Rachel's First Day of Preschool

Excited did you say?? Beyond belief this child was excited to start school again. For a week straight she complained because Hunter could go to school and she couldn't... "It's not fair" are most of the words I heard. :) Keep in mind this is the 3rd year, of going to Preschool. So, I guess for her to be that excited is a good thing. Though, this year it is a bit different. Instead of attending the afternoon class, she is going in the morning. The bus picks her up at 8:20.... (she was on the other bus which picked her up at 7:50, but they switched) and she arrives at school for 8:45... Where they have breakfast. Or in her case, a snack. Since she is awake at 6 every morning with her brother, she eats breakfast at home as well. Anyone that knows her, would know we can't wait almost 3 hrs to give her breakfast, she just simply wouldn't have it! Lol.... Then they do their daily routine, which i am still not a hundred percent sure of. I just know they have a circle time, free time, and go outside everyday. On certain days they do get to go to the library, and do gym. Kinda like they would get to do in Kindergarten... Then this year another new thing added....which she is very excited about. Rachel gets to eat lunch at school, and not in the classroom like Hunter always did, but in the Cafeteria with all the other "Big Kids". She was very excited about this, and said she really enjoyed it. I guess with that being said her first day went off without a hitch! Hopefully the rest of the year will stay like that. I'll keep you updated with any other big news in the preschool world!


By the way Paula, notice she is wearing her Tinkerbell Jacket! :)

Pic's

Some pic's I took of the girls... As you can tell I love to take pictures and play around with them! Hope you enjoy!

She really is a HAM!

I love Black & White Photo's... Don't you??

Fine Dinning

by Andrew Bertone

Every once in a while we like to try something new for dinner. Usually we find a really interesting recipe online that looks really good, so we either write it down or save it in our online cookbook. Today our choice was either going with a hamburg and macaroni soup or a hamburg and green bean soup. We chose the hamburg and green bean soup because it had rice in it and it looked easier to modify to our children's tastes.

It was a surprisingly easy recipe to follow, as most of the online ones are, being written for the common person, by the common person. You simply brown the ground beef, add your desired seasoning, then add some tomato soup and some tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, add the rice and veggies, and turn down to a simmer. Once the rice is cooked you remove it from heat and let it cool before serving. Pretty simple, huh?

It may not look like much but it actually taste very good. Next time we make it we plan on trying peas instead of green beans, and adding some more spices, but those are simple changes.

Of course the best way to serve this would be in a bread bowl, which we didn't have or with flaky roll, which we also didn't have. If push comes to shove you can easily serve it with bread and butter,... hey what do you know, we had that. :)

As long as you don't have any picky kids, or guests, you should end up with a lot of satisfied eaters and a few people asking how it was made. With any luck you won't have to make room in the fridge for leftovers, just find someone to help with the dishes.

Labor Day Weekend Part 3

Our last and final part to the nice long weekend... I hope you have enjoyed our blogs along the way! :) I know we had a fun weekend. Our Holiday Monday started with a Bottle Drive for the Rec Dept & Boy Scout Troop. Early for a non school day we arose, and Andy made us breakfast again. Eggs & English Muffins.... YUM! Then we packed for our day... loading in activities to keep the kids busy, a doll for the girls, and of course the cooler with drinks and food.... Must always have the staples on hand with three kids. Off we headed to the Town Office, were we had volunteer to sit for the 3 hrs, that we were waiting for people to drop off bottles. We have hard working volunteers that love to collect those bottles. .... This is how many they brought before heading out to collect.

Pretty impressive huh? All and All we ended up with this trailer rounded, a smaller trailer rounded, and two big truck beds full! So, I think we made out pretty well. Thanks to all those that helped collect, and all those that donated bottles to us!


While we were there to collect bottles... Andy & I cleaned the Town Office, so I wouldn't have to make another trip in for that.

After we finished with the bottle drive we took the kids to the Playground for some fun.. Decided they deserved it to hung out with limited things to do for almost 4 hrs. Not bad in my book for a 4, and 3 yr old. Hunter ended up going out to collect bottles with the Cub master. They played hard on the playground for awhile... as daddy shot pictures of them. Might I add they eat it up when we take pic's! Here is one of them at the playground....


After the playground, we headed home for a late lunch. The kids decided to eat outside on their little picnic table. It was actually a nice day for eating outside except for the big gusts of wind we kept getting. Oh MY! The kids decided to stay out for an hour or so playing.










Then we decided to do some art. Yes, we occasionally throw in a few educational things along the day to do with them... We decided today to do Leaf rubbing.... Sage even got the concept very nicely, and was excited to see the leaf appear. Here are some that Hunter, Andy, and Rachel worked on. As you can see Sage was very proud of her work!

After our fun with Leaves, we started dinner. Well Andy was in the process of making that, Hunter said he wasn't feeling well, and wanted to lie down. Like I was going to stop him! :) As we were getting ready to sit down to eat, Andy tried to wake him up. He was not getting up, as all he could say was "I'm tired"... So, I guess the fun filled day wore him out! Amazing what a little fresh air will do huh???




Isn't he cute, all past out on his rug?? Don't mind the mess! He hadn't gotten to picking up his room yet.

The girls, Andy & I ate dinner. After dinner we decided to make a quick dessert that I had found on a recipe site. Peanut Butter Balls, no cooking required, and very easy to make. Sounded good to me, and a nice way to end our really nice weekend together.

The girls enjoyed helping daddy make the dessert.. They helped pour in ingredients. Hunter woke up right about the end of making it, so he got to help with the smashing of cereal, along with the girls. It was a very fast recipe, and they were good... and nutritious. Can't get much better than that right? Wrong, it was also a hit among my children, cause it had three of their favorite things in it.... Peanut Butter, Honey, and Cereal! Here is a glimpse of what they looked like. If anyone is interested in the Recipe, I will post it tomorrow..

So there you have our nice long 3 day weekend in a nutshell. I hope you all enjoyed yours, cause we sure enjoyed ours. Back to the grindstone tomorrow.... of looking for a job, and cleaning the house! LOL... Also, Rachel's first day of preschool for this year, so be watching for pictures! Both kids also start Soccer tomorrow... so lots going on. We will diffidently keep you posted however!
Hope we didn't bore you this weekend!

A little late!

Sorry I forgot to post an update on how Hunter made out at his first day of school. I'm here now to fill you in... I know, I'm always writing on her lately right?? First Grade seems to be working very well for Hunter. He really enjoys his new teacher Mrs. Campbell. She is very structured, and keeps a very calm room. I was very impressed. Hunter was happy with lunch as well. They had one of his favorites on his first day back.. A Chicken Burger..... The rest of the week followed with more of his favorites. Taco Salad, and Pizza! He was very happy to see his friends again. Although he was sad, to see that his classroom of 15 from last year, went down to only 7 of them being together this year. :(
As a parent I was very happy to see that Mrs. Campbell is a little more organized. She gave them all folders with a take home, and return to school section. So the papers don't get crumbled or lost along the way! Also, she sent home a paper to guide you and give you directions on their homework. OH MY WORD, I can help him with homework and know what i am doing! LOL... Sorry but compared to last year, when we only got instructions on post-it notes and half the time Hunter would lose them before making it home, it made it extremely difficult to help him with it. That was such a blessing! They are even numbered, so you know what he is going to have before he gets it! I think the start of the year is looking bright! I'm very happy with it, and hope that we continue to have a very successful year.
Hunter's first field trip will be coming up, they are going to a local fair, where they learn about agriculture and stuff. They went last year as well, and they got to help make some homemade butter, and a blueberry pie ... I believe... I'll keep you posted! :)

Just Some Summer fun!

Sadly with all the rain this summer, we haven't really been able to make it to the playground much this year. For most of you, you know this is a rare thing for the Bertone family! We are always at a playground during the summer months! We captured a few of their cute, and some growing moments we would like to share with you.



Sage & Rachel getting along can you believe it???


I must add that watching Sage "try" to kick a soccer ball is very funny.... She can't quite grasp the kicking concept yet... its more of a run, and hit the ball at the same time kinda thing. :)


This year Rachel is able to climb on this without being scared and thinking she needed help. Look how big she has gotten! Can you believe 5 in less than 2 months now??

Hunter has worked really hard the last year to master being able to go across the monkey bars. Now that he is in First Grade, he informs me, he is able to do it! Good Job Hunter! Practice makes prefect!

The simple women's daybook

THE SIMPLE WOMEN'S DAYBOOK


FOR TODAY September 1st

Outside My Window...

the sun is peaking out nicely, its a bit chilly out there, but suppose to get warmer before the day is out. :)

I am thinking...

What a lovely weekend we really had.... hope today is just as good.

I am thankful for...
My kids, and my family.... they are a great inspiration to me!

From the kitchen...
the smell of sausage, eggs, and English muffins YUM!

I am wearing...

Pj's at the moment, but must get dressed very soon.

I am reading...

Just finished "Bitter is the New Black" By Jen Lancaster... A friend recommended them and said they were funny. So, I thought I would read one.

I am hoping...
that I can find a Job soon.....

I am creating...

a clean work space in a few hours. I have to clean the office! :)

I am hearing...

Mickey Mouse Club House, Sage is addicted to it!

Around the house...

It is rather quiet this morning... Andy is making breakfast, Hunter is eating, Sage is watching Mickey, and Rachel is sleeping (although, I have to wake her up soon)

One of my favorite things...

My kids when they smile at me or get excited about something!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:
Not really sure what the rest of the week has in store for me.... Today we have a BoyScout Fund raiser, I need to clean the office, and then go to a meeting tonight... The rest of the week is up in the air.. Rachel starts school on Tuesday.(look for a post) Couple of appointments, and that is it!

The picture I am sharing:
Is Hunter on his second day of school... holding a flower he picked me... I like this picture cause it is black & white... :) My little boy is growing up to fast!