Warning...

Do Not Ever Buy This Brownie Mix!

It is a scam. Of course it is delicious. It is decadent as promised. But the box is deceiving. There it sat in the store. Calling my name. Perched next to the other full size boxes. But as I mixed it up I discovered the dirty little secret....

GASP!

It only makes a 9x9 pan!

What kind of craziness is that? Who only wants a 9x9 pan of brownies? Not this family.

The newest craze

That jump rope is going non-stop these days. Between learning new moves and making up chants, they are consumed with the jump rope. I actually have to hide it in the mornings so they won't be distracted while getting ready for school. Taylor is working on the "flamingo," Payton is perfecting crossing her arms, and Hayden just likes to jump any way she can. Her best move is "jumping in" while her sisters are turning the rope. Thanks to Riley for teaching Taylor some skills. Now we know the correct way to jump and the correct way to hold your arms. The only problem with all of this is that we only have one "good" jump rope. And you know what that means. An argument.

Ohhh, Panera.

Today was my orientation for my Sequence Field Experience for school. I prepared myself by making a pit stop by Panera for a souffle. YUM. Thank you, Lynne, for introducing this to me. My life will never be the same. And thank you Lisanka for joining me for breakfast. We need to do it again sometime. Oh wait, we are. Next Friday...same time...same place. Does anyone else want to come with us?



After orientation and before going to the school to do the "store" in Hayden's class, I ran to Publix. Just a quick trip. I know that sounds weird considering it is 30 minutes away. But I was on a strict time schedule and I had a list of exactly what I was going after. With my list and my coupons, I scored $165 worth of food for about $50.
My best buys were the Kraft Homestyle macaroni and cheese and the Yoplus Yogurt. They were both free. For my friends that are coupon novices:

Mac & Cheese: Reg price: $2.69 -on sale Buy one get one Free (At Publix that means 1/2 price)
Sale price: $1.35
Coupons used: $1.00 of coupon in last week's paper
$1.00/2 coupon in Walgreen's January coupon book
Total cost: neg $0.15

Yogurt: Reg price: $2.00 - on sale Buy One Get One
Sale price: $1.00
Coupons used: $1.00 of one printable coupon

Some items aren't a huge sale. But if it is something I normally buy, than it is worth it. Like the capri-suns. I don't buy these every week. But I like to have them on hand for when we are too rushed to fill up water bottles in the morning. They were on sale for $2.00 (which is the Wal-mart price) but I was able to use a Walgreens coupon. They are never $2.00 a box at Walgreens and I can't use that coupon at Walmart so this is the best scenario for me to buy these.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program....

Best mail of the week.

I usually throw away my junk mail, but I had a few extra minutes in carpool today so I decided to read it. I found two awesome offers. The first is from Comcast. They want me back. But Comcast, I broke up with you. I dumped you. I have moved on to bigger and better things. AT&T U-verse fulfills all of our needs in a way you never could. No matter what you offer, I am not coming back.

The other unbelieveable offer is from the Navy. They want ME!!!! They are offering me up to $169,700. They will pay for my school, give me a job, and pay all my bills. My possibilities are endless. I could even assume command aboard one of their multi-billion dollar vessels. Where do I sign up? Do you think they have room on that vessel for my husband and kids? I don't think I would make it 30 minutes in boot camp. Will they still take me? They said the world needs my talent. I think I am exactly what they are looking for.

The 100th day of school...

...and the first day of a new semester. A new semester means I get to look forward to many more visits to this place. Hooray for me.
It is also the one hundredth day of school which is usually accompanied by a whole lot of celebrating at school. However, the girls getting older means less celebrating at school. The first thing Payton and Hayden told me when they got in the car is that there was no "100 Days" parade. This is something the Kindergarteners have always done at our school. Hayden told me they didn't do anything in her class but make headbands and watch an "8 minute and 14 second video about the life cycle of a butterfly." She was very disappointed, to say the least. I had to remedy the situation quickly. So I stopped by Walmart on the way home and bought a big bag of M&Ms. They each got to count out 100 and eat them for a snack.

Amazingly, everything is made better by M&Ms. That is true about alot of things in life. Just try it.

Fortunately they did have the parade the next day but only the upstairs grades got to watch. So sad for the older kids.

Very serious surgery!

Monster High dolls have become all the rage at our house. So it was a quite a tragedy when one of the boy dolls suffered a seemingly fatal injury. That is, until superdad came to the rescue. The loss of a limb can't keep this doll down. Bryan performed barbie surgery and the doll is as good as new. Actually, better than new. They aren't made very well.

17

Hooray! The girls had the day off from school. We celebrated by taking report cards to Krispy Kreme and having a doughnut party! They all got straight A's, which means 6 doughnuts a piece. It is a good thing there are so many choices because they each have different tastes. Taylor got all glazed. Payton, as usual, got one of each filled kind. Hayden got a variety of sprinkled, chocolate crullers, plain crullers, and glazed. Getting doughnuts for A's has become such a fun tradition for us. We recently found out about all the other perks for good grades. We will be visiting Baskin Robbins, Chick-fil-A, and Chuck E. Cheese soon enough.





Since one of our favorite missionaries is back in Mobile, we had them over for dinner tonight. Just your standard dinner appointment until we whipped out our gum stash. We ended dinner with a gum tasting party and a jump rope-a-thon. I will have to post the videos very soon. We sure know how to have a good time.

16

Guess who's back?

15

What do you do when you have some left over chocolate and a sick child?

By the way, she immediately felt better.

14

The fourth graders took a field trip to Montgomery on Friday. Well, not all of the fourth graders. Payton decided that she would rather have a girls day out than go on the field trip. Her friend Cecily decided the same thing so the girls and the moms had a fun day together. Payton and Cecily spent the day playing together, going to Pump it Up, having lunch at Texas Roadhouse, and having a mini-paint party.

You can tell from their smiles that they had tons of fun!

13

Back in the "couponing" saddle again. Not my biggest haul by any means but I did get $200 worth of groceries for $75.

12

Reasons we waited so long to take the tree down:
1) The girls didn't want me to.
2) It is too big and too beautiful to only enjoy for two weeks.
3) It is a reminder of a wonderfully unforgettable Christmas.
4) I love the way it smells.

We decided to finally take the tree down today. I knew I needed to do it now before I start school next week or it would still be in my living room in May. So we had a "tree un-decorating party." We sang Christmas carols, found a few toys in the tree, found a nerf dart on the mantle behind the garland, talked about our favorite ornaments, broke a couple of said ornaments, and fondly remembered Christmas.


To complete the party, Bryan built a fire and we roasted marshmallows.

Did you know that if you put dried Christmas tree branches in the fireplace it sounds like fireworks?

11

Since the kids have gone back to school, I have spent most of my time mainly doing one thing. Trying to stay WARM. I know it was this cold last year too, but I just can not get used to it. I hate being hot and always say that I would rather be cold than hot. So I guess I am not complaining about the cold. Really, I am just trying to manage it. It isn't even warm in the afternoons when the kids get home from school. I figured I could make the cold more bareable for the girls by doing this:

I set up a hot chocolate bar similar to one I had seen on another blog. We love our hot chocolate around here so this was the perfect after school snack. I used stuff I had left over from holiday baking. Sprinkles, crushed up candy canes, marshmallows, peanut butter chips, mini chocolate chips, and whipped cream.

They are already wondering when we can do this again. I am sure it will be very soon.

10

FREEZING!!! That is all I can say to describe the weather. Some of the counties north of us cancelled school and in Northern Alabama they issued a state of emergency in anticipation of the winter storm moving through. I was keeping my fingers crossed for the weather to move a little south and for school to be cancelled for us. No such luck. It was business as usual around here this morning. Except there was a little more whining about the cold from Hayden. So, I bribed her not to whine with hot chocolate. Works everytime. I brought a blanket in the car on the way to school because we southern folk aren't adapted to this kind of crazy weather.

If we have to put up with cold, we should at least get some snow out of it.

9

Bryan and I always talk about how we don't see our grandparents enough. With Grandma Jeanne being gone now, that is my biggest regret. She lived so close and we didn't go visit her near as often as we should have. With that in mind, we decided to spend the afternoon with Granny and Paw Paw. The girls usually enjoy riding bikes and visiting the neighbor's horses when we go over there. But, it was FREEZING and raining so we let them bring their DSi s to keep themselves entertained. They spent most of the time taking pictures of everyone and morphing them. Paw Paw really got a laugh out of the one of Granny with a moustache.
After dinner and cake to celebrate Bryan's birthday we sat around and chatted. Granny and Paw Paw always have the best stories to share. They remember names, dates, and details of so much from their lifetime. Note to self: Bring something to record them with next time.

8

I have now exceeded my total number of blog posts for 2010. Wahoo.

I LOVE Saturdays. Especially during the school year. The girls usually sleep in until 6:30 and play quietly/watch TV until 6:31 when they start asking for breakfast. The best part about a Saturday is that we aren't having to rush out the door by 6:50. And we usually do something fun as a family. Since today is Bryan's birthday, we celebrated by going to this cute little guy's birthday party.

My girls love Collin as if he were in our family. The girls ask me almost every Sunday if we can bring him home from church with us. He is so fun to have around and is always the center of attention. That is, unless one of his cousins is around (especially the babies). Then Payton's attention is usually diverted.

At the party, she stayed occupied with the sweet baby girls. She is going to be a great baby sitter in a couple of years.

Hayden spent most of her time riding her bike around the park with Grant. Those kids have so much fun together. I hope they will remain friends for a long time.

Flashback Friday

If I am supposed to blog everyday this year, I am going to have a very hard time coming up with things to write about. So I have decided to do "Flashback Friday." I will post a picture of something I should have blogged about a long time ago.

Date of picture: 7/3/10

This day was so much fun. The opportunity for everyone to go to Stadium of Fire kind of just happened. I was lucky enough to hang out with these kids outside the stadium before the show started. We passed the time by eating a picnic lunch/dinner, rolling down the hill, arguing over a snuggie, and taking silly pictures. Things only got better once we got into the stadium and the show started. I may have to one day write every detail of that night. But for now - just a list of my favorite parts: The F-15 (or16) flyover, honoring the military, all things patriotic, being part of the worlds largest Eagle Scout Court of Honor, bursting with pride for my awesome nephew Trent, the Carrie Underwood concert, watching an interpreter do sign language to all of Carrie's songs, an amazing fireworks display, and sharing it all with some of my favorite people in the world!

On a totally different subject-Bryan's birthday is tomorrow so I took him out to lunch today. Me taking him out to lunch means that I drive out to his office, pick him up, and pay with his debit card. We did our birthday date today so we could take advantage of the free babysitting we had access to. (School) The non-fast food options for lunch in Saraland are slim. So we had about 4 places to choose from. Bet you can't tell where we went.

Day 6

I love the few minutes that Taylor and I have alone together in the afternoons before we pick up the other girls. When she runs to the car in the afternoons, she always has a big smile on her face. She loves her school, friends, teacher, etc. When she gets in the car we talk about her day. The highlights always involve what she did in PE and who she sat with at lunch. There is also usually talk about a certain boy. Sometimes I get to hear about a science lab, the book she is reading, or something neat she learned. Other times she shares details about her day that may seem mundane, but I love hearing about them. Today she told me about how she reorganized her desk and textbooks. She told me who she sat with at lunch. She told me her hands were red after PE from playing tetherball the whole time. She asked me what some words mean in the book she is reading. She showed me the new mechanical pencil she bought so she could do her homework in the car. She told me she is learning how to use a protactor. She reminded me how many more basketball games are left in the season and that she would really like to go to one. While we sat in the carpool line the other school, she quickly did her homework so she could play when she got home. I love this sweet girl!


On a totally different note: How did I ever live without this thing? Bryan has given me some pretty awesome Christmas presents through the years and this one is close to the top of the list. (The engagement ring 13 years ago is at the top.) I am so lucky to have the best husband in the world!

Wednesday, Wednesday

What started out as a horribly, yucky, rainy day ended well with a great bunch of Young Women. For our YW activity Andrea set up a fun scripture scavenger hunt around the church. Each clue was a scripture that the girls had to look up and it led them to the next clue. We ended in the RS room with the final treasure. Andrea talked about how the scriptures are a treasure and can be used to answer questions in our daily lives. Sometimes the answers are easy to find and sometimes they take more searching, like the clues for our scavenger hunt. Then each girl shared something they treasured. None of the items that the girls brought were expensive and they all represented something that was priceless, like a relationship with a family member or a spiritual experience. It wasn't planned this way but it was wonderful to see what the girls really value. I feel so blessed that my calling is serving with this awesome group of girls. It is wierd that Taylor will be joining them in October but I am so looking forward to it.
I love the girls in this picture, but I often think about the girls that I would like to see in this picture. The ones we miss seeing on a weekly basis and the one that has moved away. :(

Tuesday routine

Tuesday is one of our busiest days. Last semester it meant school for me, school for the girls, Mobile's Singing Children, and soccer. This semester will probably be just as busy. After picking the girls up from school we head over to two hours of MSC rehearsal. Being responsible for the monitors means I get to fill in the slots that no parents have signed up for. The advantage is that I get to hear them rehearse and sometimes sit in theory with them. This is a picture of Hayden working on a music theory review "test" that they had today. Taylor and Hayden love being part of MSC. They both say that going to theory is one of their favorite parts.


When Hayden auditioned this year, I suggested to Payton that she might want to. She wasn't interested. However, she still has to tag along with me when I monitor. Since soccer hasn't started back up yet, she has to sit with me the 2+ hours during rehearsal. After finishing her homework, this is usually how she spends her time. She is currently reading "The Red Pyramid" by Rick Riordan. She loved the Percy Jackson series and "The Lost Hero." And so far, she is loving this book.

The crockpot has become my best friend on Tuesdays. Guess what the crockpot held tonight?

Pulled pork with the best BBQ sauce in town. Yummy!

Back to life...back to reality

School starts back tomorrow so we are trying to get back in the swing of things. It is also the beginning of the month and you know what that means...Sams! The girls are so helpful ;) They are all willing to push the cart and will even argue with each other for the opportunity. They also make lots of suggestions about things I should buy. And to ensure that I get a good workout, they ride on the cart. So nice. I really do love having them home. We ran into one of their PE teachers while shopping and she asked if we were ready for school to start back. We all answered "no," of course. This morning, I jokingly suggested to the girls that I should home school them. They all agreed that I should which is not at all the answer that I expected. I guess they all love being at home just as much as I love having them there. Hayden's reason was predictable though. She thinks it would be great to stay in her pajamas all day.

While out running errands today, we had to make an exchange at Justice. I guess Taylor is getting to the point where I can't buy clothes for her without her trying them on. While we were there I heard this:


I thought it was a pretty cool version of a song that I love. When we got home, my to-do list took a backseat to my trying learn how to play this on the guitar. My finger tips still hurt. I need Dave to come back with his nylon string guitar. Actually, I need Lynne to come back too so we can learn this song together and work out some pretty cool harmonies. (You know - less Peter, Paul, and Mary....more Boys 2 Men.) There is always next visit.

Our personal rockstar

The Benhams and Dave left today and it goes without saying that we are VERY sad. You would think that it would get easier to say goodbye at some point, but it doesn't. So instead of being sad, I am going to be happy about the fun times we had.

It was awesome to have Dave here. My kids love him so much and he is incredibly kind and patient with them. Having him as a brother is a real blessing. We can have an intellectual conversation one minute and be laughing about something really ridiculous the next. He is definately an important part of our family. His laugh is infectious and his music warms my heart. I could sit and listen to him sing and play the guitar all day. As the car was being packed, he took time to sit with Payton one last time and play the guitar with her. He played the chords while she strummed. It is these moments that I will miss the most. Love you Dave!!!

The promise I plan to keep

Lynne and I have made many promises to each other over the years. We are not typically very good at keeping these promises. We have made weight loss promises, promises to keep the other from acting crazy in our old age, and promises to blog. We even made a promise not to cry when she left to go back home this trip. As usual, we did not keep that promise. We did however make a promise that I intend to keep. A picture a day for 2011. Nothing elaborate or involved. Just take a picture a day from our everyday lives and post it on the ol' blog. So my first picture is from 1/1/11.

Starting out a new year is always kind of refreshing and exciting. But it is especially awesome when we get to share it with the Benhams and Dave. The first day of the new year involved a trip to the grocery store, lunch for the masses, watching the football game, playing some Phase 10, another quick trip to the grocery store, and a chocolate fountain party for all the kids. The kids played all day and most of them never changed out of their jammies.

Here is just a glimpse of what a typical Benhemmertson cousin playtime looks like.

Of course Brant and Trent were involved doing something less girlie. Probably watching football or playing X-Box. Taylor, Payton, Hayden, Riley, Lance and Gavin were playing something that involved Power rangers, a big horse, dinosaurs, Monster-High dolls, a jungle, and a giant stuffed bear. I can't wait until next time they visit and I can take another picture like this. The kids may be a little bigger and the toys may be different but the smiles and snuggles will be the same.