In first grade, it seemed that we were the only ones that still had our baby teeth. A trip to the dentist confirmed that all was well. X-rays showed a beautiful set of permanent teeth that were formed, just not yet ready to ascend. My fears were eased … especially when our dentist mentioned that there should not be a need for braces. (Little sister, on the other hand, will buy a local orthodontist a new home!)

First grade came and went … as did the summer following. Then it happened. The first day of school, Avery said that his lower gum was hurting. I looked inside and there was a permanent tooth that had popped through behind his baby tooth. I felt the baby tooth assuming that it would wiggle, but it was tight as could be.

I called the dentist to see if we should wait for it to come out naturally or come in for a visit. The nurse assured me that we did need to come in, but the dentist was on vacation and we couldn’t get in for two weeks.

And so we waited.

Waited for the dentist …

And waited for wiggles.

Nothing.

Today was the day of the dentist appointment. My husband agreed to go, so that I wouldn’t have to miss any more work than necessary. I called to make sure that he was going to make it on time to the appointment (sorry, babe … I was just checking). All was well and the next text I got was “The dentist is going to pull the bottom two teeth ”

Suddenly, my baby boy’s short little life flashed in front of me. Those two teeth were the first to make an appearance in his mouth six-and-a-half years ago. So cute and so precious. I couldn’t imagine them not being there any longer.

Like any overly-emotional mother, I called Don and asked him to take one last picture of Avery with a mouth full of baby teeth. It’s not like I don’t have thousands (literally) of pictures of him with these same teeth. But there was something about knowing that it would never be the same that just hit me.

Thankfully, he took the picture … and didn’t even say “Are you kidding me?”

I appreciate that.

Within 5 minutes, I was receiving pictures of my little boy … and the teeth were gone.

Avery did great. He didn’t realize that there were shots to numb him (thankfully!). The dentist even put a glove on Avery’s hand and allowed him to help with pulling it out. He was so proud … and didn’t shed a tear.

So, tonight, the tooth fairy comes. Our tooth fairy has a lighter pocketbook than some other fairies in our neighborhood, but it doesn’t seem to matter. We broke out the tooth fairy box – loaded it with teeth and wrote the dates on the bottom.

And all was right with the world.

And another milestone is completed.

Sorry about the late posting … it was Labor Day, you know? And, like a good American … I chose not to “labor”.

If you see some meals here that you’ve seen previously, it means that we skipped that meal and had leftovers. Therefore, I substituted it for a different week!

Monday (Labor Day) – Chicken Parmesan

Tuesday – Chicken Nuggets & chips

Wednesday – Bacon wrapped filets

Thursday – Hamburger Helper

Friday – **Pepsi Chicken

Saturday – Meatloaf

SCHOOL SNACK PLAN

Monday – No School

Tuesday – Popcorn

Wednesday – Chex Mix

Thursday – Popcorn

Friday – String Cheese

** PEPSI CHICKEN RECIPE -  contributed by my sweet friend, Erin.
1 package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pepper (green or red)
1 white or yellow onion
egg noddles or white rice
2 cups of coke (do not use diet, and i think coke tastes better)
1 cup of ketchup

*dice up chicken breasts, onion, & peppers; drop into crockpot
*in a medium bowl, mix together the ketchup and coke
*pour the sauce over the mix
*cook on low for at least 4 hours
*put mixture over egg noodles or rice, whichever your family prefers

It’s a Labor Day extravaganza at DisneyShopping! Free shipping all weekend with code “FREESHIP”.

I’d recommend starting here … and remember, if you are planning a trip to the Magic Kingdom anytime soon – buy ahead of time!

8 years ago, I married my best friend.

Today, I’d do it all over again … good times, bad times, no kids, two kids. He makes my world an adventure and my life is more complete than I ever could have imagined.

I’m loving the idea of meal planning. It really made the nights last week much much easier.

Here’s what we have on deck for this week:

Monday: Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas (recipe from Kraft foods)

Tuesday: Sloppy Joes

Wednesday: Chicken Parmesan

Thursday: Salad with Tuna and fresh veggies

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Saturday: Steak and baked potato

(If there are a lot of leftovers, we’ll scrap eat them along with salad on Thursday.)

School Snack Plan -

Monday: Carrots

Tuesday: Chex Mix

Wednesday: String Cheese

Thursday: Carrots

Friday: Cereal (Trix)

You see, it all started three years ago. When Avery was in Kindergarten, he began bringing papers and homework in each night. Piper was very interested in what he was learning, so Avery started teaching her. It was precious. He was so patient and used the exact words that his teacher used.

At the first Parent-Teacher conference, we mentioned to Avery’s teacher that he was doing this. From that point on, the teacher sent home an extra set of papers for Piper. So, Avery would teach her … and then she’d complete the appropriate worksheets.

We found out none to soon that Piper wouldn’t be eligible for Kinder the following year. We were so upset. Having her sit in a traditional daycare setting for another year would be so boring for her. Not long after, we found a private kindergarten program that allowed children with birthdates up to 3 months later than the traditional public school program.The cost of the private program was exactly same amount as having her in a daycare. It was a no brainer! Private Kindergarten.

So, we did it … or I should say, Piper did it. She had a wonderful year. All “+’s” and “A’s” for the whole year. She was reading at Thanksgiving, doing math – actually everything that Avery was doing in public school

Then it comes to the end of the year and all the rules start changing. The school told us that they had never had a child NOT test into first grade. Come to find out, they don’t track the kids – they have no idea where the kids end up or the results of their testing. They also led us to believe that testing was in the spring. Nope. It takes place during the first 3 weeks of school. (A point which I still think is ridiculous. What child retains everything over the summer?)

F-U-R-I-O-U-S.

The night of kindergarten orientation, I got the impression from the principal that they aren’t really fond of testing kids.  The testing process couldn’t be explained by anyone there – the principal, the Kindergarten lead teacher, the Registrar … no one we came in contact with. I left that night feeling very discouraged and extremely disappointed.

So here we are … it’s the first week of school. I still have no more answers than I did 3 months ago. Other than the fact that they began testing Piper yesterday. I found out by a phone call from a classmate’s mom and a note in her backpack. They announce testing dates for all other things (i.e. TAKS, etc.) well in advance. I was a little miffed to find out about it after the fact.

In the grand scheme of things, I’m the biggest fan of my school district that there every could be. There is no where else in Texas that I would rather live. Those schools run like well-oiled machines and I fully trust that the best interest of my child’s education is their number one goal. I think that’s why the “mystery” of this ordeal has been so hard for me.

Their decision (which we have no say in, nor can we submit supporting documents) will affect her educationally for many years to come. And, yes, I understand that it’s only Kindergarten, but it affects how old she’ll be when she graduates. It affects her behavior. (Will she be able to handle the boredom of sitting through Kindergarten again?) It goes far below the exterior.

I probably wouldn’t feel so strongly if it weren’t for Avery. With him just finishing first grade in the Spring, it’s fresh on my mind. He was a very high-performing, identified as gifted first grader. I know what to expect and what is expected. It’s on my radar. Piper is ready and could do it. Socially, emotionally, and intelligently.

Now …. this is the point that I think some parents miss and what I have vowed. I will support the decision of my school. After all, they are the professionals and I think at some point, you have to just trust. That doesn’t mean that I won’t set an appointment with the counselor if they deem that she needs to repeat the year – it just means that when I do, it will be for information and not out of anger.

Who ever knew that sending kids to school was so dramatic? Thanks to all that will comment and tell me that this is the worst it gets

PS – I’ll do an Update Post when this all plays out.

Since beginning The Grocery Game over 3 years ago, it’s been fully stocked. I’ve posted pictures occassionally and many of you have asked to see exactly what is in there and how it is organized.

So, without further wait, here it is: The Pantry Tour.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For some reason, I always look at the start of a new school year as another chance to make resolutions. Where the New Year’s resolutions usually deal with how to make myself better, the New School Year Resolutions focus on how to be a better mom/wife.

It’s probably very odd that I think this way … oh well, add it to the list!

At any rate, these are my “resolutions” for school year 2010-11:

1. Get up earlier: I love to sleep. I mean, I REALLY love to sleep. Thankfully, I bred one child who likes to get his own breakfast and is technologically advanced enough to operate the remote on his own. The other child inherited the sleep gene. I really need to get up earlier. It would make life a lot less hectic in the morning. I’m thinking that I’ll need to phase into this. Let’s be realistic.

2. Housework: Oh lordy, do I hate housework. Actually, it’s not so much that I hate it. It’s more that my love language is quality time and when I get home at night, I want to spend time with my husband and my kids. If that means that the floor doesn’t get vacuumed – I’m ok with that. If beds aren’t made, I don’t get bent out of shape … etc. Therefore, all weekend I play catch up. I bought a planner that schedules housework. I’ve had it since December 28. I have yet to use it. I’m hopping on the train Monday!

3. Clothes Planning: I pick out kids clothes every morning after I get up. (See #1.) I really need to pick them out before – especially since my daughter is beginning to have some “opinions” on what she likes to wear.

4. Snack Planning: After I throw together an awesome outfit and find matching shoes for each kid, I make their snacks for school. Usually this involves “Do you want this for snack?” “No … then what do you want?” “No … you can’t take a sucker. Pick something healthy.” “No … that’s not healthy. Here’s a granola bar.” So, in my effort to meal plan, I’m also “Snack Planning“.

5. Meal Planning: This is going to be an adjustment for the first few weeks. I really have to get our schedules ironed out. Who’s going to be where on what night … We are a little bit frazzled during certain times of the year, but we can do it!

6. Exercise: My kids get a good amount of exercise at school, but our weather is so great here in the fall (which actually doesn’t start until November). We need to take some time to ride bikes or just take a walk during the evenings. Master Planned Communities are all the rage in Texas. I love everything about them … a plus in this area is that we have a ton of walking trails and sidewalks.

7. Bed: I have to go to bed at a reasonable hour. We have a TV in our bedroom — something I swore (before I was married) that I would never do. We lay in bed a good hour watching TV before we even think about going to sleep. We need to shut it off and count some sheep.

8. Support for Teachers: We have been continually blessed with good teachers. I have no reason to believe that this year will be any different. Since we aren’t able to do a lot in the classrooms because of our work schedules, we try to stay in constant communication with the teachers offering our support for anything that can be done outside of school hours. Cutting out papers, buying supplies to fill in the gaps in the classroom … there’s a lot that we can do and will commit to do.

9. Bible Study: Our church is doing a women’s Bible study on the book of Revelation. That book scares me to death, so I’d like to be led through it by someone other than a Hollywood movie producer. The kids will do choir classes, so I’m very excited about this.

10. No PTA Trauma: I’m one of those people that has to have a hand in everything. Being a working mom has taught me that I can’t do that when it comes to school stuff. I simply do not have the hours available to volunteer during business hours. I’ve gotten so – well, angry to be completely honest – at the lack of opportunities for working parents after hours. This year, I vow to be content to do what I can when I can. When I hear PTA members complain about the lack of parent participation when all of their planning meetings are at 10am, I will zip my lips. Please remind me. I will probably suck at this.

So those are my goals! Lofty, but attainable. Do you have anything you’d like to “brush up on” during this school year?

But … if your life runs like mine, I’m going to blink and it will be Thanksgiving – or worse, Christmas Eve.

I have three simple tips today that I hope will help you take some early steps toward holiday spending. They are basic, but like most basic things – they are true.

1. Make a list of who you have to buy for. If money is tight, make a list of those that are necessary and put them in priority order if need be.

2. Set a spending limit for the entire list. Something like “We will spend $1,000 TOTAL on Christmas this year.”

3. Go back to the list you made for #1. Split up your spending limit and decide how much each person will be allotted. It’s hard to do, but you have to set a limit for each person.

4. Put the list with the spending limits in your purse and carry it with you at all times. As you see items on sale, purchase them (and remember where you hide them … that is my downfall!)

You’ll be finished shopping earlier AND you won’t break the bank!

Merry Christmas

* This post is part of a weekly segment on KSBJ Christian Radio. For more on segments featuring Stephanie Click, the Texas Money Mom, click here.

2 – Capri Sun – $2.80
1 – (Kroger) Apple Juice – $.49
4 – Grands Biscuits – $3.66
6 – GoGurt – $4.74
2 – Smart Balance Sour Cream – $.98
1 – (Kroger) Mini Carrots – $.88
8 – 32 oz. Powerade – $2.44
1 – 8 pk. Powerade – $1.99
6 – Chex Mix – $2.94
2 – Refried Beans – $1.18
2 – Fruit Snacks – $1.48
2 – General Mills Cereals – $1.96
9 – Hamburger Helper – $5.76
3 – Purex Laundry Detergent – $2.82
3 – 12 pk. Cottonelle Toliet Paper – $13.47
2 – Pillsbury Sweet Moments – Free
3 – Caramel Bugles – Free
3 – Nature Valley Nut Clusters – Free
1 – Betty Crocker Warm Delights – Free
3 – Revlon Emery Boards – Free

Should end the trip under $50. *Everything I’m buying is a name brand unless otherwise specified. *Price is after the coupon & any other special offers.

Next week, my meal plan recipes call for several ingredients that I don’t have on hand. None of them were on sale this week, so I’ll be waiting to buy them to see if they come up on the next rotation.