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Seven Things On My Mind

February 8, 2012July 3, 2015 by whoorl

1. All blog posts should be formatted in list form, right? So easy to read, and you can skip right on if you please.

2. Wito is obsessed with Angry Birds. In fact, this photo was taken at a toy store selling Angry Birds collectible plush doll things. As if the game itself wasn’t enough, NOW WE NEED STUFFED ANGRY BIRD DOLL THINGS. How could you say no to that face?? I did, however, say no. (But he is getting a few from the Valentine’s Day cupid. Look at that face! It’s like kryptonite, I say!)

3. I cut my bangs again. I just couldn’t stand it anymore…they had grown past my chin, so I decided to show them who’s boss.

4. The No Shopping Challenge has really been tough for me this past week. I’m fading fast…and I know some of you are wondering just WHY it’s so hard for me to just NOT shop. I guess the best way to explain it is that shopping is my vice, you guys. Some people can’t live without a daily Diet Coke or coffee (I don’t drink caffeine or sodas), some people bite their nails (nope), smoke (I don’t), abstain from healthy exercise (not me), shoplift (hell no!), drink (okay, I love me some beer, but all in moderation)…I just…shop. I very much like to shop. Let’s take away your caffeine for 5 weeks and see how that goes down!

This is all just to say that my 90 Day No Shopping Challenge Pinterest board is filling up fast. I’m holding strong!

5. To combat all of this no shopping mania, I switched my focus to cleaning out my closet. Again. Lucky for you, I’m selling some bags at Whoorl’s Closet. Need a (nearly) new bag? I’m your girl.

6. My mom and aunt will be visiting tomorrow. The kids are ecstatic, and well, I’m pretty ecstatic myself. Can’t wait for some mom time, even if it’s only for a few hours.

7. One of my guilty pleasures is watching the Real Housewives. I love Beverly Hills and New York, and have tried to barrel through Orange County during the last few seasons, but YOU ALL, I saw the Orange County preview last week, and I have to say, as much as I love the Housewives franchise, I CAN NOT watch Orange County this season. The plastic surgery, the 17 layers of foundation on the women’s faces, the utter lack of ANY class whatsoever…I literally can not watch it. It’s absolutely mortifying. Let me just state for the record that YES, there are obviously lots of people like this in Orange County, but there is SO much more here. Style, class, and charm do reside here too, you just have to filter through the fake boobs, Ed Hardy, and Hummers to find it. (I think that should be Orange County’s new motto.) Are you watching this season?

Gilt Mom Ambassador

January 31, 2012July 3, 2015 by whoorl

Super fun news! I’m a Gilt Mom Ambassador for 2012!

What is a Gilt Mom Ambassador, you ask? In Gilt’s words:

Mother knows best, right? Gilt Kids thinks so! That’s why we’re teaming up with real moms who inspire us. Our Gilt Mom Ambassadors will help us share advice, ideas, and opinions on all things baby and kids, and we’ll look to them for insight on products they can’t live without. These chic mamas will be spreading the word on our Little Inspirations blog, Facebook, and Twitter pages, so look for them there!

Well, if stalking Gilt Kids sales is considered “inspiring,” then I am the most inspirational woman to ever grace the internet. If you’ve been visiting whoorl for awhile, you know that I LOVE me some Gilt sales, folks. And if you aren’t familiar, Gilt is the grand-daddy of online, members-only sales with up to 60% off retail. Gilt always has the best brands and selection, and cover almost every category you could imagine. (Women, men, kids, baby, maternity, home, food, city exclusives, and travel.) If you would like to be a member (it’s totally free!), click here for my invitation link.

I’ll be posting some of my very favorite items and sales over the course of this year, and (drumroll, please) will get the opportunity to CURATE my own Gilt Kids sale later this year. How absolutely cool is that? I’m already dreaming of items to include!

Here are some stalk-worthy items that are available right now.

I am a huge fan of dressing little girls LIKE little girls, so these items by Nellystella are right up my alley.

I’m also loving these toys and books.

Not a member of Gilt? Click here to use my invite code and sign up for free.

The Whoorlie Smoothie

January 16, 2012January 16, 2012 by whoorl

Oh, you guys. The Vitamix. THE VITAMIX. I love it.

(By the way, the Vitamix talk is all me. I have no ties to Vitamix – I bought it with my own money, and there is no sponsorship going on. And, as a reminder, if/when I write a sponsored post, there will always be a disclaimer at the end of the post. Cool? Cool.)

The whoorl household pretty much morphed into a smoothie test kitchen this weekend. I was trying out all sorts of smoothie recipes, while experimenting with my own fruit/veggie combinations. We had some hits and misses, but I pretty much nailed it with this one. It is an adaptation of the Laughing Gorilla from the Vitamix Live Fresh cookbook – I added some chia seeds and an apple and omitted one of the oranges. I christened the delicious concoction the “Whoorlie.”

You guys, this was so unbelievably delicious. When Wita hit the bottom of her sippy cup, she started crying. CRYING. We had to bust out a spoon and feed her every last drop, as you can see below.

Now, as much as I would like to say that EVERYONE initially loved the smoothie, Wito pretty much freaked out when he saw the green color. I asked him to take a sip, and although I could totally tell he liked it, he pulled the whole “I can’t eat it because it’s GREEEEEN” drama. So I poured it back in the blender, added a handful of blueberries, and voilá, purple smoothie. Suddenly, this smoothie (which tasted the exact same), “was the BEST SMOOTHIE EVER,” according to Wito.

Kids, man. What can you do?

You all have got to try this one out, but also, let me know if you have a favorite smoothie recipe!

Viva la Whoorlie!

Odds and Ends

January 13, 2012January 13, 2012 by whoorl

1. I spent most of yesterday being filmed for a documentary featuring stylish moms. (What the WHAT? How super cool/exciting/insane is that?? I can’t wait to see!) I just had to share this photo because I can’t stop laughing. First off, Wito is the little speck in the distance, about to be taken out to sea by the tide. Secondly, little miss Wita jumped into the ocean within 5 minutes of arriving at the location, and spent the next hour or two blissfully running around like a drowned rat. And there I am, trying my best to look calm, cool, and collected (and stylish, to boot!) while peripherally watching my children head straight towards their watery demise. Note to self: if ever another opportunity presents itself involving filming my children on the beach, BRING A BABYSITTER.

2. Is 2012 gearing up to be a year of travel, like yours truly? I did a short Hair Thursday video on my favorite travel hair products. Check it out, if you feel so inclined. (Also, check out my new hot pink lipstick that was 6 bucks! CoverGirl Lip Perfection in Eternal #350.)

3. We are in the thick of Stop The Thumb Sucking mania. We’ve successfully made it to Day 5, thanks to a goofy-looking thumb glove. More about that here.

4. Vitamix post! I will definitely get cracking on that. Keep in mind, though, that it will only be about why I chose the Vitamix over the Blendtec, not a head-to-head comparison, since I don’t own both blenders. Just my personal pros and cons…and maybe a video of one of our favorite smoothie recipes.

Ready, break! Have a great weekend, everyone!

House Hunters International

January 5, 2012January 7, 2012 by whoorl

You guys, I’m so behind on this whole television thing…don’t get me started, really, BUT I just started watching House Hunters International last month and am a total addict junkie. Every night, I can’t wait until the kids are sleeping so D and I can hop in bed and watch several episodes back-to-back. Addict junkie, I say!

First off, I mean, it’s AMAZING AND LIFE-CHANGING. How I lived without it for 37 years, I’ll never know. Some cities are so much less expensive than I thought! Some cities are insanely more expensive than I thought! Some cities are amazingly beautiful, and some make me want to stab my eyes out with a fork! Most importantly, I could listen to Brits say the word “property” all the live long day. “This is such a lovely prah-pah-tea.” “We’re looking for a 3-bedroom prah-pah-tea.” Say it with me, PRAH-PAH-TEA.

Secondly, I have a life list. (I’ve never shared it here. Yes, I know one of the best things about a life list is to SHARE it with others here on the interwebs, but I am a wuss and I don’t want to, ya hear?) One of my life list goals is to move abroad for at least a year. I am really wanting this to happen within the next 5 years.

(This very moment, my mom is yelling upstairs to my dad, “Ron! She’s really lost it this time! She wants to move to EUROPE. Hell’s bells!”)

(She’s never used the term “hell’s bells” before, but let’s just go with it.)

So! Europe. Want to get there soon, while the children are young. Of course, there are some technicalities to work out, like JOBS and SCHOOLS and NOT KNOWING ANYONE and NOT SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE, but hell’s bells! We appreciate a nice challenge.

Tops on my list right now – Denmark, Switzerland, Netherlands. (All ridiculously expensive, right? I mean, good god, Geneva! $10,000/month for a decent apartment?) Spain, France, and Italy are up there, of course, but as you can see by my DVR, I have lots more research to do.

Are any of you all HHI junkies as well? Let’s embrace.

(My other favorite show, which I can’t believe I’m admitting to you, is STORAGE WARS. Yuup! Orange County in the house!)

It’s Defember!

December 8, 2011 by whoorl

Y’all know I have a thing for men with beards, right? I mean, I’m pretty sure I’ve covered this fact somewhere way back in the archives. If not, take a look at what stares back at me on my inspiration board at my desk on a daily basis.

So, yeah. Facial hair is a fine thing in my book.

That is, ON MEN.

While I certainly appreciate a man’s beard or moustache – especially when it’s for a good cause like Movember – having a fuzzy upper lip on a lady friend isn’t so flattering. Well, what if you could defuzz for a good cause? It’s called Defember.

Here’s the skinny. For every woman who pledges to defuzz her upper lip in Defember on Olay’s Facebook page, the brand will donate $1 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation (up to $50,000!!!). The non-profit organization provides free mammograms to women in need to help promote early breast cancer detection. All you need to do is visit Olay’s Facebook page, click on the yellow button, and Olay will donate $1 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

You don’t have a lady stache, you say? (So far so good over here in regards to no upper lip hair, THANK YOU LORD…) You don’t need to truly “defuzz” to help this cause. Visiting Olay’s Facebook page and clicking once will donate $1 to the NBCF. Easy peasy.

(Now, if you do need a little assistance in the upper lip territory, might I suggest trying the new Olay Smooth Finish Facial Hair Removal Duo? It’s a unique two-step depilatory system for fine to medium facial hair with a pre-treatment to protect skin. That means no fuss, no irritation and best of all, no fuzz!)

Lastly, check out the sweet MISStache generator you can play around with on Olay’s Facebook page. I may or may not have spent a fair amount of time trying on new looks.

(Look at the first one! I could be an employee at the Genius Bar!)

Help to me spread the word about defuzzing for a great cause, ladies! Fuzzy upper lips (and healthy ta-tas!) from all over the world will thank you.

This post was sponsored by Olay. (Although the ridiculous amount of time spent on the moustache generator thingy was all me.)