Rhea Lana's Blog

Grease Stains?

jennifer — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:51:23 +0000

From Mom to Mom..how to get grease stains out of clothing:

“I’m talking about those determined grease spots that don’t show up until after you’ve washed and dried your son’s favorite pants. (The ones that never come out no matter how many times you wash them. Grrrrrr.) In my house they typically result from butter dripped on a shirt or peanut butter wiped on pants.

Solution: Use Dawn Dishwashing Liquid like a pre-wash treatment. Let it sit for a while then wash like usual. If it is particularly stubborn, one more time should do the trick. Hey, if it gets bacon grease off of a skillet, why wouldn’t it get grease off a pair of pants? I heard that pouring a can of Coke gets grease out. I tried it. It doesn’t work. I say drink the Coke while your Dawn is pre-treating. Then you have two more reasons to enjoy laundry day!”

From Ashley, Mom of Titus, Audra, Justice and Annelise! (also owner of Rhea Lana’s of NWArkansas, and Rhea Lana’s of Fayetteville)

EASY ways to cut your expenses

jennifer — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:11:49 +0000

Great article by marcygoodfleisch.hubpages.com

Cheap Tricks: How to save money the easy way

Cutting back on expenses doesn’t have to be painful

With the cost of everything increasing and salaries not expanding proportionately, it seems we’re all pinching pennies, all the time. If you’re still searching for ways to cut your budget, here’s how you can save hundreds of dollars a year without changing your lifestyle in dramatic ways.

Weekday Lunches

If you eat out daily, it can cost almost $3,000 a year. Admittedly, I’m not one to pack my lunch regularly. I often have good intentions but little follow-through, and when I’m in an office all day, I really, really need a break. But I’ve found ways to make taking my lunch more palatable and to save many dollars when I do eat at restaurants. Here’s how you can save painlessly, and still get out of the office for a break.

Picnic in the Park: This still involves packing a lunch, but bear with me. If your office building has a grassy area, or if you work near an urban park, consider packing a lunch one or two days a week and dining out under the trees. You won’t have quite the ‘Trapped with Tupperware’ feeling you get when eating at your desk. It will clear your head, and the food even tastes better. Take crackers and cheese or hummus, cherry tomatoes, veggie sticks and fresh fruit. Grab a good book or your iPad (if there’s wireless) and enjoy a peaceful lunch without the restaurant rush and clatter of nearby diners. If you don’t want to dine alone, invite an office mate to join you. Figuring a minimum of $7 for lunch with tax and tip, you’ll save $364 a year.

Most lunch servings will feed two people

Save Money at Restaurants

Share entrees: Restaurant entrees are usually huge, even at lunch. If you find yourself eating far more by dining out than you’d eat at home, consider splitting your meal with a friend. Most of us take lunch with a friend or two; chances are your dining partners are watching their waistlines and budgets, too. Ask the waitperson to split it ahead of time (but watch out if they charge for plating it twice!), or ask for an additional plate and divide it at the table. If you do this at least once a week, you can save around $5.00 or more a week, which $260 a year.

Two-for-One Coupons: Watch for deals in your paper, or go online and search for coupon specials at places near where you work. You’re bound to have a coworker or two who would love the chance to enjoy a bargain meal with you. If you pay half the price for an $8 entrée once each week, you can save $208 per year.

Skip the drinks! The price of any restaurant drink (tea, lemonade, colas, whatever) has steadily crept up in recent years. Many menus don’t even list the prices where you can spot them, because restaurant owners know diners will automatically order a Coke or iced tea anyway. However, at $1.50 (low average) to $2.25 a hit, or more, you’re adding quite a bit to your monthly lunchtime expenses without realizing it. Get rid of pricey drinks altogether (get a plain glass of water instead) and you can save about $450 a year.

Cut out Designer Coffee: Okay, maybe you can’t stand the thought of giving up your fancy latte altogether. At least cut back on it, if possible. A few years ago, the world would have laughed at the idea of $4 or more for a cup of coffee. Now, it’s become the norm. If this insidious habit has crept up on you, calculate how much you spend each week and consider cutting back at least one day out of five. Average savings, at least $200 a year, not counting tax or tips.

Travel and Entertainment Tips

Day Trips: If the family is bored to pieces, but you don’t have the funds to spend a weekend away, explore ideas for day trips rather than spending money for hotels. You’ll save food expenses, too, because you won’t need to buy breakfast the next morning (and often will be back in time for dinner at home). Look for quaint towns, or interesting historic sites to give the kids an educational experience. Study up on the destination and what makes it interesting and talk about it at dinnertime in the days before your trip. Ask each child to research and share some interesting facts about it, which will make for ‘family talk’ in the car rather than riding along with earbuds or watching the backseat DVD player. To save even further, take a picnic and eat at a park. Kids crave time with their parents; day trips can give you quality time as a family at a fraction of the cost of a weekend away. Figuring a modest $60 per night for a hotel or travel lodge and maybe $20 for breakfast, if you take one day trip every two months, you’ll save $480 in travel expenses.

Family Home Evening: My church places a heavy focus on the family; the church suggests that families spend at least one night a week together. Generally this is at home, but it can be at an event. If you plan one evening a week of entertainment at home, though, in lieu of going out someplace, you can strengthen your family’s bonds and save money as well. Your kids will love watching a favorite movie with mom and dad (homemade popcorn), or baking cookies together, or playing a board game. Make this a tradition and your expenses for commercial entertainment will likely drop, because there’s less of a ‘boredom’ factor in your weekly schedule. If you typically spend $30 for a chain restaurant meal with the kids (and that’s cheap), you’ll save $1,560 by creating your entertainment at home.

Invent a Game: Our kids are learning more things than we ever imagined as kids. Challenge your kids to ‘invent’ a board game or activity game. They’ll spend hours creating ideas for the rules (maybe they’ll even design a board and playing pieces), then spend family night playing it together. Your kids will feel like they’re in the spotlight, and you’ll have an evening of entertainment at a very low cost. Compared to a movie out (four people) with popcorn, you’ll save at least $25, but the value of building family togetherness? Priceless.

Timeshare “Sales” Trips: Have you been contacted by a ‘resort’ firm offering you six days and five nights, dirt cheap, just to hear their 90-minute presentation? These offers are generally for-real. I spent a week in Hawaii (Kauai) at a beautiful hotel, with full use of a rental car (free), and a $50 certificate for dining, for only $699. Yes, I had to pay for the flight, but since the hotel would have been about $350 a night, and the car came to around $150 or more, the trip was a bargain. I’ve had offers for stays in Aruba (only $199 for five night), Mexico, and a ton of destinations in the United States. I travel with friends, so we share the cost of the stay and we all save. Based on the trade-off for the Hawaii trip, the saving can be around $1200, counting the rental car included in the package.

Save Around the House

Electricity: Invest in energy-saving light bulbs. They cost a bit more, but you’ll notice an immediate drop in electricity if you swap out the bulbs you use most often. Aside from the lower cost to use them, they do not heat up the room the way incandescent bulbs do. I swapped out all bulbs I normally keep on for many hours a day, and my bill indeed dropped. It’s difficult to estimate an ‘average’ savings per household, with our different needs, but the next time you buy light bulbs, switch to these and you’ll see some savings.

Use less soap and detergent: You can generally reduce the amount you use with anything that’s pre-packaged and comes out of a box or bottle. This is especially true with laundry detergent and dishwasher powder or liquid. You don’t need to fill up the entire dispenser; you’ll get good results by using only half the amount the machine takes (or even less – I use about one third or one quarter of what I used before). Some people recommend using soap at all for clothes that are basically clean, or dishes that have been pre-washed at the sink. If you’re able to use only half the soap for laundry and dishes, you’ll buy only half the amount each month. This could save you $100 or more a year, depending on the size of your family and the loads each week and month. You’re also reducing your impact on the environment.

Tweak the thermostat: Gradually lower your thermostat in the winter and raise it in the summer. If you do it one degree at a time, you’ll adapt to the feel of the new temperature more easily than going for a dramatic change all at once. You can reduce your heating bill by 5 to 10 percent, and possibly save even more in the summer, when rates skyrocket. Naturally, you’ll want to adopt the habit of turning things way down (or way up, in the summer) when you leave the house for even a few hours. Even if your bill is only $100 a month currently, at 10 percent a month, you’ve saved $120 a year.

Buy Energy Star: Don’t get rid of a perfectly good washer or dryer prematurely, but when you do need to replace appliances or electronics, buy only Energy Star rated items. These ratings are not just idle hype, they truly do save energy, and they will save you a ton of money on your utility bills. I replaced my washer and dryer and a few other things (notably light bulbs) and watch my bill plummet. This is another place where individual household savings can vary greatly, but I promise you, if you gradually swap your worn-out appliances, printers, computers and other energy vampires for Energy Star replacements, you will see a savings.

These are only a few ways to save painlessly; once you get on the frugal bandwagon, you’ll come up with even more ideas for reducing your outflow of cash!

Mom to Mom…Food and Game Tips for the Super Bowl

jennifer — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:49:45 +0000

From one mom to another…Since this is one of those times of the year that 1) everyone is in the same room for a couple of hours and 2) it’s one of the biggest eating holidays in our country…thought I’d encourage my women friends to have fun and not overdo. NOTE: If you already have your party and buffet planned, have a jersey of your favorite team and have a team flag flying in your yard, this isn’t for you.

FOOD:

1. If you’re not one of those high-metabolism skinny girls…make up your mind to not eat Thanksgiving-portion calories in a few hours on Sunday night. Tips: Choose the smallest plate offered and only go through the food line one time.

2. Make sure you have gum for after your plate has been licked clean, and if you’re at home, go brush your teeth after half time. They don’t call it “grazing” for nothing…stay away from that trap. FYI: The chips and dip will never equalize, it’s a tortuous cycle.

3. If the party wasn’t your idea and you’re not the kind of person who really likes to spend hours in the kitchen cooking and cleaning…Don’t exhaust yourself making food for your husband’s friends that they won’t recognize. Meat (sandwiches, brats, jerky, etc.), lots of chips and hearty dips will do. Serve them in nice dishes if you want, but not the kind that can’t go in the dishwasher. Not necessary:

4. If you’re really watching calories and there are a lot of drink choices, pick the prettiest glass and drink only water after half time.

GAMETIME:

1. For those of you who don’t really follow the NFL: Listen carefully during at least part of the pre-game so you will know exactly who is playing. It’s embarassing to call out the wrong team, or to ask who’s wearing the blue jerseys sometime in the second half (so I would imagine).

2. Don’t miss the national anthem, people will talk about that tomorrow. And the Pre-game on the field is pretty cool too.

3. Ask your husband who he’s cheering for…and if you don’t really care, cheer for his team. (Harmony 101)

4. Get the USA Today Super Bowl commercial guide and keep a running tally of the commercials.

Why Moms Love to Consign

jennifer — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:32:09 +0000

I have a relative that thinks it’s “crazy” that women will stand in line to buy used clothing. She is absolutely entitled to her opinion. But I predict that someday, even if she doesn’t want to buy from consignment, she will see the VALUE in selling the like-new clothing she has stored in her attic. Hopefully she’ll also realize something that thousands of moms already know, CONSIGNING IS SMART.

Why do Moms love consigning?

1. There isn’t an easier way to make money from things you already have in your home. Hosting a garage sale, inviting strangers to your house, and pricing and manning a weekend sale is an option, but not the best way to sell your nicest things. If you want to haggle for 50 cents…you don’t want to do it with your Gymboree outfits. Consider it a “seasonal part-time job” if you want.

2. It keeps the closets managable. Most of us are blessed far beyond what our homes can store. We have too much because sometimes we just can’t help ourselves to buy for our little angels. By consigning each season we can wisely manage our clutter and keep only the clothes that really fit.

3. It’s a “win-win.” Who doesn’t want to be a part of something that is bigger than themselves? When you sell your items at a huge Rhea Lana event, you get to set the price, and someone is THRILLED to buy it at less than retail. You’re happy, they’re happy.

4. At Rhea Lana’s events you check your items into the store on one day, and less than 8 days later you have a check. That’s quick money, not just smart money.

5. It’s a good way to recycle. Seriously, that outfit will never be worn again at your home, no matter how much you love it. However, there’s a little boy/girl out there who could love it as much as you and will buy it. Eventually, everything in the attic is going to be tossed, so take a picture of your little one in your favorite outfits and then let them go to someone else to be their favorites too.

Consigning…it’s smart.

You might be addicted to Rhea Lana’s if…

jennifer — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:46:03 +0000

Love this fun email and top ten list from Rhea Lana’s of Searcy. We know a lot of moms who could identify with a lot of these…comment to add one of your own!

YOU MIGHT BE ADDICTED TO RHEA LANA’S OF SEARCY IF…..

#10 You have ever asked yourself or someone else how to pronounce Rhea Lana’s….. pronounced Ree-Uh Lawn-Uh

#9 You plan your family vacations around the next Rhea
Lana’s of Searcy Event dates and times.

#8 You need to buy more string tags because you are consigning everything in your
house other than the kitchen sink.

#7 Your idea of “Girls’ Night Out” is volunteering for a shift at our event with some of your girlfriends.

#6 If all of your friends refer to you as the “Rhea Lana’s Expert” and call you to ask questions about preparing merchandise.

#5 You check the website for the list of items that are acceptable to consign to see if
husbands and/or children are acceptable items.

#4 Your idea of the statement “I have arrived” means you sped through
the RL of Searcy parking lot and realize you are the first person in line to shop
early at the private Pre Sale Event.

#3 You get an adrenaline rush when you register to consign at Rhea Lana’s of Searcy.

#2 You “justify” to yourself/your spouse when you “splurge” on something for your kids by saying….”And I can sell it at Rhea Lana’s and make part of my money back.” Pricing Items

#1 If you refer to the months of March and August as “RHEA LANA’S SEASON” because you travel all over Arkansas to every wonderful Rhea Lana’s Childrens’ Consignment Event!!

Thanks for sharing! Rhea Lana’s of Searcy is March 6-10.

Cold day? Warm soup….

jennifer — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:28:47 +0000

I love soup weather! There’s something that makes me feel like a pretty good mom when I can fill my family with hearty soup when it’s cold outside. Rhea Lana moms are smart about these kinds of things too! I found these two recipes in our Rhea Lana’s Friends and Family Cookbook.

QUICK AND EASY POTATO SOUP

- submitted by Jennifer K, Rhea Lana’s of Searcy manager

30 oz frozen hashbrowns

3 cans chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

dash onion powder

8 oz cream cheese

cheddar cheese

bacon bits

Cook hashbrowns, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, onion powder and pepper (to taste) for 30 minutes or so in a soup pot. In a separate bowl, slowly add some hot soup to cream cheese, then return to pot. Serve with cheddar cheese and bacon and add salt to taste.

TACO SOUP

- submitted by Julie Session, Rhea Lana’s of Russellville leadership team

2 lb ground beef

1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes

2 cans stewed tomatoes

1 can light red kidney beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can black eyed peas

1 can lima beans

1 pkg frozen corn

2 cups water

Brown ground beef, drain, and rinse. Put mean tinto crock pot. Add dressing and taco seasoing packages, mix into meat. Add the reamining ingredients. Stir until well mixed. Cook in crock pot for 5-6 hours or overnight.

To get your copy of our Rhea Lana’s Friends and Family Cookbook, go to this link and get all the details!

Why Moms love Tim Tebow

Rhea Lana — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:28:44 +0000

There’s been well over one million articles written about a 24-year-old football player named Tim Tebow. Is it because he’s a Heisman trophy winner? Is it because he is the youngest of 5 children from Florida? Is it because he’s a Missionary Kid? Is it because he continues to excel, every time the talking heads say he can’t do it? Is it because he’s an outspoken Christian? Is it because he loves his family? Is it all of these things…and more?

Moms everywhere have also taken a sudden interest in the Denver Bronco’s quarterback and football! He seems to be as famous for his personal life as he is for his sports career. He is known for his love of family and his commitment to the Lord. He has impeccable manners with all sports announcers and hasn’t been captured in the tabloids in any compromising pictures or stories.

There are two things in life that I love tons – sports and underdogs. As a matter of
fact, I probably watch more sports than anyone in my family, and we have two
grown men in our family! For me, sports are a wholesome way to watch a little television and unwind at the end of a long workday. I love the rules, the strategy and mostly pulling for any underdog. I followed Tim Tebow a little bit while he was at Florida, and bought his book for my son and my daughter. But this season, as I was listening to announcer after announcer discredit his football ability and throwing style –
and then I watched him respond to difficult questions during interviews, and ultimately, watched him perform well in game time stressful situations……I’ve become increasingly protective of Tim Tebow, like any mother would of someone she cares for. I don’t know Tim personally, but I’m so proud of how he is willing to be a leader, willing to be mocked at times, and also willing to be a famous role model for American kids.

According to the Los Angeles Times today, Tim Tebow was named the most popular
athlete in a monthly ESPN poll, a completely shocking development since his name has been completely absent in the news as of late. In the poll, Tebow finished ahead of Kobe Bryant, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Another surprising development — the humble, God-fearing Denver Broncos quarterback didn’t brag about the accomplishment.

“What’s that tell me?” Tebow said to reporters Thursday. “It tells me they have a lot
of crazy polls out there. I hope people see I’m real and genuine. I hope they
see that I make a ton of mistakes but that I always get back up and try again.

“But I’m very blessed. I’m trying to grow my foundation and things that like really help. They give me a platform. I feel like now I can walk into any Colorado hospital and talk to these kids that I want to help.”

Tebow and the Broncos play the New England Patriots on Saturday in the NFL playoffs.

I know I’ll be watching and cheering for the Broncos, Tim at quarterback and Von Miller on defense this Saturday along many, many other cheering moms across the world!!

Check out this article from Crosswalk ministries titled Mom Phenom: Tim Tebow.

How about you? Are you watching more football than last year?

New Year Resolutions Worth Keeping…

jennifer — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:02:57 +0000

res·o·lu·tion [rez-uh-loo-shuhn] noun

1. a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usually after voting, by a formal organization, a legislature, a club, or other group. Compare concurrent resolution, joint resolution.

2. a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

3. the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.

4. the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose

Don’t make unreaslistic resolutions and then beat yourself up! Choose from this list and you’ll be inspired all year long!

Less time cleaning, more time playing. Moms are often uptight about something or other. If it’s having a shiny floor, make it a once a week thing, instead of a once a day thing. Show kiddos and hubby they are what is really important to you.

Date nights with hubby. It’s not easy for a million reasons, but when you work at it, marriage can be great. Become friends and date that hubby again! (Picnics in the park, bike rides, late movie when kids are already down with a sitter, etc.)

Tackle one big project per quarter. (the garage, the photo albumns, the yard, the closets, etc) This is so important to moms. No one but you may notice, but you should get a parade in your honor when you finish a biggie!

Smile more, complain less. We’re all blessed in a million ways. Look for those blessings and focus on them. Write them down if you need to. Share them at the dinner table if you want. Be positive and those around you will be too.

Speak softer and slower. There’s a good chance if your children are yelling, so are you. If they have a big fat attitude, they may be getting it from you. Make an effort to speak softer and slower and see what happens!

Pick up a new good habit. (Floss regularly, give up cokes, walk each day, etc)

Get outside more. Turn off the tube and throw a frisbee, use sidewalk chalk, rake leaves and get some fresh air. Attitudes will improve, guaranteed.

Hug more. Everyday make sure everyone in the family knows they are loved by you.

Think outside yourself. Pick a single mom, elderly neighbor, friend who’s fighting cancer, etc, and take them on as your secret friend. Send cards, flowers, small gifts, or encouraging words to them all year. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how thinking of others will make you feel good too.

You better watch out…

jennifer — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:19:54 +0000

When I was little, just thinking about Santa watching me during the month of December (“He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake.”) was enough to make me talk a little nicer, share a little more, and make sure I wasn’t caught doing anything really bad. These days, Moms everywhere have raised the bar with their little ones with a little guy named Elf on a Shelf.

From the official Elf on a Shelf website…”Every year at Christmas Santa sends his elves to watch you and they go back and tell him who’s been bad and who’s been good!” The site is filled with videos on Elf Training Camp, actual video of an elf caught flying and the Elf Story movie trailer. There is also a login to register your elf and make a scrapbook of their activities through the season!

The real fun begins when parents get into spinning the tale…and let me tell you there are some parents out there working it! After their children are in bed those elves get busy…playing games, eating cookies, messing up the kitchen, moving clothes from one closet to another…I’m not kidding. There are blogs and Facebook pages dedicated to ideas for your elf to try and Pinterest is filled with pictures of elves in action! It seems the more active the elf is the faster your children will get out of bed in the morning to see what he/she has been up to!

Elves are not free and have been sold out of some retailers this year. If you’re one of the one who picked one up at Target you paid $30 for the book and doll. Choices include blue eyed or brown eyed elves and accessories include a couture Christmas skirt if your elf wants to be a girl!

The story and concept were written by a mother-daughter team from Georgia whose ideas were rejected many times by all the major publishers. They decided to publish on their own and produced 300 in the first run of 2005. They have sold 1.5 million to date. Critics think the elf is a little creepy and is really just a “tattle tale.” Others think it’s a little crazy that parents are making HUGE messes for themselves to clean up after the initial 5 seconds of excitement their child receives.

Rhea Lana Facebook fans posted some fun comments on our blog this week including my favorite from a couple WITHOUT CHILDREN who posted, “Me and my husband have fun hiding JJ our elf from each other. Our first baby is on the way.”

Other comments: from Amanda, ”We named ours Sam Winkle, aka Mr Winkle. The kids wake up super excited each day to find where he is. Today he was hanging out in my k-cup basket, he had been eating on my homemade chocolate chip cookies.”

Katie says, “We have “peanut”. My 4 and 3 year old girls race to see who can find him first every morning and they also tell him when they do good things so he can tell Santa!!”

A sign of the times…Elf on a Shelf spent time in the number one spot on Barnes and Nobel’s website. Will your family adopt one?

Christmas Traditions

jennifer — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 03:32:22 +0000

The best traditions are the ones that make memories…here are a few from some Rhea Lana franchise owners around the country:

From Lauren, Rhea Lana’s of Jonesboro:

This is a candle my grandmother bought from Montgomery Ward in 1948. It was a pretty candle and she thought it would be nice on the dining table that year. It has now been burned every year since then, on Christmas Eve. My daughter is the 5th generation of this family to enjoy this candle on Christmas Eve. On my daughter’s first Christmas, we lit her Christmas candle for the first time and will do so every year. I even added to the tradition and started a journal. When we light the candle, we write in the journal about the year, our blessings and family stories. It’s so wonderful every year, to read about our past years. This is a family tradition I am proud to pass along to my daughter and I enjoy sharing.

From Sarah, new owner of Rhea Lana’s of Leavenworth-Platte City:

We have a tradition in my family of making Christmas ornaments. It started when I was a baby out of necessity. My parents were just starting out in life and didn’t have money for extravagances like Christmas ornaments. So my Mom took Christmas cards and cut the pictures out and glued them on mason jar lids with ribbons and lace. She even made a star for the top of the tree out of foil. Each year these ornaments were still hung on our family Christmas tree and my brother, sister and I added many more of our homemade ornaments. When my husband and I married, my Mom gave me all of the ornaments that I had made over the years, including the foil star from my first Christmas. That foil star means so very much to me. It reminds me of where my family started and how important the love and support of a family is. I knew I wanted to continue this tradition with my own daughter. I wanted it to be a fun tradition and that one day I will be able to give her a collection of her “special” ornaments. This year we did white snowflakes with her handprints on them. She was not too impressed with the wet paint on her hands! But I love the little imperfections in each of them and I know they are cherished gifts by her grandparents and family.

From Melissa, Rhea Lana’s of El Dorado:

Each year I trace & cut my 3 boys’ handprints out of Christmas fabric & fuse it onto a felt tree skirt. It’s a tradition we started when my now 12 year old was 2. We love looking at their hand prints each year to see how much they have grown!

Love these! What traditions make the most memories at your house?