About Us
Welcome to Want What You Have (or WWYH, as long-time readers refer to it). I’m glad you’re here! If you’re reading this page, chances are you’ve just stumbled upon our little piece of the web, so let me introduce you to the WWYH family:
Heather
Learn more about me here: 100 Random Facts About Me
My Husband
My husband and I have been together for nearly 13 years, and married for 11. We’re a great team because we share the same faith, values, and sense of humor, and are truly the best of friends. He is brilliant and creative, funny and silly, a devoted father, and my great love. You can learn more about us in these posts:
My Great Love Story
For Better, For Worse
My Fun, Frugal Wedding
If you’d like to read about our life from my husband’s perspective, please see his guest post series, beginning with this post.
We’re blessed with three spirited, bright, and adorable children, all conceived with the help of IVF. You can read our IVF story here.
Bee
Bee is our 10-year-old daughter, and our firstborn. She got her nickname because when she was a baby she had pudgy apple cheeks, and an enormous dimpled grin, and my husband always said that she reminded him of the Honey Nut Cheerios bee. Bee is extremely bright, an accomplished ballerina, and a tender heart. You can learn more about her in these posts:
Dear Bee
Should Your Child Skip a Grade?
Sweet Bee
Cakes
Cakes is our 6-year-old daughter, and the middle child. She’s affectionate and funny, somewhat quirky, and very energetic. She got her nickname because when I was pregnant with her, and we didn’t know her gender, we referred to her as “Babycakes,” which was later shortened to just Cakes (with a myriad of other variations). Somehow, it seems to suit her. To read more about Cakes, please see:
It’s Not Easy Being Cakes
Cakes 4.0
The Best of Cakes
DJ
DJ (short for Daniel James) is our 2-year-old boy, and the baby of the family. He’s serious and sweet, rough and tumble, and always a handful. DJ was an unexpected blessing because he was our last embryo, and had been frozen for more than 7 years. Before the embryo transfer, our doctor cautioned, “Don’t get your hopes up.” He gave us a mere 15% chance of pregnancy, but DJ is proof that God is in control, and He knows no limits. We refer to DJ as our “Superbaby,” because not only did he beat insurmountable odds, but he also weighed 12 pounds, 6 ounces at birth! I documented DJ’s journey into the world – from conception to birth – on this blog, and you can learn more about “The Boy,” in these posts:
Welcome to the World, Baby Boy
DJ’s Story
A Day with DJ
Pumpkin
Pumpkin is our adopted cat. He’s orange and fluffy, often a pain in the butt, and sometimes not very bright, but we love him anyway. Read more about Pumpkin here.
I began writing this blog in January of 2008, 6 months after my husband and I paid off our mortgage, and achieved total debt freedom. To get an idea of what we’re all about, please see Want What You Have – From A to Z. You might also be interested in Our Total Money Makeover, and How We Remain Debt Free. You can find links to other posts of interest in the navigation menu below the header.
While you’re here, you might enjoy visiting the Top 10 Most Popular Posts of all time (updated 3/2/13):
10. A Typical Day at Our House
9. 20 Tips to Help You Be More Organized
8. 13 Tips for Keeping a Clean, Simple Home with Kids
7. How to Make a Weekly Work Schedule
6. Organizing Your Chest Freezer for Maximum Benefit
5. A Tour of Our Home
4. 11 Tips to Help You Get Motivated to Clean
3. How to Make Your Own Resurrection Eggs
2. A Daily Schedule for Stay-at-Home Moms
1. How to Make Your Own Baby Wipes
My goal as a blogger is to help my readers get organized, save money, get out of debt, and find time for what’s really important – faith, family, and friends -with lots of smiles, and hopefully even a few belly laughs along the way.
(Please see my interview at Thrift Culture Now to learn more about the mission of this blog).
Thanks for visiting. 
Please leave a comment and introduce yourself, and I hope you’ll come back and see us again!
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi,
You have a Cakie and I have a Cakie. My brother-in-law sent me your blog. We called our daughter Ava, babycakes and Cakie has stuck. She’s totally a Cakie (I like your cupcake cake idea for the birthday). She wants to open a bakery when she is older and call it Cakie’s Delights. How sweet that there is another little girl out there called Cakie. I love hearing her siblings (two younger brothers) call her Cakie.
Happy Holidays,
Deirdre
Hi. I have started reading back through all of you post. They are really facinating and helpful. I could use some help with the financial side of organizing. Like bills and paper work, also how to save money while shopping. Please email me at whitney_blakeman@yahoo.com. I would so love to hear from you and get some help to straighten all of this out! Thanks so much.
@yahoo:disqus
Whitney, you can find a detailed article about how to set up a filing system under the “Organization” tab in the navigation bar. You can also find detailed instructions for each section of the Home Management Guide under the “Inside the Guide” tab.
I was wondering what your daily schedule looks like for summer. I am struggling with coming with one. I have 3 kids also a 6 year old girl, 4 year old girl and also 10 month old boy.
Hi Heather,
I have to tell you that your blog has been a real blessing to me. I’ve learned so much about making my own Home Management Binder, and making schedules. I’ve looked at so many ideas, but I keep coming back to yours. Your blog also reminds me that God should be first in my life. Thanks for that.
Hi,
I just came across your blog while searching the web and I have to admit it has been a blessing to me! I have a 6 year old girl and 1 year old boy and the schedules you have posted as well as your daily routines are a huge resource. I’m especially interested in your posts on living a debt-free lifestyle…something I hope to achieve in the next couple of years. I admire you for being a real mom and not following the latest (and most expensive) trends. My daughter goes to a school where the more you have (and flaunt) seems to earn you the most respect and I have no time for it. Your children seem so happy and well-adjusted. By visiting your blog I see that living in the moment counts and that it’s not what you have but rather who you have that counts!
Hi Heather, Firstly where have you been all my life
I stumbled onto your blog whilst searching for something to help organise my life. I come from a professional background here in Australia and find being at home with 2 children very daunting. I find myself constantly running in circles, totally flat out busy but getting nothing done. My children are my life with my Husband close by yet I feel so disconnected with them because I can not find the time to spend with them. I’ve just surrendered a mere 15mins pouring over your site whilst my children are sleeping and already I can feel the small tingle of ‘zest’ returning. “Zest” is what my Uncle said I had lost. So here I am, taking back my days and with the help of your blog and some well spent time creating ‘home’ work schedules, I know I can get my ZEST back. It’s time to be froufrou and not flustered. Thanks Heather!
Hi Heather! Yours was the first blog that I ever found years ago. I just wrote a post on my own blog about my top 12 favorite blogs and yours was one of them. Thank you for the inspiration!http://lifewiththeladniers.blogspot.com/2013/05/my-top-12-favorite-blogs-and-why.html