We’re starting our 9th year of homeschooling! I’m so excited. It just gets better and better.

Many people ask, is that legal?? Yes! It’s legal.

Lots of people homeschool, including here in 29 Palms. Here is a website with some tips about getting started:

CHEA Of CA

If you are considering homeschooling, send me a message! I’d love to help you get started. I recommend being an independent homeschooler. You have much more freedom with this option. You are not obligated to any one curriculum, or even to a certain schedule. You have the freedom to choose curriculum that fits your children’s learning styles. You have the freedom to make your own school schedule.

One of the biggest benefits for us is being able to take off of school when my husband is able to take leave.

The other reason that we love homeschooling is that we are free to talk about God any time we want! We can pray and learn and be a family that worships the Lord 24/7.

Who says there is nothing to do in 29 Palms???

There is a Bingo Night every other month at the Officer’s Club. On the alternating months it’s Bunko. I go to play Bingo. I get some girlfriends to join me and we have a great time.

The cost is $10 for 10 games, plus you get some appetizers. The bar is open next door for your pleasure.

It starts at 7pm but come early! You’ll want to make sure you and your friends get a table together and have enough time to get something to drink and get some food. We arrived at 5:40 last time and there was already a line!

It ends about 9pm. The prizes are things from the exchange usually. Purses, jewelry, perfume sets, sometimes tickets to a fabulous Southern California place.

I got this recipe from Seattle Food Geek. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to try it. It was delicious!! The Recipe was easy to make. I doubled it up to feed all of us and I had just enough left for my lunch the next day. Let me know if you make it!

They’re 7 points each if using 2 point tortillas for those doing Weight Watchers.

Do you have any of their products? I love them! The books and the manipulatives.

We were given this set of My First Animal cards. Leah loves them. Here are some pictures of her loving the box. She’ll play with it for a long time. LOL

Here is the rabbit card. The cards are very strong cardboard. And on each animal there is a “feel” spot. I’ve been working on one animal at a time while she sits on my lap. This morning was cow and then I’d say moooo. She started saying moo too. She loves feeling the cards also. I love having easy items like this that encourage me to encourage learning in my little ones.

I was finally able to take pictures of Ocotillo Housing. I’m not sure what ranks are assigned to the some of the areas – mostly in the officer side. Hopefully though this will help those of you that might be living over there.

Ocotillo is the only housing that officer’s live in. A friend of mine that lives over there says it takes her 7 minutes to get to the commissary. There is a gate there so it’s quick to get out in town. There is also a small MCX there and a lot of playgrounds.

(Thank you to Samantha for taking the pictures while I drove slowly around the neighborhood.)

This first area is on the way to the golf course and the Ocotillo Community Center/pool. It’s a small area for NCO’s. The housing is very similar to some of the housing in Adobe Flats (also for NCO’s). However these streets were wider and just seemed more private and quieter. I talked to a spouse living here and she said they have been so pleased with it and while they wanted Adobe Flats at first they are thrilled that they ended up over here.

The Ocotillo housing office/community center. The pool is in the rear. And behind this area is where the base golf course is.

This is part of the officer housing. A friend whose husband is an O-4 lives in one of these duplexes and someone else I know that is O-5 lives in the single units. I don’t know for sure if that is how it is broken up though.

As you can see some of the duplexes appear smaller than others but I couldn’t tell if it made a difference in area.

The officer housing has backyards that you can fence if you’d like.

The following housing is from a street that I know is E-6 to E-9. There is another longer street that has the same type of housing that I thought was all E-6 to E-9 until I met an O-2 that lived in them also. So I’m not sure about those.

Ocotillo in general seems like a really nice area to live in. We were driving through around 10 in the morning and there were some children at the playgrounds, people out walking, and in general seemed real quiet.

The General’s house is also over here as well as the Command circle..houses.. I didn’t drive down that road.

Hope this helps those of you that will be living in Ocotillo Housing.

At the beginning of February my husband unexpectedly got PCA (permanent change of address) orders to a different unit here on 29 Palms. He was with 1st Tank Battalion previously (since we moved here last May) and is now with 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. Their communications chief was not going to be able to deploy with them and so they sent my husband over to do so for him. No hard feelings, I promise.

Roy loves his new unit..has had nothing but good things to say about it as a whole and about all the guys he’s working with. They left this past week for Iraq and will be gone approximately 7 months. I’ve heard from him a couple times already and he’s doing fine…still adjusting timewise.

In the meantime the kids and I have a full life to lead. School, sports, scouting…all sorts of things.

Another spouse and I have started a Yahoo group for the family members of 3rd LAR.

http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/3rdLAR

I’ll keep you updated on anything important happening with Roy.

When I was sitting outside the Sea Lion and Otter show, one of the sea lions was getting ready to make his appearance. First his trainer was telling him to stay put, and the trainer went back in the building, and the sea lion was looking for him. Then the sea lion noticed me and kept peering at me inquisitively. LOL And then they were off to go make their appearance at the front of the audience.

Samantha and Roy on the Atlantis ride.

A poisonous frog. If you see colorful frogs….I bet they’re poisonous!

If you’re in the military, you can get into Sea World for free! Sea World has been doing this promotion for a long time. Every year I think it will be the last, and every year they just keep on going.

http://www.herosalute.com/

We all had a great time. The shows the animals put on are amazing and fun. The kids loved going through the aquariums and seeing all the different sea life. The little ones were really good, even taking naps in the stroller.

It was hot/cold, hot/cold, all day long.

At the Tidepools

I was outside the stadium of this one – it was the Sea Lion and Otter show. Hilarious show. The baby’s were sleeping so I stayed out with the stroller and them. But I was able to find the rest in the stadium and kept laughing when they were laughing.