I am not quite sure where to begin or what to include in my Walmart / Bentonville trip re-cap. I could talk about the amazing “Walmartians” whom I had the pleasure to meet, or the fantastic opportunity we had to speak with the “big marketing guys” and President of Walmart. I could talk about fantastic sustainability initiatives in the works, or that 50% of the marketing team at Walmart are women!

There are truly so many good things to share with you, and I certainly will… over time.

For now, I will simply say that Walmart truly desires to know what moms want, and how they can provide us with what we need. They want to hear from you! They are taking us seriously.

*picture by Katja

I was blessed, beyond words, with the time I had to be with my fellow ElevenMoms! We had a chance to bond in a way that would not be possible without this trip. Together we learned that we are a powerful force; a team that has the ability to be heard by the “powers that be.” A group that can make a difference.

If you have not yet met my fellow ElevenMoms, please take a minute to check out their sites and follow them on twitter. All of them are amazing women with great advice, tips and information to share. Not to mention they are just fantastic people!

Lucretia – @geekmommy
Jessica – @jessicaknows
Heather – @thedomesticdiva
Lynnae – @beingfrugal
Colleen – @classymommy
Jenn – @frugalupstate
Alyssa – @kingdomfirstmom
Amy – @momadvice
Denise – @centsiblesawyer
Erin – @couponcravings
Tara – @dealseekingmom
Jennae – @greenyourdecor
Katja – @katjapresnal
Mercedes – @CommnSenseMoney
Monica – @MommyBrain

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I traveled all day and am dog-tired, but I am stuck on Pacific Time and too excited to sleep. This very same thing happened to me when I went to Camp Baby. I know I will regret this in the morning, but I want to tell you about my first night here in Arkansas…

I was one of the first of the ElevenMoms to arrive in Walmartville. Heather beat me by just a short time and was cozy in her hotel room long before I made it to mine. In fact, as I was grabbing my bag from baggage claim, John invited me to dinner with him and some other Walmartians. Since I was famished, and eager to meet John in person, I met them at P.F. Chang’s for a scrumptious dinner. Just as I finished eating, I got a call from Tara… She was here, so John and I met up with her. Heather met us in the lobby, shortly after. Then Jenn showed up.

The four of us ElevenMoms decided to head to Eddie Haskell’s for a quick bite, as Tara had not yet eaten dinner. Little did we know what we were stepping in to! The kitchen was closed, but let’s just say the drinks were flowing.

We did manage to talk the guys in the kitchen in to making us some nachos and quesadillas, but we were hit on by a “really drunk guy” who didn’t know what a blog is, and enjoyed some beautiful karoake! The guy was harmless, but I think the karoake did some damage. Actually, Jenn belted out a couple of nice tunes… She was great!

He just wasn’t gettin’ the whole blog thing!

When I finally made it to my hotel room, I had a few surprises waiting for me. Walmart filled a goodie bag with some pretty cool stuff, and all of our linens were replaced with choice pieces from Walmart’s Canopy line… We even get to take it all home with us, so we can “experience the Canopy line in (our) own homes”!

Maybe it’s time to go test out those sheets… I have a busy few days ahead of me!

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