Whittaker Woman

Only pictures because of typepad and its flaws

Typepad

Shame on you... You have been so kind for so long, but recently you have ticked me off. You need to clean yourself up or  Whittakerwoman and her clan will be moving elsewhere. H

Some Shot's From Rome, GA

We are having fun here this weekend!!!
What are you guys up to?
H

You ask, I'll answer set 4

*What did you do (career) before you had kids?? College degree?
Posted by: Susanne  | May 13, 2008 at 05:42 AM
I got my BA in Psychology from California Baptist University. It was the fastest degree I could get with the credits I transferred in with.  As far as a career before kids well, I actually had Sohaila on a Sunday and the following Saturday I graduated. So I guess you can say I got my BA to stay home. No career.

*Did you go to college? What would you be doing right now if you weren't a stay at home mom?
Posted by: Jackie | May 13, 2008 at 08:15 AM 
If I did not have kids or a husband I would be living on a mountain teaching snowboarding in the winter and doing some mountaineering job during the summer. If I was married without kids I would be working in the culinary arts somewhere. Probably not in a restaurant, been there and done that and hated it. Well unless the restaurant was mine. ☺

*where have you worked (outside of home)...specifically the Mission Inn, and what did you do there?
Posted by: Sue  | May 13, 2008 at 11:47 AM
My first job was at Longs Drug Store. ( I sure miss Longs, it reminds me of home)
Then I worked up at a Sierra Summit Ski Resort. (Thats where I met Carlos but thats another post)
I worked at a few random retail shops, the bank, and finally at the Mission Inn. I cooked in the kitchen. After college I was going to go to culinary school and the one thing Carlos asked me to do is talk to a Chef and see if I needed to go to school to make it in the industry. So I went to the best restaurant in town and talked to the Chef. His name was Victor and he told me not to go to school and to get into the field before I decided to pay that money for school. So I asked him for a job and continued to ask until he gave me one. I loved the pace and the art of it but he turned out to be the meanest man I have ever personally met. I then got pregnant and had back issues and had to quit. Thank God!
After Sohaila I taught different cooking classes at our local adult community education in Riverside. Besides that no other jobs here.  And I love it. I have absolutely no desire to be in the working world. It actually sounds like torture to me. I love being home.

*If you had a day completely to yourself, what would you do with it?
Posted by: Anna | May 13, 2008 at 06:41 AM
Well first I would find someone to spend it with. ☺ Why waste a lovely day all by myself.
Once I found someone, I would wake up before the sun rose, drink a cup of coffee, put on my tennis shoes and start up some mountain. Watch the sun rise, expand my lungs till I feel like they are going to pop, burn my leg muscles until I am complaining, create some blisters on my feet and reach some mountain peak and praise God for his creation. Oh and you can’t forget to eat snickers all day long! I would make it down the mountain in time for a fabulous dinner and drinks and if we are having a dream day… end it with a massage! Now that is my kind of day. Oh I need to plan one right now!

*What hair products do you use?
Whatever is on sale… Seriously .99cent kind of stuff. Oh, I do buy Big and Sexy hair spray. I have frizzy hair and I need kind that will dry immediately or else my hair frizzes up. Not pretty.
*What skin care products do you use?
None, I am bad! I don’t even wash my face or use cream… Terrible. Shh don’t tell my grandma she will die!
*What scent do you wear daily?
Nothing, I am sounding pretty boring
*What scent if for "special occasions"?
I do have a spray from that lotion store, I think it is brown sugar something, maybe plum?
I also wear Pink Sugar from Sephora. That would be my special occasion fragrance.
Posted by: Mandy | May 13, 2008 at 07:36 AM

My turn...
If you had a day to yourself what would you do?

6 going on 16

My teenager woke up at 10:15 this morning! Now if only I could train Losiah to sleep that late!

Remember This?

 

This was Sohaila's first day of Kindergarten. Remember this post? I think it might be one of my favorite posts here at Whittakerwoman! Even though I thought it was funny, I wasn't sure about her teachers. I am in the South now. So we kept it to ourselves and went on... I got to know her teachers through the year and realized they would love it. So, on the last day of school I printed it out on a 8X10 and brought it. I asked Mrs Pfleger to read it out loud, "Pfleger's Frolicking Frogs" she read. I stopped her and told her that she is reading it that way because she knows what it SHOULD say, But what does it REALLY say. She turned bright read and they both about died right there! They were cracking up. They asked if they could keep it to laminate it. I am sure she will be up in the  teachers lounge for all to see. It really is just so classic!

Reason 1,985,543,013 why one boy is enough!

8 Years!

It's made me who I am, sign me up, lets do it again. I love you babe. H

Living in the City

Yes there is smog, crime and theres the god awful traffic, but there are also things you just can't get anywhere else than in the city!
We took the Marta train down to Centennial Park today to play in the fountains. I have to admit I was not to sure of the plan at first, but much to my dismay...it ended up being a wonderful day!

 

He's two part eight!

Oh no he did not just rip the Word of God...

You ask, I'll answer set 3

When and how did you meet Jesus?
Posted by: pam |

Ahh, a question that I would LOVE to answer…
I grew up in a very open house… open to love, open to humanity but well they were open to everything but Christianity.  Most of my family would some how claim they are Catholic.  You know the ones who put their kids in catechism, but never actually attend church. They had faith and believed that there is a God, Jesus in fact, but by no means was a relationship with God a part of what I was taught. 
A significant turn of events happened in my life when I was 16 years old, suddenly my dad passed away. It was October when it happened and on the following New Years I made a resolution to attend church 2 times a month. The resolution was kept and in March I began to date a guy (this is his wife’s blog who, now through this lovely blogosphere has become a friend). Anyways I began to date a guy and one day I asked him when I could meet his family, he said that he did know if he could bring me home. ???? Really I did not think I was that bad. ☺  We continued to talk and he said that his parents would want him to date a Christian and I was not, so he did not know if he could bring me home. What ended up happening was his mom heard about this conversation and asked me to go and meet her oldest daughter who had married a man who’s family came from a Catholic background.  She wanted me to be able to hear from him what the difference between having a religion and being a follower of Christ. I remember going to his sisters house, they talked to me and every thing they said made sense. I believed it. I believed Jesus was Gods son, I believed he died on the cross, but what I never heard before was having a relationship with God. So I prayed for that to happen that night. There was no strong conviction, there was no walk down the aisle, it was just a faith that was already there and that was ready to move deeper. And that is what happened. I began to go to a fabulous youth group, and little by little learned what it meant to put my faith in Jesus. After a few years in Fresno, I moved down to Riverside Ca where I began to attend Sandals Church. This is where I became who I am in Christ. I began to learn what it means to have a real relationship with God. What it looks like to be transparent with others and to be all of who God made me to be. And now I am in Atlanta because God has been clear to me that I am to bring what I learned at Sandals to the people here.
There you go my friends, in  a long nutshell that was when and how I met Christ.

Ok now my turn...Here is to my readers...
If and when did you meet Jesus?

H

Lectured by Wordpress

I was totally lectured while I was leaving a comment today. I guess you can call me speed Whittaker!

Some things, just have to make you smile!

Family Night #8 Graduation Night

In honor or our final days of school, we decided  to put on a graduation ceremony for family night.I got the girls dressed in our college cap and gowns.



We even had a walk way where the graduates walked down.

Principal James handed out their diplomas.


And to end the ceremony we had the hat toss.


They even got graduation gifts.

We decorated the room with all of their favorite art pieces
from their school year. Family night was so fun! I know this
will be real in no time! But for now it was fun to pretend. H

You ask, I'll answer set 2

I am trying to figure how to answer these questions. Should I do a bunch, should I post one a day. I don't know. Here are some easy ones.

*Do you prefer :
Folding laundry or doing dishes?  Dishes! I have a dishwasher!
Rock and roll or hip hop? Does classic rock count?
White or off white? Neither, lots and lots of color!
Tempurpedic or sleep number? Any kind of sleep!
Drakkar Noir or Joop? HUH? My man does not wear this stuff, I think my dad used to wear Drakkar but that is my dads smell. So I don't know.
Posted by: lisa | May 13, 2008 at 12:14 PM

Have you been anywhere else in Africa besides Uganda?
Nope, someday!
Posted by: Maureen | May 13, 2008 at 02:29 PM

*3) And on a total shallow-but-still-of-somewhat-importance-to-people-like-me level, where do you get your jewelry from? I love funky jewelry, mostly from Forever 21 (cool and cheap!).
You are a girl after my own heart. I have most of my stuff from Forever 21, some things are from downtown LA jewelry district, but not much. Keep shopping!
Posted by: Kaley | May 13, 2008 at 10:11 AM

*Ok question, what's the craziest thing you have ever eaten..
We were on a cave tubing expedition in Belize when our guide stopped at a tree and asked if we wanted some termites... And of course I said YES! They tasted like peppermint gum!
Posted by: emmelia | May 13, 2008 at 10:56 PM

*Are you thinking of adopting again? From where? (You are awesome parents)
YES! We both know we will adopt again. From Africa. Just not yet!
Posted by: alexsandra | May 13, 2008 at 10:05 AM

*what's your middle name? Rachel
*what's your favorite number? 16
*when's your birthday? July 16, 1978
*have you ever fallen going up stairs? (i did that the other day and it made me laugh at myself for a good while) Uh, no not that I can remember. But my grandma did the first day she got here last month. :)
Posted by: Eryn | May 13, 2008 at 12:37 PM

***OK so I ask this of you... What is the craziest thing you have ever eaten?

Dinner

I was dinner for someone last night. UGH, I can't stop itching! I have 10 bites on me. Does anyone have any good bug repellent stuff that wont make me smell like I am camping? H

I am a failure!

Ok, where did I go wrong? How can I have missed this critical lesson in child rearing? This is how the story goes, let me set the scene for you...
It was bath time so I started the water, Seanna gets in and Sohaila is going to the bathroom before she climbs in. I remembered I had to grab something down stairs so quickly jet down there and back up. As I round the corner to the bathroom I see Sohaila letting go of the shower curtain that is directly in front of the toilet. It was strange to me, just the way she did it made some flags go off in my head.
I walk up and see that the toilet is not flushed and there is no toilet paper in the bowl. Can you see the end of the story? Yep my 6 YEAR OLD could not find the roll of toilet paper so she grabbed the next best thing. The shower curtain. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!
That is all I could say. No other words came to me. I was in shock. Where did my parenting go wrong? How does my 6 year old reason with the fact that it is OK to us a curtain to wipe herself? I give up! H
 

Steven Curtis Chapman... Why him?

I don't understand sometimes. Carlos just called me with the news that Steven Curtis Chapman's eldest son accidentally ran over their 5 year old daughter this evening. Steven and his wife have adopted three little girls from China. He was a huge part in our adoption story. We found our adoption agency through him and we also got a grant through his ministry. So in a weird round about way I feel connected to his story. And that is why my heart breaks. It breaks because I understand the emotions that come with adopting a baby. It is totally different that having your own, and after all that work and commitment to bring a child home to loose them so quickly just makes me question why? Why? H

Help!

Ok so my man, aka my computer helper is gone and I need help!
Why is typepad putting such a big gap after each photo. They just changed their website and now I cant get my posts to look right. I have the text right below the photo when I compose the post, but when I save it there is that gap. Any helpers out there? H

He's two part six, and seven!

What a day this little sneak has given me.
It started around 7 am when I went in to get him,  and
found that over night he had managed to pull out every
wipe we had in our Costco economy size package and
decorate the room with them.
Then this I found around 10 am.

He decided to get noodles instead of the thousands of toys he has to play with.
Then I found this around 2 pm

It never ends!
However I do love this!
Picture. Classic! H

Mini Me

The girls worked so hard on Mothers day to make me
breakfast all by themselves.

I said NOTHING which was very hard for my controlling self.

After I told her that squashed up pancakes were my
absolute favorite kind, she began to feel better. So cute!

Pity Party!

Don’t you jut love having conversations in your head? It happens in my dome all the time. It maybe with the person who just cut ME off while I was driving, sometimes it is with Carlos after I give in and take out the trash, and sometimes it even is just with MYSELF as I tackle a thought process that I am trying to grasp. No matter what the talk in my head is about, there are always three things that keep me coming back for more.
First, I AM IN CONTROL! Which means the topic is chosen by ME! Second, it is always MY point of view, which is always correct! And  finally the best part of having these one sided conversations is the fact that no one can interrupt ME!
Until today…
I just got off the phone with Carlos. He was in Riverside visiting our old stomping grounds and hanging out with friends. It was then that  I had a sudden wave of disappointment hit me. Memories of what I had and the hurt of lost friendship, overwhelmed me. And so I gave myself a one-sided pity party. I sat alone and in MY head carried on a conversation about how let down I was by people I called friends. I kept coming back to the fact that I believe if you truly love someone and consider them a close friend you can at least talk to them once and a while. Send an email or a card. Something! Anything to show your commitment to the relationship.
Sounds good huh? I thought so too.
Well, this is right about when I got interrupted. God decided to knock me upside the head. He began to clearly show me what a hypocrite I was being. Complaining about how people treat me, but I was failing to look at how I am treating him.  I say I love him, but am fine if a day, days, or a week goes by with out sitting down and having a chat with him. OUCH. I heard him loud and clear! I know, I know, don’t point out the splinter in our friends eye without looking at the log in yours. Dang it! So I sat there humbled and quiet.
When was the last time you got knocked upside the head by God?

H

He is two... Part Five!

Of course this would happen on a Sunday, which by the way is the only morning that I have to get three kids out the door all by myself. I guess life just works that way, or at least two year olds do. H

Who needs a bathtub?

The girls are totally into doing the dishes right now..
Which makes less work for me!

Sohaila killed two birds with one stone, who needs a bath
when you get clean while doing the dishes?

Fooled!

All right, I guess I am slow and behind the new technology of our times. I NEVER knew that lawn mowers have a little switch that makes it move on their own.  Today I was pushing the lawn mower as hard as  I could up hill, when I heard Carlos yelling from the window. He pointed to the mower and said to push the button. As I did I learned that this great piece of machinery has a GO button. All these years I would bring cold water to Carlos because I have thought he was working so hard. Ha, I am in the light now, I am in the light! H   

Bye, bye little birdie...

We had our memorial service yesterday. Carlos played a lovely song, said some nice words about our dear friend, and then some of us shed some gut wrenching sobs. Ok maybe not some of us. Only Sohaila, but dear lord they were from the deepest part of her soul. Heavens, it was only a bird. I can’t imagine when we actually loose someone we love. Any how it was lovely… Good bye little birdie GOOD BYE!

Cricket?

Carlos claims this is a cricket, I am not so sure.

It does not look like the crickets we have in Cali.
When Sohaila got this bug house for her 5 year birthday,
I was not sure we would use that often, and boy has this
move to Georgia PROVED ME WRONG! We have had
bug #!, a frog, and now this all in three days! So fun. H

Spring is no longer in the Air

Tragedy struck last night and we woke up to this.

The wreath is on the ground. There is one little dead
bird on top of the ladder and the other two are missing,
which leads me to believe that we have a case of dinner.
I think a little someone jumped up on the railing, jumped
on the wreath which made it fall and then had a midnight
snack. So I am sad to say that the blog series Spring is in the Air
became more of a horror blog story rather than the cheerful,
feel good story I had intended.
"I guess our little birdie did not make it. I hope the mommy is
not to sad." -Seanna

Family Night #7 Bowling Night

Bowling night! This might have been my favorite night so far. We had a great time.
Dinner was Mexican meatballs, with a lane of rice and watermelon as bowling pins.
   

Sorry friends, this was my husband contribution to the night. Nice!

Bowling Ball cupcakes

Lesson of the night... Don't keep stools around for two year olds to climb on.

The girls colored bowling ball place mats.

The kids wore their bowling shirts!

Then the games were on!

We have this monster bowl game, and was quite fun.

Final scores:
First Place: James, Second Alyssa, Third Carlos, Fourth Heather, Fifth Losiah, Sixth Sohaila and  last but not least  Seanna!

You ask, I'll answer set 1

So here we go…
I began to organize all the questions in a spread sheet so I can get an idea of what I had infront of me, and  then I ended up leaving my computer in Birmingham when I went to visit my friend last night. I tried to be organized and in control and now,  I sit here on an old computer feeling totally unorganized. I think that might tell you a little more about me. But anyways I picked some questions to answer so lets begin this journey of ME. Oh that gives me a stomach ache! Have fun reading. H

1.How did you first come to blogging?  It is something you enjoy or is it more of a chore on some days?
Posted by: C.C. aka LorelaiCC | May 13, 2008 at 06:29 AM

How did I first come to blogging? Can anyone answer for me? Maybe I should start with one of the marriage questions so everyone would know that I am married to a  blogstar. He began to blog and begged me to start, times were tough around Christmas time and one of his presents was that I committed to blog for a  year. And now I CAN’T STOP! It really is something I enjoy.  There are a few days here and there that I have nothing to blog and on those days it feels like a chore. Typically on those days I just throw up a picture. So it’s an easy fix.

2.If you could be Carlos for one day, what part of his life would you want to experience from his perspective?
Posted by: Kyle | May 13, 2008 at 07:32 AM

OOOO, I would love to do the worship/ singing part. I would love to be able to sing and it not sound like a cat dying. I can’t even wrap my mind around that and would love to experience it. Good question!

3.For your kids--private school, public school, or homeschool?  what was your thought process in the decision?

Posted by: amy s. | May 13, 2008 at 01:03 PM

For us this decision was made due to where we live. When we were in Riverside we were going to do a Charter School where she went to school 2 days a week and she had homeschool the other days. When we moved here we moved into one of the top 5 schools in GA! I knew I could not beat that! As the year has passed and I have seen Sohaila learn so much for school itself. I know it was the right decision for us. I am just amazed, not only at the education she is receiving, but how she is becoming a beautiful soul because of the relationships she has to interact with everyday. My advice if you want, I know it’s not part of the question but this is my only parenting advice I will ever give, and that is to do what is right for you and your family. No one can tell you the WAY to do it. It is up to you!

4. Where did you get that fantastic couch??
Posted by: Julie | May 13, 2008 at 06:37 AM

Oh I love my couch. I got it in Hollywood. Right around Beverly and Melrose there is this junk lot with tons of stuff. Deep in the piles I found it I think I paid $400ish for it. I LOVE IT!

5.Are you still able to be a part of the Jesus Girls ministry (I think that is what it is called)? Can you share a story from that ministry with us?
Posted by: TiNA | May 14, 2008 at 07:37 AM

JC’s Girls wow, that was such a great experience for me in my life. I  grew so much in my faith and my view of people. It was such a wonderful experience, unfortunately I moved and left the group I did it with and so I am no longer apart of the ministry. Actually Sandals Church, even though it is not my home church anymore I respect their leadership and they no longer support the ministry and so any new news you may hear about it I also do not support.
As for a story wow there are many, probably most I should not share here. 

Here are my posts on it if you have never seen them.
They are safe.
La Erotica 2006
Vegas 2007
Vegas 2007

Let them flow...

I was a mess yesterday. I had to make a decision and had the hardest time deciding what to do. The worst part was it was such a small decision, but I spent all morning going back and forth. See, a great friend of mine is a flight attendant, and she was having a layover in Birmingham Alabama, which is about 2 hours from us and wanted me to visit. Normally there would be no decision to make. I would be there in a heartbeat! However life has been so crazy that all I wanted to do was crawl back in bed. So back and forth my decision-making went.
Finally my fabulous man said he would watch the kids and the deal was sealed.
No kids… Done!
I headed out and got to the great state of Alabama in time to enjoy a lovely dinner, followed by a visit with one of my favorite new people in my life. It was a great night! And I did not realize how much I needed it, until I got in the car this morning and began to cry. There is just something about being with someone who knows you so well. I love meeting all these new friends since we moved, but to be in the presence of someone who has walked through life with me was so needed!
When was the last time you cried?

H

What the tar is this?

Ok you southerners or any entomologist out there, this is for you...
What the heck is this thing?
Mr James caught it and put it in this bag. I made Carlos get out of bed once to kill one I found in the bathroom. What is it?

He is two... part four!

I love the two's, or maybe it's my bipolar child, but regardless what is the cause of it, I am about to go looney. Some days he is joyful when he wakes up and other times he is not. Today HE WAS NOT!
He actually was fine until I made him breakfast. Eggs and bannana. He ate his bannana, then got pissed that it was gone and then dumped his eggs and threw his fork at me. So I took him out of his chair which made him furious. And now his is screaming on the floor. And I say....Good morning, everyone!

Spring is in the air! Part 2

The birds have hatched. I took some pictures, but I can not tell what is what. Hopefully soon we can say that they are cute, but right now they are ugly!

Whatcha wanna know?

Ok, the time has come to do what many of the other bloggers out there have done already...
You ask I'll answer.
So whatcha wanna know friends?  You have till 5pm tonight.

On your marks, get set, ask!  H

Quote of the Day

This lovely quote was in honor of the post below and was given to me by my friend Pat over on his blog.
"When you have a boy, you have to worry about one boy on the planet. When you have a girl, you have to worry about every boy on the planet."
Thanks Pat for making me feel so much better! H