As business owners, not only must we think of securing our homes, but we have the added stress of securing our businesses as well. The two go hand in hand for without a place to continue conducting business, our personal lives would suffer greatly.

In preparation for any disaster, every company should have a disaster plan. The depth and magnitude of your company’s plan will depend on how large your company is and how many people you have employed.

Do you have inventory to protect?
Trucks to store?
Refrigeration to save?
Spoilage, documents, office equipment, etc. to worry about?

It's a lot to consider.

Catalogs.com is relatively lucky. We purposely have our servers in mid- America, in a galaxy far far away from tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc. We are an internet company, so our computers and servers mean everything to us. Not only do we have them in one area, but they are backed up in a completely different state as back-up. We back up our back ups, and then back them up some more for good measure. At Catalogs.com, we got back.

Hurricane Ike is heading straight for South Florida. As opposed to the popular political slogans of old, I do not like Ike. Ike isn't making life very easy for us. As a company today, we prepared and gathered emergency contacts, made sure we knew everyone’s significant other (or families) contacts info. We will clean up our desk areas (good excuse, long time overdue) and raise our computers above the floor.

We will put into place back-up plans to work from home, have extra laptops, and most importantly, back up our individual work computers and take the back-up OFF PREMISE. As I said before, baby got back up.

Running a company depends on being calm, planning for the good, the bad and the ugly, and most importantly … showing concern for your employees. Without them, we would not have a company. Together, we will send Ike packing.

Be safe!

My eldest daughter just splurged.

Out of her very own piggy bank, with her very own hard earned money (saved from performing “mundane chores” around the house) she bought my son a Ferrari.

You got that right, a bright red, steaming hot Ferrari.

My son is in heaven.

Needless to say, he was beyond thrilled. The excitement was pulsating from his tiny head to his toes as he ripped open the wrapping paper of his birthday present at our local Italian joint where we took him last week to celebrate.

Hours and hours of uninterrupted bliss (from a Mom’s perspective) keeping him busy for hours straight as he carefully figures out the intricate puzzle of 629 Lego pieces. Forget about Calgon taking me away, Legos take me away!

Moms, take it from me, this car is a mother’s dream come true.

If my daughter wants to keep giving him gifts that are this ingenious, maybe her father and I should raise her allowance. I only hope my son isn't expecting a real Ferrari to be sitting in the driveway for his 18th birthday.

There has recently been a lot of hype in the media today concerning instances where employers reject potential job candidates or fire employees based on information obtained from popular social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

Some claim it's unethical, but as an employer who performs thorough background checks before hiring any new employees, I believe that searching on Facebook or MySpace can give employers a valuable "clue" into the personalities of certain employees, providing useful information not always found or stated on a resume.

As long as employers are careful to avoid violating any discrimination laws based on race or ethnicity, I believe businesses should totally take advantage of seeing what information is out there floating around in cyberspace when it comes to hiring future employees. It isn't an invasion of privacy, because what you are posting is basically for the public to see. My advice? If you don't want your future employers to question your actions or future with their business, then don't post questionable material. It's as simple as that. Or better yet, adjust your privacy settings.

When and if you post information on a social networking site just assume future employers will read everything you post. When applying for jobs, eager employees usually make it a practice to Google every piece of information they can find about the companies they are applying to. Why shouldn't employers be given the same right?

There aren't many instances that would cause me to reject an interviewee based on what I see on their MySpace or Facebook accounts. Nudity, child pornography, and excessive violence are subjects I would be unwilling to turn a blind eye to. After all, when hiring people (especially at a smaller company) you are basically welcoming future employees into what is potentially your second family. You wouldn't invite a stranger into your home and have them sit at your dinner table without learning a thing or two about them first, would you?

Back to School.

A time of unrest for parents everywhere. After enjoying an entire summer of fun and frolic, it's time to get serious and shop for everything your child needs to flourish during the new school year. With three kids I don't have to tell you, this is quite a chore. At least if they were triplets I could just buy three sets of everything, but with three kids in three different grades, I'm in school supply hell. A protractor here, a 3 ring binder there, notebook paper: college ruled, wide ruled, quadrille ruled...it's enough to drive a Mommy mad.

Until I found the secret. Staples.

I don't mean add a box of staples to your school supply shopping list. I mean take out your laptop, stay in your comfy pajamas and order all of your children's school necessities online at Staples.com. You don't even have to get out of bed. I cannot recommend Staples more for Back to School Shopping. I just asked my kids' schools to email or fax me a list of recommended supplies based on their grade levels and voilà! Point, click, order, done. With fast free delivery on orders over $50 it couldn't have been any easier.

Free shipping. Big savings. No kids screaming in car.

Any questions?

Whether you're following the Beijing games or not, everyone is talking about the swimming Olympian sensation Michael Phelps. He broke his own record with his first dip in the pool during the 400m individual medley and is looking to break Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at a single Olympics back in 1972...but more importantly, just check out how he looks in a Speedo.

Besides Olympic success, Michael is swimming in financial success with a multi-million dollar endorsement deal with Speedo. It truly is the American dream personified when a young amateur athlete from Rodgers Forge Maryland can make six figures just for wearing a skimpy brief, but we're no strangers to this athlete endorsement phenomenon. Nike is paying Tiger Woods, Maria Sharpova, and Derek Jeter handsomely to sport the Nike Swoosh, and I'm not even going to begin to guess how much tennis stars and sisters Venus and Serena Williams make to show off their tennis whites. So for an athlete today it seems your regimen is train, train, train, win the game, break the record, and look good in your athletic gear while doing it.

If you want to look as good as Michael Phelps in his athletic gear, first hit the gym, then the swimming pool, then Total Nutrition...and finally slip into some Speedos of your own. Catalogs.com is proud to jump onto the Speedo bandwagon with three catalogs featuring men's and women's slick Speedo styles that are endorsed by Michael Phelps himself: Swim to Win, Pure Blue Swim and Trisports.com.

I can't promise you'll look like Michael Phelps in your Speedo, or win a gold medal...but it's a start.

How to Make Online Shopping Even Easier.

1. Keep your purse right next to the computer.

It's all about proximity. If your office is upstairs, keep the handbag there. The closer your wallet and credit cards are, the easier it is to shop online.

2. Compare prices.

Just because you find what you're looking for at the top of your Google search, doesn't mean it's the very best value. Didn't your Mama ever tell you you'd better shop around? Comparative shopping online is so easy, unlike trekking from store to store on foot to compare prices and sales at the mall. Put on your Bob Barker thinking cap and look around until you guessed it, the price is right.

3. Love thy coupon.

Online coupons are everywhere, and it's worth a few cyberminutes of your time to seek them out and use them. Whether it's 15% off or free shipping, seek thy coupon and ye shall find. Catalogs.com is swimming with cute little red tag specials and money saving certificates. We're cool that way.

4. Read product reviews.

If product reviews are listed, read them. They'll give you honest feedback on the product you're buying and will keep you from making a completely blind purchase. They'll provide tips on product performance, visuals and other useful tidbits they may not list in the product description. I've acquired many a pair of perfect fit shoes from fellow online shoppers warning me to order a size up because certain heel sizes run small.

5. Hide online receipts from husband.

This tip is self-explanatory.

And for a few other, less cheeky online shopping tips- here's what our friends from onlinesavingsaccounts.com have to say...

There is a new Barbie doll on the market creating a wave of controversy. Black Canary Barbie, based on a comic book character of the same name has created quite a stir with the Christian Voice due to her Goth/S&M-like clothing choices.

Awhile back, I met the director, writer and producer of an interesting 15 minute gem of a film called “The Tribe: An Unorthodox, Unauthorized History of the Jewish People and the Barbie Doll". An official selection at both Sundance and the Tribeca Film Festival, the movie introduced the creator of the Barbie doll Ruth Handler, who was also the co-founder of Mattel, and all around lovely Jewish lady.

Having passed in 2002, Ruth is no longer with us to comment, but here are my thoughts on all this Black Canary Controversy.

1. Simply put, being a Mom of 3, I’d prefer it if Barbie didn’t look like a slut or a punker.

2. I don’t want my kids wearing fishnet hose. Furthermore, I don't want my kids playing with toys or children who wear fishnet hose.

3. Frankly, my 3 kids NEVER enjoyed playing with Barbie dolls, HOWEVER, I did and I loved them. I especially loved dressing them up and brushing their hair until they turned bald.

4. I’m OK with glittering, beautiful gowns and somewhat sexy revealing clothes (after all… it’s reality) but I don’t think we need to go to extremes. God knows, eventually there will be a Barbie with bellybutton rings, triple ear piercings and a tongue that is pierced for “you know what reason"!

5. I LOVE it that Barbie has career aspirations. Barbie is now a doctor, an astronaut, a musician, a lawyer … I think it’s important to achieve positive goal setting and good reinforcement of desirable careers and behavior. Black leather with fishnet stockings is NOT part of the uniform I want my two girls wearing when they enter the workplace.

6. Dolls can be an important part of child play. In fact, child psychiatrists have often used dolls to allow kids to play out/act out what there hidden problems are (kids can talk more easily to dolls that to adults). It would be a shame for this Barbie to give other dolls a bad rap.

7. I’m sure poor Ruth never envisioned Barbie becoming a ho (if the fishnets fit) back in 1959 when she first invented Barbie, named after her dear daughter Barbara. And I certainly doubt that Barbara dresses like Black Canary today.

*Warning: this may be deemed purely a bitching blog about Sears Maintenance and Warranty on my ice maker. Continue reading at your own risk.

I spend about $150 – 200 per year on my ice maker and refrigerator maintenance warranty from Sears. I have a stand alone Whirlpool ice maker that is covered under said warranty.

Within the last 12 months, Sears repairmen have come out to my house not one, not two, but ten freaken times. Yes, in my opinion, that deserves a freaken. Readers, I have no damn ice. Repairmen keep bringing over and ordering new parts, one at a time, but to no avail. Let’s see… over the past twelve or so months I’ve accumulated a new compressor, a new evaporator, a new cooling system, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg (pun very much intended) but because I have to have 4 qualifying times in 1 year, they do not consider this to be enough. I am now in the heat of July in the Sunshine State with no damn ice. I am schlepping to Publix at least two times a week to buy bags of ice (which incidentally is taking up all of my freezer space, go figure).

The repairmen were at my house, yet again last week and it still won’t make ice. I called again today and they told me I had to wait 48 hours for it to make ice. This is hogwash! God created the world in 7 days, it shouldn’t take 2 days to make ice.

My history of service calls is as follows:

April 17, 2007 no ice.
April 24, 2007 adjusted condenser coils and cleaned them.
April 30, 2007 repaired leak – water flowing out onto kitchen floor.
Oct 7, 2007 no ice. replaced evaporator and cleaned coils
June 10, 2007 replaced compressor, charged it, fixed water valve and replaced entire pump
June 13, 2008 connected water line they forgot to 3 days ago
July 22, 2008 replaced switch, evacuated, recharged unit – still no ice as of today

Looks like I’m not alone. There are a few other consumers who like me, aren’t enjoying the softer side of Sears.

As I mentioned last week, I was scheduled to speak at a marketing education event, and I'm glad to say my speech went off without a hitch. I pictured everyone in their granny panties and tighty whities, and all was fine. I met a few lovely people who were seated at my table and struck up a conversation with one lovely woman in particular, Heidi Richards. It turns out Heidi has her own business blog like I do, while I confess about being a shopaholic, she focuses on Tulip Talk. I mentioned that I had an upcoming event on the horizon and she told me about her booming online floral business - EdenFlorist.com. We exchanged cards, and said our goodbyes. It's always nice to make new contacts. Imagine my surprise a few days later when I received an exquisite arrangement of burnt orange colored roses at work.

All I can say is, what a smart business move by a savvy entrepreneur to hopefully obtain a chance to bid on an upcoming function. Sometimes you have to go the extra mile past handing someone a business card. Take a cue from Heidi and flower future employers or customers with a little extra something that sets you apart from the rest.

The power of a flower certainly goes a long way.

I'm frustrated.

It's 11:18 pm, and I just spent a decent amount of time creating my own special image and uploading a custom photo and text to be used in ordering 12 bottles of wine from Windsor Vineyards catalog. I love it, I can customize each bottle with my OWN special label. It's like I have my own winery, without having to stomp on all the grapes.

I trust this company. In fact, I ordered from them last year. I sent my pediatrician a case of wine for not making me wait as long as others (call it bribery if you will, but a busy mom of 3 who owns her own company can't afford to wait in a busy doctor's office for 3 hours: TIMES 3 KIDS). The gift was well worth the price I paid, plus I custom inscribed on the bottle "To the world's BEST Pediatrician" so he could brag to his friends while serving a tasty bottle of wine.

Well, long story short, Windsor Vineyards is FORCING ME TO remember my password from a year ago?! I can't even remember what I received for my birthday a year ago, let alone my password. I attempted to log in as a new account holder but it said that an account had already been established under that email address. Then I exited, logged into my Hotmail account, and my password reminder still wasn't there. Hello! I've already saved my custom photo and text and created an unbelievable personalized card! What are you doing to me Windsor?! I'm going to need to down a few bottles of wine just to get over this ordeal.

ONLINE STORES -- DON'T BE STUPID --- Get your websites working properly. You don't want a slew of irate customers swearing off your business forever. To avoid UPSET SHOPPERS like me, listen and learn-

My 5 biggest pet peeves about ordering product online …

1. Forcing the consumer to “register” or become a member. It's like forcing people to be your friends...seems a little desperate to me.

2. Asking for credit card information prior to shipping charges being disclosed. I want to know what my total is going to be before I agree to pay it.

3. Asking me to remember my password. I think you should simply have to remember the magic word...please.

4. Failing to tell me that an item is out-of-stock BEFORE I complete the entire order....that's entrapment, and I'm not down with it.

5. Not allowing a personal gift message and sending a copy of the invoice to the person I gave the gift to (and often, in my case, this includes the savings code discount I used off of Catalogs.com).

Update-

It is now 11:41 pm, I have just NOW successfully completed my order ONLY because I used a different email address than my main one. This is just poor marketing, sales and a good way to frustrate an otherwise happy shopper!

The ugly divorce battle is over between Supermodel Christie Brinkley and her estranged husband Peter Cook. Brinkley will retain sole custody of her children after reaching a settlement last week after a very public and embarrassing trial for Cook especially, who was accused of racking up obscene internet porn charges, having an affair with his teenage assistant, and buying drugs at a gay truck stop. Nice moves Peter.

I think it’s great that the Uptown Girl was rewarded custody of her two kids, but I do agree that she needs to work on deeper issues regarding her choice of males and how to pick them. However, after 10 years of marriage, one would have thought she would be able to see the signs that he was cheating sooner. Here’s some advice Christie, for next time.

10 signs your husband’s just not that into you.

1. He comes home smelling of cheap Designer Imposter fragrances.
2. He auditions to be on the next season of The Bachelor.
3. He starts hanging out with Billy Joel every weekend.
4. He switches from boxer briefs to commando.
5. 976-SLUT is #1 on his speed dial.
6. Teenage girls keep calling the house asking for Peter Peter Pumpkineater.
7. He gets his balls waxed.
8. He starts calling you Chrystal instead of Christie.
9. His new ringtone is Secret Lover by Atlantic Starr.
10. One day he says “Chrystal, I’m just not that into you”.

Best wishes for your next marriage Christie. You know what they say, third time’s a charm.