reminder: all music for the June 18th Albright Knox show is due in my hand by April 1st!

reminder: all music for the June 18th Albright Knox show is due in my hand by April 1st!

workshop weekend June 19th-20th with Sarah Skinner (and more! details to follow!)

Nedra's 40th Birthday bellybash on June 19th!

NEW SCHEDULES AND WORKSHOPS!

to view new locations and offers please visit our website at :

www.wnybda.com

class pass special FOUR passes for only THIRTY dollars! or $8 per class

Our next costuming workshop will be in March 2010- we'll be creating our skirts- 3 patterns will be given in class as well as hands on instruction.
$25 per person (includes DINNER!)

we had a blast beading our bras and learning special fringe and sequin techniques! thank you everyone for attending! we will be doing one workshop every month covering a different costume piece. for more details, please visit our website!

THERE ARE NO CLASSES ON HOLIDAYS OR WHEN KID ARE HOME FOR HOLIDAY BREAKS, dance studios are closed at this time.

a tribute to my grandmother may she always jingle!

Happy birthday Mama Joanna!
into her 70's and she's still shimmying!

Below is a wonderful poem Audrey Hepburn wrote when asked to share her "beauty tips." It was read at her funeral years later.

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness..
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair , let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For poise , walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone..

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

from the mouths of babes....LMAO

so we're all sitting here in "morning mode" (the kids & I)

and Allie started talking about her new tribe "Aminah" and having her own blog and how cool it is that you all are talking to her and blogging (btw- y'all are making her head BIG. she already has it in her head that she will be a BDSS by the time she is 16)

and, well, Leah, my 8 yr old chimes in, "I want a blog!" and I get into mommy mode and start talking to both of them about internet safety, etc etc...

of course I tell Leah, that I don't think it is a great idea for an 8 yr old to have an internet blog with all of the predators out there...

and she brings up a VERY good point...

"Gayla (our Vischla) has her own account..and she is only 4!"

how do you reply to that one?LMAO!

I guess you had to be there....

OY

ok, back to work looking for fluffy puppies and cake for Mandy for todays show!
I I don't think Gayla is gong to cut it..she smells like wet dog and isn't very fluffy..I had to move her downstairs to the office so she doesn't drip on my white carpeting..(yeah, white rugs... great idea with kids and my zoo huh?)(well,they're actually pretty grey now LOL~)

Thank you Tempest, I love you!

lookie lookie!

Tempest took our poster and made it so much nicer!

yay!!!

and ok, this is a better picture of me....you were right, besides, I think everyone is sick of seeing that old pic....
I know I'm bored of it...

I need to take advantage of Sarah's August shoot special while I'm in NYC,

Thank you again your royal gothness!

ah the things we devise in the wee hours of the night....

oh wait, your on Cali time now...
*sigh*
palm trees, mission beach, Macy's on every corner,
smog, traffic jams, expensive living..OK, I don't mind NY so much anymore...

Happy Birthday Miss Leah!

Today my daughter turns eight! I cannot wait for her to come home from her dad's house and celebrate with her!

She has been religiously practicing a choreography her and her sister made up just for Neon's visit..(she ADORES Neon!) I just came home from work last week and the two of them were in the living room with all of my costumes & props dumped on the floor and BLASTING evanessence (I probably spelled that wrong) I came inthrough the garage and was ready to yell atthem to turn the music down until I saw what they were doing...Mandy you have inspired Allison SO much that she is teaching Leah "her" dance! it was SO cute! I went to bed feeling so good that night..
*wipes tear from eye* I'm so proud of my girls...

Valentine's from my daughter

my 7 year old daughter found belly dance valentines just for ME!!!!!

isn't she just the sweetest? I had to take the girls to the rock wall after I saw these...plus my 12 year old got a letter sent home for being on the honor roll again! hooray for my little ones!

having such a wonderful family makes every day worth waking up to joyfully and gratefully! It has been such a beautiful day....

a day with my niblets!

Today has been one exciting day here...I'm SO ready for bed!

the children get extra days off of school this week so we decided it would be a good time to go through their toys/clothes and send them off to Journey's End Refugee Center...

Leah has several toy boxes and shelves (full of things she never uses) that we put into her room and I spent most of the day negotiating with her to get her to get rid of some of the stuff...despite the fact that the new house is huge and they even have their own toy room now, they still have loads of things that just sit there...

It was really a struggle until I changed my game plan and started telling her about the day I spent volunteering at the refugee center with our group (from the Hindu Cultural Society) and letting her know about all of the children who are coming here from refugee camps with no toys of their own, no blankies or stuffed animals to cuddle up to, very little clothing.... after that, Leah was putting almost everything into boxes!

between that and playing referee all day (any one else have more than one kid? lol~) I am SO ready for bed! we are all ready to snuggle up, open a container of belgian dark chocolate ice cream and watch the Harry Potty series... (I'm sure I'll fall asleep b4 it ends! lol~)

tomorrow we will be doing pretty much the same, I have a few more things to move out of the studio before the Glass block people come over to fix the windows though...then I have to pull up the old tile so we can lay the dance floor down...hopefully the girls can keep to the task and finish it so we can deliver this on Saturday before the show...
*whew* I'm tired....

The refugee center helps imiigrants & refugees, many brought in by the U.N. & other organizations as they flee their countries for protection...
the refugees are on a long waiting list before they are even considered entry to the US...they go through rigorous background checks, screenings, health exams and require so much before they can even consider starting their new life here...

If you are interested in making donations or volunteering your time helping with cleaning, organizing, or whatever else is needed for the day..please contact the center...

Journey's End Refugee Services
Mr. Robert Roggie
184 Barton Street
Buffalo NY 14213-0885
716-882-4963