No more MIM for him

Nate had his last MIM class yesterday (Saturday). It was the last class of the school term, but more importantly for us, it was his last class for the program. Nate has decided that he is not going to continue pursuing this particular Master's degree. It was a difficult decision for him to reach because he has wanted to get a Master's degree for such a long time, but now that he's gotten a feel for the nature of this program, and with it a better sense of his own strengths/weaknesses and desires, he doesn't feel it's the right program for him.

I'm delighted. While I fully support his desire to get more education, I was also feeling like this program wasn't a good fit for him or for us. It was supposed to be designed for people who work full time -- it was supposed to have a well-paced, manageable course load. Unfortunately it did not live up to the advertisement.

Pile on all the challenges of these last six weeks, and you can see why I would prefer he didn't sign up for another term. Granted, I probably won't get sick THREE TIMES in the next couple of months, so it probably would be a bit more bearable. Still. We like having the man around the house once in awhile, and work and church already take him away from us quite a lot. Maybe this summer, when Nate starts working part time, I will feel differently. For now though.... HOORAY!

While Nate was at class yesterday, I took our daughter to visit his parents. Darling enjoyed reading books, coloring, and chasing after their hoard of chickens. She also got to pick up some of the chicken eggs and look at the baby chicks.

Back on our own farm, we've got some sprouts popping up in the planter's boxes. My bok choy, lettuce, kale, and spinach are all up. The chard, carrots, and onions are still hiding under the dirt. As are the peas that I planted this week. My mom agreed to grow pumpkins for us this year, which will save a LOT of garden space. With all the extra space, I'm thinking I might grow even more corn (it's good chicken food) and maybe more tomatoes (so I can can stuff), and then maybe a bit of newer, experimental plants, like black beans and quinoa

Darling has been helping us out with gardening:

I am nearly recovered from the latest round of illness. Ditto Baby Girl. We both have a bit of a persistent runny nose but are otherwise cured. Err, except for the more sore diapered bottom in the world, poor kid. We've been battling the redness for weeks now, then finally about a week ago her skin just got raw and sore down around her bottom. It has been a horrible week in that regard -- every diaper change means screaming, crying, and getting kicked. I don't blame her (although I do try to dodge the kicks). Hopefully we can see the pediatrician tomorrow, maybe get some stronger medicine. This makes me grateful we haven't had any issues with diaper rash before -- such drama!