Let's start with the great stuff. Last weekend many of the 4-Hers from our North Austin club participated in a dual competition between District 10 4-H and the San Antonio Livestock Show & Rodeo, the Consumer Decision Making contest. 4-Hers are given a scenario and four different products and they're asked to rank the "class" from best to worst. Classes range from cookware to outdoor equipment to nutritious snacks. And, the older kids (12+) must give oral reasons in 1-2 ...

All of us has at least one moment. The one we're not particularly keen about. From time to time, we've all been the yelly mom, the bossy mom, the despondent mom, the burnt out mom. But there was a day last week when I became the mom who felt like a failure. In every way. The details don't matter much. But I found myself, standing in my living room, with a baby on my hip and tears bubbling up. I ...

Sometimes I feel like a double agent. By day, I am the mom of a funny, happy, mostly content, toddler. I change diapers, make dinner, pick up toys, sweep Cheerios. We grocery shop and say things like, "what does the cow say?" I pick out her clothes with no fussing, lay her down for a nap with no whining and we go about our day. Sometimes we Instagram or tweet it, blog it or video it. Because that's what you ...

Our life in five. Minutes, that is. I have a mother-in-law headed into town, an end-of-season basketball tournament and a huge 4-H competition for the kids coming up in the next few days. But, I kinda feel like it's been forever since I just chatted about life here at Casa Whitaker. First things first. It's been, stressful, chaotic, blessed, full of activity and divine these past couple of months. I know, a lot of emotions in a short amount of ...

I've known this day was coming since I nursed my first baby nearly 15 years ago. Weaning day. But let's not pull out the Kleenex just yet. Mama has some reminiscing to do. Fifteen (almost) years ago I became a mom for the first time. Those first few weeks of nursing had me a Lansinoh drip away from quitting on the breastfeeding gig. I was in so much pain and feeling so unsure of myself. My husband stepped in and ...

I swear it's the first question I hear every year, usually complete with raised eyebrows. If I'm lucky, I might get the head nod. Soooooo, what are you giving up for Lent? It seems like everyone's default is Dr Pepper! Chocolate! Sweets! Beer! Facebook! Don't get me wrong. Those are all good things to fast from these 40 days. I mean, I might question your sanity on giving up the 23 flavors, but I get it. I've been there. I ...