Whittaker Woman

Baby Mop... Brilliant!

Why didn't I think of this! H

HT: http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/

He's three! And Not MINE!

Seanna walked in saying... Mama someone colored on our walls. Martha jumped up to take a look...

YES! I loved it. Why... because it was not one of my kids! 

Parker confessed. So he was responsible to help clean it up, BUT...

It looked fun and everyone wanted to do it. Which kinda defeated the punishment. 

Parenting... isn't it fun! H

Hello To A New Day

Hang on my friends! We are going on a ride.  There is just so much in my head. These past few weeks I have questioned things, I have learned things and I have been challenged. Oh, and the best... I have been blessed. Things have happened to me that have been so out of the blue I still can not wrap my head around. But I love it! I have had some great conversations that have made me realize some new things I need to begin! Anyways that was just a random rant... which is exactly how my brain is working right now! Ok I am going to get back on track... but I wanted you in on my chaos! 

This weekend was great. Carlos and I went to Chattanooga to see Micheal W Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman in concert.  We also met Robin who is going on the India trip with Compassion! 

Our good friend Spence gave us some love and helped us meet SCC who is an important person in our adoption story. That was such a great moment! Nothing like saying thank you!

After the concert, Spence came to our house for the weekend. It has been so fun hanging out! I am such a quality time kind of girl! And so are my kids! Seanna struggled to say hi to Spence this morning, but after some time together...Spence could not pull her off! 

My kids were all over him for at least 2 hours! 

Do you think he gets Seanna? HA! 

Then the grown ups were out and we went to Flip and had some great food! 

And can I say two days of adult time has made me feel so refreshed! 

Oh and it is always so great to have someone else be the focus of Carlos' camera! 

Such a random Monday post! All this to catch you up and let you know I am excited for where I am. My friends and my life! H

Just Some More Fun!

Georgia On My Mind... I Am So Sorry!

So there are a few things that are very different in the South that I have been oh so good at keeping quiet. Do to the fact that I just did not want to offend, BUT today is another day. :) So our roommates have dress their boys when they were younger in a very southern outfit called a Jon Jon. This is something that you will not find in California. You just won't. However the women of the deep south treasure these outfits and they are THE THING to wear! Now not ALL southern people love them. Steph who has taught me the ways of the south is not a fan. All this to say Martha had one of these blessed little outfits and she suggested we put Losiah in it and take a picture. Oh I jumped at the chance! 

Here is the disclaimer on Martha's behalf. She NEVER but her boys in this one. It is a pastel purple with bunnies for heavens sake. AND yes it is for a boy. Another disclaimer on Martha's behalf she draws the line at what age boys can wear these. I have been at church and seen boys as old as 6 wearing these. I mean... that is just cruel! So I hope you enjoy. I am asking you to please be kind and not rude on the comments. It's just different strokes for different folks! 

Georgia on my mind fashion styles! 

My Baby V

So last week, I told you what pushed me over the edge and made me start to twitter.  This  week I want to share why I love blogs. Jacinda and I have been chatting here and there, but please she has three kids now, one being a week old! She does not have endless time to chat or blog. However, Kelly on the other hand gave me a glimpse of my girl today! I was so pleased when I clicked her blog to see my Baby V! I love Kelly and how she captures kids. Take a second and look at her pictures. Clean and creative. I love them! Thanks Kelly!

Everyday They Say

I learned something new at this blog, check it out... 

My mind has never even considered there being another kind of chicken. I guess it gives different meaning to "do you want dark meat". It is called a Silkie chicken, which is black-pigmented right down to its bones. I want to find one. I think it would be so fun to try! 

You know the phrase... Once you go black you can never go back. HMM? H

Disney HELP!!!

One thing my girls have grown up with is the privilege to live with season passes to Disneyland. 

I think the first real outing I had with Sohaila after she was born was to Disneyland.

I mean it when I say they have grown up here. 

It was also one thing that we grieved when we moved. 

Sounds silly but it was just a part of our lives and all of our friends lives. 

There is not a week that goes by that the girls are pleading with us to take them there. 

I have been thinking that for Sohaila's birthday we will take the drive down to FL and go, 

but I need help.  I would love any tips and money saving advice. Unfortunately with the lack of vacation time and dinero... we will only be going to one park for one day. We have a place to stay but I still wanted to see what kind of tips you guys have up your sleeve. H

Family Night... Chick-Fil-A

Ok... I want you all to know that I get tons of emails saying..." I just don't know how you do it". The truth is... I just do it. Sometimes I fail. Sometimes it is amazing, but the simple truth is that I try. I never want to put pressure on you to be like me. One of my best friends told me how sad she felt because she "failed" her family during valentines day. My heart wants to share our family time with you in hopes to inspire you. Not to make you feel bad at your parenting. Today, this week we chose to do a Family Night differently. We went to Chick-Fil-A for their family night. Our local Chick-Fil-A has a family night once a week. You can totally do this every week and your kids will love you. Here was our night. 

I have to admit that we took over the room. Our small group leader came with her two kids, another one of our small group couples saw our twitters and decided to come, plus our new roommates who are the owner/operators were all there. It was a real family! Lots of kids and chaos. 

Home Depot came and we made book ends. It was fun. 

It was such a crazy day for me, and to have Chick Fil A plan my family was perfect. My kids loved it. We connected and I was not responsible for any of it... Except bringing them there. We must think outside of our boxes! 

Ok... Now it is your turn! Share your what your family does to connect. 

1. Simply write about it in a post on your blog. 

2. LINK back to this site somewhere in your post. 

3. Then put your URL into Mr Linky below. I can't wait to get more ideas! H

The Best Gift

I must say that I love magazines! They are a little present all year long. I get excited and think of my mama every time I get this in the mail! My favorite magazines right now are... cooking light, glamour, clean eating, Atlanta, Family Fun, and People (so I still feel like I am in Cali). I don't subscribe to them all but I could read them all day long! What about you... Am I missing any good magazines? H

Mommy I know why...

The other day the girls were going through their photo albums when Sohaila declared she knew why she likes to snuggle with daddy more than me.

Exhibit A:

  

Exhibit B:

Do you see the difference? According to my dearest I just have my hand on her while her daddy has her all snuggled up. AND THAT IS WHY SHE LIKES TO SNUGGLE WITH HIM MORE! Geez, I had just carried her for the past 9 months, give me a break kid! I just wanted a few inches between us? Is that to much to ask. Hahaha. 

If you have not read this post by man you need to! H

Was It Worth It?

I have had seasons in my life where I have cut coupons. I love the game of it. When I moved to Georgia the system that I was using did not produce the outcomes that I was used to in California. So I quit. However my friend April told me about Southern Savers Blog that really broke it down for me and I did great! 

Publix... spend $55.68 saved $59.05 Thats over 50%! 

$65.26 was my total at Kroger I saved $51.84.  

So grand total savings of $110.89!

Not bad. It's like old times. H

Winner

Ok the winner is number 34... Kim with a "b" . 

Everyone Wins!

Lets have a give away. There is nothing like having a little fun after an emotion filled post like yesterday. We are going to be giving away such a fun prize... A cookbook from Pampered Chef. If you choose to buy something my friend Britney who is offering this, she will add a free gift to your purchase if you mention Whittakerwoman! So it is a win win. Plus we all get to try this fun Tiramisu Brownie Trifle Recipe! All you have to do is leave a comment and on Saturday I will announce the winner. Good luck! H

The Pampered Chef: Latin Flavor

"Tiramisu Brownie Trifle"

Tiramisu Brownie Trifle
Ingredients:
1 pkg (18-21 oz) fudge brownie mix (plus ingredients to make brownies)
1 container (16 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
2 bars (1.45 oz each) dark chocolate candy, divided
1/2-1 cup coffee liqueur (see Cook's Tip), divided
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp instant coffee granules
2 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 pkg (3.3 oz) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line Large Sheet Pan with a 20-in. piece of Parchment Paper; set aside. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Pour batter into pan; bake 20-22 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove brownie from pan to Stackable Cooling Rack.

2. Meanwhile, attach open star tip to Easy Accent(R) Decorator. Fill with about 3/4 cup of the whipped topping; set aside. Chop 1 1/2 of the chocolate barsusing Food Chopper; set aside. For filling, combine 1/2 cup coffee liqueur, water and instant coffee in Small Batter Bowl; stir until dissolved using StainlessWhisk. In Stainless (4-qt.) Mixing Bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add coffee mixture to cream cheese; whisk until smooth. Add pudding mix to cream cheese mixture; whisk until mixture begins to thicken. Fold in remaining whipped topping and chopped chocolate using Master Scraper; set aside.

3. Cut brownie into 1-in. cubes using Pizza Cutter. If desired, using Chef's Silicone Basting Brush, brush brownie cubes with additional 1/2 cup coffee liqueur.

4. To assemble trifle, place one-third of the brownie cubes into Trifle Bowl. Layer one-third of the filling evenly over brownies. Repeat layers two more times. Pipe whipped topping in rows 1/2 in. apart over filling. Grate remaining chocolate bar over whipped topping using Rotary Grater.

Yield: 20 servings

Nutrients per serving: (about 1/2 cup): Calories 390, Total Fat 25 g, Saturated Fat 11 g, Cholesterol 45 mg, Carbohydrate 36 g, Protein 4 g, Sodium 190 mg, Fiber 1 g

Cook's Tips: To make a substitution for coffee liqueur, combine 3/4 cup water, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tbsp instant coffee granules and 1 tsp rum extract in Large Micro-Cooker(R). Microwave on HIGH 2-3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Chill before using.
 
Thanks a MILLION!! =)
 

Just Quick Question... HAHAHA

The past few weeks there has been a bug in the Whittaker casa. It has made my stomach turn and made my head hurt. I are not sick, no I am just wondering what I want to be when I grow up! I have had some great conversations with a handful of friends about what is in my head. Tonight I continued the dialog with this email. I realize that some of you have been here, some will be here or some are currently sitting in my shoes. So I'm choosing to just copy and paste the email I wrote to my friend. 

"I have recently been attacked with feelings of insecurity. Insecurity in who I am becoming. Or better said, who I am not becoming because all I am doing is changing diapers.I am not working on ME! Allow me to say, I K-N-O-W the correct answers... this is the best job, I am making the biggest impact on the world right here, so on and so forth! However, I find myself worried that when it does come time for me to move on with life and I am not a mommy anymore who will I be? I find myself somewhat lost when I think of just ME. I am Carlos' wife and the mama to three. Ok I am sounding really dramatic. I am not that bad, but there are thoughts every once and a while that go there. Who would I be, what would I do if Carlos dies. Who am I? Things like that. So... 
All of this lengthy chit chat just to ask, have you always worked? When did you go back? Did you work before kids? That is another issue of mine, I have a BA, but I literally had sohaila 4 days before I graduated so I have no work experience. I just feel like others are out there perfecting themselves and making something of themselves while I make peanut butter sandwiches! There damn good pbj's but still! What was your story? 
Oh and for the record, I am not so good at receiving encouragement. :) I don't want to have you try to make me feel better by words, I am only sharing this because I see you working and wonder how you got there. And to be real honest... I want to make something of Heather. Not the mom in Heather, I know she is a success, not the wife to Carlos, but HEATHER wants to be something that she thrives at. I just don't know how to find that."

Ok... please listen, I put this out there not to be bombarded with comments on how I am a great mom and doing Gods will. I want to hear from you. YOUR STORY. Thoughts... H

Tis The Season

6 year old + strawberry season= A mess

This Has Officially Sold Me On Twitter!

Jacinda is having, well let me change that... she just had her third baby girl, Vienna Scarlet Hale! And this is why I love Twitter... I was able to be there without being there! 

I am in love with her! 

Now I just need an Iphone! 53 more days till Mother's Day, 120 till my b-day but whose counting! 

He's two...

Only for two more weeks, but he still has it in him! 

Black nail polish! At least it was only on his pants! H

This Is For All The PW's Out There!

I went to Nashville this past weekend for a Beth Moore Pastor's Wives Conference and they played this there. So great!

First Response

What is your favorite post of the blog world? The post that made the most impact to you, made you sit in tears, made you CHANGE? Or maybe it just had you on the floor laughing! This is my post...

And I confess I have the post from Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer but the Video that goes with it is from my man.  They go hand in hand but are the first ones that I could think of when I ask myself what is my favorite post... Yours? H

Food Crisis Update

Get this widget!

I just got this update from Brian's blog... " I Just got one of the ‘official’ internal Compassion International emails with the results (so far) from the Global Food Crisis Radio day on Wednesday. The goal was 1 million dollars and the results are way beyond our Radio Team’s wildest dreams. Over 27,000 people joined with us to donate just under $3,000,000!. On top of that, 2,000 Compassion children have new sponsors! What an amazing day! "

This excites my soul! H

Carlos' Recommendation

Carlos asked me if I have read this blog before... Motherhood Uncensored. 

This was the post...

It was nice of him to give me a blog to read, but Umm I have to wonder if he was saying anything else! H

Great St. Patties Table Idea's

Here is a great site that has three different table decoration ideas for St. Patrick's Day. So cute!

You ask I'll Answer

Well some blogging ideas were already answered here on You ask i'll answer ( so yes Jennifer I did). I think I did them all except our wedding story. And that will come in time. So...

Kelly, this is how we met. 

Family Night... St. Patrick's Day

I got a email asking me about St. Patrick's Day idea's, so we did a St. Patrick's Day Family Night a few days early! I hope this will help any of you who want to use our idea's. Jacinda and I were a good tag team on this... Miss Vienna ( J's third baby) will be born next Tuesday on St. Patrick's Day, so The Hales needed to do their FN early too! I can't wait to see our little girl! Ok back on subject... St Patrick's Day. 

I know this is a long post, but it gets good at the end, TRUST ME!

We began the festivities with an attempt to make crayons. Well ok. We were re-shaping them. 

All things green! After peeling all the paper off our old broken crayons, I just put them in the oven till they melted. Then I put them in the fridge till it became a play-dough consistency. 

I went to the Dollar Store and Walmart to find a shamrock cookie cutter, but everyone was to busy putting out Easter Eggs that they forgot that there is another holiday coming up. I was so ticked... but that is a soap box for another day. :) I had to free hand them. 

Once I shaped them... back in the fridge they went until we could break them out. 

And there you go... we reinvented our broken crayons! 

After our fun project I began to work on the food. Now let me give you the inside scoop. You see, Carlos missed the bus so I offered to go down and pick him up so he did not have to wait another hour before the next one came. That was fine, but it cut into my planning and preparing time. Which was vital because I was surprising Carlos and had a sitter scheduled to come at 6:30. I thought, (key word!) I thought I had enough time. HAHAHA! 

The food. Simple but fun, (just keep in mind the stress and chaos that was going through my mind as the 6 o'clock hour was rolling around.) 

Green shamrocks...

Confession, these were only decoration! No one ate green bell peppers. Not even me! :)

Fruit rainbow...

This was our attempt to make a fruit rainbow without spending more money on blueberries, oranges! 

The kids did not care! 

Dinner...

 I copied Jacinda and did loaded potatoes. However I have another confession. I must have been sick during the history lesson on why Irish and potatoes go together because when I think of a potato I don't think Ireland.  I do think of an I location but it ends with dahoe! I had to ask my mama on this one today. I knew I could ask her and she would not make fun of me and tell me the truth! So Irish loaded potatoes and a shamrock made from kiwi was dinner. And now the fun part! 

I saw this great cake made the other day, I took it a step further and put it in a bundt pan to form a rainbow. 

I have never baked and felt like I was making art, but this was beautiful! And fun! 

I made individual colored batter and then layered it into the pan just like this. 

The concept was so great! I could not wait for it to come out! 

 

Ok, now remember I am strapped for time. I have the bacon and potatoes in the oven cooking at the same time. When the bacon was done I took it out and swapped the cake right in its place. It was about 5 minutes later I turn to see an abnormal glow to the oven... that's right, it was on FIRE! Dang it! I have seen this before. Well, I forgot to mention the little detail where some grease spilt while I was getting the bacon out. You have to remember, I was so strapped for time, I could not clean it up right away!  So... now my oven was on fire with a half cooked cake! I quickly grabbed the baking soda, like my mama taught me and put the flame out.

The good news... My house still stands! The bad news... The cake was not so lucky! 

Oh it had great potential! You can see the colors below... So beautiful! 

Minus the slim in the middle, the idea was to look like this...

Could have been so cute! 

OH BUT WAIT! It does not end here. You see, the sitter arrives and my dearest Seanna begins to throw the biggest fit right there, at the dinner table. I had meant tell the kids that a sitter was coming, but I figured they would be fine because always ask for her to watch them.  UMM I was wrong. So in the middle of my already stressed out night. I am trying to calm down my 5 year old who continues to yell at me... "This is not a Family Night! How can you leave us on a Family Night!" Good,  that fills my soul! My thinking was we would be done with the festivities and they would be on their way to bed when the sitter would show up, but with all the drama of the night things got pushed back some. 

We finally leave for our date... Remember that? Remember, I was attempting to do good for everyone. Family Night for the kids, date for my man. **Sigh**

As we pull away my man says... "You really should have told her that the sitter was coming"... And right there my friends, I lost it. There is nothing like starting a date in tears and a moment of controlled yelling :) "DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT!" Now those are some fun times! We ended up going for a hike and had a great time together, but I share for all of you to know... Family Nights are ALWAYS crazy! :) Have fun and let me see a rainbow cake that is fully cooked! :) 

Ok... Now it is your turn! Share your what your family does to connect. 

1. Simply write about it in a post on your blog. 

2. LINK back to this site somewhere in your post. 

3. Then put your URL into Mr Linky below. I can't wait to get more ideas! H

You Know Your Life Is All Out There When You Get A Comment Like This...

My life is all out there and Jenn even notices my new pillows! :) H

What Have They Eaten Today!

Remember when we did this last summer?    Rice Night.  We loved it. The kids were able to grasp a little of the reality of world at their own dinner table. Well the Global Food Crisis is still a crippling beast that so many beautiful people are suffering from. I read this over at my good friend Spence's blog and have decided to ask you to join along with me in this! This is what Spence wrote, I pretty much copied it all! No shame! Thanks Spence. 

"On Wednesday March 11, 2009 Compassion International will be spreading the word through radio, TV, and blogs about the Global Food Crisis that is happening right now all over the world. This will be your chance to make a difference and join the fight against the global food crisis.

A friend of mine, Brock Gill, has a great challenge for all of us called The Rice Challenge. Here’s a little bit from his challenge…on wednesday, i want you to take a cup of rice and live on that for a day. call it a fast if you want. i will put it this way, if you can live on a cup of rice for the day then you will have a glimpse of what it is like to walk in their shoes. you will gain some serious perspective. you will realize how blessed you actually are. The money that you would have spent on food for the day can now be donated to feed people around the world. click here to donate. take the challenge and put your money where your mouth is. this is the rice challenge.
So… Please join Brock, myself and countless others in the fight against the Global Food Crisis…
Here’s a few stats just in case you need a little conviencing.
One person in seven goes to bed hungry every day.
One-third of the world’s population is undernourished.
There are 25,000 starvation-related deaths each day.
Each night more than 300 million children go to bed hungry.
Every day, over 12,000 children (one every 7 seconds) die from hunger-related causes.
Approximately 146 million or 27 percent of children under age 5 in developing countries are underweight.
Nearly 17 percent of babies in developing countries are born with a low birth weight compared with only
7 percent of babies in industrialized countries.
More than 4.4 million children die from malnutrition each year.
  
Worldwide, 161 million preschool children suffer chronic malnutrition.
Sources: www.one.org, www.bread.org, www.unicef.org, www.who.int, www.unep.org

It's not going to change the world, but it may change you! Who's in? H

What Have You Eaten Today?

Me... 

Coffee, Special K Cereal with fresh strawberries, bean burrito, fresh popped popcorn... that is it. 

Tasty Reads

Times Online had the 50 of the worlds best food blogs. I must say I enjoyed a afternoon of wandering through these blogs like walking through the aisles of a fancy grocery store. Here are a few of my favorites... 

 Serious Eats  had my mouth watering with this picture... sold! 

  David Lebovitz  has a great food blog, but why I chose to keep him on my food blog roll is because he posted  this picture! You know I love shock factor! Sold! 

  Smitten Kitchen  has a fun mixture of good photos and fun recipes. 

  Rambling spoon was a wonderful read! I loved the traveling aspect of this! 

 Homesick Texan A blog after my own heart... i think I am going to start Homesick Cali

 Tea and cookies won my heart with their soup swap! 

What food blog do you love? H

Isn't It Ironic...

This has been our life and it cracks me up... Role reversal! What would you rather do? H

Thanks Losiah...

I was making bread the other day. I had the dough kneading for a few minutes when all of the sudden I hear Losiah repeating... "Poop poo, Poop poo" 

Ok... I will give it to him... it did look a little nasty! HA

Good Try Buddy

Losiah is now to the point in potty training that he goes by himself... most of the time. 

Evidently, this time he got dressed a little to quickly and only got on leg through his underwear! H

Sweet Dreams

My girl has been knocked out this week! Every day she naps, this is how I found her today... 

When Your Kid Tells You It's Time

So for the past two days, Losiah will go to the bathroom and bring me some rubber bands and then tell me to put his hair up. Then with the sweetest voice say "tank you mama". Ok I get it... He needed a hair cut! 

Done! H

Confessions Of A Mom

Sohaila has been sick since Monday... fever, headaches, sore throat, massive cough attacks, just down and out. The first few days she seemed to be sick but getting better. Wednesday she was still sick but she played a lot during the day so I thought we were on the up swing. Thursday we got up and went on a date before school and while we were out she began to slow WAY down until she broke into tears saying, "I just don't think I can do it". So finally today I took her to the doctor. Which I hate doing because 80% of the time they take my money and send me home telling me to let it run its course. 

Today the doctor told me something else. My girl has the flu and it has become complicated and she nows has double ear infections and a slight case of pneumonia! Geesh, I feel like a bad mom not taking her in. Well she is now on breathing treatments and well medicated. Just a little confession of a mom! H

Family Night... Circus Time

I have been wanting to do this Family Night for a long time. Last fall the dollar store had a ton of circus stuff and I stocked up! Jacinda did it too and we pretty much copied her! It was so much fun! I got the house all decorated while everyone napped and or was at school. 

We had a little surprise tucked away so Carlos came home early and as soon as he arrived we began the festivities...

We actually started with dessert because dinner was in the oven and we were running short on time! 

Ok so my dessert looked so much better in the picture I copied it from, but hey you get the idea! 

Can you tell we embraced the costumes? 

We had clown pizza...

We played games at the dinner table! 

We just had fun, but it was quick fun... We told the kids we had to go do an errand, which got a ton of groans and complaints! Not to mention we had to sit in traffic for an hour! Seanna even claimed that our family night was not even a family night because we did not even finish it!  But when they realized that we were going to a CIRCUS they were hugging each other and screaming! I just love kids for their shock factor! It is the best! We went to the Big Apple Circus, it was a small venue but so fabulous! Carlos and I were actually shocked at how great it was. 

There was the tight rope... not as high as it was when we were kids but obviously she had some skills!

Almost every show had me gasp in some way! 

Sohaila was ready to come home and work on her swing skills! 

Seanna wondered... why would anyone do something so scary! 

It was so much fun! And the best part is that it only cost us $30! Each grandma sent the kids $5 bucks for Valentines day and the tickets were 12 bucks each so it ended up being so cheap! I loved it! 

Ok... Now it is your turn! Share your what your family does to connect.
1. Simply write about it in a post on your blog.
2. LINK back to this site somewhere in your post.
3. Then put your URL into Mr Linky below. 
I can't wait to get more ideas!  H