The Battle of Baby Gear...

One of the things I learned quickly when I moved to Arkansas is that everyone here is huge on children's consignment sales...It seems like there is one going on every month...And these aren't small endeavors, no mam, they are insanely big, filled with tons of clothes, furniture, screaming kids, spastic mothers that are afraid someone will get in front of them in line, and of course, a bunch of tacky Razorback gear to dress your newborn in!!

I had my first experience with a particular children's sale when we first moved to Conway because I was given the opportunity to set up a Pampered Chef booth at the event. I went in blind, not knowing that women would come armed with mother-in-laws, laundry baskets tied to their waists with rope, and a crying kid in tow just to steer you away from the rack they were looking at... Nonetheless it was great for my business, I booked lots of shows and made some new friends from some of the other vendors.

This year, however, I'm passing on the booth and I'm risking my life and heading into the "battle of baby gear" for the first time as an expectant mother... So, I went with my friend Dina, whose husband is also a professor at Hendrix, and we braved the torrential waters of the sale - I came away unharmed and with lots of good deals, but boy was I wore out! Here's a quick peak at the treasures I found: tons of cute outfits, six pairs of shoes, a winter coat, and a baby carrier (practically never been used, still in the box and 1/4 the retail price - I was super excited about that find!).