Canning and First Day of School

This summer has been so busy that I am grateful to be back into our routine. I love having the kids home for the summer but it is always nice as well to stick with our schedule. The kids have been so excited about school starting we went and met the teachers a week before school started and Madison got the teacher she wanted, Mr. Mank, and Zachary got a new teacher to the school, Miss Wills. So far school seems to be good, we have only been in for two days but the kids are liking and there are a couple of first for me and I don't know if I am quite ready for them. The first are really with Madison being in the 4th grade now. Well when she was a 3rd grader she got a calendar and notes from the teacher telling us what they expected from the homework so that I fully understood what they wanted, well Madison has only been in school for 2 days and she has had homework both those days. I don't know if it is because she just is distracted and not getting it done at school or if it is truly homework. Well today she had to write a poem (this is what I have to get used to because there was no note from the teacher) and she told me that it was a Biography Poem and it was about her, they had facts that they had to put in there about themselves. Well I asked her if the teacher sent anything home to tell me anything about the homework, she said no he doesn't do that. So basically I have to depend on Madison this year to remember what her teacher tells her and know that she will tell me the right thing. I don't know if I am quite ready for this yet. I still kind of wish that the teacher would send something home but I know what he is trying to do. So Madison got her poem done with the help of her dad.

Now there is Zachary and his teacher, I got frustrated today because I was reading the papers yesterday when the kids got home and I was reading about Zach's teacher and some of her expectations and the one big thing is that she expects the kids to be responsible to get there folders and any paper work that needs to come home and put it in there folders and take them home and then when they get to school to take papers out put them in the places that they need to be, well yesterday Zach never brought home his folder and in the folder is a calander that I have sign and it tells me how he did that day. So he didn't bring it home and I told him that he needs to bring it home today and I told him that at the bus stop and he gets home today and I look in his back pack and what does he bring home, his three ring binder, I asked him why he brought it home and he said that he thought I said his binder not his folder. Oh my what am I going to do. So I talked to Larry and thankfully my very smart husband suggested that I go to the school tomorrow and tell the teacher he hasn't brought his folder home and then show Zach where his folder is and what he needs to do. So that is what I am doing for Zach. I still think that the teacher can help out a little bit with the kids in that aspect.

So that is the first couple of days of school. I just want to share with you Madison's poem she wrote.

Madison Elizabeth Brown

My name is Madison, I am as sweet as a bowl of sugar, I have a smile as bright as the morning sun, and I have the heart of a lion. I love my family, friends and books, I have a strong positive feelings about my heavenly father, having a home and a family. My middle name is Elizabeth and I am someone who needs a hug in the morning, a smile in the afternoon,and a kiss before bed. I give laughter to my brothers, colored drawings to my Bishop, help to my daddy's store. I fear bugs, scary movies and some dark places. I would like to write my own children's book, be a great pianist, and an elementry school teacher. I live in Everett Washington, and I am the daughter of Larry and Beth and my last name is Brown.

So I hope that you can see what things she had to put in her poem but she came up with her own ideas with a little bit of help from her dad, he helped word I think. I hope the teacher likes it.

I decided to try and be a nice mom and make a hot breakfast for the kids. I don't do this everyday just on special days and the first day of school is a special day. So they requested waffles and bacon.

Here they are before they catch the bus. I just wish that one time all of them could look at the camera at the same time.

The happy first grader

Happy fourth grader

Our cheesy two year old. He kept on asking if he could ride the bus too.

Waiting for the bus. I don't think they were thrilled with the rain.

In his classroom ready to learn.Madison in her classroom.

This picture I took was on Monday because Madison had been going to work with Larry one day out of the week and helping him at the store. She wants an ipod and she wants to earn money herself and so Larry said that she could come to store and help out. Don't worry to those who think this is a bad idea, she doesn't do any heavy labor kind of stuff. She wants to earn the money herself so we thought this would be a good idea and she loves it.

A while back I blogged about canning apple pie filling well I made a pie with it. I made my own crust and used the apple pie filling. This is the before picture of my pie before I put it in the oven. I forgot to take an after picture but Larry said that it was really good. I don't like apple pie so I really make it for him and other people.

A couple of weeks ago I went to my sister's (Carlee) along with Anna and Carlee's friend Nichole and we canned pickles. I only wanted the pickle chips because we like to put them on sandwhiches so that is what we do. I always do pickles with my sister because I think that doing pickles is complicated and I can't ever remember how to do it. You have to make the brine which is vinegar, water pickling salt and alum and then you have to put garlic in the jars and the dill and anyway it takes a while. Carlee seems to have it down on how to do so that is always good.

Here are some of the pickles that are cleaned and ready to be put into jars or sliced up for pickle chips.

The steamer you put your jars in when they are all filled and ready to be steamed.

Ready to be filled with the brine and put in the steamer.

We also did pickled carrots. They are actually really good.

Here is one of my done jars of the pickle chips.