10 THINGS TO SAY TO A PREGNANT WOMAN:

“You look beautiful!”

“It’s a great time of the year to be pregnant!”

“There are so many cute maternity clothes now!”

“You picked a great doctor.”

“How are you decorating your nursery?”

“What a blessing!”

“Girls are so wonderful!”

“Boys are so fun!”

“You’ll make a great mom!”

“Congratulations!”

10 THINGS NOT TO SAY TO A PREGNANT WOMAN:

1. “Wow, you must be having twins!”
2. “You must be due soon!”
3. “Really, that’s the name you’ve picked?”
4. “Was this a ‘surprise?’”
5. “Yes, it looks like you’re swelling a lot!”
6. “I’m so sorry, summer is the worst time to be pregnant.”
7. “You better sleep now, you’ll not sleep again for 3 years!”
8. “Are you going to have more babies?”
9. “I hope you’ve started saving for their college fund!”
10. “You’ll have your hands full!”

Next time…10 things you should say to a pregnant woman.

From Wendy to her mom, Vicki, owners of Rhea Lana’s of Southern Indiana:

“I love working with my mom!  My mom and I have always been very close, she is like my best friend. She has always been there when I need her and is a great listener. She is very supportive and never afraid to give her opinion.  I couldn’t imagine life without her in it!  She taught me strength, kindness, to keep an open heart and mind.  I am a great mom because of her.

Mom is a BIG part of my kids lives! Mom’s house is just across the street from our house, so the kids see her everyday! She helps with picking up from school and practice.  She always keeps her pantry stocked with junk food, so the kids know just where to go when they are craving something sweet!”

From Erin, to her mom, Judy, owners of Rhea Lana’s of the Northland and Rhea Lana’s of Lee’s Summit:

“There are really no words to describe the joy I get from working with my Mother each and everyday!  When I graduated college, she was kind enough to give me a job while I job searched.  As luck would have it, I actually started to really like working for her at her CPA firm and decided to stay on permanently! Then a year and a half ago, we decided to go into business together and open 2 Rhea Lana events in the Kansas City area!  We love it and we love working together!   

I’m thankful each and everyday that I got a mother as wonderful as mine.  She works harder than anyone I’ve ever met and has the will to achieve anything she sets her mind too!  She is without a doubt the most generous person I’ve ever met.  She gives her time so freely and never thinks twice about getting up at 5 in the morning to place out flags for the Rotary Club or go to a church meeting at 7pm even though she hadn’t slept but 4 hours the night before because it’s tax season. 

I’ve learned so much from her over the years and with each passing day I learn more.  I am so fortunate to get to live in the same neighborhood as my mother, work with her every single day (including many weekends! LOL), vacation with her & spend weekends at her lake house.  There is not a day that goes by that we don’t talk or see each other and for that I will forever be grateful.  Some of my best days are spent at my parents lake house with my Grandma, my Mom, myself and my daughter Ella.  My daughter gets to spend so much time with both my Grandma and my Mom.  Someday she will be so thankful for these times, just as I am today! ”

From Audra, to her mom, Janet, owners of Rhea Lana’s of Southwest DFW/Mansfield:

“I read a quote the other day that embodies what I just might hear out of the mouth of my own mom…. “Womanhood is Harder Than It Looks. To be a woman, you have to look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, and work like a dog.” (Leah Chase in Southern Living, May ’12). I am very thankful for the powerful influence of a loving and hardworking mother (and business partner) in my life. A wife that has supported my father for 40 years; the best cuddler and cheerleader to her 8 grandchildren; one of those hard to come by friends that would drop everything to help you; and the hardest working woman I know. She is truly one of a kind!”

(from l to r) Todd and Karen Lassiter, Greater Greensboro, North Carolina; Kim Hicks, Southeast Kansas; Shari Baker, Crowley-Cleburne, Texas; Rhea Lana (me); Magen Evans, location TBA; Jessica and Tony Hansen, Des Moines/Ankeny, Iowa.

We have now expanded the Rhea Lana footprint into 20 states! Our mission remains the same:  To serve with love and integrity, families everywhere with inviting, excellent and valuable children’s consignment events.

Rhea Lana’s Children’s Consignment Gearing Up for Spring Events

Posted by Lisa M Molley April 3, 2012

 

Christine DeGraf is a mom who is really committed to helping families just like hers in the local community. After starting a new family in 2009, she decided she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom and care for her daughter. She knew this meant sacrificing her income, which also meant figuring out how to cut spending and re-thinking her family’s budget.

After assessing the situation, Christine realized she could cut costs by bargain shopping for everyday needs such as clothes and food. But children’s clothes were a challenge—they grew so fast! After visiting her in-laws in Arkansas, her mother-in-law Heidi mentioned a Rhea Lana’s children’s consignment sale going on in the area. They decided to check it out and were amazed at the quality of the gently used clothes at completely affordable prices. They also had aisles and aisles of toys, baby equipment—even maternity items.

Christine grew up in Lombard and knew there was nothing available like this in the western suburbs. She really loved the idea of helping families find adorable merchandise at great prices and wanted to duplicate it. Christine thought, “Moms could come together to volunteer, shop and connect with each other during each sale.” The seed had been planted—Christine couldn’t wait to start.

Christine and Heidi teamed up to bring Rhea Lana’s of West Chicagoland to life. She says working with her mother-in-law has been a joy. They complement each other well and believe in their mission to clothe and connect with all kinds of families throughout the community. The whole DeGraf family loves to get in on the act—both Heidi and Christine’s husbands, too.

The Rhea Lana’s sales events are held in the Spring and Fall and can really provide opportunities for all—the events allow families to recycle their own gently used clothes and toys by transferring ownership from one family to another and keeping thousands of items out of our landfills. It also allows consignors to make their own money (as well as donate their unsold items). If one chooses to volunteer for the event, they have a special opportunity to have early access to the sale. And of course because you can find so many fabulous deals, many families can buy special items (like Christmas gifts and bigger items) they may not normally be able to afford.

The mission of Rhea Lana’s also includes the opportunity to work hand in hand with local charities by donating thousands of items after each sale. Currently Rhea Lana’s of West Chicagoland benefits Easter Seals of the DuPage and Fox Valley Region, Family Shelter Services of DuPage and CareNet. Another way that the company gives back is by contributing a portion of its sales of the Rhea Lana’s Friends and Family Cookbooks to Autism Speaks, North America’s largest autism science and advocacy organization.

Christine and Heidi are thrilled to provide an event that resonates in this tough economic climate. As they like to say, “We are moms who love helping moms!”

Spring Event Dates:

• April 15 9am-6pm
• April 16 10am-9pm
• April 17 10am-4pm
• April 18 10am-9pm (1/2 price sale)
• April 19 10am-4pm (1/2 price sale)

Admission is free. The events are located in the Villa Oaks Shopping Center, next to Tuesday Morning, at 218 W. Roosevelt Road in Villa Park.

If you’d like to be a volunteer or become a consignor yourself, it’s easy. Everything can be done online through an automated system. You can even track your consignment sales in real time either online on the website or through your smartphone via www.mobile.rhealana.com. To Volunteer, become a consignor or find more information on Rhea Lana, visit the website.

Early Shopping Schedule for Volunteers and Moms-to-Be:

• April 14 2pm-10pm Early Worker’s Pre-Sale
• April 14 3pm-10pm Worker’s Pre-Sale
• April 14 4pm-10pm Moms-to-Be Pre-Sale (Be our guest—print pass at home! No strollers or children at this pre-sale, please.)
• April 14 6pm-10pm Guest Pre-Sale (Must bring pass, may bring one guest. No strollers or children at this pre-sale, please.)
• April 17 5pm-9pm Worker’s 1/2 price sale (All workers shop now. Must bring pass.)

To join the mailing list, click here. Christine can be reached at (630) 728-5255.

Rhea Lana’s has a very diverse group of friends. Some of you are shoppers and some of you are sellers, many of you are both. Some of you are professionals outside the home, and many of you are professionals at home. I have been all of these things over the years. Right now I love this season in my life when I have new acquaintances from the business side of my life who like our business because of the personal side of my life!

At every Rhea Lana’s event I get to work, whether it be one of the 14 venues in Arkansas, or anywhere else in the company, there are people who can’t believe I’m actually me! It seems to endear them to the event more when they realize 1) I’m a real person, 2) I’m wearing a t-shirt with our store name on it, and 3) I’m a mom, just like them.  Really, as our company continues to get larger and more families are being reached, I don’t want to lose the personal touch that really sets us apart. After all, I am real!

Recently our events were spotlighted in Talk Business Quarterly. This is a great business magazine that recognized our business achievements but also highlighted our personal service.  I’m proud to lead a company who stresses honoring people and living out our values at every Rhea Lana’s venue. I’m also thankful for the kind words and honored that they would feature us.

To read the article, click HERE.

These are so cute and so easy your kids can make them without a lot of help. There are lots of variations on the ingredients but here is my list:

1) Chocolate flavored almond bark 2) Chow Mein noodles 3) Peanut M&Ms or jelly beans

My favorite part about this is there is NO MESS, because it’s supposed to be messy!

1. Put half a bag of noodles in a large bowl. Melt 3-4 squares of the almond bark in your microwave until smooth. Pour chocolate on noodles and let kids use a large spoon to cover the noodles.

2. Place a piece of aluminum foil or wax paper on a cookie sheet. Use a clean spoon to make nests on a cookie sheet. I have used a muffin tin before for “shaped” nests, but it’s not necessary and clean up is easier on a cookie sheet. The hardened nests will lift off easily.

3. Place 3 M&Ms (or jelly beans) on the nests while the chocolate is still warm. They should stick a little.

4) Repeat steps 1-3 to use the rest of your ingredients.

TIPS:

They will harden and set within a few minutes, so you will want to have your cookie sheet out and ready while the kids are stirring the chocolate on the noodles.

As soon as you are done with the bowl you melted the chocolate in, rinse and clean it with warm water. If it hardens, you’ll need to re-heat it to get it clean.

After the candy nests harden you can store them in a tupperware on top of the refrigerator so you’ll have some left for Easter.

• Reva D: My earnings go toward more clothes and renewing our zoo membership.
• Brandy V: Paying for my kids preschool for two months!
• Amy L: I am using my earnings to go towards a new wooden swing set for my girls!!!!!!
• Michelle S: I used it to buy some clothes for new baby on the way!
• Aileen V: My earnings were the best they have ever been. I had enough to buy two kids summer clothes and pay for part of our summer vacation.
• Valerie W: I’ve bought a new double jogging stroller that I’ve been looking at since before Christmas but didn’t want to spend the money on! My 3yr and 1yr old love our walks this week:)
• Melanie S: saving for a beach trip!
• Sarah S:More clothes!
• Katherine M: I was so excited to sell 98% of what I consigned! The girls and I can’t wait to spend the money on a new flower garden!
• Katie J: A car payment!!
• Jessica T: I plan to consign in Broken Arrow. I will use my earnings to decorate my little girls room. Ive never been a “matchy” person, but this four year old wants a rainbow room!
• Sarah R: I was going to use my earnings to pay for what I spent from buying my son new clothes during the sale, but I’m still just waiting for that check to arrive.
• Elisha N:I will use my earnings to go towards our family’s mini vacation before or next child arrives
• Kristi B: Large payment on the credit cards.
• Jenni H: I use my earnings to buy new clothes and shoes for my 2 boys!
• Emily H: I used my money for summer clothes from Rhea lana’s for my little boy!
• Caitlin B: I’m using my earnings to redecorate my daughter’s room. We’re upgrading to a toddler bed, so we’re getting new sheets, curtains, and accessories.
• Alison B: Sadly, our earnings are going to help payoff an adenoids surgery that my son has to have in a few weeks.  Lol…
• Leigh W: I’m saving to take my kids on vacation to Disney World!!!!  So excited…made $900 between Conway/Russellville sales, what a wonderful start!!!!
• Emily R: Going on a cruise to Mexico with my son. It’s the one place in the world he said he wanted to go.  So he can have chips and salsa all day long
• Dana T: IPhone 4S and was able to buy spring clothes for my girl!  Spent 370 on phone & clothes made 365.85 in Benton/Bryant.  How great!
• Amanda S: This spring sale in Northwest Arkansas was my biggest sale ever!! And found lots of great deals for both my boys along with a John Deere bicycle for only $30!! Some of the money will go toward Easter basket goodies!! I love Rhea lana’s!!
• Tiffany D: We are using our earnings as spending money in Florida! Maybe a few other items at the next RL sale!
• Amy D: I use the money I earn from selling old clothes to buy new clothes for my kiddos.
• Tanya E: I used the money to pay my gas bill Hehe…
• Amy W: I had the best earnings ever this time… My blood pressure went up at the pre sale when I spent 704! But that is adorable clothes for my 2 boys and our 3 foster children!!! Then I made 702 during the sale!!! God is good! I just basically got to trade out clothes and didn’t have any loss! Love Rhea Lana!
• Heather T: I buy my 2 lil girls awesome clothes with my earnings and whats left we are saving for our vacation this summer.
• Ann T: Love Rhea Lana!!  Had an amazing sale in WLR. Planning on spending the $ towards a vacation this summer. Super excited!!
• Dalaina C: One check paid off a cc and the other bought the kids spring/summer clothes!
• Juliana R: My earnings are already long gone . I got THE diaper bag I was coveting, a new carseat, a nap nanny and few other things we were lacking to finish getting ready for the baby girl we are expecting.
• Heather B: I am using mine to get 2 new tires on my van so it is safer for my family.
• Lindsay S: Im a stay at home mom of three boys a 5,3, and 1 year old. I used my earnings to treat my self to a spa day : )
• Ellie J: Paid for ALL my kids clothes plus a couple birthday presents I bought at the sale & the rest is spending $$$ for vacay!!!
• Getina W: I plan on buying my little guy some more clothes  to add to the ones I will buy at the sale and turn around and consign them later! keep the ball rolling with Rhea Lanas!
• Angie V: This was my best earnings in 4 years of Rhea Lana’s sales!! I was able to dress my 9 month old until she is 18 months!! And also my 7 yr old until next summers sale! The rest of the money went to the savings account so we can go on our yearly vacation to the beach in aug. I am so glad I discovered Rhea Lana’s in Russellville 4 yrs ago!!
• Robin D: More clothes for my children!!
• Ashlee M: Paying off my son’s medical bills!!!  This was my first time to consign and I am HOOKED!!
• Jenny K: paying bills for when i go on maternity leave
• Julie H: I’m planning to buy a new front door!

We’ve been talking a lot about puzzles at Rhea Lana’s, as many of our events are selling brand new Melissa and Doug puzzles and toys. Many pre-school and elementary school teachers have purchased these great puzzles for their classrooms. Moms are also loving the opportunity to buy these high quality puzzles for their homes that teach multiple skills. Here’s an article from about.com about what puzzles can teach your kids.

Puzzles – Why Are Puzzles Good For Children?

From Dipika Mirpuri, former About.com Guide

Debbie and Kristin, Mother and Daughter duo, new owners of Rhea Lana’s of Broken Arrow

Rachel (celebrating her birthday in Conway) and Amber, Rhea Lana’s of  South Sarasota

 Mom Corale, and Tiffany, Rhea Lana’s of Lewisville-Carrollton

Jerri Ann, Rhea Lana’s of Lexington, and Holly, new owner of Rhea Lana’s of Texarkana

Lisa, Rhea Lana’s of Decatur-Druid Hills and, Shellee, new owner of Rhea Lana’s of NW Phoenix-Anthem.

 We are excited about these new sales and all the families they are going to be able to serve from Arizona to Florida! We’ve discovered Moms and families everywhere have the same desire to dress their children in quality clothing for affordable prices. We are thankful these ladies are bringing the Rhea Lana’s experience to their communities!