It seems that everywhere I turn there are articles and news stories about how companies are rewarding their employees during these trying times in order to reduce stress and increase morale. But who provides these perks to the self-employed? Often we entrepreneurs are putting our every waking moment into our work in order to build our business and ensure our success. That can mean endless hours at the computer, non-stop phone calls, end countless worries, and financial stress. So here are some ways to take care of your #1 employee without taking out a small business loan:

1. Get a massage! Many massage schools offer student massages for a very low rate, and the students who are giving the massages are usually near the end of their education and have quite a bit of experience. You’ll find that a monthly, or even weekly student massage can help relax your mind and unwind your nerves, along with many other health benefits.
2. Move that body! If your work involves sitting in front of the computer all day long, then it’s more important than every to sneak a little exercise in! Make it a point to walk your dogs. Watch a tutorial or the news or your favorite webcast from the treadmill. Ladies, don’t forget your kegals too!
3. Fuel yourself for success! Talkers, have a cup of hot tea in the morning. Snackers, supply yourself with a small variety of healthy snacks. Avoid high sugar and caffeinated drinks as they can cause you to crash and burn.
4. What’s gonna work? Teamwork! Keep in contact with at least one other person in your field that understands the challenges you face. This can be either in person through friends and colleagues, or online through the many social networking tools. Just understand that this works both ways. Listen, share ideas, and ask for help when you are stuck. Just because you work alone, doesn’t mean you have to do it by yourself.
5. Call the shots! Set your own hours and change where to hold meetings and lunches. Pick your own favorite restaurants or coffee shops instead of always getting together in an office. A change of scenery or pace can make work more fun.

I’m sure there are dozens of other ways you can de-stress your day and I’d love to hear them so please leave ideas in the comments below!

I recently moved into a rental house and like so many others, found that once the smell of fresh paint wore off, the house had a few surprises for me. This included a refrigerator that no matter how much I cleaned it, still had a wet, musty smell inside as well as a lingering odor of cat urine in the family room. After trying many different products to get rid of the odors I was ready to chip in on a new fridge and replace the carpet. I was getting headaches from the fragranced air fresheners I was using and I could STILL smell the offensive odors underneath!

That’s when a friend of mine gave me a 2-pack of Fridge-It Cube odor eliminators. I thought she was joking when she said that these little purple cubes worked better at eliminating odors than any candles, powders or sprays. She explained that the fridge-it cube isn’t designed to cover up odors, it’s filled with activated carbon which is designed to trap the particles that make up offensive smells within the cube so that they are removed from the air completely and permanently. I did my homework and found this video which explains how activated carbon works to adsorb odor particles:

Armed with an education, I hung one cube in the back of my fridge near the air vent, and another underneath a side-table in the worst corner of my family room. Within an hour or so my refrigerator smelled like new! The family room took about a day to lose the odor since it was a larger space, but I was absolutely floored! These little purple cubes had saved me a lot of time, money, headaches, and hassle!

I followed the name on the cube and found that the Fridge-It cubes are available online at www.innofresh.com and are generally inexpensive at about $20 a six-pack. They have a whole line of odor absorbers for your home, pets, cars and more.

Like an illicit affair with a kinky lover, Strange Young Things has got a hold on me! Reminding me of everything I love in the blues, soul, and rock of a Black Crowes or Burning Brides live set, and all the energy and heart of a raucous punk show. Though they’ve been together and performing in the valley for many years, this year marks their major breakout in the local music scene. With a southwest tour in the works to promote their new album titled “Look What They’ve Done to My Champagne Music”,  I expect you’ll be hearing even more buzz about them blowing folks away wherever they go!

Strange Young Things is made up of Corey Gloden (Guitar, Vocals), Richard Polmans (Drums, Percussion), Patrick Kelly (Guitar, Vocals). They frequently play venues across Arizona and California, and put on a show that is larger than life everywhere they go.

Strange Young Things has just finished up in the studio and is set to release their 1st full length album this coming fall with a huge blowout CD Release party at Last Exit in Tempe, AZ on September 6th. The release party will also feature local celebs The Earps, Tramps and Thieves, and Dry River Yacht Club. For more details on the party, where you can find their CD, and other upcoming appearances, please visit the Strange Young Things on MySpace

The Jonas Brothers are a hit with the new album A Little Bit Longer

I recently got the new Jonas Brothers CD titled “A Little Bit Longer” and I love it! I’ve had it for two days, and i know all the songs by heart. All the songs are more mature, even though most are about love and breakups and such, like every other song out there lately. But the songs are good.

Like the song “A little bit longer” sung by Nickolas Jonas, the youngest Jonas brother, is one of the most amazing songs I’ve ever heard. It’s about his having diabetes but its kind of written like a love song. Also, their song “Shelf” is very catchy, and yes, it’s a love song. Honestly, all of their songs are, or seem to be love songs. But they are all presented in a different way. The most well known song on their new album is “Burnin’ Up” Featuring Big Rob. It’s not on my list my favorite Jonas Brothers songs, but i do like it. This new album is totally, one hundred percent amazing. I like how they are kind of stepping out of that Disney Channel scene, and kind of making a name for themsleves.

Here’s a Jonas Fun Fact:The whole album was recorded on their tour bus! Isn’t that awesome?! I was surprised, yet not. I mean, they have been on tour non-stop for the past like 6 or 7 months. But anyway, I give two Thumbs up for “JB” and if I had more hands, I would give them three thumbs up for their new album!

The Jonas Brothers are currently on tour with Camp Rock star, Demi Lovato, and Punk Princess, Avril Lavigne! The concert tour is called the “Burnin’ Up Tour” be sure to check it out, I bet the concerts are gonna rock!

-Loula

For more Jonas Brothers check out the Jonas Brothers Concert Schedule for dates and tickets!

“Find. Watch. Snag. Support.” That’s the tagline for SnagFilms, and that’s exactly what they want you to do. SnagFilms is a different kind of movie website where you can watch full-length indie films and documentaries for free. Even better, they encourage their viewers to embed these movies into their own blogs. “Why?” you ask? Because each video is coupled with information about a charity that benefits from the increased viewership of those films, so by spreading the film, you are helping the charity! When you embed a widget on your web site, you open a virtual movie theater and become a “Filmanthropist.”

SnagFilms is currently in the Beta phase and already has over 255 films to choose from. Donate your pixels and support independent film!

The Jonas Brothers rock the camp in Disney’s hit smash summer musical Camp Rock!

Okay, so i have finally gotten the motivation to write about the Camp Rock movie starring the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lavato. To start off with, the movie was great in typical Disney style. There’s a girl with a dream, a boy with a big ego, friends there to assist the girl, and snobby rich girls who try and win the boy over. But the way they put the movie together was amazing.

Mitchie, played by Demi Lavato was the girl with a dream of being a singer, and Joe Jonas (as Shane) is the already-famous rockstar who over hears Mitchie singing and falls head over heals for her voice. The big thing in this movie was not the singing, or the quest to live a life long dream. But to find the girl behind the voice. Shane Gray goes on a search to find her. But has no success.

The rich snob that is trying to win Shane over is Tess Tyler (Meaghan Martin). She frames Mitchie and her friend Caitlyn(played by Alyson Stoner) so they wouldn’t be able to compete in the camp’s “Final Jam” concert, which keeps Mitchie and Caitlyn from winning the grand prize, and keeps Shane from finding the girl he was searching for. But Mitchie and Caitlyn find a way around that problem so they can still perform in the final jam.

Yes, I left out some major and minor details. But you get the idea. And yes, if you haven’t seen the movie and you are wondering, Nick and Kevin Jonas are in it, but not as much as Joe. And speaking of Kevin Jonas, his character(Jason) is a bit slow, or as a friend of mine put it “He is so ditzy its insane”. Nick’s character(Nate) is the complete opposite. He’s kinda like a control freak, always making sure their record deal is still in check after the dramatic attitude Shane is throwing around.

So, overall, this movie was amazing. I loved it 100%. Since the Jonas Brothers are in it, that makes it even better. What can I say, I’m a sucker for thick curly hair ;D Two thumbs up for Disney Channels Camp Rock!!

The Jonas Brothers are beginning their summer “Burning Up” concert tour with Demi Lovato starting on July 5th in Detroit, Michigan.

Really, they do. But if you find yourself in a geographically challenged partnership you can totally reduce the suckage by establishing a few simple laws. The important part is to make sure those laws match your relationship style, and both partners physical and emotional needs. And since the typical “true love waits” sentiment is completely overdone, and in my opinion, a crock of shit, here are my revised rules for long distance dating:

1. Communicate! Talk, text, write, twit, picture share or otherwise communicate in some way everyday. And be open about how you’re feeling and whether things are working.
2. Get with the times and get a webcam! A private video conference every couple days can help keep you connected and build up the physical attraction even when you’re thousands of miles away.
3. Faithfulness is in the heart, not between the legs. If you don’t think you can keep your urges to yourself then be honest with your partner. Decide if that’s a factor in your relationship and set ground rules on what is acceptable and what is not.
4. Be honest!!! In this day and age of stalker tools and public internet transparency, you’re gonna get caught so you might as well be straightforward! If you went out, got drunk, and spent the evening hanging all over the hottest thing your beer goggles could find, confess before we see the pictures of your tongue down their throat tagged to you on myspace. It’s only right.
5. Make friends with their friends (at least online). Become an active part in each other’s social circles in some way to help bridge the gap and feel like you are a part of their everyday lives. It also helps you see your partner from another perspective.
6. Quit while you’re ahead. We’ve all been there… when the relationship isn’t good anymore. When it’s more work than reward and you spend your days lonely and sad. Don’t do that to yourself or your partner. Sure, cutting the ties are hard, but dragging them along until someone really gets hurt is just cruel.

In the end love from afar is complicated and requires a greater level of trust and communication to make up for all the one-on-one face time that traditional couples have. Otherwise the same rules apply. Respect, honesty, and communication. That is all.

It’s the same old story. I work from home, but when the kids are on summer vacation all work stops and my home turns into a full time daycare. I can’t afford to send them to summer camp and I also can’t afford to take my own summer vacation to play all day. The solution? Imagination. Between the kids imagination and my resourcefulness, we’ve found a long list of activities that keep them busy without breaking the bank. Here are my top 5 favorites:

1. Salt Dough - Possibly the coolest stuff since sliced bread, salt dough is easy for the kids to make and they love it! The ingredients are super-cheap, and you can add color and fun scents by mixing in dry kool-aid powder to the dough.
2. Wading Pool - Those cheap hard plastic wading pools are good for so much more than wetting your feet. They’re an emergency shelter in a waterfight. They’re an easily washable wrestling rink when filled with jello. And right after you wash it you can have your kids bob for mini marshmallows. Plus, fun in the sun is almost always followed by strangely subdued and exhausted children so naptime makes this one a double bonus!
3. Sock Puppets - Using a marker and whatever crafty supplies you have around the house, you and your kids can create the coolest to creepiest little sock creatures ever seen! Any box or window can be converted to a “stage” while they let their inner-thespians shine!
4. Dry Erase Markers - Whether you have a white-board or not, dry erase markers can keep kids busy for hours and they’re really easy to clean up. You can find a spare whiteboard at most thrift shops, but any glass surface will do the trick. Whether they’re playing teacher and student, drawing up plans for their latest invention, or just coloring for the pure fun of it, the re-usability of this office supply makes it a winner.
5. Box City - This requires a certain tolerance for a temporary mess, but large appliance boxes have always been entertaining for kids. Get a couple from your local hardware retailer and build a town!

Check out this youtube video posted by some guy who’s obviously just lucky to be there!

Every summer people rush to the local lakes and parks to escape the Arizona heat. But what often starts out as a fun way to cool off from the summer sun can turn into tragedy in a moment’s notice when alcohol is involved. Every year local news is filled with reports of injured swimmers, drownings and other tragic boating accidents and in most cases alcohol was a factor in the event. Help us combat alcohol related boating deaths by encouraging smart and responsible boating and help keep this summer fun and safe!

For more information on boating safety and regulations, please visit these resources:

Boating Operating Under the Influence

Arizona Boating

Boating Education Online