This is one of my favorite pictures of my 3 kids.   It was taken 2 years ago when my children were in school in 3 different states.   Dave and I had worked very hard to put this day together so that we could spend time together as a family.   My son is in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M and we were all so excited to finally meet up with him that day!

You know, it wasn’t that long ago when I remember watching all 3 of them in  elementary school talent shows,  middle school band concerts,  and a myriad of high school sports.  Where has the time gone?!  Such precious memories that will remain in my heart forever.

I’m continuing to learn that the seasons of a mother’s life are ever changing.  Sometimes change is hard, but we must embrace it so that we can receive  the many unexpected blessings ahead in our  journey of motherhood.  This past year in my life, I’ve experienced quite a few changes.  My oldest daughter, Rebekah, was engaged to a wonderful young man, graduated from college, and was married 5 months later.  My youngest child, Leah, graduated from high school and started her college journey.  So, I became an empty nester and a mother-in-law within 2 months!  Talk about change!!   Meanwhile, my son continues to mature into an independent young man.  He’s  just received his Senior Boots, which is a huge tradition at Texas A&M University, and we are so proud of him.

Whichever season you’re in with your children, I encourage you to soak up every minute and find joy in each moment.   Our little ones grow up so quickly!  One minute we are watching our little girls dance in dance recitals, and in the blink of an eye, we are watching them walk down the aisle on their daddy’s arm.  Happy Mother’s Day, my precious friends!

We know that not everyone grows up in a castle with Julie Andrews as their mother and has a most wonderful life. However, we all have a mom, or someone who stepped in for our mom when she couldn’t or didn’t. As a mom of 4, the sweetest thing my kids can do for me is taking the time to tell me they love me. If you have little kids, you probably have little notes all over your house that say they love you no matter what and you are the “bestest.” We keep those notes because in those moments our children’s love is given to us by choice.

As much as we all want to hear those words ourselves, we have the opportunity, this Sunday especially, to tell our moms, “thank you.” A simple note will do, a simple thanks for a good memory or a trait she passed down to you. It can be free and yet be priceless to the mom in your life.

From some of us to our moms:

from Tiffany, Rhea Lana’s of Louisville-Carrolton, “I love my mom because she is such a pillar of support and love in my life.”

from Sarah, Rhea Lana’s of Leavenworth-Platte City, “I love my Mom even more now that I am a Mom because I can greater appreciate the sacrifices she made for us and the unconditional love she always displays for my brother, sister and I.”

From Lauren, Rhea Lana’s of Jonesboro, “I love my mom because she has been a fabulous role model for me and cheers me on more than anyone.”

From Kristin, Rhea Lana’s of Broken Arrow, “I love my Mom because she is so caring and giving!  She is always willing and wanting to help in a time of need.”

It’s such a fun time for me when I get to visit Rhea Lana events across the country! Last week I went to one of our newest franchises in West Fort Worth and helped Michelle Scott launch her first event! I had a great time meeting moms in this community and making new friends.

This picture was taken quickly, but here I am with Rhea Lana’s of Crowley-Cleburne owner, Shari, and in the pink tee, Michelle. Shari has been a source of encouragement and support to Michelle. I love that the ladies in our company support one another!

When I left Fort Worth I headed to Collierville/Germantown, Tennessee. Lindsey is hosting her 7th event and I wanted to spend time with the ladies in this area and help train another new owner! Mindi, is new to the Rhea Lana family and she’ll be hosting Rhea Lana’s of Chattanooga next fall! Again, our friends arrived at the sale to help out, support, and just hang out with one another. Pictured here is me,  Rhonda  (Rhea Lana’s of N Mississippi), Lindsey, Mindi, and Kristie (Rhea Lana’s of Searcy). I’m so thankful to work with such amazing women who work hard as business owners and as moms! Can’t wait until my next road trip!

Today moms don’t go anywhere without their diaperbag or their phone. Our phones not only make us feel safe while out with our kids, but also connect us with family, entertain our children,…give us hourly updates for the weather,…send instant coupons,…show movies at a touch of a button….the list is endless!

Moms know how to use these smart phones and we all have our favorite way to surf the web and get instant info. Here are a few of our favorites…what are yours?

From Sarah, owner Rhea Lana’s of Leavenworth/Platte City, mom of 2: “I love the PBS app where I can let my daughter watch a short cartoon like Curious George or Daniel Tiger while we are shopping or driving.”

From Laura, owner of Rhea Lana’s of Hot Springs and Rhea Lana’s of Benton/Brayant, mom of 3: “Artkive – I can take pictures of my kids’ art projects, select which child created it and add her age along with any comments.  It archives the projects into an album that can be made into a book if I choose.  Eliminates the guilt of throwing away doodles and large projects that take up space.”

From Sarah, owner of Rhea Lana’s of North Atlanta, mom of 1: “Scoutmob (Atlanta based)-  it has tons of coupons for restaurants and shops.  Pinterest – allows me to pull up a recipe on my phone at grocery store and get all the ingredients.”

From Magen, owner Rhea Lana’s of Moses Lake , mom of 3: “Out of Milk app for shopping lists. It has a to do list, grocery list, pantry list so you can take inventory and not buy the same thing twice and a local ads icon so your can view all grocery store ads in your zip code. I also love my post-it note app!”

From Ashley, owner of Rhea Lana’s of Northwest Arkansas, mom of 4: I like Facebook and Pinterest…because they’re Facebook and Pinterest!”

From Rhonda, owner of Rhea Lana’s of North Mississippi, mom of 3: “iBooks- I don’t enjoy reading and don’t really feel like I have time with so many “Mommy Callings”, but with iBooks I can download instantly, read with only one hand tied, have my page waiting on me when I return with no fumbling pages, and bookmark good stuff I want to return to in the future.”

One of the most popular brands of children’s clothing has issued a recall today on 8 styles of footed, zippered sleepers. These items were sold at OshKosh B’gosh, Walmart and Target nationwide from December 2012 through January 2013.

 If you have this product for your little one you can return it to Carter’s for a full refund. Here are the details according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission:

This recall involves eight styles of one-piece, footed cotton clothing for infants made by Carter’s.  They have a zipper from the foot to the neck and were sold in sizes newborn, 3, 6 and 9 months. Baby B’gosh®, Child of Mine® made by Carter’s or Just One You® made by Carter’s is printed on the fabric inside the neck area. The style number is printed on a side seam label.

Brand	Style Number	Description
Baby B’gosh	414-208	Yellow with white quarter moons and gray and white stars print.
Child of Mine	715-839	Baseball-style, white with blue stripes, yellow accents and  “Little Brother” printed on the chest.
Just One You	520-242	White background with navy stripes and green neck  binding. Sold as a 2-pack with:
	597B537	Light blue with a nautical and green crabs print and “Captain Cutie” on the left chest.
	520-243	White with a pink cupcake print. Sold as 2-pack with:
	597B538	Pink with small polka dots and a bunny ballerina on the left chest.
	520-244	White with green stripes and an elephant and duck on the left chest. Sold as 2-pack with:
	597B539	White with a gray elephant, gray bear, green frog and yellow duck print.