Maestro!

Bennett attended a county-wide elementary school band clinic this weekend. Mark and I were totally amazed. 91 4th grade clarinet players spent there Saturday at the band clinic. They learned new notes, techniques and 3 new songs (check out video for a sample). After that they performed for the parents. To think Bennett couldn't play the clarinet in September of 2009 and now he can do this is just amazing to us! The other part of this is that Bennett doesn't practice his clarinet. Mark and I decided not to harp on him about it, as long as he was keeping up with it in school. Hoping that he would just get an appreciation of the playing and instrument and learning to read music. Just think what he could do if he actually practiced! The greatest part of this whole experience has been that he really likes it! :) It appears next year this will become an after school activity for him (like he doesn't have enough of those!) because the lovely county we live in has cut the elementary band program....but you can read about that a few posts down in my blog :)

How To Train Your Dragon Widget

Now that is a birthday with some meaning!

Remember when your birthday meant something? Double digits, you could drive, you could vote, you could drink, you could rent a car and then all of a sudden all your birthdays mean is you are another year older...well this year we wanted to wish a very Happy Birthday to my mother-in-law, Mark's mom and Bennett's Nana-Marianne. This one is a BIG birthday that leaves the rest of us working schmucks jealous! With this birthday Marianne is retiring! WOO HOO!!! So Happy Birthday and an even happier retirement to you!

K is for Kristi!

Today an old friend of mine, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, is having her surgery. I found a great quote this morning about breast cancer that said: Cancer is a word, not a sentence. I think that says it all. I am sending positive thoughts and love to Kristi and her family today, I hope you will too.

Flag Football Sundays!

Flag football started yesterday in dreary, cold, rainy weather. I am actually home sick today with a sore throat and no energy...most likely because of my parental devotion as I stood outside and rooted on Bennett.

He is on the Colts and the team meets every Sunday for 2 hours. 1/2 practice and 1/2 game. Bennett, is not huge child, but kicked some bootie on defense. He definitely had some Neon Deon moments out there on the field, playing defense, and pulling flags from his opponents like a maniac. Defense? Hmmmm.

Hopefully we have gotten our horrible weather Sunday on the gridiron out of the way!

Welcome to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure:

Welcome to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure:

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STRAIGHT A's AGAIN!!!!

Proud? I think so. Bennett got straight A's and S's on his report AGAIN! He has worked SO hard this year. Those A's represent some serious dedication. Sometimes it is hard for me to believe that Bennett is my child with his dedication to good grades and the results of achieving them! You can guarantee that wasn't the story for me! I guess every once in a while on this parenting roller coaster you get a glimpse into something you have done right :)

GO BENNETT!!!!!

Terabytes joins the Lanier Family

Check out Mark's new baby...I mean RPG game that he is in the process of developing. Launching soon to a computer near you! Check out Terabytes! click here: Game Tag

The good, the bad and the ugly

Let's start with the good! We are all set for our Cape San Blas vacation! Spring Break here we come. We are the proud owners of a skim board and have a kids metal detector on the way...what else could you need for a fun spring break! The house we are staying in is quite unusual. The house is called the barnacle and it is round of all things.

It turns out that we are going to have some good friends in the area during our stay which should add to the fun!

Seafood, sand and drinks with tiny umbrellas!

Ok now on to the bad! We moved to Fulton County because of the great schools. We have definitely had some struggles with our school and there have been many times I have questioned our sanity on keeping Bennett in public school. Most of the time it basically came down to a financial decision that we just couldn't put him in private school. Of course, we always have other concerns such as the affect of uprooting him, etc. Then it seems right when we thought it was as bad as it could ever get we would get a fabulous teacher who would change our year. All this to stay, we have a fantastic teacher this year so we were going to be nervous about next year anyway...So now our lovely county doesn't have enough tax revenue to support all the schools in the county...so the answer is CUT programs (band is officially being cut). Really we are cutting programs in education? It is such the typical American philosophy, they put caps on taxes when times are good...well guess what happens when times are bad?? You don't have enough money. DUH! We all seems to know this except politicians. What school is going to look like next year for Bennett scares me. Cramped classrooms, bare-bones education, teachers right out of college with no experience because they can't afford experienced teachers. It is bleak.

This leads to me the ugly. There is a politician who is running on the platform of getting our part of fulton county (North Fulton) out of Fulton County and into Milton County. This would mean that our tax dollars would go directly into our own community. So what could be ugly about that? This particular politician is a Republican. I try not to be completely closed minded. I don't vote just based on party. BUT with what is going on Washington at the moment. It scares me to death to think that I could cast a vote for a politician based on 1 issue!!! I will tell you that this particular makes such a difference to whether or not Bennett is thriving. I would do it. I guess my democratic brothers and sisters aren't going to win any elections in Fulton county right now talking about raising our taxes by 1 point. So I am stuck with the ugly truth that I may have to do what parenting is all about...sacrifice yourself for the betterment of your child.

Click this link for more info on the history and size of Fulton County: http://fultoncounty.georgia.gov/03/home/0,2230,8307511,00.html;jsessionid=05EE372023C8C353F005ACB4E37E8BCD

11 months? Where has the time gone?

Can it really be 11 months since I have updated our blog. That doesn't seem possible. I have just booked our trip for Spring Break and it appears we are going to have a MUCH better time this year then last. We are heading to CApe San Blas for some R&R. I am looking forward to it more then I could have even imagined before I booked it!

4th grade is cruising by. Bennett just tested for his green belt and karate. Tonight we will be attending the belt ceremony. It is amazing that he started this summer. He has come along way!

When we return from Spring Break it will be standardized testing season (BOOO). We have just received our list of areas we need to work on for the CRCT. So we have a plan in place and poor Bennett will be doing practice tests until after Spring Break. He seems to be a freaking genius who doesn't test well. :)

2010 for the Lanier family is all about getting our act together so I am hoping keep our blog up will be part of that act :)