Body Chart Finished

This Friday morning Maya and I finally got back to her life sized body chart. She colored in all of her internal organs then identified each one and labled them. Now its hanging on the family room wall. Its very impressive. :)

Queen Maya

Maya and Emma were playing dress up here. Queen Maya and pricess Emma where O So Cute!

Math U See

This year I broke down and bought each of the girls a fancy-do math program. All 3 of the girls are very pleased with it. Its called Math U See and I highly recommend it! Here Elanees work was abandoned on the couch....but at least it was done :)

Vayda's Painting

Vayda got inspired to paint one evening recently. I think I was painting too. She made this wonderful painting of the Greatest Name (A symbol of the Baha'i Faith) for Lauretta and family. She did a wonderful job and I am happy to report she was please with her work. Lauretta and her family was thrilled!!! and vowed to hang it up immediately.

Our Family Room

I like this zone too. It is our family room but over the last 2 yrs it has morphed into our school room. This space is mostly about function. There is a school corner (which is rapidly spreading;) with displays of Maya's work and things we reference daily like letter combinations, letters in general, a number chart for her math program...
We keep many of our reference books here too. I aquired these awesome book cases back when Vayda was a baby. Now they hold science books, how tos, history, series of novels etc. We of course have a large world map. Maya has labled it with N,S,E, & W as well as the equator and various countries flags....
We used to have a large craft table in here but that moved to Maya's room and now we have a great little metal topped table for school work. It was broken in pieces at a yard sale when I got it. Got a stool there too. That still needs to be dolled up. I hung another metal table top on the wall for a magnet board. This is where Maya's written work and everyones cards and art work hangs for a mo till I hoe it all out. I found the little school desk on the side of the road in front of another home schooling familie's house. These days Maya's skooter lives here too.

This is where we hang out, some times eat, some times watch movies, have kid parties and make a mess! :)

Bendy Vayda

Vayda says she thinks she doesnt look like a person who can do this.
I have to say she surprised her ol mom!

WOW!!!

Our living room

One time I saw a blog where a lady took pictures of all of her favorite things. Now that I have a great camera (that isnt attached to a cord of all things) I thought I'd do that too.

So- Here is one......My living room. I love it! Its just pretty and peaceful.

This is where I read with coffee in hand with the morning sun shining in on me through the three windows. This is where I love to nap with the pets in the afternoon sun. This is where we celebrate most family holidays.

Most everything is used/ second hand. I did get the furniture new but it was the discounted floor modle. I got the carpet from my friend, Rett. Its old. Got the little green dresser from Rett too. Painted that and fixed it up. The coffee table I found in pieces in the basement of the house when we moved in. Rebuilt that. The big rocker is lovely. Retta gave me that one too. I gave it a new seat. Everyone lands there first.

These are the first shelves I ever hung.

This rocker was my fathers. Its in need of repair now. The blue dress doll I put on lay away back when I was 20. I paid on it for months. Just liked the sad but pretty face so much. After Elanee came along it always reminded me of her. The blonde we found face down in the dust in a corner of the attic here. The print above I got at Kmart years ago. I fell in love with because it made me think of my Vayda when she was that little.

English Wed

On Wednesdays this house is all about English and Foreign Language.

Elanee and Vayda unschool themselvs for english. That means they read what they want when they want. And- They read LOTS! Just tons. Novels, biographies, self help, how tos- you name it. Then they write. Once in a blue mood I assigne a writting assignment but mostly they write using Email and their blogs.

For their languages- Vayda does Spanish because she is trying to keep up with Romulus school district...thinking that she may go back later. Elanee does Farsi. She has hopes of being able to speek and read Farsi (Persian) one day because she plans to visit Haifa Isreal and also would like to be able to read the untranslated writtings of Baha'u'llah (the founder of the Baha'i Faith)
Both of them have an awesome computer game/ program that teaches them their chosen language.
I work directly with Maya Rae. I read to her, she reads to me, she does a spelling program and copy work as well her own dictated writting projects including a dream journal.

On this Wed the 3 were hard at work. Maya decided to practice spelling with her leap from game. I thought they were cute with their faces in a screen and I wasnt particularly needed so I ran around playing with my camera. :)

Maya got a penpal!

Maya Rae is working hard on her reading and writing skills. I posted on a Yahoo group for a penpal for her. About a week later Maya got her very first letter from her new penpal, Hazel, from outside of Nashville. She is a cute little home schooled, Baha'i girl. She wrote a lovely little letter with beautiful penminship. When Maya got the letter she flumped on my bed and got right to reading it.
She composed a letter back to Hazel. She chose to type it. Over a few mornings she learned so much about the key board and basic computer skills. This is great practice in both reading and writing.

Just chillin

Sometimes ya just have to spend a winter day like this!

A little lady

Dont ya just love our little lady ?
LOL
No- I havent outgrown this behavior..... AND- I passed it on to my children. :)

Studying ancient Egypt

Maya Rae is curently studying Ancient Egypt.
As part of her study she mummified her Ken doll along with a bobble head cat. Gotta mummify the cat ya know.
Using a rebuit postage box, tp tubes, and paper mache (Maya learned she didnt like the gooey paper mache;) we built a 3D coffin for the mummies. She painted it gold and I gave it a King Tut face for effect.
Just before placing the mummies in the coffin, Maya mourned the loss of the king.

Bahai Ruhi Books with Tommy.

Recently the kids started a Baha'i study circle using
the Ruhi books. Our friend Tommy, from the Ithaca Baha'i community,
has been kind enough to come out and take the kids through the study.

40 degrees in the middle of January

On this day in January it hit 40 degrees.
I drug the girls out of the house and on a walk back behind our house along the tracks.
Its wierd t see our house from this perspective.
We saw racoon and fox tracks. Maya found many treasures and enjoyed poking around in the water at the edge of the tracks.

Donuts!

On the day we got our new washer we also made home made donuts.
I remember that my grandma used to do this as a regular thing.
This was our fist time. This was a big hit with the kids who got to pick their own toppings.

Now I know why I always like simple sourdough or buttermilk donuts best. They are so yummy.

Jodys Plight

Jody. Poor Jody. This is Jodys winter world.
Thank goodness he has Ben to help. Between the two of them, they cut and split all the wood we need for the entire winter. Thats about 25 cords!

Brand New Washer!!!

Jodys dad and step mom also sent us a nice big check for Xmas.
We took the whole thing to Home Depot and bought a rockin'
front loading washer. A week later it was in the laundry room! Instead of using 55 gallons of water like a normal washer, it used just 12 gallons!!! It uses very little electric and it spins the clothes out at 950 RPMs. The clothes are so clean and they dry so quickly on our clothes wracks.

After a month of use, the kids are sick of me scrounging their rooms looking for clothes to wash. I have always loved doing laundry but I am in heaven now! :)

A New Camera for Xmas!

Woooooo- Peeeee! We had a great Christmas! Grand-daddy and Grandma Rose (that Jodys dad and step mom) gave the big girls and I brand new cameras for Xmas!!!! They are GLORIOUS! Ben got a beutiful watch and Jody got the worlds most powerful flashlight! No joke! Anyway- I am sooooooooooo happy with my new shiney toy! :)

Chritmas Party Beauty

Every year we go to Jody's work holiday party. Its at a lovely home in Ithaca and its always loaded with families and food.

Every year I take a picture of all of the kids dressed up for the party. This year however, Elanee at work so we collected her on the way to the party, Vayda got into the van with one shoe on, wet hair and no make up and Ben dressed and bolted out the door. So- the only one I got to force to pose and smile was this one beauty.

Maya looked so pretty in her velvet dress. Couldnt help but remember Elanee AND Vayda looking just as beautiful in this little dress....

Jingle Bells Jingle Bells...la la la la la

December was such a busy month. Instead of focusing our energy on shopping or making gifts we took advantage of all the great free stuff available. We took and taught classes with the Trumansburg home schoolers, enjoyed two Christmas concerts (one was a Jingle Bells/ Santas coming type and the other was all about praise), we toured the Mormon church in MacDougall, we joined a "Jam Session" at the Baha'i Center in Rochester, Elanee tried out for a play, etc etc.

Above- we spent 4 hrs ringing the Salvation Army bell over a couple of sessions. The first time it was FREEZING!!!!! but there was lots of enthusiastic singing in front of Big Lots. The second time was much less enthusiastic but we had a nice time in front of Peebles.

On Christmas day we did breakfast, as is our tradition, opened some presents, drove to Ithaca and helped to serve and clean up at the Salvation Armys soup kitchen. It was high paced and fun. Then we came home to a half turkey in the roaster and chilled with rented movies.

Made for a great day.