Fall Bucket List

I had a rare moment of silence and so I hopped onto the computer and surfed some new blogs.

I came upon  Puttin on the Grits and loved her idea of a Fall Bucket List. I wanted to share mine with you and ask you... What do you want to do this Fall?

Fall Bucket List

Take kids to a farmers market

Visit Apple Annies

Make Home-made Pumpkin Pie

Host a Game Day Get-together

Pop Popcorn over the fireplace

Visit the Pecan Festival

Make S’mores with the kids

Queen of Teens

Proud Mama!

Hey all you proud Mamas out there!

You know how it is when you are so proud of your kiddos! I just love them so much!


** Disclaimer - There are LOTS of pics** I hope you enjoy!

They started out like this!

Sweet Baby Cody when he was about 5 months old

Sweet Baby Haley when she was just a few days old!

Oh my sweet babies

We have just now finished up another school year! And what a school year it was I though it was never going to get here and this has been the slice my wrists craziest year yet!

I often struggle with guilt being a working mom. I wish more than anything I had a work schedule that allowed me to be here when the kids are leaving and be here waiting on them when they walk in the door. But unfortunately I don't. I am lucky that my work is pretty flexible and I get more time at home than many working moms so I try to count my blessings!

Hubby and I try really hard to make a point to get to do something with the kids at their school. This year we both were super lucky to get to be part of a thing or too.  Here is this years recap!

Haley's Field Trip! Can you believe hubby got to go? He did - what a SWEET Daddy! They went to a local pumpkin patch.
(I Wish I had a picture!)

Then I go to go on Cody's field trip the next week! We went to a science and math conference.

Yes - that is a real human brain he is holding in his hands.

Powering the lights by riding the bike

I was lucky enough to stop by Cody's field day on my way to work one day! I haven't got to go to his field day in years! I was the ONLY crazy parent there.  It was great! He said he didn't want me to leave.

OK my child is somewhere in there. Didn't look fun to me!

I gave Cody the stumpy jeans! He is the short one in the black shirt

I was a sweet momma and shared my water!

Cody and his friend (which ended up with a split open chin and was taken out in a wheel chair!)

Goofy boys!

Love him (:

Balloon toss - oh yeah!

This year is a BIG year for us! Haley is promoting to middle school! So once again and for the last time we headed out to 5th grade promotion.


I always get teary and of course my hubby and Cody always look at me like I have a horn growing out of my head but I can't help it! Where has time gone? They are growing up so quickly! I am so proud of them both but I remember when I could snuggle them in my arms!






I have to say that both of my kids have had some of the best teachers ever this year!  Both of my kids had the same 5th grade teacher and she said what is she going to do now that the Lawson Era is over? maybe take a deep sigh of relief? 

Hey Gorgeous Haley! Getting ready to no longer be a 5th grader!

Cody's last day of school!

Haley's teacher, Miss Cronk

Haley getting her 5th grade diploma from her Principal

Haley with al the boys

Oh! What can I say! My Loves!!

Miss Cronk! You are an amazing 5th grade teacher! You have the unique ability to see the strengths in all your kids and use those to build each kid up and make them feel so important!
I am so honored and feel blessed that you have taught both of my kids! We will miss having you as a teacher! But remember... If I ever win the lottery.....

Awesome teacher!

Come on doesn't she look like fun?

Miss Cronk at field day! We will miss you!

Mrs. Aken! You are an amazing teacher, mom, and woman! You do it all! I know this year has been a doozy! You have continued to see the positives in my child when many times some times it was hard to see. You make science so much fun and cool! Your animals are awesome and it was our pleasure to dragon sit over spring break for the bearded dragon! You are such a hard working Christian woman! You continue to better yourself through going to school after you  have taught school all day! You are amazing and no wonder your kids have turned out awesome! Thank you for everything and for all of your support! I am super happy that my other kiddo will be having you next year for science! Look out!

She looks like fun huh? She is a hoot!

Many of Cody's teachers on his 7th/8th grade team this year! Amazing women!

Don't you wish your teachers had fun like this?

An Amazing woman! Mrs. Aken you Rock! (this is her snake - which by the way escaped out of it's cage like Houdini - I hope you find it!)

"A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank...but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child." -- Forest Witcraft

THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!
Cody and Haley - I love you both and I am so proud of you!

What was I Thinking?

What was I thinking?

Oh yeah, this is my first love and I wanted to spend time with the kids.

Something you didn't know about me - I was the 1988 Class IV TN State Champion on the floor exercise in gymnastics! I know I know, quit your clapping!

Well, I LOVED gymnastics! I was a crazy person!

Haley has started gymnastics a few times and she is moving up slowing and learning good skills and work ethic on how to achieve something that isn't so easy.

Check out a fun day with the kids! ( I still have a few moves).

He has ALWAYS been a monkey!

Love that girl!

I bet you didn't know that about me huh?

Sore you ask?

Not at all 

Maybe a little! Let's just say I can tell I have built some muscle!

More than anything I am so happy to spend some great quality time with the kids and we weren't sitting on the couch. I am not very active these days with the recovering Valley Fever stuff - this was more like do something, sit down, lol do another sit down. 

But all in all - what a great hour with the kids!

Quick Clean for Car Mats!

Since I am trying to convince my husband to get me a new car, I decided I should really look like I care what my car looks like and how clean it is right?

So I decided to enlist the help of one of my tweeners to help me get my car mats cleaned quickly.

Since I am loving my Shaklee Organic Basic H2 Cleaner we decided to use this to clean the mats. Since it is non-toxic and contains no phosphates I was comfortable using it outside to clean the mats and not have to worry about the run off.

We put about 2-3 drops of the concentrated cleaner on each run and started spraying them down.

Getting our feet smooshy with the soap made the cleaning fun!

Spray them down and it was done!

Quick and easy way to get a much needed item cleaned!

In Honor of Earth Day this month Shaklee is offering an amazing opportunity!

With a $30.00 purchase of products Shaklee is waiving the membership fee. You go to My Website for Lawson's Healthy Living and add your membership and then buy your items. At check out the membership will be free and there are NO minimums EVER! That is what I love!!  Also, if you are interested in becoming a distributor feel free to Email Me!

Don't pass up this awesome opportunity and a great opportunity to "Go Green" and get some great products that really work!

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly - Poop that is

OK so yes I have a house of hunters. All you PETA people don't hate us, I hope you still follow me but if not oh well it is who we are. I mean me personally don't ask me to shoot it, gut it, or cook it - eewww!

However, in light of earth day month and working to go green (sshhhh don't tell my man I associated him with going green he might kick my bootie!).

We've had a bit of a poop problem. Yes I said a poop problem.

OK - here is the poop problem (the Ugly)

My husband worked so hard making our back porch awesome looking by applying concrete stain and now there is POOP all over it!

This is the Pooper (The Bad) - it likes to sit on the light on the top of the porch and just POOP away!

This is the DE-POOPER TROOP! (The Good) lol OK I know I am lame.

Like I said in honor of Earth Day Month and our family trying to go green, natural, and non-lethal, the De-pooper troop decided to take care of business with Nerf guns. AND IT WORKED! They shot at the bird and didn't hit it but it flew away for the rest of the night!

MY HERO! (now I need a volunteer to clean up the poop!)

Teaching Tweens Responsibility

I have had some people ask me how I get my kids to help out so much around the house. Well i did start them out early!

I guess when you are 4 vacuuming seems fun!

Even Haley got into it and she was only 2 1/2! Funny how things they thought were fun are a struggle now.

I mean it is so much fun they used to fight over who got to clean NOW they fight over who has to do it!

We trying really hard to not have "boy" responsibilities and "girl" responsibilities. Cody still loves to cook!

Haley used to love to mow! Well now we don't have any grass because we live in AZ so she is lucky but neither one of them are too thrilled about pulling weeds. But they do.

See we still have them cleaning!

Haley even did a fabulous job cleaning the microwave!

So gross (no judging me!) BEFORE

BEFORE

AFTER - way to go!

AFTER

We have tried many different techniques with the kids from lists, pick your own responsibility, incentives, grab a chore from the jar, all sorts of things. What I have found that worked for our family is that we did have them start early helping out. We are a family, a team, a unit! We all have to work together to be successful.

Now from time to time I feel a little guilty about making them do some things, while I am tanning outback with my fruity drink with my cute little umbrella. Oh wait that is my dream not the truth! We always work as a team.

However, I am a parent first. My job as a parent is to teach my kids how to be successful in life. My job is to teach them skills so when they grow up they can take care of themselves. I often joke if I died tomorrow (I know morbid) I know the kids would be OK. Cody cooks great! Haley can cook some but she is awesome at cleaning bathrooms and they both know how to load/unload the dishes. They both understand coupon shopping and they both can wash, dry, fold, and put up laundry. That's my ultimate job right? To teach and grow them as individuals.

That has always been our philosophy. I am not treating them bad I am teaching them. In life you have to take responsibility for yourself.  I am bound and determined to not have a kid going off to college that doesn't know how to do their laundry!

When my kids were really little like 2 or 3 they like to think they were helping there momma! They were good at putting up silverware (minus the knives), vacuum a little, give them a rag to dust, give them toilet paper to stock up the bathrooms.

As they got older (6-8) they were able to actually vacuum, sweep, put up laundry, sort laundry, match socks, wipe down counters, take out trash.

Now they are able to do it all. Being a perfectionist I had to learn to let a few things go. Just because the dishwasher wasn't loaded exactly the way I like it, well it's OK because guess what I didn't have to do it.

It isn't that we had any special way to get the kids to do the responsibilities we just expected it.  We are a family, a team, a unit. We live together, work together, and play together. We always say that to do the fun stuff we have to get the responsibilities done and the more we all work together the quicker it gets done.

So nothing special, no secret, just the truth, we are all responsible.