10 things you can (and should) say to a pregnant lady…

Don’t make the mistake of speaking before you think. Pregnant moms are full of crazy hormones, they often feel out of sorts, and they’re eating for two! Let your words be uplifting…

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!”

Post Categories: Uncategorized | No comments yet | Leave a comment

What NOT to say to a pregnant woman…

My friend had a baby last night, and throughout her preganancy we’ve laughed about things strangers have said to her at Wal Mart and the grocery store…there are just sometimes people should not say anything!

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.

 

Post Categories: Uncategorized | One comment | 1 Comment

Happy Mother’s Day

We’ve got some awesome mother/daughter duos in our company and a few of them took the opportunity to tell their moms how much they enjoy working with MOM!

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!”

Post Categories: mother's day | No comments yet | Leave a comment

We’re growing!

SO happy to introduce our newest franchise owners from ALL over the map! We hosted these great folks at our last Central Arkansas event of the season for training and fun! These new franchises will be hosting their first events in the Fall of 2012, and their Rhea Lana web sites will be going LIVE very soon! If you know friends in these areas send them to rhealana.com to find these new events!

(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.

 

Post Categories: Rhea Lana FamilyUncategorized | 3 comments | 3 Comments

Rhea Lana’s of West Chicagoland

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.

Post Categories: Uncategorized | No comments yet | Leave a comment