrmgr/rental/PropertyDisplay.aspx?PropertyId=25&WebCode=all&ReturnPath=/vrmgr/search/SearchResults.aspx

Description: An excellent home for a large family vacation (NOT). The top floor is the main living area with a full kitchen, living room (needs new curtains, furniture, paint on the walls and carpet), and bedrooms (that need new mattresses and carpet). A totally seperate (spelling?) unit downstairs has two more bedrooms (OUTRIGHT LIE - it’s one bedroom and a family room with two twins and damp, mothball scent throughout, floors need replacing) and a full bath. Great ocean front home value (it’s a dump).

Also, there is a fly stuck inside one of the pictures with a water stain on it. Lovely.

Pets Allowed: NoBedrooms: 6Bathrooms: 3Half Bathrooms: 0Security Deposit: $0.00Beds: 3q, 1d, 4t

Home owner: Jerry Zucker (he also owns 903 W Ashley and they were complaining of bugs in the bed)
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/10/G399.html

Technorati Tags: folly-beach-house-rental, fred-holland-realty, folly-beach, 1009-west-ashley, charleston-beach-rental

Peanut free snack ideas for the classroom

My daughter's birthday is this Friday and I called her daycare and asked about bringing in a treat to celebrate. I was warned that there is a child with a peanut allergy, so no cake or cupcakes were allowed. I was shocked that bakery items even had trace amounts of peanuts but found through research it's because they are made in a place where other peanut items are also made. This little known fact opened my eyes as I launched an internet search for peanut-free snack ideas for my daughter's birthday celebration.

Here is a great article for all of us not familiar with peanut allergies and how many foods we don't even realize have trace amounts of nuts:

If Your Child DOESN'T Have Allergies: Read This!
http://www.yummymummysite.com/index.cfm?PID=16916&PIDList=16915,15873,16916

Here is a list of snack ideas from a school. I can't imagine what schools are going through now that allergies are at an all-time high.

Peanut free snack suggestions:
http://www.walledlake.k12.mi.us/llake/peanut_free_snack_suggestions.htm

I think I have decided on Kroger brand ice cream sandwiches. But I still need to check the label for that specific package as even different factories have different products being made there and could possibly have peanut items.

Wow. I am thankful that so far my kids don't have a peanut allergy.

So next time you look to buy vanilla ice cream for a party with kids with allergies present, think again. Nuts are found a lot in many ice cream flavors so even the nut free flavors could contain it. Check the label!

Also, Oreos and Chips Ahoy cookies are good.

Cornhole, the new bean bag game leading a nation

We visited friends in Charleston who are from Ohio and discovered an awesome new bean bag toss game called cornhole. It is simply made of 2x4 foot pieces of wood with a hole cut out and they are slanted. You throw corn-filled bean bags into or onto the wood board. It is a great mix of horseshoes and tic tac toe bean bag toss from our youth.

Then we returned to Atlanta and I saw two cornhole games on the same day. One at Piedmont Park at the Park Tavern and one at the Braves game while a college group tailgated. Both times I shouted "cornhole!" My cousin from Chicago was with me and had never seen it. It's so cool!

So I just ordered my auburn cornhole bags and my husband will make the boards this weekend so we can start playing. Please check it out. It rocks.

Links:
How to build your own cornhole game platforms
http://thefuntimesguide.com/2005/08/build_cornhole.php

Playcornhole.org
http://www.playcornhole.org/

The cornhole portal
http://www.cornholeportal.com/

Directions how to build your own
http://home.fuse.net/mikebrungs/cornhole.htm

Cornhole made from some notre dame alum
http://www.kevincooney.com/archives/000040.php

Let's stop teaching our preschoolers to be sexy

There was an eye-opening article recently in Glamour magazine about the onslaught of sexual marketing messages our sweet preschoolers are exposed to and the effects it has on them.

The Bratz dolls are a key example.

As a mom of a 4 year old, you bet I'm concerned.

Here's the link to the article:
http://www.glamour.com/news/articles/2007/04/childrensexy

Technorati Tags: parenting, preschooler, marketing+to+kids, marketing, kids, preschool

40 glorious paris-free days

Glory day.

Technorati Tags: paris+hilton, paris, hilton

Stereotypes in Commercials

It's funny. The more we change, the more we stay the same, at least in commercials. I am used to the female as sex object role model in commercials, but what's interesting is how my husband is offended by the usual dumb husband roles in commercials. The typical male who cannot do work around the house, who has to order pizza and sit drinking beer watching sports. I realize it goes both ways when commercials dumb down American families or at least husbands and wives. Hopefully they will wise up and realize that many of us are intelligent creatures who both work, take care of the family, house and each other. And yes, we do enjoy a cocktail or two, but we are respectful to each other and others.

SEXISM IN TV, ADVERTISING, AND MOVIES
http://newmedia.cgu.edu/nardi/projects/a3/

Someone is Finally Going to Jail

Being a Hilton (and no, no from THAT family which I get asked all the %$#* time), it is about time a certain member of this name should finally go to jail. If it were any other citizen with the amount of citations that this celebutante has, we would all be in jail for a much longer time. I try not to talk about it to give into the media feeding frenzy but I am including a link to the petition that I did sign. It won't stop her and I'm sure this is the beginning of a very long E True Hollywood story, but at least LA County is finally doing something. You would think they were paid off or something. hee hee. LA Confidential.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/jailparishilton/

Technorati Tags: paris+hilton, paris, hilton

George Clooney and Budweiser

George Clooney makes we want to buy Budweiser beer, and I don't even LIKE Budweiser. His smooth, rich, full bodied voice along with his dashing good looks, mocking self deprecation and enigmatic charisma makes him one of the most appealing and compelling leading men in Hollywood. You rock George!

http://www.clooneystudio.com/

Technorati Tags: george+clooney, budweiser

Why saying "Thank you" is more than just good manners

Why saying "Thank you" is more than just good manners

A 10-year study of 200,000 managers and employees suggests that praising people for a job well done may lead to bigger profits, says Fortune's Anne Fisher.

By Anne Fisher, Fortune senior writer
April 12 2007: 6:46 AM EDT

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Dear Annie: I changed jobs last year, going from a small company (where I had worked since the start-up phase, over a decade ago) to an organization about 10 times bigger. I've made the adjustment pretty well, except for one thing. My old employer was very gung-ho about recognizing people for their achievements. If someone met a tough deadline or went above and beyond for a client, that person got a public pat on the back and maybe even a "prize" like a free dinner for two at a nice local restaurant.

My new company is completely different. No one ever says "thanks" for anything or shows any appreciation for extra effort, and as a result people don't do anything more than the minimum required to get the job (sort of) done. I think this hurts the business, but I can't convince my boss. Any thoughts? - Trying to Help

Dear Trying: I'd be willing to bet we've all worked in organizations like yours, at one time or another. Many years ago, Fortune had a top editor who made a point of never praising anyone for anything. Asked why not, he replied, "People who are good know they're good. They don't need to hear it." Well, if any proof is needed that that approach to managing people is wrongheaded, here's where to find it: "The Carrot Principle" (Free Press, $21.00), a fascinating book by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, both consultants at Salt Lake City-based consulting firm O.C. Tanner (www.octanner.com).

The book's subtitle says a mouthful - "How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage Their People, Retain Talent, and Accelerate Performance" - but the basic idea is simple: People will work harder and more enthusiastically for an appreciative boss, and companies that praise topnotch performance are more profitable than those that don't. In a study of 200,000 managers and employees over a 10-year period, Gostick and Elton found that, in companies where few people agreed with the statement "My organization recognizes excellence", annual return on equity averaged a paltry 2.4 percent. By contrast, companies with a culture that emphasized thanking people for excellent performance racked up returns more than three times as high, at an average of 8.7 percent. (For the complete study, go to www.carrots.com, under Research.)

Of course, anybody who has taken Statistics 101 will tell you that correlation doesn't always imply causation, and companies that praise their workers are probably doing lots of other things right, too. Even so, at a time when employers are competing fiercely for top talent, the authors note that 79 percent of employees in a recent poll who had quit their jobs cited lack of appreciation as the main reason. It seems saying "thank you" is even more important in retaining people than paying them more money - and a pat on the back is free.

How can you persuade your boss to start recognizing his team's achievements? Adrian Gostick says that about one-third of managers in the Fortune 100 companies he works with are, like my old editor, dead set against the idea of praising people. "They don't believe in it. They're always the ones sitting in the back of the room at our seminars with their arms folded, and that negativity often spreads to others," he says. "To overcome their resistance, we start by asking why they don't want to. Often they say they don't have time. But another big reason is, lots of managers want to be seen as 'tough', and recognizing people looks 'soft' to them. Another obstacle is that they just don't know how."

That doesn't mean your boss can't change. Gostick says that, in a former career as vice president of a bank, "I had to be told to recognize people. My employees urged me to do it." He adds, "We've found that, if you encourage a reluctant boss to start with just a few small things, he or she is often pleasantly surprised by the response and will want to do more."
"The Carrot Principle" is full of creative ideas for thanking employees, and you might take a look at those, and pass a few suggestions along to your boss. But some of them - like buying lunch for all employees who have to work on a Saturday and inviting their families to join them; or springing for an extra plane ticket so a spouse can accompany an employee on a business trip - may be too much for the budget. No problem.

Says co-author Chester Elton, "You don't need to spend a lot of money to make an employee feel valued. We find that a handwritten thank-you note, which costs next to nothing and takes just a couple of minutes, is something people really love to get. It's far more effective than an e-mail, especially if it's timely and specific. It should say, not just 'Way to go!', but 'You did a terrific job on that XYZ project'. We've seen people who are so pleased to get these that they keep them for years."

But let's say you show your boss the bottom-line results of Gostick and Elton's research and make a few gentle suggestions for how to start recognizing people, and he doesn't budge. You know the grassroots-political maxim, "Be the change you'd like to see in the world"? If you were to make a habit of thanking colleagues and praising the people around you for a job well done - beginning with (why not?) your boss - who knows? You just might start something big.
http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/11/news/economy/annie_praise.fortune/index.htm?section=magazines_fortune

Technorati Tags: human+resources, workplace, ethics, office, management, motivation, corporate

Atlanta Investing Named Finalist for the Atlanta Business Chronicle Pacesetter Award

Atlanta Investing Named Finalist for the Atlanta Business Chronicle Pacesetter Award

Atlanta Investing ranked among the fastest growing companies in Atlanta

Atlanta, GA – April 6, 2007 -- Atlanta Investing, Inc., a residential Atlanta real estate investment company specializing in foreclosures, announced that it has been selected as a finalist for the Atlanta Business Chronicle Pacesetter Award. Atlanta Investing joins an elite group of fast-growing, successful companies in the Atlanta area.

The annual Pacesetter list is compiled by the editors of the Atlanta Business Chronicle To qualify for the award the companies must be headquartered in Atlanta, must have 2006 revenue between $1 million and $300 million, and must have two years of growth in sales of more than 50 percent. Companies are ranked by a growth index formula, which is used to level the playing fields among companies of different sizes. Factors in the formula include the percent change and absolute change in revenue and number of employees.

"We are excited to be selected as a finalist for the 2007 Pacesetter Awards. We’ve experienced tremendous growth over the last two years and it’s due to the outstanding work done by our staff on behalf of our clients”, said Chris Wall, President of Atlanta Investing. About Atlanta Investing

Atlanta Investing, Inc. is a residential Atlanta real estate investment company specializing in foreclosures. The company acquires distressed properties and works with investor clients to match the perfect property to each investor. Most wholesale properties are offered 30 percent or more below market value to its investors. For information on future open houses, consulting services and real estate seminars, please call Atlanta Investing at 770-934-6906 or visit http://www.atlantainvesting.com.

Technorati Tags: atlanta+investing, atlanta, flip, house, real+estate, fixer+upper, atlanta+investment+properties, residential+real+estate

Office affairs in a small business

I work for a small company and it seems there is an office affair going on by a supervisor and a staff member, who are both married. Everyone in the office is aware of the situation and rumors are flying. It's awkward.

How do people deal with this type of work environment? It's not healthy or professional. I don't respect my supervisor. If management is supposed to address personnel problems like this and he IS the management, where does that leave the staff? Just turn the other cheek, I guess.

Workplace romance: love affairs and lawsuits
http://www.gruntledemployees.com/gruntled_employees/2006/11/workplace_roman.html

Dealing With Workplace Affairs And Other Office Dilemmas
http://www.careerjournal.com/columnists/workfamily/20050916-workfamily.html

The Iraq War Through US Soldiers' Eyes

Although I don't agree with the war, I wanted to do something to support the brave men and women of the United States who are fighting on behalf of our country. I heard about Adoptaplatoon on a local Atlanta radio station a few years ago.

www.adoptaplatoon.org is a wonderful non-profit organization where you can adopt a soldier to support and send care packages and/or letters. Check it out. You don't always hear back from your soldier for obvious reasons, but I have been surprised by the soldiers that have emailed and written back their heartfelt thanks for my support. There are many soldiers who don't even receive letters from their own families, so please reach out to them if you can. Make their day with mail call.

Here are some blogs by soldiers and families of soldiers - it's the best way to gain perspective on what is going on through their eyes.

Midnight in Iraq : US Marine in Iraq
http://midnight.hushedcasket.com/

Daily Life of A Marine Mom - Her son is in Iraq
http://usmcmom.blogspot.com/

American Soldier
http://www.soldierlife.com/

Iraq War News
http://iraqwarnews.net/

Technorati Tags: adopt, soldier, adoptaplatoon, platoon, support

Wholesale Atlanta Properties - Flip this house

Looking for Distressed/Wholesale Atlanta Properties to Flip?

Atlanta Investing, Inc. is a residential real estate investment company specializing in foreclosures in the Atlanta area. Atlanta Investing acquires the properties and works with investor clients to match the perfect property to each investor.

Most properties are offered 30% or more below market value to its investors. Sign up for our free 7 part newsletter “Learn How to Make Money with Real Estate Investing” and learn key real estate investing strategies including evaluating a deal, securing financing, best areas to buy and more.

Investors can subscribe online at http://www.atlantainvesting.com.

Subscribers can also receive updates on new property listings in the metro Atlanta area and receive a link to a free Foreclosure List via e-mail in less than 60 seconds.

For more information, call 770-934-6906 or visit http://www.atlantainvesting.com./

An Anniversary, St. Patrick's Day and March Madness.

Life is good. This is quite possibly one of the best weekends of the year! Today is our wedding anniversary, tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day on a Saturday, no less, and it is march madness. Let the games begin!

Erin go bragh!
http://www.guinness.com

Beware the angry leprechaun
http://www.liquidgeneration.com/Media/Default.aspx?MediaId=386

http://www.liquidgeneration.com/Media/eCards/The_Evil_Leprechaun_Lovely_Lassie/

March hoops bracketology
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/bracketology

Swiper, witches and crocagators, oh my!

My 3 year old daughter is having bad dreams just like I used to. I worry about it but we filter her television viewing to preschool shows and try to turn off the tv a lot. I know we read stories with bad people and I guess it's just going to happen. I am trying to talk about it more with her so it won't seem as scary. Here is a good article about nightmares and preschoolers on babycenter, my bible.

http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/refcap/preschooler/psleep/64922.html

Technorati Tags: bad+dreams, preschooler, parenting, swiper

'The Office' As a Training Tool

I started watching "The Office" a few months ago on maternity leave. Previously, it was too painful to watch as it reminded me of bad managers and unhealthy workplaces that I have experienced as a worker bee. Now I have been able to get past the pain and laugh. And laugh and laugh.

Here are some interesting insights into "The Office" and how it pertains to real life management and training in the workplace. Worker bees unite! Managers, please read!

NPR Business
'The Office' as Management Training Tool
Morning Edition, October 25, 2006 · The dysfunctional workplace portrayed in the TV show The Office rings true to many viewers. It also provides a roadmap of how not to manage a workplace.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6380073

Must See TV: Lessons from NBC's "The Office"
December 01, 2006
What can "The Office" teach you about managing a sales force? Plenty.
By Rebecca Aronauer
http://www.salesandmarketing.com/msg/content_display/publications/e3i778b0e5af917c8c649a51ebf1bd4fe4b?imw=Y

Technorati Tags: the+office, training, motivation, hr, human+resources, management, bad+boss

80s Music in Commercials

It is disturbing to see some of my favorite songs from the 80s infiltrating the tv commercial landscape.

The The has sold out to M&Ms which I never thought that I would see. The Cure was featured in a polaroid ad a few years ago, but there are many popping up now.

Our House for Maxwell House?
Don't You Want Me for Chips Ahoy?

This is getting ridiculous.

Here is a list of songs from the 80s that have been "butchered" by tv commercials:

Songs from the Eighties That Have Been In Commercials, Index

Well, it was bound to happen, and it has been happening now for a while, Commercials bleeding the memory of the eighties, for music. The first one I remember is "Like A Rock" and then "Born in the USA." Now it's food items. What's next? I'd love to hear your recomendations.
http://www.inthe80s.com/adsmusic/

Technorati Tags: 80s, music, commercials

Maternity Leave - 2 glorious weeks left of mini-retirement

I have two weeks left of my wonderful maternity leave before I have to leave my daughter at daycare (which will rip my heart out) and rejoin the ranks of corporate america. I return to work a bit older, and a bit wiser this time around. And a major fan of the tv show The Office.

My job is just that - a job. I work to live, I do not live to work. I have a great husband and two beautiful daughters and they are my everything. So now I am faced with the guilt most working moms feel. How can I leave my kids at a daycare and go work? Emotionally and financially, it is hard, but it is what I need to do for myself and my family.

My future goal is finding an ideal part time job by the time my kids go to school so at least I can be home when they get home. These times are different than when I was a child, but I don't think our children are suffering for it. My daughters are learning at an earlier age - social skills, learning skills, you name it.

Yes, it would be nice to be home and have the luxury of spending more time with them. But either way, the quality time you spend with your kids is so important. And yes, I can work and have a family balance and all that good stuff. How is it that men aren't questioned to balance work and family life, rather it is accepted, but for women, the same is not true?

I have friends who work and friends who are stay at home moms and there are issues and rewards with each situation. The battle we face internally and among ourselves is constant and the guilt is always there - am I doing what is best for my family? For me? And the judgment is out there. But I don't care if others judge me for working. I believe that you have to have time for yourself, time for you as a married couple and time for your family. I believe my job is part of my "me" time and I contribute towards our household which gives us many choices and a lifestyle we enjoy living. It also makes me feel accomplished.

I just hope that society will be more willing to accept working moms as a positive force and end the judgment that all women feel, whatever choice they make. In the end, we are all working hard and working moms - it's just a different title, office space and type of superior. For stay at home moms, the job never ends. For working moms, there are two jobs to balance - the one at work and one at home. Either way, it's a tough role. Let's all support each other as we make our way.

Waiting in Line Etiquette at the UPS Store

I don't know what topic to file this post under, but it's just plain wrong what happened to me.

I took my 2 month old to the UPS store this week so we could ship Grandma's Christmas gift in time to make it for the holiday. I walked up to the register and there was one person in the store other than the employee and she was making copies.

So I am waiting at the register with my infant in a car seat for about two minutes. The woman making copies goes to the other register and the employee waits on her first. Fine, she was already here, no problem. Whatever.

Then it's my turn. I give him my envelope and he weighs it. Then I see this large, tattooed, white-bearded man appear (no NOT Santa) and he starts complaining loudly how he "might as well go to the $#%& post office". So the employee gives me my package back and WAITS ON HIM. Then my brain starts going into complete shock and my face starts to contort.

The woman, then leaving the store, stops by to tell me that it's okay, he was here first, but he just WENT TO KROGER and then came back. As if it would make me feel better. During the busiest shipping week of the year.

Uh, in my book, when you wait in line, you WAIT IN LINE. You don't leave for another store and keep your spot in line. There is no invisible Georgia line holding law that this jacka-- was covered under. And I absolutely cannot believe that the employee started to wait on me and then stopped when the man started bickering and waited on him. Shame on you, UPS store in Cumming GA. I will never go to your establishment again.

I don't know who to tell about this, Clark Howard or Dane Cook.

Anyway, my two month old fussed less than that tattooed old man. Bah humbug to you old man and employee who waited on him.

You have one bad experience, you tell 30 people. That employee needs to remember this...

Now what do you do? Well, I will tell everyone I know.

Do NOT go here!

The UPS Store 4473
2659 Freedom Pkwy
Cumming, GA 30041 USA
770 886-7774

A New Mom the Second Time Around

The Second Time's the Charm!

When I had my first daughter, I felt a wild hormonal mix of elation and anxiety as I tried to figure out how to care for my newborn. I thought that she was so fragile that she could break and I was afraid to change her clothes. Her cries ripped at my heart and my blood pulsed heavily through my body as I tried to determine the cause of my sweetheart's discomfort. It eventually got better and I was soon a pro or at least semi-pro by the time she was a few months old.

There is good news for moms pregnant with your second born if you felt the same way: the second time around, I feel more a mix of hormones, elation and energy. I am more confident in handling my second daughter and I am more patient and calm when she is upset and fussy. It is still tough - the sleep depravation still exists, finding time for my husband is challenging and now I have a preschooler to tend to as well as a newborn, but I am definitely stronger this time around. My family is growing and so have I!

My husband and I are very proud of our family and are baffled that we have come so far from the teenagers we were when we met. It is important to have time as a couple, a family and as individuals.

Anyway, back to parenting the second time around. Trying to communicate with and listen to my daughter as she communicates with me is an important part of the parenting process.

Which is why yesterday's Oprah had such an impact on me.

A guest on the show has studied cries of newborns and has determined five essential messages that babies communicate by instinct. Check out the video and details for yourself. If you have a child from 0-3 months, this is a must-see/must-read. I am already deciphering differences in my daughter's cries and it makes all the difference.

Here are the links and good luck!

The Secret Language of Babies on Oprah
http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200611/tows_past_20061113.jhtml

http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200611/20061113/slide_20061113_350_101.jhtml

Watch the video of babies and their different cries
http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200611/20061113/slide_20061113_350_102.jhtml

The Dunstan Baby Language DVD - order your copy at www.dunstanbaby.com.

Auburn defeats Alabama in Iron Bowl for 5th year in a row.

War Damn Eagle!

Is it me or did CBS' commentators seem like they were broadcasting from the Alabama Network? Anywhoo, Auburn defeated the Crimson Tide and has bragging rights for a fifth consecutive year. Woo hoo! Fear the thumb!

High five. Low tide.

Auburn wins 5th straight 22-15 over Bama
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/college/4345663.html

Auburn Seniors Get Lifetime Supply Of Bragging Rights
http://www.nbc13.com/news/10362096/detail.html

ClayNation Dixieland Delight College Football Tour: Auburn at Alabama
http://www.sportsline.com/spin/story/9817786

Technorati Tags: auburn+football, auburn+university, iron+bowl, war+eagle

Great October Movies to Watch

I just watched my annual viewing of Donnie Darko. It's an awesome, dark and brilliant movie to watch in October. The soundtrack is also an excellent mix of dark alternative 80s music with the movie being set in 1988. Jake Gyllenhaal is at his best and it's a great way to get into the Halloween spirit.

What's it about, you say? Watch it and tell me. There are many theories out there. There are also some cool web sites analyzing the movie. Check it out.

Official Donnie Darko web site
http://www.donniedarko.com/

Fanlisting for Donnie Darko
http://creative-escape.org/donniedarko/

Cellar Door
http://ruinedeye.com/cd/

Other great October movies (besides the classics - these are newer ones)
The Butterfly Effect - director's cut ONLY
The Grudge
The Ring
The Skeleton Key
Constantine

Technorati Tags: october, movies, donnie+darko, halloween+movies

Flip This House!

I have discovered this show and it's pretty interesting to watch.

I also have a client who buys/sells Atlanta wholesale residential investment properties that people invest in or flip, and this industry is booming.

But I still think it takes money to make money. People need to be careful when getting into residential real estate investing. Do your homework, get good business references and have fun. Good luck!

Flip This Show on A&E
www.aetv.com/flipthishouse

Atlanta Investing
www.atlantainvesting.com

With Birds I Share This Lonely View

Remember when you heard a song on the radio and sang what you thought the lyrics were? I have made many a singing faux pas with my pals - from Guns N Roses "take me down to the very last city" (paradise city) to Billy Idol "I supply the fish." (eyes without a face)

Thank goodness there are now lyrical web sites available to save you from embarrassment and a future of years of teasing. Here are some good ones to reference. I am still trying to learn Green Day's Holiday. I love it but I can't figure out the words! Good luck and happy singing.

http://www.lyrics.com/

http://lyrics.astraweb.com/
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/

http://www.lyricsondemand.com

Books on Amazon:

Blinded by the Lyrics
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0806526955/ref=reg_hu-wl_list-recs/104-4743677-2343902?ie=UTF8

Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy and other misheard lyrics
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0740759930/ref=reg_hu-wl_mrai-recs/104-4743677-2343902?ie=UTF8

Technorati Tags: song+lyrics, lyrics, song

Planet Pluto

Poor Pluto. I grew up with 9 planets in my solar system and now they decide to change that, among other things. I will fight this! When my daughter has to make a shoebox diorama of the planets at school, this family is including Pluto! Stop the madness!!! How many schoolbooks have to be changed now? Calling Pluto a dwarf planet is like demoting it. It's just wrong.

Astronomers: Pluto just a dwarf
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2006-08-24-pluto_x.htm

Pluto, and ya don't stop
http://blogs.usatoday.com/techspace/2006/08/pluto_and_ya_do.html

Snakes on a Plane!

This is one of the coolest movie promotions that I have seen. You can send your friend a personal message from Samuel Jackson regarding the movie over email or the phone. Check it out!

http://snakesonaplane.varitalk.com/

Canon MP390 printer problems

I am having many problems with this all in one printer. After reading message boards about it - I recommend NOT buying one. Canon discontinued it and many people are having problems with the printer head. I cannot print pictures at all. It has been a total nightmare. Warning to all!

Hilton Head Island

I am heading to the beach with my family for some much needed r&r. It will be fun to see my 3 year old daughter play with her cousin on the beach. Palmetto Dunes is beautiful and we are ready to go. Even though I am very pregnant, I will be poolside with my gossip magazines. Escape! Serenity now!

Road trip! Here are some fun HH and Summer music links for anyone going to the beach this summer:

www.hiltonheadisland.org

www.hiltonhead.com

www.palmettodunes.com

Songs of Summer 2006
http://spinachdip.blogspot.com/2006/07/rating-songs-of-summer-2006.html

http://www.stereogum.com/archives/002811.html

http://www.npr.org/programs/asc/archives/summer06/

Lake Lanier at Low Level Thanks to Army Corps of Engineers

Our lake days are seeing low levels once again only this time it's because of human error. A faulty gauge released 22 BILLION gallons. They also miscalculated the lake levels and reported the level was higher than it actually is. How do you miscalculated a water level?

And they are responsible for fixing the New Orleans levees? Good God.

Faulty gauge drains Lanier Low levels could prompt drought declaration on brink of summer
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/0619lanier.html

Faulty gauge costs Lake Lanier lots of water
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/14854687.htm

IKEA US web site needs help

I tried to order my daughter's bedroom set online today from IKEA to pick up at their downtown Atlanta store, but they wouldn't let me. If you order online, you have no option for store pickup, just shipping. I also tried searching items from the catalog using their search feature and things would not show up that I later found through the categories. You would think such a large company would have thoroughly checked their web site for products and made them easier to find. So now we have to trek downtown with our printouts and find the items to buy. I guess large corporations are still not at the top of their web site games either.

www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/
Just try searching for a bed rail

Freelance project marketing professional in Atlanta

Looking for marketing help for your small business? Too busy to focus on various marketing, advertising and PR communications activities but can't afford a full time employee?

Jen Marketing.com freelance project work - all things marketing. Marketing, ad planning, events, web research, PR, Collateral, online marketing, flyers, newsletters & more! Because you have work to do. Let`s get started. Jen Marketing. Do More.

http://www.jenmarketing.com

Small business marketing help is here.

Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

- Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Nanny nanny boo boo

As my 2 1/2 year old daughter smiles at me and says "nanny nanny boo boo," I stop and ponder where that phrase originated. I mean, I said it when I was little and I'm sure my parents' generation said it and so on. It is just a special something that she picked up at daycare. It is funny what gets passed on and even if you try to keep your kids from learning this things, it is inevitable.

The same goes with riding the school bus. I rode the school bus but only from like 3rd grade on to public school. I do have an issue with my daughter riding one at 5, but only because there aren't any kids on our street and she won't know anyone, plus the fact that 10 year olds will also be riding that bus. I think kindergarten is a little young and I wouldn't have issues if she had friends in the neighborhood to ride with. Well I'll cross that bridge when I come to it in about 2 years.

For now, nanny nanny boo boo.

Random mom thought #452

You know, that Johnny in Johnny & the Sprites on Disney looks like a young, cute Ben Affleck. Boy do I need to watch some grown up tv. hee hee hee


http://disney.go.com/disneychannel/playhouse/johnny/

The Job Interview - How Can You Really Know How Someone Will Work?

I have been interviewing for jobs and find the whole interview process a little off kilter. I mean, how can we really know what a company is like when they grill you? And how do they know how productive I will be by answering questions the right way? I say give people more 90 day trials and let them duke it out. An apprentice like approach but that is really the only way to know - for both sides.

Indeed.com job search www.indeed.com
Monster www.monster.com
Career Builder www.careerbuilder.com

F&*(^% Company
www.fuckedcompany.com
Job Vent
http://www.jobvent.com/
BullS*&^ Job
http://www.bullshitjob.com/
About My Job
http://www.aboutmyjob.com/

Office Space Soundboard
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/officespace.html

The Office UK
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/theoffice/

The Office US
http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/

Movies with Great Plot Twists

My husband and I just watched Skeleton Key last night with Kate Hudson. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, it threw me for a loop. I love smart movies that keep you guessing. This is a great movie if that is what you seek. Not a lot of gore or scary scenes, it is more imagination and the setting in New Orleans pre-Katrina and in the tone of Hoo Doo, not Voo Doo although I think they are related. Add it to your next Netflix rental if you enjoyed these types of flicks: The Village, The Sixth Sense, The Others, etc.

I hope New Orleans comes back. I know its soul is there. It's just a matter of time.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397101/ Skeleton Key

http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/1I9SQWLW3M40N/002-2296279-3421668?%5Fencoding=UTF8 Amazon Reader List: Movies with Great Plot Twists

http://www.virgin.net/movies/toptens/movietwists.html Everyone has a list come to think of it

I love Netflix! www.netflix.com

Stop. Hammer Time.

Stop sign seen in Shiloh Road Alpharetta business park. Right under the stop, someone put in nice stenciled lettering "Hammer Time". I almost drove off the road laughing. I will go back and take a picture for my blog. Thank you to the random person who put that there. I have been giggling about that all week.

Another annoying sighting - at a grocery store, a large woman wearing sweatpants with writing on her backside. Please don't make me look there. And the writing just forces your eyes to look there. That is a big fashion DON'T that Glamour magazine regularly covers!

www.glamour.com Glamour magazine

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/signs/categories.htm Funny street signs

The Chicago Bears have a chance!

It's a damn good year when the Bears are in the playoffs. The Cubs did okay but now as a Chicago fan I feel better. Although the Red Sox/Cubs game this summer did rule as my sports choice of 2005, I hope the Bears can make some headway.

I won my husband's office pool for the college bowl games and it was just sweet. I picked Texas to win just like last year and my dream came true. My husband thought I was nuts, but after Auburn was shafted last year for the bowl championship series, it would be a cold day in hell before I root for the number one ranked team.

I say have a playoff! College fans deserve a thrilling and worthy championship series that will silence the critics and allow a true champion to evolve through what every other sport and pro NFL conference will attest to: you need a playoff system.

Word to the motha. Jenni out.

www.auburn.edu

Welcome to the world of the podcast

I got a new 30 GB video iPod for Xmas and it rocks. Besides trying to upload all my CDs and maxing out my laptop, I have half my iPod full and have now discovered podcasts.

Through iTunes, I have discovered some really cool podcasts. For those of you who aren't familiar with them, they are basically radio shows that you can download and listen to on your iPod at any time.

I have the Rolling Stone interview with Bono on my iPod as well as NPR 7 am news, story of the day and song of the day. I have stuck in the 80s and the ricky gervais show podcasts and they rock. Even They Might Be Giants has one that I am subscribing to and it's free.

There is a whole world out there and now we can listen on our schedule instead of the programmer's schedules. When I drive home from work, I listen to the NPR story of the day and in about a 20 minute drive, I hear a really neat story from someone in the world in my own little commuting world.

I have a feeling that life and radio is about to change as we know it, again. I am very excited to be witnessing this empirical shift from media when the programmers direct it to media when the consumer wants it. It is the age of me and it rocks.

Now back to my iPod.

www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts
www.itunes.com
www.ilounge.com
www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php

http://www.podcast.net/
www.ipodder.org
www.podcastalley.com
www.podcastbunker.com
podcasts.yahoo.com
www.podcastcentral.com
www.guardian.co.uk/rickygervais
www.podcast411.com
www.podcast.com

Toddlers and Medicine

My two year old daughter had strep last week and we gave her amoxicillin to treat it. She felt better in a few days, but was waking up agitated in the middle of the night with stomach cramps and she was crying, which she never does normally.

I called the nurse at her Dr office and she said although it is cause for concern, to continue giving it to her for the remaining 3 days of the 10 day treatment. It was against my better judgment and we stopped giving it to her.

It had been 8 days since we all slept through the night, but last night was the first restful night since we stopped giving it to her.

It's hard being a parent and deciding what's best for your child, but when they are in pain and don't need to be, it's not even an issue.

I guess I'm most upset that I have discovered that doctors and nurses are just people and not superpeople whom I grew up thinking could solve every health problem. As a parent, we have to make educated decisions and guesses, like they do, about what is best for our health and for our family's health.

Never second guess your gut feelings and instincts. I know I won't!

Online Marketing and Smaller Businesses

DECEMBER 20, 2005

About two-thirds of small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) use online marketing or plan to start in the next six months, according to a new report.

Frank N. Magid Associates surveyed a national sample of 1,060 for-profit small- and medium-sized businesses between September 12th and October 11th, 2005. A little over one-half of these respondents were from a registered users list of AllBusiness.com, an online resource for businesses that sponsored the study.

The data implies that only 22% of SMBs use the Internet for marketing. Of these, just over 60% employ e-mail marketing, while 56% use search engine optimization, 36% have banner ads, and 25% use pay-per-click advertising. Most of these organizations — 74% — are planning to increase their online marketing spending, although 43% of SMBs who are not using online marketing say they are planning to in the next 6 months.

However, a study by Interland indicates that SMBs rate other, non-Web related factors as more important, or just as important, when it comes to business success. For example, 55% of US SMBs surveyed said that community relations were critical, compared to 47% who cited a Web site. Public relations, direct mail and yellow pages were all deemed more important marketing tools than e-mail marketing. While converts to online marketing seem enthusiastic about it, it is clear that SMBs as a whole have not yet jumped wholeheartedly into the online realm when it comes to promoting their products.

Outside the realm of marketing, Magid found that over four-fifths of SMBs credit the Internet with improving communications in their company, while about three-fifths said that the Internet opened new markets for them, increased competition and lowered their costs. Interestingly, less than one-third said that the Internet improved employee performance, perhaps reflecting concern over employees being distracted from work by surfing the Web.

http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?1003731

©2005 eMarketer Inc. All rights reserved

Small Internet Retailers Are Using Web Tools to Level the Selling Field

E-Commerce Report from The New York Times

By BOB TEDESCHI
Published: December 19, 2005

AMAZON, Walmart.com and other online retailing giants have always had upstarts nipping at their heels. But the little guys are starting to bite harder.

Just how sharp their teeth are, however, is a matter of some debate.

Of the $26 billion in sales that are projected for Internet retailers this holiday season, about 45 percent will go to small retailers, according to Forrester Research, up from 42 percent last year. Even so, with revenues starting to flatten at eBay, the site so many of them use to market their wares, some analysts doubt they will ever be able to break through the 50 percent mark.
But other analysts are not so sure. In the fast-changing world of Internet commerce, they say, smaller merchants have gained two important advantages: Google and consumers who are fussier than ever.

"The game has changed," said Gene Alvarez, an analyst with Gartner, a technology consulting firm.

In years past, any retailer could put up a Web site fairly easily, although it had little chance of attracting the attention of Web browsers unless it had enough money to advertise on well-known sites like AOL and MSN. Yahoo and Amazon, which have long sold cheap Internet storefronts to small businesses, sweetened the deal by listing the businesses on their sites in return for a sales commission.

But that exposure, while significant, pales in comparison to the publicity Web merchants can now gain by spending a few nickels per click on a text ad on Google. "Before, people couldn't find these smaller guys," Mr. Alvarez said. "But now these stores can be much more easily discovered on Google."

At the same time, consumers are displaying a growing appreciation for small online retailers. According to the Kelsey Group, a media consulting firm, the portion of Internet searches that include local elements like "dry cleaners and Greenwich Village" or "art galleries in Easton" has doubled in the last year to 20 percent.

One reason for that, no doubt, is the spread of high-speed Internet connections, which allow users to click through multiple merchants without waiting hours for Web pages to load.
All of which leads to another phenomenon that could further threaten the dominance of the big players - simplified e-commerce software with the potential to lure hordes of hitherto reluctant merchants onto the Internet.

According to eBay, nearly 650,000 small businesses in the United States have an online presence, a sizable figure but a tiny fraction of the 7.5 million companies that the Kelsey Group estimates market most of their goods directly to consumers. Many of the holdouts have resisted the Web because they deem the transition to be too difficult, too expensive or both. But now, Yahoo Stores, ProStores from eBay, NetSuite and other companies that help businesses operate online hope to change the minds of the hesitant with software and services that are cheaper and easier to use.

"We're moving into the next generation for small and medium-sized businesses who want to sell online," said Mr. Alvarez of Gartner. "Even a one-person shop can open an online store that's much more refined than it would've been a few years ago."

Liz Herbert, a Forrester analyst, said the biggest change in e-commerce software in the last few years was that it no longer comes in a box. It is delivered online, so businesses do not need technology specialists to install and run the company's system.

EBay has for years offered sellers the chance to set up their own ministores, called storefronts, in this fashion, but the company this year intensified its efforts to reach small businesses that might not be interested in selling solely on its site. In January, it bought Kurant, an e-commerce software company, for an undisclosed sum; this year it renamed the service ProStores and upgraded the software with added features.

According to Chris Tsakalakis, eBay's senior director of stores and platforms, the ProStores service, which costs from $7 to $250 monthly, gives sellers templates to use in setting up a store, and will carry an online catalog of 10 items or more. For those who pay $30 or more a month, the service includes a personalized Web address, a secure checkout process and a selection of more sophisticated business tools, like those that help managers improve the store's rankings on search engine results.

Such software tools sound like an obvious place for Google's engineers to focus, particularly if the company wants to attract more local businesses online so they will buy more Google ads. But Google - which last month began giving away software to help Internet managers analyze their site traffic, but has not otherwise pushed into e-commerce services - does not offer live customer service, and this is one market where such service is critical, executives said.
"We have hundreds of live agents that are highly trained, answering questions around the clock," said Rich Riley, vice president and general manager of Yahoo Small Business. "That gives us a real head start."

And increasingly, these services include more than just the ability to post a Web site and accept transactions. NetSuite, a privately held company co-founded by Lawrence J. Ellison, Oracle's chief executive, and Evan Goldberg, one of Oracle's chief technologists, has improved its tools for companies that want to manage their entire business - including payroll, shipping and marketing - through the Internet.

For some retailers, like Mess Makeup, a New York seller of cosmetics, that is the most important feature in the latest incarnation of e-commerce services. "I could go to the Bahamas, pull out my laptop, look at inventory, see how many leads came in, track people's shipping, and everything's extremely user-friendly," said Adam Furman, a former software consultant who co-founded Mess Makeup two months ago.

Mr. Furman, who pays NetSuite about $1,000 a month for one of its more sophisticated service offerings, said he would have had to spend $500,000 to $1 million to develop the same technology on his own a few years ago. "And we would've needed to hire a tech team of our own," he said. "Now we can concentrate more on just selling makeup and building our business."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/19/technology/19ecom.html

Small Business Marketing Help is Here

As a business to business marketer, I have garnered much experience in the areas of technology with a splash of agency work as well. I am currently a one person marketing department and I handle all aspects of corporate marketing communications. I handle advertising (both print and online), public relations, trade shows, marketing collateral and all marketing projects for a software company.

I have recently started working freelance on small business marketing projects for some local companies. It is amazing all of the companies out there who are looking for marketing professionals for projects but who do not have the budget or workload to staff a full time marketer.

With that in mind, I have started freelance marketing for small businesses. Jen Marketing is my new creation designed to help entrepreneurs and small businesses handle their advertising, marketing and PR on a project basis. Looking for a freelance marketer? Seeking a marketing consultant? Need help with some projects that you don't have time for? Need help writing and distributing a press release? Just need some research done? Give me a shout. I can help with your small business marketing and small business advertising needs large or small.

Jen Marketing.com freelance project marketer - all things marketing. Marketing, advertising, events, web research, PR, Collateral, Web marketing, flyers, newsletters & more! Because you have work to do. Let's get started.

Jen Marketing. Do More.

www.jenmarketing.com
Freelance marketer
Project marketer
Marketing consultant
Advertising consultant
PR consultant
Trade show coordinator
Small business marketer
Small business advertiser
Small business public relations

I got my iPod. You didn't get one.

Glory day. I got my 30GB video iPod and I am in heaven. It rocks. I also bought the kit with all the cables that you need to play it in your car, on your stereo and listen with 2 people. I have all of my music and pictures on it. You can show slide shows on tv to music, put your calendar on it, your contacts from Outlook. It even has games and a timer on it. Christmas came early in our household!

Between this and our satellite radio that is due anyday, we will be set. No more boring radio for us. No more songs overplayed to the point of no return! Control is back in our hands! Victory is ours!

www.apple.com

U2 is the band of our generation

I am 34 years old and I have grown up with U2. Go ahead. Call them a band that has not affected you in some way shape or form, and I will work with you on this. I am sorry but there isno excuse but to know this band and the beaty it brings to your world. Rock on. For now, we live here.

www.u2.com

Auburn Wins the Iron Bowl. War Eagle!

Auburn ended a fabulous season by making a human pinata out of Alabama's quarterback, Brodie Croyle. Bumper stickers are already on the market "Honk if you sacked Brodie." As an Auburn fan, seeing them beat Bama four years in a row is golden.


Auburn's defense contributes to its fourth consecutive win over Alabama.
http://www.theplainsman.com/vnews/display.v/ART/43833d26ad71c

Auburn's victory could set the tone for the future
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051122/SPORTS/511220364/1002

Auburn Tigers
http://www.wtvynews4.com/sports/headlines/1996907.html

Auburn Awaits Mystery Game
http://www.al.com/sports/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/sports/1132568116235900.xml&coll=3

Auburn Blasts Out of Alabama's Shadow
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10130783/

Great video clip of the 2005 Iron Bowl Highlights
http://www.aunation.net/ironbowlvideos/AU%20vs%20UA%2011_19_05.wmv

Auburn University
http://www.auburn.edu

IKEA, The European Target

My sister road tripped into town from Charlotte, NC with my mom and her two kids so we could have a sister shopping spree at IKEA. She has been an avid fan for a few years and hasn't been to one in years. This was my first trip but since they opened the Atlanta location and sent the catalog, they have made a fan out of me. With their funky cool style and low prices, you can't beat it! I got stuff cheaper than Wal-Mart there and it looks ten times better. Needless to say, I was able to give my sister an early Xmas present by shopping with her as our mom and my husband watched the kids.

It is a huge store and it does encourage kids. It even has a restaurant and kids play palace. I got doormats for $1.99 and kids plates 5 for .99. You can't beat that! Plus they won me over as they played the 80s satellite radio channel. I guess we fit their target demographic.

It rocks. Plus I just got back from visiting our friends in Luzern, Switzerland. They have all that cool track lighting and space saving efficient furniture. It was like an extension of our trip going to IKEA. They show you examples of living within certain spaces like 1500 sq ft, 1000 sq ft and less. It's definitely a lesson for the US as we are used to larger wide open spaces. If you are in a smaller space, you must plan for more efficient use of your space. Like IKEA says, think high. Go all the way up your wall and maximize your space.

www.ikea.com

Auburn vs. LSU college football

This is such a great rivalry. It is one of my favorite games in the Auburn season. I have been to the LSU game in Baton Rouge and to it in Auburn. What a great mix of people who love football. Even when we lost in Baton Rouge and were walking back to our car in our Auburn gear, a bunch of LSU tailgaters invited us to their tailgate for jambalaya. That is awesome. I am so happy for them as things seem to be getting back to normal after the horror of the hurricanes. It is a sold out game tonight and there is no better time in life to celebrate than now! Football, folks and fun. Go Tigers!!!

And go Chicago White Sox!!! It is a good day for sports. Beauty, eh?

Talkin bout my Jeneration

My moment of Jen. I was born in 1971 and was named the most popular name for that year in the U.S. Jennifer. There were about 10 other Jennifers born the same time I was in Hinsdale, Illinois. My parents even clipped a newspaper article about it and put it in my baby book. So for my entire life, I have had a name that a good portion of other women have had growing up. There were always three of us in my classes in school. Our classmates would come up with nicknames and even teachers would to that fact, to keep us separatley identified. I spell my name Jenni and it has always been that way, even before I could talk. My parents always called me Jenni from the start. But my last name Gurney always warranted that nickname when class was overwhelmed with Jennifers. So Jennifers of the 70s, I feel your pain!

So it is funny to see a fancier name evolution now as a parent - kids' names and spellings run the gamut in my daughter's daycare. Hailey, Hayley, Ashton, Ashlee, Brandon, Braedon, you name it, there is a different spelling for it.

I think it's funny that no matter who we are, we are always trying to differentiate, even with our names. I wonder if Jennifer will ever make the top of the list again as we see the Apples and Cocos and Pilots and Banjos enter the arena. Maybe we will go back to basics as we do in the cycle of life. Hello Jennifers of the world. Reunite! Deep thoughts on a Friday night.

The new Jeneration
http://www.smh.com.au/cgi-bin/common/popupPrintArticle.pl?path=/articles/2004/01/13/1073877820515.html

Popular Baby Names, 1880-2004 Social Security Administration
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/

Celebrity Baby Names
http://www.parents.com/articles/pregnancy/babynames_toptrends.jsp?page=4

What's the weirdest celebrity baby name?
http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/popcandy/2004-05-25-pop-candy_x.htm

Reference to Jennifers in the 70s
http://www.trixieupdate.com/archives/2004/05/2004_05_18_0950.php

What not to name your baby
http://www.suntimes.com/output/lifestyles/cst-ftr-name31.html

Madison and her sisters
http://www.teevee.org/archive/2002/11/21/

Family Tradition

Usually, families tend to stick together when the going gets tough rather than the opposite. I have just been reminded of what a wonderful family I do have. My sister in law, my husband's sister, is being sued by her husband's sister. Who sues family? well unfortunately, that one does. My sister in law and her husband had a get together and the sister fell on the sidewalk on the way in to their condo. She was pregnant and twisted her ankle, but months went by and she got better. Just a few months ago, she decided to press charges. At first the family was like, don't worry, we're not suing YOU, we are suing your insurance company. Still, it was wrong. She even promised to give them some of the money...which theydidn't want. Since the insurance company and condo complex have ruled that the area that she fell on is not under their responsibility, it now goes directly to my sister and brother in law. That makes for an interesting family gathering. So now, no one is speaking to each other and the sister is suing her brother just for money, apparently. Is Springer still on tv?

She is a worthless ho who has three kids by three different men and still lives at home with her poor parents to raise the kids. She had a boob job and is a hussy with no better purpose in life than to create havoc for those around her. I do believe in karma and I do believe she has been tagged. I feel bad for my sister and brother in law. No one should go through this as a family. The parents are backing the sister suing, so all communication has been cut off. It is hard. Why are people assholes? My sis and brother in law have repeatedly supported her, giving her money when she needs it (which she never repays, nor do they expect it anymore), babysitting their niece and nephew and loving them - which is the hardest thing to see - them missing their aunt and uncle and cousin - and lots more)

Which goes back to the old adage - you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family. That just sucks. I am thankful to have a loving and caring family. I hope they won't sue me - and don't expect them to. Where to turn if your family wrongs you? Well I did some research. Good luck my sister in law!

Coping with the stress of being sued
http://cobrands.business.findlaw.com/business_commercial/legal/source/business_events/be16_2dosndonts.html

The Atlanta Braves are all stars to me.

There are many arguments going around the city of Atlanta today as we all watched (and turned off, and turned back on, and turned off) the heart wrenching 18 inning loss yesterday against the Houston Astros that knocked them out of the playoffs.

I know you could say that they left a lot of men on base and had many chances to come back, and can argue your point until the cows come home. But what is really amazing is that for 14 straight years, Atlanta has proven (against many odds at times) that they are good enough every year to content for the championship.

Many big names and egos have come and gone from this team and I have to give kudos to the coaches and the farm system of this amazing team. There is always next year, but even right now I think they are great. Keep on rocking in the free world, Leo!

http://www.atlantabraves.com

http://www.ajc.com/braves/content/sports/braves/

Gaucho Gaucho Gauchos!

Does anyone else remember wearing these hideous half pant - half shorts in the late 1970s or is it just me? And I was only 8, so I could blame my parents since I had not hit the formulative fashion years. The gaucho gaucho gaucho ad campaign was what I can recall. Wearing gauchos and my I'm a Pepper Dr. Pepper t-shirt like I was the fashion queen of Chicago. At a tender 8 years old.

And now they have made a comeback. Scary. There are some clothing trends that need to go away and stay away. Forever! This means you legwarmers, as well.

Well now that I've vented I feel better. Anyone know where to look up old ad campaigns? Jordache! Nair wears short shorts! Nehi! Nothing comes between me and my calvins!

I want my iPod and I want it now!

I am a huge iPod fan. I am also a fan of collecting new music that is not on the radio and giving new bands a break. Which is why I am updating my music collection so when I get my iPod (and can afford to buy it after the holidays) I will be all ready to go.

I am also a marketer and am entering all the contests I can to win an iPod! I love listening to my cable company's music channels commercial free and hearing cool, new bands. I think we are going to witness a huge change in the music industry and how people carry their music around. I still can't believe there are entire companies out there that just sell iPod accessories. I need to find a hot trend and jump on it sooner next time! Rock on, peace out.

www.apple.com
Did you know you can get free personalization on iPods? I have ordered two for my company trade show giveaways. It's pretty cool. Put your name on it so you know it's yours!

Top 5 Free Things to Do at Disney World

I married into a Disney family from Florida. They have a time share there so we have the luxury of visiting and staying at Disney for "free". Although we have this nice benefit, it has also been fun to experience Disney World from a frequent traveler perspective. My in-laws have stayed at all the resorts for years and have done it all. So what do we like to do for fun and FREE as we spend a week a year there to keep things interesting? (We also have park hopper passes and you can get those in multi-day increments that don't expire - it's recommended)

5) Walk the Disney Boardwalk, especially at night. It is just like the Jersey Coast. Games, taffy, people walking, noises, it can't get better than that unless you are at the real Shore.
4) Swim in the Yacht & Beach Club sand bottom pool. It is stricter now with wrist bands, but go after 5 and in the off season and you shouldn't have a problem. The water slide rocks!
3) Visit the Wilderness Lodge. Walk around the coolest real life Lincoln Logs building I've ever seen.
2) Ride the boats. From the park to resorts, from resorts to Marketplace village. Wherever. Free boat rides!
1) Take the monorail and do your own resort tour. Ride the monorail and visit each resort on it. Experience Hawaii at the Polynesian. Visit the gameroom at the Contemporary. Breathe in the splendor of the fresh flowers in the entrance of the amazing Grand Floridian. Ride in the front car and learn from the driver all about Disney.

There is so much to do and see there. It really is nicer when you stay on site. And a great place on a budget is the All Star Resorts.

Official Web Site
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/index?bhcp=1

Disney Tips, Discounts
http://www.mousesavers.com/

More free and cheap things to do at Disney World
http://www.mousesavers.com/freestuff.html