Okay, so I have been getting "junk" from friends because I haven't blogged in, oh, FOREVER, so I thought I would sit down and get some things posted. What have I been doing lately? What haven't I been doing!?! I have been living life, and not typing about it, so here we go.
Quilts, flu, car troubles, new van, no savings, babysitting, not baby sitting, girls retreat, birthday,talk like a pirate day, school started, kindergarten, HCG, Micheal's one, planning Disneyland vacation, ward volleyball, family drama, neighborhood drama, card workshop, Lego, Halloween, applesauce, Star Wars Concert, speeding ticket (not me), ksl, leaking shower, stupid eyes, dentist, Saturday Sampler, Nephews wedding, Cub Scouts, crazy kits, busy husband, great life!

I think that just about wraps it up. Let me know if you have any further questions.


Card Workshop


Happy Halloween!
Natalie's quilt (My Favorite to date!)
Baby Matthew's quilt
Star Wars Concert
sick baby
applesauce
garden
Michelle's quilt
Birthday and Talk like a Pirate day!
Girl's retreat
Teresa's quilt
Brit's quilt
Steve and Kristen's quilt


FIrst day of Kindergarten

Happy 4th of July!

Life is busy, but I made time to do this!

And Michael made time to do this!
There, I posted!

Hello again!!!

Wow, what a slacker I have been. I have been so busy living my life that I have not taken the time to write about it. I have continued to do my weekly update, but haven't posted them here.
It has been a busy, crazy few months and it doesn't look like it is slowing down anytime soon. I have a brother-in-law and nephew getting married a day and 2 states apart. I have my first niece having a baby. I have showers to give and quilts to make. I continue to do coupons and shop more now than I have in years. I am loving being a mom and keeping my family on their toes. Connor is 11, Nate will be 8 next week, Monkey follows two weeks later by turning 1 and Matt will be 5 in July. Time is just going so fast that I need to make the most of every moment I have with my family.
I tend to do more posts on my other blog, but that is mostly just our financial life. So if you want to know what the Benich's are up to...your best bet is to give me a call!

Some things I’ve learned

Though I do not proclaim to be the prefect parent, (my kids, and husband AND neighbors for that matter can attest to that) I have learned a few things in my short life that have helped me along the way. (Especially in the last few months) Here are a few things I’ve learned.

Kids need limits! Kids will push and push and if you do not have concrete limits, they will continue to push until they have gone too far. Rules are a must and there must be consequence to breaking them.

Kids need structure! I started a new chore chart that my kids know they have to complete before they can play. It includes homework, piano practice, emptying recycle, etc. My oldest has done great with this and he knows just what is expected of him. It takes the nagging out of the day and all I have to do is ask to see, or ask if he has done his chart.

Kids need to feel important and empowered! Kids need choices. Kids need rewards. They don’t have to be monetary or extravagant. My oldest had a really good week, so as a reward, he got to say up and watch a movie with his parents. He earned that right and he felt special.

Kids need love, even 10 year old boys! I learned that I need to find out how my kids need to be loved and what ways to do it. Everyone feels love differently. Time is a big one. Being interested in the things they are doing. (Even if it is not interesting to me at all.)

Kids need to learn the value of money! My kids can earn as much of as little as they want each month. We don’t give them “allowance”, they earn “Income”. Their chore charts are called time cards and they are responsible for marking it when they do the job. If they don’t mark it, they won’t get paid for it. I am also trying to teach them responsibility, and returning and reporting. Each chore has a value. (Younger kids .05, older .10 per chore) They can also get points taken away for fighting, dishonesty, etc.

Kids need to learn the pride and joy of a job well done! This is where the reward comes in. It could be time with parents, it could be a special plate at dinner, and it could just be a “Good Job Honey, I Love You!” My kids also see it in their paycheck at the end of the month.

Kids need to learn the value of work! We are trying to teach our kids more about service. We are trying to teach them that sometimes you do things because you love someone and they could benefit from you services.

Kids need a controlled environment! Controlled, NOT controlling. If you home is chaotic, and clutter, that will reflect in their attitude and behavior. Mine too! When my kids are out of control, if they are fighting too much, that constitutes for a “No Media Week”. They don’t have TV, computer or video games for a week. They aren’t happy for the first few days, but by the end, they found their toys and even enjoy playing together again. I have also said no friends until they can treat each other with respect and kindness.

Kids need nutritious, balance diets! My kids are not allowed to not eat something just because they don’t think they like it. They are also not required to “be a member of the clean the plate club” as I was. I have had to deal with varying degrees of food allergies with my kids and they are all creatures of habit. One of my kids in particular view eating more as a chore that a pleasure. He would rather starve than find something to eat. He will also eat the same thing everyday if I let him. (He is so me) I have had to really step back and look at their diets and see where we could improve. Malnutrition can be the cause of moodiness, slow growth and even depression.

As I said, these are some things that I have learned. I am not always the best at it. My kitchen in chaos and looks like it blew up because I am going through cook books, I watch more TV than I should and eat junk for snacks, but I am working each day to be a better mom for my kids and wife for my husband.

Check it out!

I decided to hold myself accountable to you all. Don't let me down!

http://bennyonabudget.blogspot.com/

Benich Family Update 1-12-09

John – John is getting back on his healthy lifestyle routine. We took a bit of a break during the holidays and now it’s back to reality. John is started to notice the effects of poor eating. We were playing a game as a family and he was just not himself. Later I brought it up and he said he had just eaten a bunch of junk and didn’t like the way he felt. John did spend a lot of time helping the kids with their pinewood derby cars. He and Matthew are “sharing” one, but I really don’t think Matthew has much say in the matter. John is just a little kid when it comes to stuff like that, and I think it is great he can share these experiences with his kids.

Jamie – Well, it was fun while it lasted. I have been kicked out of the food group. Not really, it was a mutual agreement. They were having a hard time cooking without dairy and I was spending too much extra time and money bringing replacements for cheeses. I did tell them I wouldn’t leave without their recipes and we are finishing the month out so they can find someone new and I can get a few more recipes. It was so much fun to try other peoples cooking, but it sure was different from the way we normally eat. John said I need to be put on the injured reserve list. We had another great family night. The Lesson was on a thought I had found, “The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they have.” John and I went on a dinner date to Friday’s and it cost a whole $3. We shared a meal and appetizer that totaled $12.50, we had a GC, and only paid for the tip! My parents came out and watched the kids after my Mom and I went to some quilt shops. So our date was made possible by both our parents, thanks!

Connor – Scouts started back up and Connor was thrilled. He has spent a lot of time playing DS and any other type of media that I will let him play for his daily 30 minutes when his work is done. It snowed a ton the last few weeks and Connor was so good to go right out and shovel the snow whenever I asked him to. He is getting better with Michael and I spent some time with him this week trying to help him understand the important responsibility of being the older brother.

Nathan – Nate has his first loss tooth! It is very exciting for him and me. There is not a tooth already growing in behind like Connor’s, so he just might get to lose it on his own! Nathan asked to watch “Pirates 2” with John for his special day on Saturday. John fell asleep, but I stayed up with Nathan until the movie ended at midnight. I told him I would take a nap with him the next day and he was thrilled. We went to a special luncheon with Nate yesterday at the club house for all the kids turning 8 in the ward. It talked about the different programs and Nathan is so excited for scouts. In fact, the Pinewood Derby is coming up at the end of the month and Nathan has been working on his car for the past week. He is going to be amazing at scouts, we can’t wait.

Matthew – Matt is back in our room. He has been throwing up in the night again for the past two nights. It sure has changed his moods. He is a bit more pleasant. I was lying in bed with Matthew last week and he told me he liked me more than dad. I know that you shouldn’t want your kids to like one parent better than the other, but it was nice to hear that he still likes me, even when I feel like I am always the mean one.
“Michael, you are the best baby I ever meted” – Matthew 1-6-09

Michael – We have hit another milestone. Michael is pretty much done nursing, and apparently, so am I. I have been starving the poor kid and that is why he has been up so much in the night. He is done taking his medicine for the ear infections and last night slept from 11pm to 4:30pm. Not bad. I think a have a harder time letting go of nursing than he does. I hate paying for formula, and I really get to enjoy that one on one time that we have. We invited some new neighbors to dinner Thursday and she asked if and what kind of formula I feed Michael. She just happen to have about 2 cases of the exact kind we us and was trying to find someone to give it to. That was such a blessing and will save us so much money. We feed them one meal, but they will feed Michael more meals than I could count. What a trade off, and they are a great family.

More things I've made

My cute friend Anita reminded me that I had not posted some of my latest projects. Here you go. Michael's stocking, table runner and quilt!