Ochoa Family Child Care

Spring Break Day 3 🍎

It’s Benjamin Bear…I’m back and wow, what a day! As we said goodbye to Washington DC and our fantastic chauffeur Mo, we ventured into one of the greatest and busiest cities on earth…New York City after a very long 5 hour bus ride. Fun fact: our favorite Miss Bev who comes to visit from time to time was born in New York and still has a lot of family that lives there.

We started our big city adventure in Columbus Circle for some lunch, then we took a walk through Central Park, it was amazing and so beautiful. No matter which direction you look, you can see the incredible tall buildings that makes New York so iconic. We saw the Plaza Hotel (think Home Alone 2) as we walked down one of the busiest streets in the city, 5th Avenue, home to some of the biggest storefronts for some of the most sought after brands like Louis Vuitton and Coach among many others…definitely the fashion capital of the city. The whole group was given time to explore and do some shopping in this part of town and though that would have been exciting, Miss Kim, Issy and myself took a detour to see Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. It’s truly one of the most breath taking churches we have ever stepped into, this is also the church that Miss Bev, Miss Kim and Issy’s cousin, Donald J Burns, had his funeral service after losing his life in 9/11. What an experience.

After meeting back up with the rest of the group, we walked to our dinner destination…Freedman’s, home of Gayle’s Broadway Rose, a broadway company that has potential broadway stars sing and dance the entire night while serving food throughout the resturant, such a fun and loud experience.

Our final stop of the night was definitely one of our favorite parts of the trip, visiting the Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum! Issy had never been to a wax museum but couldn’t believe how realistic some of the wax figures of some of her favorite celebrities were…it almost felt like they were watching you as you walked the 6 levels of this fun museum. You’ll also notice, this is the last time you’ll see Miss Kim wearing her fancy reading glasses on this trip as they were lost somewhere in the museum (they’re probably a prop now 😂)

What a way to kick off our adventures in The Big Apple. Day 4 is filled with excitement and cool historical stops so be sure to follow along and see what we do next!

Spring Break Day 2

After a good night’s rest, we were up and out the door by 7:00am starting our chilly morning by visiting the Jefferson Memorial. Thomas Jefferson, without him, we wouldn’t have our Declaration of Independence or the freedoms we have today.

Our next stop that morning was one of Miss Kim’s favorite memorials to visit, after all, FDR is her favorite president! Did you know FDR is our longest running termed president of 4 terms (16 years) or that he suffered from polio, was partially blind or that his entire memorial is written in braille? His wife Elenor was a major advocate and activist for women’s rights, education and healthcare for all citizens of our great nation. This memorial is a tribute to them and their accomplishments and is located just a short walk away along the cherry blossomed trees that line the shores to our next stop….the Martin Luther King memorial.

Did you know there’s a rule in Washington DC that states…no statue can be more than 19 feet tall? They also must be made of copper, bronze or marble. This rule was invoked in the 1800’s when the statue was placed a top the capitol building and since then, all statues created have abided by that rule, all except Martin Luther King who stands 36 feet tall. His statue remains unfinished which Issy and I think symbolizes his vision of a unified country and his work being unfinished. This man believed in equal rights for all, no matter the color of your skin, and he is right….we all deserve to be treated equally, we all deserve kindness, we all deserve respect.

After our brisk morning outdoors, we headed to our next location, the Capitol Building. We started by taking the iconic 8th grade trip photo in front of the building, then headed inside for lunch in the visitors center. Fun fact: our capitol has burned down twice in its existence, one of those times was during the Revolutionary War. Our congressional library was once stored in the Capitol and was lost during one of these fires. Thomas Jefferson sold his personal library of over 20,000 books to rebuild the library of which more than 200 of his personal books are still stored at the Library of Congress today (located directly across the street from the Capitol) Another fun fact: the mural painted on the top of the Capitol Building is the size of a NBA basketball court 😳 or that every state submits 2 statues of their choosing to be displayed in Washington DC.

After touring the Capitol, we headed to another fun stop…The Smithsonian. The Smithsonian is an incredible location filled with over 30 different types of museums getting to see things from all parts of history. Miss Kim was hoping to stop in at the Air and Space Museum but all reservations had been booked that day but we still had fun at the American History Museum and the Museum of National History. We saw dinosaur bones from the Jurassic period, massive shark teeth and taxidermy animals. Issy took some beautiful pictures of the infamous Hope Diamond necklace (not pictured yet) while Miss Kim’s phone recharged after taking so many pictures. The Gemstone and Geodes was a fantastic exhibit to explore! We also learned that Issy is not as long as a swordfish 😂

After the Smithsonian, it was time for dinner at a Mexican restaurant that to us just wasn’t the same as the Mexican food we’re used to, still edible but just not our standards. After dinner, we took another cold, evening stroll through the Vietnam and World War II memorials. Did you Miss Kim and Issy have family that have fought (and survived) in both these wars? Once they were done walking through those memorials, we headed to the Lincoln Memorial (Issy’s phone has those pictures) and saw the reflecting pool which reflects the Washington Monument. Did you know that the Washington Monument can be seen from anywhere in Washington DC or that all roads in DC lead back to the Capitol?

So many historical and fun facts we’ve learned about our nations Capitol in just 2 amazing days. Tomorrow we say goodbye to DC and start our 5 hour bus ride into the Big Apple!

Spring Break

What a busy week Miss Kim had! While Mr.Raul helped fix some things up around the house, Miss Kim and Benjamin Bear traveled with Issy and her 8th grade class to Washington DC and New York City. We saw so many incredible monuments to some pretty amazing people throughout our history as a nation. So let’s catch up on all the things we were able to experience.

Day 1

First stop on our tour after a midnight flight from San Diego to Baltimore is Arlington National Cemetery. What a display of headstones honoring men and women who have earned the right to be buried in this mass cemetery dating back to the Civil War, people like JFK and Louis Doubleday as well as soldiers who gave their lives protecting our freedom. We saw the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, did you know there are actually 3 unknowns that this soldier is guarding or that this tomb is never left unprotected? Every hour on the hour, a new guard is changed out. Being a guard for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is one of the highest awards a soldier can earn. We walked through General Lee’s house, which sits upon the top of Arlington overlooking the plantation before heading to our next destination, the Holocaust Museum.

The Holocaust Museum was by far one of the hardest stops on our tour. Learning about this horrific time during World War II history was impactful. How could someone try to wipe out an entire culture of people simply because they didn’t like them is something I will never understand. Let us never forget what was done but let it remind us that we all deserve to exist, to be loved and treated with kindness and respect, even if we don’t always agree with one another.

After the Holocaust Museum, we took a quick stop for lunch before heading to Mount Vernon, the very home and estate of our nations 1st President….Mr. George Washington! Located on the Potomac River, is George and Martha Washington’s home, the same place where he is buried, along with Martha and their children. Issy couldn’t believe how big some of these trees were or that they’ve been on this estate lining the carriage way since 1776. It was crazy to think that back in those days, there was no electricity, indoor plumbing let alone bathrooms, and that the kitchen was located in its own building off the main house…my how modern housing has changed! Our group might have been separated from the rest of our group for a short period of time at this point but I’m happy to report, our navigation skills worked in our advantage and we were able to find everyone before jumping on the bus to head into Alexandria for some dinner. 

Once in Alexandria, we stopped in at a fabulous pizzeria for dinner, did a little window shopping where Issy and her friend Savannah tried on some gorgeous beaded gowns fit for queens, and walked the waters edge. After a long day of walking, we were finally able to check into our hotel for the night and catch up on some much need sleep! Day 2 of our tour was just as busy, stay tuned for our next post!

February ❤️

What a wonderful month we shared together while recognizing and celebrating all the love around us. We learned there are many ways to show and share our love with others and the importance of loving ourselves, even on the hard, tough days when things aren’t going our way.

We had some fairly warm days ☀️(80°+) which we absolutely enjoyed and made the most of our time outdoors. It’s exciting to see all these littles pairing up and causing mischief with each other and creating their first friendships, it truly warms my heart!

On our colder and rainier days we had this month, as our local mountains finally recieved snow, we worked hard building some elaborate forts with the couch cushions, reading some love-ly books and making fun crafts to express our creative sides. Play dough was a big hit this month, it’s always fun using rolling pins and colorful feathers. From color sorting, scooping hearts, matching letters and working together to finish floor puzzles, we strive to keep these little minds curious and wanting to explore more!

We had some very special “big kids” come and play for a day during their break from school. It’s always a special day when they come to visit. I truly love that these kids still want to come and hang out with me for a day so we can catch up on all the exciting events that are happening in their lives ❤️ I cherish these days.

As we wrap up this month, March is sure to bring some new adventures and we can’t wait!

January ❄️

It seems like this month went by so quickly and perhaps it was because of the wonderful California weather we had allowing us to spend so much time outdoors instead of cooped up, perhaps it was all the new faces we welcomed into our daycare family this month, and the sweet family we said goodbye to as they venture on to their new preschool!

As Miss Kim continues to recover from her second surgery in 4 months, we were so excited to have Miss Jayden be able to start helping us out every week. The kids have really enjoyed having her come to play with them and I know how much I appreciate all she does for these littles and helping make sure our day runs smoothly.

We had a blast playing with our light up and picaso pads that were gifted to our daycare this winter, we spent countless hours making the best forts, working together on puzzles, creating awesome buildings with blocks, and so much play dough. Outside in the warm sunshine, we enjoyed lunch on the patio with our friends, designed the best walking path with chalk, practiced our airplane style swinging on the swings, we even had the opportunity to pick fresh oranges from our tree which our friends enjoyed throughout the month.

January sure went by faster than anticipated but hopefully we’ll get to enjoy some slower days in February with all the fun we have planned for our little explorers!

We’re getting our gears moving this week with some early engineering! We took simple pieces and figured out how to connect them so that they all move together. We found out that if you remove 1 single piece, their creations wouldn’t move cohesively.

Hi everyone! 👋
It’s Miss Kim from Ochoa Family Child Care!
We currently have 4 full-time openings for children ages 0–4, plus 2 additional openings for ages 2–4, available immediately.
Part-time spots are also available.
✨ About our daycare & program:
• Located in Temecula near the Duck Pond
• Large, licensed in-home daycare
• License #334845519
• Monday–Friday | 7:00am–5:30pm
• Breakfast, lunch & afternoon snack provided
• Preschool curriculum included
• Play-based, nurturing environment
• Subsidy programs accepted (GAIN, RCOE, MCCYN)
Spots—especially infant (0–2) openings—fill quickly, so don’t wait!
📞 Call or text 909-786-6010 to schedule a tour.
📘 Be sure to check out our page, Ochoa Family Child Care, to see how we spend our days!
We’d love to meet your family 💛

Temecula Child Care | Ochoa Family Child Care Discover Ochoa Family Child Care in Temecula, CA. Licensed in-home daycare offering a nurturing environment, and flexible enrollment for children 1-5 years old. Schedule a tour today!

Hi everyone! 👋
It’s Miss Kim from Ochoa Family Child Care!
We currently have 4 full-time openings for children ages 0–4, plus 2 additional openings for ages 2–4, available immediately.
Part-time spots are also available.
✨ About our daycare & program:
• Located in Temecula near the Duck Pond
• Large, licensed in-home daycare
• License #334845519
• Monday–Friday | 7:00am–5:30pm
• Breakfast, lunch & afternoon snack provided
• Preschool curriculum included
• Play-based, nurturing environment
• Subsidy programs accepted (GAIN, RCOE, MCCYN)
Spots—especially infant (0–2) openings—fill quickly, so don’t wait!
📞 Call or text 909-786-6010 to schedule a tour.
📘 Be sure to check out our page, Ochoa Family Child Care, to see how we spend our days!
We’d love to meet your family 💛

Temecula Child Care | Ochoa Family Child Care Discover Ochoa Family Child Care in Temecula, CA. Licensed in-home daycare offering a nurturing environment, and flexible enrollment for children 1-5 years old. Schedule a tour today!