Setting up laptop, mixer and synth

Hi,

I need some help in setting up a mixer, I am new to music producing so am not that clued up.

I cant work out if I should connect the synths to the mixer, then out of the mixer into my external sound card to record them, then out of the sound card directly into my monitors...

Or

Out of the synths into the mixer, out of the mixer into the soundcard for recording and then soundcard out back into 2 channels on the mixer for playback, I am not sure if this is even possible? then I guess Master out on the mixer to my monitors.

Could someone advise me please, the mixer wont be here until Wednesday but I want to know what to do before it arrives. Here is the mixer I am buying, its only small, maybe with the mixer specs you will know the best way to connect:

http://www.mackie.com/products/dfx12/

Or maybe some other way I hadnt thought of?

Thanks

i would:
connect synths and soundcard output into the desk, and then take the tape outs on the mixer back into the soundcard for recording
master out of mixer to your moniters

that way you could make use of the fx on the desk for all your sound sources

Ok cheers, seems simple enough.