Crazy Week Update

My mom was down visiting for a couple of days so I was held up by that. We had a nice visit. Now it is back to the ol' grind for me.

So what is going on here?

Degree Candidacy...patiently waiting for an email to tell me I can enroll in classes. I have to stay close to my ipad, near internet, and be ready at a moments notice to enroll so I get my classes. It is an unbelievably frustrating process.

I recommend...

1. Allow students to enroll.
2. If they do not pass pre-requisite classes, the system should drop them out of the class.

OR

Allow students to apply for early decision based on GPA and current grades in required classes.

Back to email watching for now...

fin

Welcome to the Jungle!

Introducing my garden.

Yeah, I am aware there is grass and weeds in it. It's all natural. I pull those puppies by hand. It's finals week, hence the weeds. I suspect there will be more later too.


So relax if your garden has weeds, or produced only one tomato all summer, or you let it go a little wild. My house has dirt too. Maybe I'll show you that another day.

Seriously though, your garden should not stress you out. It is a garden, not your career.

Why I Garden


I started gardening because Jordan Ruben told me to in The Maker's Diet. Technically, he said to participate in an activity that exposes you to dirt basically because there is good stuff in it. I listened. I acted. I got nasty dirty. I loved it.

My top reasons to garden:

1. Relieves Stress - Get a little mad, frustrated, or out right furious? Go grab some tools or your bare hands and start yanking those puppies out of your garden. It feels pretty good.

2. Quiet Time - J does not come out to my raised beds. If he does, I put him to work pulling weeds. He does not come back.

3. Teaches You and Your Family About the Earth - There is something special about gardening that puts you in touch with your hippie side. I love bringing my family out to the garden to nibble on the garden while we check on it. One of my greatest joys is feeding my husband fresh veggies from my garden.

4. Teaches You About God - You cannot get much closer to God then basking in the glow of His creation. I like to sit on the bench out there and listen to creation praise Him. "It is good."

fin

Introducing "The Boy"


This is J. He's my boy. He loves God. He loves us. He's an all around good kid. What more could a mom ask for?

Oh...he just got a euro mullet. More on J and the adventures of the euro mullet later.

fin

Update to Format!


I changed the text font. I finally got off my ipad and onto my pc. The blog looked horrible so I changed. Thoughts?

MARRIAGE HACKS

Even though I have only been married for two years, I study couples that have been married a long time. Plus I consider what "should" be commonsense. Let's break it down:

HONOR YOUR SPOUSE

This should be obvious but apparently it is not. I hear women and men say the worst things about their spouse. I also hear them say the worst things to their spouse. Do you expect your spouse to stay with you for 40 years when you talk to them like that?

Practical Tips

Always attach a flattering adjective to husband/wife when talking about them. It creates an atmosphere of honor to work with.

Take one moment to tell them thank you for something...anything...each day.

Consider your life without them.

COMMUNICATION

This is generally listed as the number one reason for divorce. Be proactive. Don't let something like lack of communication kill your marriage.

Practical Tips

Pick up a book on communication. Yes seriously.

Take a few minutes before bed to ask your spouse how their day was. It actually does matter.

And for crying out loud...go on a date!

SEX

Generally included on that little list of reasons for divorce. It's not a chore. It's the person you are supposed to love.

Practical Tip

Get to it...

fin

Finals week is here with a vengeance. I have been trying to squeeze in my studying with my personal life. That is always a fun time! Overall, it is working out well though. It was definitely indimidating coming back to college as a 30 year old (more on being 30 later). I find myself surrounded by 17-20 year olds. I also find it hard to listen to them talk sometimes. I remind myself that it is temporary and there is purpose to this. Here's a little on my future plans: Bachelor's in Accounting then law school. Yes law school. I can hear you cringe as I type that. Yes I actually enjoy legal work. I was a paralegal for 6 years and loved the work. I was tired of my limitations as a paralegal along with being mistaken for a secretary. I do not mind grabbing someone a cup of coffee. I do mind not being given any work to do because someone does not understand the difference between a secretary and a paralegal. /rant I am definitely looking forward to finishing this week and starting classes on Monday for the summer.

Cheers!
(Side note: Figuring out the new blogger so forgive the ugly posts.)

...and Mensch Minds was birthed! 

 The idea behind Mensch Minds is to give me a place to discuss the ever changing journey I travel. Currently, my journey includes college at 30, mom to a public schooled 12 year old that wants to go back to homeschooling, wife to a Tech Sargent in the Air Force Reserves, previous career woman, future law school student, and spirit-filled Christian. I hope you will come along with me on my journey through life.

Some topics you can expect to find here:
 - college life
- family life
- homeschooling
- sustainability
- gardening
- Christian living
- local businesses and events (Oklahoma City area)
- military life
- productivity
- simplicity