Spartan Race on NBC Sports 12/7

I know I've written about the Spartan race before, but this event is just way too cool 

and deserves another post. How awesome does this look?

Could you imagine the straight euphoria of crossing this finish line?

From their website:

Spartan Race is on a mission to get you active, healthy, excited about change, and return to our ancient roots where running through woods, getting dirty, and facing adversity was part of everyday life. Our events are all about challenging today’s perception of normal.

Our events challenge the familiar, today’s perception of normal living and getting you out of your comfort zone! At Spartan Race, we do this everyday and it shapes everything we do.

Having experienced many different racing events, we wanted to make adventure racing more accessible to everyone, but do not be fooled by the word ‘accessible’, as our events have a challenge for everyone’s needs.

Spartan Race now introduces a level for everyone beginning with the entry level Spartan Sprint, intermediate level Super Spartan, the advanced Spartan Beast, and the ‘99.9% need not apply’ extreme level Death Race.

Whatever your level, Spartan Race will test your strength, stamina, and sense of humor.

If you're interest has peaked then check it out on tv.
December 7th, NBC Sports will be broadcasting the World Championship Spartan Race. 

Set your DVR right now!

 The awesome Spartan Race crew has provided me with another
free race code for one lucky reader.
This code is good for any 2013-2014 US Spartan Race registration.
Enter on the widget below.
Or, if you're ready right now, click HERE to get 15% off any Spartan Race.
And don't forget that they have teamed up with GovX to provide a discount to
active duty military and first responders!

Do you want it? Are you up for the challenge?

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Do it! Who says you can't?

AROO! ;)

(Did you set your DVR yet?)

The Shutdown From My POV

I've been married to my husband for almost 8 years and we have gotten

the "no paycheck" threat before. It always got figured out before payday

though and didn't really affect us. I just figured the same thing would

happen this time so I wasn't phased much when I heard about it.

Payday came, and we got paid. I paid the bills. We were good.

But then there was more. Closing the commissary? No more FRO?

Even the possibility of our hospital cutting hours? What is going on!

Surely that won't actually happen. But it did.

Word started to spread that our commissary was going to be open Tuesday,

October 1st, to sell perishables and then it would be closing its doors until

the government figures itself out. I immediately knew that I had to face the
madness at the commissary Tuesday morning if I wanted to feed my family.
I knew it was going to be bad. I had NO idea it was going to be this bad.

Soooo here's the real point of me posting this.
We know a lot of people are suffering in different ways because of this.
Some people are completely without pay and still have to work every day.
Yes, there is always someone worse off than you, but I still think you have the
right to voice your frustrations if it is affecting you. Heck, even if it isn't affecting
you and you are frustrated for those who are. I saw a lot of negativity on Facebook
yesterday about people "freaking out" and "you don't have it that bad." No, maybe
we don't have it as bad as others, but we are hurting too.

I am still bothered by those comments today.
Yes, our commissary closed and I was one of those who stocked up with $400 worth
of groceries in my cart. No, I don't think its the end of the world. But I do find it a lot
more affordable to buy groceries for my family of 5 with commissary prices than shopping
at Staters out in town. So my freezer and fridge is packed with enough food to last us
a while. Even though I saved money by doing this at the comm, I still tipped my bagger $20,
not because I can really afford it, but because I know that we'll continue getting a paycheck
while she is at home waiting for the government to make a decision and because I know
others are more greatly affected than I am.

I guess what I'm getting at is, don't bring more negativity into this situation than there
already is. People are scared and emotional and just trying to take care of their families.
Our government just threw a huge wrench into a lot of people's routine lives and its not
exactly easy. Support each other, listen to each other, help each other, just don't be rude.
Don't argue politics, don't make people feel bad or stupid for feeling the way they do, don't
try to one-up anybody else on how much this shutdown hurts you.
It's unnecessary and not going to help anything.

Oh and read this article, its spot on:
 http://www.militaryspouse.com/articles/shutting-up-while-we-shutdown/

I really hope this is all over with soon!!!!!!!!

Spartan Race Gives Back

Huge announcement from the Reebok Spartan Race team!
They have partnered up with GovX to form one of the largest race discount

programs for US Military members and government first responders.

To show their support, they are offering a $30 discount on race registration
for our heroes! To read more about this special offer, click HERE.

Not familiar with the Spartan Race? Take a look at this...


Sooo awesome!

Anyone can sign up for these races!
Register individually, or create a team!


Have you seen these pictures of USMC Cpl Todd Love?

He lost both of his legs and his left arm after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan. He raced a special Spartan Heroes Heat, along with his Team X-T.R.E.M.E, in August 2012.  

  So what do you think? Do you want to get in on this action? Can you push yourself to the limits and conquer things you never thought you could?   The people at Reebok Spartan Race are offering one of my readers a code for free race registration good for any 2013-2014 US Spartan Race!!!   This is your chance! Follow the instructions below to enter. And be sure to spread the word about this heroes discount!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

HUGE Military Family Giveaway & Getaway!!

Let me start off by saying that, as a Marine Wife, it touches

my heart whenever offers like this present themselves to our community.

It takes a very special person to hack a life in the military and its even more

honorable when there are children involved. You can't truly understand unless
you've been there.

My husband was deployed to Iraq while I was pregnant with our first baby. He
missed the entire pregnancy but luckily got home just a few short weeks before
she was born. He was in a nondeployable position when I had our second baby but
was training when I went into labor and I couldn't get a hold of him! He made
it to the hospital just in time. In 2011 I gave birth to our third baby while he was half
a world away. He met her when she was 6 weeks old. This past May we concluded
yet another deployment where my three babies were without their dad for 6 months.

Our story is so "normal" in this lifestyle. There are many other families facing

even greater hardships and trying to survive deployments while raising kids.

If you know a military mom or dad whose spouse is overseas, and you feel that

they are deserving of this amazing opporunity, please follow the directions below

to nominate them!

Thank you, Plush Little Baby, for showing your support to us military families!

http://www.plushlittlebaby.com/plbs-ultimate-military-family-giveaway-getaway/

Life In Twentynine Palms Part I

Living in Twentynine Palms, CA is definitely an experience.

You really have to make an effort to learn about the area in order

to appreciate it and feel ok about making it your home.

I remember moving here and being so curious. I kept asking

people "What do they have there?" and they would say "What

do you mean?" and I would say "What do they HAVE? What is

there to do?" I just pictured a ghost town with tumbleweeds.

The first time I drove in to 29, I pretty much accepted my fate.

"Yep, it's a ghost town and there are tumbleweeds." and I

proceeded to spend almost every day holed up in my house.

It wasn't until I met some friends who had lived here for a while

that I started to see what this town had to offer. Once I started

to discover these hidden gems, I grew to like it.

Here are some things I recommend around here:

Eating Out

There are a few fast-food places here that we're all familiar with.

McDonalds, Jack in the Box, Del Taco, Subway, Quiznos, Burger

King. KFC, all the popular pizza delivery places. On base there is Carls Jr,

Taco Bell and Five Guys. The PX also has a Jamba Juice and Starbucks

as well as a food court with a couple different options.

There is a popular taco shop in town called Santana's. I grew up in

Southern California though and was raised on greasy taco shops. We

really like the food there and they are famous for their California Burrito.

The best part is they have a drive-thru! (This was a hot spot for me

while hubby was deployed!)

For Chinese food I have only tried two local places. Top 100 (they deliver!)

and TK Donuts & Chinese Express which is similar to Panda Express and its

easy to take the kids there for a quick meal. I like the food at both of those

places or I wouldn't be posting about them here!

Some other local restaurants I recommend are the 29 Palms Inn, Palm Kabob,

and Bistro 29. These are tried and true, people! There are still a few places I

need to try around here and I will add them into a Pt 2 post :)

For cold treats we really like Splash and Foster's Freeze. We also occasionally

pick up ice cream at the counter inside Rite-Aid. There is a frozen yogurt

place on base but between me and you, I'm not a huge fan.

For Fun

People like to pretend that there is "nothing to doooo" around here.
It's not San Diego, but there is a lot available if you look around.

One big favorite past-time around here is Joshua Tree National Park.
They are actually offering a free annual pass to military members right now.
I highly recommend taking advantage of this deal! When we first moved
here, we purchased the annual pass for $30. It more than paid for itself by
the amount of times we visited the park. If you don't have a pass, you have
to pay $15 to enter and your pass is only valid for 7 days. Entrance to JTNP
is easily accessible through 29 and its a really beautiful place to visit, hike or picnic.
My kids love to just climb all over the huge boulders and explore the caves.



Watching movies around here is low-cost fun. Being in a real city, going to
the movies can cost an arm and a leg. I can't stand paying that much for a movie!
We have the Sunset Cinema on base which is $2 a person. Yep... TWO dollars!
The concession stand is pretty affordable too! The theater occasionally offers
3D movies and even a free kids movie on Saturdays!

Our other movie option is the Smith's Drive-In off base. I know...cool, right?!
We looove going to the drive-in. Kids 3 and under are free and everyone else
is $5! They also have a concession stand available but accept cash only.

We really enjoy going to the library. There is one on base and out it town. We
tend to go to the one on base more often since its closer but they are both good
libraries! The story times at the base library are so fun and interactive. They also
host free kids craft days all the time, mostly around the holidays. I'm not sure
about story time off base.



During the summer, some of our other favorite activities are going to the pool
or the splash park. Base has a free splash pad which is really fun for younger ones.
There are also multiple pools available for our use. The family pool and the training
tank are free and open to everyone. Lincoln Housing has 3 additional pools available
to base housing residents. Off base there is Luckie Park pool. Swim lessons are
available at both Luckie Park and base pools.



The kids stay active through dance and sports on base and off. Willow Tree Dance
Studio is off base and is very popular for dance lessons toddler-adult. My daughter
was enrolled in ballet through the City of Twentynine Palms. We do most of our
activities through MCCS on base. They always have really fun stuff for kids to sign
up for but spaces fill up FAST so sign up as soon as registration opens to ensure a spot.





One last place I highly recommend for affordable family fun is the bowling alley on
base. My friends and I often take the kids around lunch time and let them bowl while
we chat. They recently changed up their snack bar and I'm a little disappointed with
the changes. It used to be a lot more affordable to feed everyone lunch there. Since
they made the changes, we haven't gone as much, but it is still fun every now and then!
 They do serve pizza and beer so it would make for a good date night too!

~~~~~~~~~~

 These are just some of things available around town. I hope to get out more myself
and discover new places to post about. I will do a part 2 post in the near future.

If you know anyone moving to 29 Palms, please refer them to my post! I wish
I would've had this information before we moved out here!
And if anyone moving here has any questions, feel free to ask!

Couponing My Way

I so wish I was an amazing couponer. I love watching those shows. 

I even know some people who are super good at it and save tons of money.

I don't know why I don't understand it.

I love my coupons, I love my sales, I even hosted a couponing class in my home by
some lady who knows the ins and outs of it all. Nope, still don't get it.

But even though I'm not entirely savvy in it all, I still try to use coupons as much as I can.

My Sources

1) Sunday paper coupons - I actually have my mom save them from her paper every week because she doesn't use them and I'm too cheap to pay for a paper!!! 

2) In Store coupons - the ones you find strategically placed near products every once in a while. At least our commissary does this. I end up ripping quite a few off if I see something good! 

3) Coupons.com - A great source but you have to have a printer.

4) Commissary Rewards Card - It's kind of a process but its worth it some times! I believe this is available at all commys now, so if you haven't gotten one yet, sign up!

My Routine

I shop for our groceries weekly around here. I try to go on Saturdays. I usually spend Friday or early Saturday making my list and going through my coupons. I have a little zipper pencil pouch in my HMB that I keep my clipped coupons in. I go through these, scour coupons.com for anything I might use, and go to the commissary site to see what coupons are available there.

I try to plan my menu around coupons as much as possible. After I plan my meals, I write out my list and I put a star next to anything I have coupons for. It helps me keep track. I usually end up saving $10-$15 a trip, which isn't a lot compared to other people, but its enough to make me feel good! That also translates to $40-$60 a month just by doing a little bit of planning before I go to the store.

Using Your Commissary Rewards Card

The thing about this is, its not your typical store card. I'm not even sure what the "rewards" are other than the coupons you get. Once your card is registered, you load electronic coupons to it online before your shopping trip. When you check out, make sure you hand over your card for them to scan so your coupons are applied. When I shopped yesterday, they had some pretty good offers like $1 off Luvs diapers and $1 off Pur water filter, which were both on my list already!

Here's my receipt from yesterday...

If you have any more good couponing tips, please share! I'm always eager to learn more :)

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Moving To Twentynine Palms

We got sentenced to 29 Palms in 2011.

This is our story...

Ok, it really isn't that bad.

But to be completely honest, when I heard we got orders here,

I flat out told my husband I was not going with him. We were stationed

at Camp Pendleton at the time, we owned our house, I was happy.

The last thing I wanted to do was move to Twentynine Palms.

Although I grew up in Southern California, I had never been to this area.

I mean, its not like people come here for fun.

I heard nothing but horror stories about living here. One girl I knew

at the time had just moved to Pendleton from 29 and when I told her the

news, all she did was shake her head and say "Good luck."

Criminals, desert yetis, sex offenders, no shopping, The Hills Have Eyes...

I don't wanna go!!! Don't make me go!!! 

Obviously my husband wasn't too keen on the idea of me staying put

while he went on to a life in the desert. He tried everything to get his orders

changed but alas, in January 2011, he checked into his unit at MCAGCC 29 Palms.

Yes, I know that acronym by heart now.

I followed him here with very, very, low expectations. My only condition was that

we lived on base. Our wait for a house was around 6 months so we rented a cute little

place out in town. I think we totally lucked out with this. "Cute little places out in town"

are pretty hard to come by, especially when you have to find one before you get here.

The internet is no help. But somehow I found the site www.rent29.com and we moved in

to the Cactus West duplex. The unit came furnished which was a huge plus since TMO still

had all our stuff. The people of Rent 29 were amazingly cool and helpful during the entire

process. They took great care of us and I would highly recommend them!

Our time in the Cactus house was short though, because a couple weeks later,

I found out I was pregnant with our 3rd baby. This bumped us to a 4 bedroom

house on base, which just happened to be readily available! Within another week

or so, we were moved in and I felt safe and secure in my base bubble.
You can see what our house looks like here.

 After a few months here, I came to the realization that it really isn't as bad
as everyone makes it seem. Compared to Pendleton, this base is so laid back!
There is no "rush hour" like there is at CP. Everything you need is close by. If
I needed to, I could walk from my house to the hospital, the commissary, the
CDC, the gas station, Carl's Jr, and the YMCA. I dread driving all the way to
the PX which is probably 2 miles down the road.

I feel like MCCS and Lincoln Military Housing do a great job at keeping us
all entertained with events and freebies. I'm actually very pleased with the amount
of free/low cost fun that is offered here. I will do another post later with specifics.

I'm not gonna sugar coat it though, the city of 29 Palms, outside of base, is not
pretty. The shopping rumors are true. We have to drive 45 minutes to Wal-Mart.
I look at the bright side though, at least we're saving money. There are some pretty
creepy people who live here and crime happens, just like everywhere else. With
basic precautionary measures, you'll be fine. There are a lot of mom and pop stores
and privately owned restaurants. I will also write a post with reviews on those.

Depending on where you come from, Twentynine Palms will take some getting
used to. My advice for anyone moving out here...

1) If you need to find a place to live off base, have a friend, or someone local,
help you out. A lot of what's available is not listed online and those of us who
live here know which areas to avoid.
2) Start working on meeting people before you get here. Your friends will be
your support system. I can't even tell you how much my friends here have done
for me. There are numerous spouse support groups, playgroups and other official
groups like MOPS that you can find online to start getting to know people.
3) Whatever you're expecting of this place, its not that bad. Remember that your
time here is limited and there's nothing you can do but try to make the best of it.
If you come here with that outlook, your time will be much more enjoyable :)

How Veterans are Overcoming Barriers to Employment {guest post}

Please enjoy this guest post and show Emma some love by following her blog!

How Veterans are Overcoming Barriers to Employment

Serving your country can seem like a thankless job if you've been out of the military for months and are having a hard time finding good employment. Take heart, that's not the case. Many people working with wonderful organizations are here to help. I want to see you successfully transition to your dream career and not feel overwhelmed by the process. I want to dispel myths and reinforce truths to help ensure you are prepared and enthusiastic for your job search.

Myth #1: There aren't any civilian jobs that will allow me to do similar work to what I was doing in the military.

Truth: That myth should never enter your thinking. While it's true some jobs require specific training that you might have received in the military, some of your best skills are less tangible. The Veteran Skills Translator function on the VA job website allows you to compare your training directly to civilian skills. Not to mention, employers are looking for workers who are responsible and demonstrate attention to detail. I don't need to tell you that those are skills the military instills!

Myth #2: Asking someone for a referral is time-consuming and annoys them.

Truth: More than likely, people familiar with your great work history will be quite happy to give you a positive reference. If possible, asking in person reinforces the relationship and refreshes the memory. If that's not an option, a personable email or phone call suffices. Services like JIBE, a mobile recruiting company, utilize platforms that allow job candidates to request referrals through sites like LinkedIn and Facebook. The most important part of a referral contact is being professional and engaging.

Myth #3: Because I now have a service-connected disability, no one will want to hire me.

Truth: Multiple programs are out there to assist veterans with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Veterans has specific services geared toward that end and so do most of the states. Supportive rehab programs team with on-the-job training and counseling to optimize veteran's talents and highlight them to potential employers. Companies can receive incentives for hiring disabled vets and often are more than willing to consider them.

Myth #4: Changing careers is basically impossible.

Truth: The modern workplace is evolving so rapidly that multiple career changes are becoming the norm. Jobs that existed 10 years ago may have disappeared while emerging career paths were just ideas. Having transferable skills is a personal trait that will help identify alternative careers you may wish to pursue. If you don't have the particular skills your dream career demands, don't let that deter you. Put together a plan and stay with it until your skill level matches what is being sought.

Emma is a mid 20-something year old with a passion for life, love, fitness, and helping others. She loves to be active and get involved in as many sport and community activities as possible. Emma is currently studying to become a Career & Life Coach, and loves to network with people from around the world! Check out Emma’s blog at http://smileasithappens.blogspot.com/! 

Finding Normal Pt 2

Lets try this again.

Apparently I wasn't ready for "normal" the last time I posted.

I'm hoping for a better, more successful month this time.

I wasn't a complete fail during May though.

I was also preparing for my husband coming home from deployment!
For some reason, that takes a lot of time and energy.

Mostly cleaning.

But yes, my husband is back! After 6 long months, we are a family again.

I did get to complete some of things I listed last time, 

so lets get caught up...

1) Place a Scentsy order before I get kicked out.

2) Drink more water since I've been living off of energy drinks.

3) Start making my smoothies again since I've been eating like crap.

4) Replant some of my plants in my garden since I've been neglecting them.

5) Reseed my front yard so it has a chance to grow before hubby gets home.

6) Finish up my laundry room makeover that I've been majorly slacking on. (almost done!)

7) Plan out the rest of Kayden's school work for this year and purchase next year's curriculum.

 8) Wash and FOLD every single piece of laundry in this house.

9) Get back on my cleaning schedule since it's been screwed up entirely these past few weeks.

10) Start over with TurboFire.

I also plan on getting back to daily posts. I love being part of the
blogging community and I missed it!

I hope I still have some readers! lol

T.O.Y. Box

I am soooo excited to announce this!

I have teamed up with Becca over at iateskinny

and created the T.O.Y. Box project (thinking of you).

The goal is to send care packages to military spouses

in hopes of bringing a smile to their face.

Our husband's always get care packages, we thought

the spouses deserve some love too.

Once a month we will offer sign ups for the following

month. You will be matched with a military spouse

and be responsible for putting together a box for them.

Each month will be themed and there is a $20 limit 

(not including shipping)

If you have a blog, please post about your box 

when you create one or receive one and link back

to mine and Becca's blogs.

Anyone can sign up to send a box.

But please, only military spouses sign up to receive.

Important Notes

1. We are not responsible for anything that occurs after

your match has been made. 

2. Lost or damaged boxes are out of our control and

we recommend adding tracking to your package.

3. If you have been matched with someone but never

receive a box, please let us know so we can contact

the person responsible.

Sign ups are NOW for the month of March!
The theme is SPRING.

Click HERE to sign up to send.

Military spouses click HERE to sign up to receive.

Have fun, be creative and make friends!!

Keys to Surviving Deployment

Almost everyone married to the military will

eventually have to endure the dreaded D word.

I've been married to my husband for almost 7 years.

Wow.

But that also means we've had our fair share of deployments.

Every deployment is different.

Everyone has their own way of handling them.

I've gone through easy deployments 

and I've gone through deployments from you-know-where.

Here is some advice, from one military spouse to

another, on how to make deployment just a tad bit easier.

Make Small Goals

While my husband is gone, I like to make a list of small

tasks or goals that I can complete while he's gone.

Some things I have planned for this deployment are

cleaning up the laundry room,

organizing the garage,

get all of our pictures printed and into photo albums,

get all our home movies organized or onto DVDs,

work on the kid's scrapbooks.

Having goals will keep your mind busy, help the days

go by quicker, and if you plan them right, you'll actually

be productive while your spouse is gone :)

Meal Swapping

I'm not doing it this time, but during our last deployment

I had 2 other ladies participating in a meal swap with me.

We each had designated days of the week and we would cook

and deliver dinner to each other.

I can't tell you how much I loved doing this!

I cooked Tuesdays, but I had dinner made (and delivered)

to me two other days of the week.

It saved me money, we got to try new recipes, it took some

pressure off trying to come up with something for dinner,

and I got to see my friends a few days a week :) 

I was also getting so frustrated trying to cook for just me

and 2 small kids (I was pregnant at the time). Making a full

meal was out of the question because there wasn't enough people

here to eat it all! So this gave me the opportunity to cook an entire

meal and share it with my friends.

I highly recommend finding a couple people to meal swap with

during your next deployment.

Find a Reliable Sitter/Swap Babysitting

This is a MUST if you have kids.

I have the luxury of having both a reliable sitter

and a friend to swap kids with and it is really one

of the biggest things helping me through.

I watch my friend's kids on Tuesday mornings and

she watches mine on Wednesday mornings.

We use that time to run errands, make dr appts, swing by

the commissary, drop a care package off at the post office, etc.

We even told each other that it was ok to use that time 

to go home and lay in bed with a quiet house!

It's REALLY nice to be able to run errands without

dragging the kids along.

Right now I have my sitter coming on Wed evenings to 

watch my two younger kids while my daughter and I go

to her Girl Scout meetings together.

The money for a good sitter is worth it during deployment!!

And keep in mind SitterCity.com offers free membership

to military families!

Write Letters

I started writing letters to my husband during our first

deployment together. I wrote one every single night.

I was pregnant with our first baby and communication

was limited while he was in Iraq so I wrote everything in

a letter so he wouldn't miss a thing.

It kind of became tradition to write him letters while

he was gone.

Its therapeutic. Its nice to be able to "talk" to 

him about my day, share funny stories about the kids,

keep him in the loop. I try to encourage him to stay 

positive. Keep his head up. Make sure he knows that

we are missing him just as much.

Even if you don't write letters to your significant

other, start a journal. Writing is such a great way to

let off steam. Emotions run high during deployments

and you need to find an outlet to help you cope.

"Go to Work"

I put that in quotations because as a mom of three

one of the most difficult adjustments a deployment

brings is taking care of the kids on my own without

another pair of hands to help me.

I have to think of it like a job.

I wake up at 7am on the weekdays no matter what.

If the kids are still asleep then that's just bonus quiet time!

I allow myself one hour to wake up, drink my coffee,

and play on the computer.

At 8am I shut off the computer, get myself ready

for the day, get the kids dressed, then start my chores.

At 9am I start school work with Kayden.

The schedule keeps me sane.

On the weekends, I allow myself to sleep until

the kids get up. Last weekend my son chose 6:30am,

which I thought was completely unfair.

I also use the weekends to veg out in my pjs all

day long. I love my days off.

I just realized I don't get off work until 8:30/9pm 

on most nights. That's a 13-14 hr work day!

Me Time

My mom will be proud of this one.

Please, please, please schedule some me time while

your husband is gone.

You totally deserve it.

At least once a month treat yourself to something nice.

Get a pedi, take a friend out to lunch, get a massage.

My friends and I love getting together after the kids

go to bed. One of us makes a Starbucks run and we hang

out watching trashy TV and laughing over nothing.

Its good for the soul!!!!!

And its a great break from the stress of a deployment.

I know how hard deployments can be. I also know that

everyone copes differently. One thing I ask of you is to 

never put down another spouse because of the way she is

handling a deployment. Offer encouragement, offer to help.

Be a friend to that person and aid her through it.

During my last deployment I had to rely on a lot of people 

to lift my spirits up and keep them there.

This time around is a lot different and I hope I am the one

lifting up those around me.

  www,tiffanymcnutt.com

My Home Tour {pic heavy}

Ok I'm doing this for a few reasons.

1. I like to look back at pictures of places I used to

live and reminisce. I know we won't be here forever

so having pics of our home will be nice in the future.

2. Depending on how long we'll be here, I want to

redecorate all the bedrooms so getting the boring-ness 

out in the wide open will give me more motivation 

to actually do it.

3. Military families moving to 29 Palms can get an idea

of what base housing looks like, at least in my area.

4. It gave me a good reason to clean the entire house.

5. When I'm sad I can come back to this post and 

remember what my house looks like when

its clean.

6. For all you nosy people who want to see how I live.

Welcome to my home!

 

Here's the living room and Kayden's homeschool

space. We used to have a rug and coffee table but

the kids decided that wasn't such a good idea. 

 

To the right is our dining room and kitchen.

That door in our kitchen goes to the laundry room,

which you have unfortunately already seen.

(Laundry room make over is almost complete, stay tuned!)

 

 The hallway to the bedrooms.

One of my favorite features of this house is the hallway door!

Ps. See that giant crack in my wall straight ahead? Thank my

hubby and my dog for that. Wrestling and damaging property!

First we got Bubby's room. And yes, he has 2 closets.

Although I hijacked one for storage.

 

 Next is Kayden's room.

Continue down the hall to the other rooms.

Britton's room.

 

Our room and bathroom.

There it is :)

Our little home.

Besides the summer cricket infestation, I love this house.

I love that we have a one story with four bedrooms.

I love the hallway door.

I love our HUGE back yard which I will post pictures of

another time because that really needs some work right now lol

I love my giant kitchen and surplus of cupboard space.

I just feel so cozy here. I'll be sad when the day comes

that we have to leave!