Fall Bucket List 2016

As a mom of three I am always looking for ways to have fun, to spend time as a family and NOT spend a small fortune in doing so. 

With our girls growing up faster than I like I thought this fall season I would try something a little different to accomplish those three factors. 

As you all may know I am sorta in love with two things... Fall and Pinterest. 

While wasting time browsing on pinterest recently I have seen TONS of seasonal bucket lists and I got to thinking...

So this morning I decided fuck it and threw together our first ever Fall Bucket list!

I kept the list to about 20 activities and tried to make sure theta they were all something everyone would enjoy and if not everyone the majority of us with as little bitching and complaining as possible... which in this house with teens is a task...

So with out further ado here is our 2016 Fall Bucket List! 

I will be sure to document and keep you all posted about this :) I am kinda hoping it goes over well and we can do one for each season. 

Are you a bucket list kinda person? 

 

10 Ways We Are Beating the Summer Heat in Central Arkansas

With summer in full swing and the temperatures rising we have been finding ways to cool off this summer!

June and July are usually our "coolest" months here in Arkansas but with the heat index already reaching 105+ I sit here and wonder what August will bring.

Luckily we have found a few tricks and treats to beat the summer heat and ALWAYS looking for more...

Here is what we have so far this summer.

1: Swimming!

Because it takes a REAL genius to figure that one out :) 

Here in Central Arkansas you have a TON of great swimming places to choose from ranging from FREE to a few bucks a head and you can't beat that! 

 

One of our favorite places is the Saline River.

It is close to home for us and free! 

The kids and the hubby always enjoy it but to be honest I am not a huge fan of river water. Guess its the Cali girl in me but my Southern babies love it. 

A few downfalls is when it storms the river is easily flooded and damaged so unless you have a 4x4 and maybe a death wish this may not be for you.

 

 

We have also fell in LOVE with Lake Catherine State Park this year. 

Between the swimming "beach" and the trails we tend to find ourselves there on the weekends soaking in the sun and taking a dip in the lake to cool off. 

Warning... get there early or the beach will be crowded, but all the same a great day to be had :)

 

We personally don't have a swimming pool... yet... but we are very blessed to have some friends who do. 

They have invited us over a few times for the day to hang out, have a few drinks and par take in the enjoyment of their pool. Granted we have not been once where my hubby has not thought it would a splash to throw me in... 

Now if these places aren't for you that's ok here are a few ideas for you to run with!

Local splash pads!

We have one walking distance from us at Tyndall Park but I personally think that our youngest who is 9 is a bit big for this area though I have seen grown adults enjoying the pad. There are also several scattered between us and up into Little Rock :)

Public Swimming Pools

There is a great one not to far from us at Mills Park we went a few times last year but they went up on prices this year and since I am not working right now we are trying to conserve money. You can also check out other places and parks plus even hotels in the area will allow you to pay to swim for the day! 

2: Ice Cream

Because we all SCREAM for ice cream and lets face it who doesn't LOVE ice cream?!

We are HUGE Sonic ice cream fans and I since I am signed up for the text deals they have I get the scoop on all the promos they have! Which you can't beat! 

 

One of my personal favorites though is Gary's Sling Blade Diner. 

It is another home town favorite here in Benton. The diner was the diner in the movie "Sling Blade" staring Billy Bob Thorton and a HUGE local fav! 

Their ice cream is amazing and the prices are too!

3: Shaved Ice aka Sno Cones
Because no matter your age who doesn't LOVE a sno cone!
Here there is NO competition on where to go and that is over to Hobo Joes!  
There are well over 50+ flavors and the prices are hard to beat!
We have been SEVERAL times this summer and I might have a new obsession!

4: Iced Coffees
I love coffee... my girls love coffee... my husband does not... weirdo!
But that doesn't stop us girls from enjoying this amazing iced treat right here at home!
I happen to have 5 years as a certified barista under my belt of "talents" and it pays off here at home. The girls love that I can make "fancy" drinks and lets be honest so does this mamma :)

6: Make Overs 
What girl doesn't love a make over!
Me and my youngest has spent a few days relaxing at home  doing our toes, nails, make up and face masks. This is a great way to bond and always fun!

7: Cold Drinks
Ok so we ALL know Summer = Beer but I personally think Summer=Cold Refreshing drinks no matter the alcohol content.
Don't get me wrong I do LOVE a good beer, wine, liquor etc. but I have kids too ya know :)
SO anything from an iced tea to a Mikes hard lemonade you can't go wrong with lots of ice plus you need to stay hydrated right?  

7: Gatherings with Friends
There is nothing like spending time with some amazing friends!
We have been very blessed this summer and have got to hang out with some very good friends so far!
On the 4th we went and sepent the day with my god father and his work crew (which is my hubby's work crew also) and enjoyed every minute of it!
I love that my husbands job has brought so many wonderful people into our lives these last few years!

8: Exploring your town!
 Yesterday I posted where we had spent the weekend exploring new places.
Though I have not posted EVERY time we have done this (maybe I should?) we do it often.
We are always checking out things and visiting our favorite spaces :)
Check out yesterdays post for more information.

9: The Good Ol Water Hose!

 

With today's world I have noticed that things move faster and faster and there is less time enjoying the simple things for example the water hose...

I woke up one Saturday morning around 8 to an empty house... I went outside to see if my husband had left to find him and our youngest out washing the cars (another great way to beat the heat!) But when I looked at my daughter she was more wet than the cars daddy was washing! LOL 

I love moments like this where I see my girls taking in the old school techniques that we did as kids too. You can even find her in the sprinkler once in a while too or building forts in the house :)

10: Movies/TV
Though I would not say we are HUGE TV watchers we have come to find two shows that we might or might not schedule our lives around if possible :)
Monday nights you can find us on the couch watching America Ninja Warrior... I am not sure to be honest why we are so addicted but we are and we love that is is something ALL of us will watch!

 Now on Tuesday and Wednesday nights we are ALL about some AGT!
This is the first season where we have watched it from the beginning episode and we are hooked! So hooked that someone in this house (wanna guess who?!) even downloaded the app for the live shows!
There are so many talented people on this season and I am on the edge of my seat this week as tonight is the last of Judges Cuts! EEEKKK

 

Wednesday nights me and the youngest stay up and watch The Night Shift 

(daddy usually bails on us and goes to bed...party poop-per)

we love this show! It kind of reminds me of ER which I LOVED back in the day and I am very sympathetic to overnight workers since I personally worked the grave yard shift before. 

I also love that it is something me and the girls can watch together :)  

 

Though we are NOT TV people we are however movie people!

Though we do not usually go to theaters we do how ever rent or buy movies like a maniac! Movies are our go too!

Here are a few that we have seen and both are worth it just so you know :) 

Trust me when I say we have seen more but I can't remember all of them PLUS I don't want to bore you :)

 How are you beating this summer's heat?

Life Lately

To say that life here has been a little chaotic would be an UNDERSTATEMENT of a lifetime.

We have had so much going on and so fast I have not had the time to take even a few minutes to stop by and say "Hi" to all my readers!

There is SOOOO much to catch you guys up on and I hope that I will get better on doing JUST THAT!

So here is a quick review on whats been happening and some more detailed posts for you all to look forward too!

Life for this mamma has been crazy! 

I will share with you all a detailed post with a behind the scenes look into a typical day as a mom, wife, blogger, photographer and an overnight worker...

As for the girls they have finished another school year and summer has officially started! 

I will catch you all u on some of the fun things the girls got to do in school, what next year is looking like for us and much more!

We have celebrated two of the girls' birthdays this spring making the oldest now 14 and the "baby" 9!

It is still hard to grasp this concept for me and I wish with time it got easier but i would totally be lying my ass off.

I will be sharing with you guys their parties because if you know me personally then you know this is ALWAYS a HUGE deal for me and we go all out each year for them! 

We have also had a few Operation Brace Face updates you wont want to miss and of course there is some Metal Mouth Madness ones in there too! If you haven;t been following either series check them out here and here.

I have also found some more GOT to have apps and I will be resuming my App-y Friday series this next week with apps that earn or save you some money. As a mom you wont want to miss this! 

I hope you all have an amazing week! 

See you soon!

Meet the Wolf Pack

One of my favorite things about the "new" place is because we

have such a close knit neighborhood... 

Though our wolf pack grows and shrinks on a regular basis the core of the wolf pack has stayed in tact since day one.

We are all very close and I LOVE IT!

Our hoe has always been the hang out for the kids and though this can sometimes be overwhelming I know in years to come I will look back at this as some of the best memories that the girls and I have as a family. 

So with out further ado....

Here they are (no special order) 

Tyson

(the one to the right)

Tyson is the oldest of the pack and I am grateful that he has the big brother status not only to his three younger sisters but to the rest of the pack as well. They all watch Tyson in awe and LOVE when he is spending time with them!

 Lanie (L) and Aaliyah (R)

These two...

They are besties and to say the least are VERY close! 

They do everything together and though these two get on each others nerves it only takes about 5 minutes before they are over it and back to being attached at the hip. 

Lanie is a little older than Aaliyah but they are in the same grade and inseparable.
I am blessed that Aaliyah has been able to have such a close friendship at such a young age. I feel these too will be friends for life and I am blessed to be like a second mother to her and her sisters. 

 Ashton (top), Summer (L), Thalia (M) and Kara (R)

These are our newest additions to the wolf pack. Ashton is with the middle school girls. then Summer and Kara are with the elementary girls and then there is our sweet Thaila who started her own "section" of the pack.
Though they haven't been here long they have come to fit in well and keeps things interesting and helps keeps our friend drama up :)
Not because our crew NEEDED the help :)

Raelyn:

Another daughter I have adopted in the mix.

Raelyn is the bestie to Alora and sister to Tyson, Lanie and Emmalee.

Raelyn is so much fun and reminds me a lot of my lifetime bestie Mia. 

Though her and Alora seem to be the core of drama these two have each others backs. 

They have been inseparable since last year and I am so honored to have her in Alora's life... now if the drama would come down about a 1000 notches this mamma wouldn't enjoy wine as much I am sure :) 

Alora

Alora has quickly earned my wild child title and since Middle School started I have been dumb founded by some of her stunts. 

I am thankful that I am so close to her best friends mom and we can work these things out together and aren't afraid to lecture them as a team. 

Alora and Raelyn are SOOOOO much like and my friendship with my bestie that I know these too are officially serving life together! 

Dakota:
Dakota and Tyson are the same age and though they get along and count each other as a friend they aren't super close.
Dakota kinda stand on her own and socializes when she is ready. She has always been my "keep to myself" girl but she does enjoy the company. She is a huge help with me keeping the pack in order and she usually plays mamma when needed.

Emmalee

Em is by far the youngest in the pack. She joined us last year on Alora's birthday as we all sat here at the house anxiously awaiting her arrival! 

We always joke about sharing Em's happiness because it is a rare day that this little shorty is in a mood. She is always happy, smiling and cheering us up when we need it most. 

Our favorite part... NO DRAMA, NO TALKING BACK and NOTHING BUT SMILES :) 

I am super excited to see where her personality will go when she gets older and how her role will be in the pack but what ever it may be we are good with waiting it out and enjoying this stage... 

We all know TOO well how FAST it goes! 

Do your kids have a lifetime group of friends? 

Turning a HOUSE into OUR HOME ; The Yard: Phase One

One thing I REALLY love about our place is that we can do what we want to make it fit our style, needs and most importantly make it our own... 

We have SEVERAL projects started here and there but a lot of the things that we are doing now is "blank canvasing" areas that we will re do when we have more time and money. 

The weekend before that is a perfect example...

When we moved in the yard has some MAJOR greenery and though it is beautiful they were all untainted, overgrown and honestly I didn't really like them... 

I have always had the theory when it comes to yards that less is more.

BUT here is the kicker...

I am not in charge of the yard and how it looks lol

When the hubby and I met we agreed the inside was mine to decorate, have final say etc and outside, garages, building etc were for him to have the same...

Front of the house before.... 

I did convince him some how to pull ALL of that greenery up and it came to look something like this...

Not only does the house not only look bigger but it had already helped with the yard looking cleaner in it's self! 

We have not came up with an official plan for this area but I think a beautiful porch or deck would be amazing... hmmmm...

What I REALLY love though about projects like these though is that everyone gets involved! 

And when I mean everyone I do mean everyone! 

Even our little wolf pack came by and helped! 

You will meet them tomorrow :)

There has been a lot of cleaning up in the yard and there is still SO MUCH MORE to do! 

Stay tuned :)

And the Theme Is...

If you stay and hang out with us here on the blog for any length of time you will come to find out several things about me.

#1: Birthdays in this house is a HUGE deal!

#2: I plan for these things WAY in advance...

Perfect example... I have the theme picked out for 2 of my daughter's sweet 16's ALREADY!

#3:  I tend to go OVER THE TOP for them and I REALLY don't care...

Growing up I was taught that each year you are given on this earth is a gift. A gift from God and should be celebrated. As a mom I couldn't thank my grandmother enough for giving me this knowledge to show and share with my children just how important their lives are not only to God but to me. This is one of the things that I hope they will pick up on and continue on one day with their own children. 

ANYWAYS...

As you may have guessed I have already been brain storming what the 2016 birthday parties will bring us and I can tell you that we are SET with themes for my three girls and I am EXCITED! 

Plus since my sister and her kids are here we get  more to plan and that makes me even HAPPIER and we are one shy of having them worked out. Once we do I will share them also. 

So without further ado...

Here are our birthday party themes this year!

HORROR MOVIES:

 My oldest turns 14 in March and to be honest I am SCARED TO DEATH! 

I think it is really the number that gets me but the knowledge of knowing the things that I did at 14 worries me too but that is another story we WON'T be going into :) but either way I am fearful. A TON has changed in a year and she is no longer Mommy's "baby" but a young woman and recently that fact hits harder and HARDER each passing day...

Dakota chose her party theme this year since I said no horror movies til she was 14 and she thought it would be great to make it a BIG deal and use her birthday party to do so.

Since I am SCARED to death of her growing up it fit well for us both. 

I am not a horror movie fan these days and refuse to watch them anymore but it is HER day and I am REALLY EXCITED to do this one...

GHOSTBUSTERS:

My youngest Aaliyah will be 9 in April and I am really unsure why she decided on this one but since I was a ghostbuster fan as a kid myself you can say I am kinda proud...

She has never picked a simple party for mommy so I love the challenge she gives me every year for her big day!

The hubby's bday is also the day before her so when she picks a unisex party like this it is easier for mommy to feel a little less guilty that daddy got the shitty deal of a birthday party that is well peacock themed like last years... 

I am grateful he is a good sport about these themes because LORD knows it takes a strong man to embrace pink, fairies, Minnie Mouse and peacocks as a birthday themes...

BONFIRE:

Alora ends our birthdays for the year in September and this year she graduates from the tween status and graduates to being a TEEN...

YES THAT IS 2 TEENAGE GIRLS IN MY HOUSE!!!!

Since her birthday is in the fall she opted for a bonfire themed party... 

and since we ALL LOVE bonfires you know I am game!

Ideas are running 90 to nothing in my brain and I am keep having to think about I still have A MILLION other things to worry about first.... 

Speaking of birthdays this weekend we get to celebrate my youngest nieces birthday with her Frozen aka Elsa Party! 

Stay tuned for more updates!

Which party are you most excited to hear more about?

 

My 2016 Goals...

Every New Year I set goals not only for myself personally but for my business and my blog...

This is is of course no exception but I can honestly say that my track record SUCKS ass and I hope that 2016 will be the year I can get my shit all lined up and have a good report at the end of the year :)

Here are my personal goals for 2016:

NOTE:

These are not in an special order so please don't think that

 MORE TIME WITH THE HUBBY:

 Since our home is so chaotic and filled with kids, I really want to be able to not just spend time with him but spend more quality one on one time with him. 

We have not really had a chance to do this since we moved to Arkansas but since my sister in now in the area it might be easier to sneak away and enjoy a few hours together more often than not. 

ORGANIZE MYSELF

 Back in the day I was on point with this... now days not so much. I would like to blame the busy life we have but if I was to be honest it is really because I have been too lazy to stick with it. 

SPENDING QUALITY TIME WITH MY GIRLS:

 I have come to the realization that my oldest will be 14 in March and my "baby" 9 in April! The time I have with them at home shrinks by the minute and though they drive me absolutely insane with their drama, school, boys and clothes I have to say I know I will miss these things when they are off to college.

Since Dakota is just 4 years shy of this milestone I have freaking out on the inside because I have seen HOW VERY FAST 4 years can fly! 

UGH! 

WORKOUT 

 I know... I know...

I say this EVERY year...

But this year I added a YAY YOU DID IT prize for myself and that is a new tat or 6 for my ribs....

I know I don't weigh a lot and people would be like you need to EAT not workout but here is the deal...

I have 3 babies...

I have stretchmarks....

 (thanks D)

and since I was 16 when I decided to start the motherhood journey I am well stretched out... 

Hints the working out... 

So...

LET GO and SAY NO

 This is a HUGE one for me. 

I have noticed recently that I may or may not be a bit of a control freak.

I also think that I am Superwoman and take on the world...

This leaving me stressed, overwhelmed, rushed which in terms leaves me well bitchy if you are looking for honesty.

NO MORE I SAY! 

I will have to say no to more things than I used to and I will have to learn to just let somethings go. 

Prayers are appreciated because this will be the hardest for me I am sure....

As for

 Inked & Sassy...

KEEP IT GOING:

 I LOVE to write and I hope that you all enjoy reading about my thoughts, our beautiful chaos and my opinions. 

Writing is almost therapeutic for me and though the LOVE for it is REAL I can say that some days it is HARD to sit down and write a blog when things are at the peak of CIRCUS status here. 

I have been known to disappear (as you all have recently seen) and I HATE THAT.

When I first starting blogging I wished to make it my full time job so many years ago... though I would LOVE to produce some sort of income from this it is no longer my goal as much as having a place to share my lack of writing skills and a place to voice some thoughts and stories.  You never know if one will help someone else or if someone know JUST what you MEAN when it comes to somethings life throws our way. 

For my biz...

What the Photography Studio and Boutique 

BUILD IT UP

 I know you all have heard me mention it before that I am working on starting my own biz. I have been on this for a while now but to tell you I have had the chance to sink in ALL of my time, money and heart in it would not be true. Right now I still can not throw my life into this because my family comes first but I can say that I hope 2016 will bring me more time and more clients here. 

I have spent the last few months of 2015 into revamping our "baby" and I am VERY VERY excited to share it with everyone. 

I hope that with this revamp life will be breathed into What the Photography and we will officially be off the ground. 

Here is to hoping! 

Today we are party prepping and getting ready to bring in 2016 as a family...

Here is a sneak peak of what we have going on right now! 

More on the outcome soon! 

 What are your 2016 goals this year?

We would LOVE to hear.