The "Fun" Schedule

Wow! This is my 201st post! Just realized that...pretty cool...and before I get into it, I need to thank everyone who responded to my last post with words of encouragement and stories of their own. You were very affirming to me and I appreciate, very much, your feedback.

So, Michael and I have resolved in this new year to be more intentional about the ways in which we spend our evening time (ie. the time after which Ezra is in bed which is usually by 8:30 at the latest.) Our pattern in the past has been one that we picked up while in Germany and it has been as follows:

Get Ezra in bed, Mandi sits in green recliner, Michael lounges on brown couch, watch 2 more episodes of whatever show we've decided to follow on Netflix, go to bed.

There are advantages to this plan. They are as follows:

We are together.
We are relaxing.
We watch some pretty cool shows.

There are also some disadvantages. They are as follows:

We don't talk a whole heck of a lot except when we pause our show to discuss a particular choice made by the director or costume designer or screenwriter.
We aren't doing other things we enjoy doing as well (ie. playing games, writing, singing, painting.) We find ourselves talking about these things we like to do a whole lot during the day but autopilot seems to be "day is done, turn on tv."

So, our new plan is a bit of a compromise. We typically spend at least two hours together, child-free every night. We have decided to take the first hour and pursue another fun past-time and then in the second hour, we get to watch one episode of our current show. For example, last night we played games for the first hour (Michael is becoming a Yahtzee junky) then watched our show. Fun times all around. We've actually found that we had to intentionally schedule in these pursuits. So, here it is:

Monday: Michael/Mandi game night
Tuesday: Michael and Mandi write individually
Wednesday: Michael paints and Mandi may be involved in that somehow...
Thursday: Michael and Mandi free write together (I really enjoy this one...)
Friday: Music night (Michael's been wanting to learn guitar, I've been wanting to better myself on the bass, we also like to sing old hymns together)
Saturday: Family game night

I'm super excited about all of these things! Super excited that I like to spend time with my hubster and that we get to spend time together.

So...I'm writing...'cause that's what I get to do tonight. That's not to say that it won't happen at other times, but it's nice to know that this time is always dedicated to it.

That's what is currently going on in the Hutchins household. But what about Christmas? Yes, we did celebrate it, as is our wont. We were able to spend two weeks traveling and visiting family. We spent week one and the actual Christmas holiday with my family in Three Rivers, Michigan and week two, which included a New Year's Eve celebration, with Michael's family in Wauseon, Ohio. As usual, Ezra was very blessed with a multitude of gifts. Our families are very generous. Every year Michael and I have the same discussion, though, about trying to raise a child who doesn't open a gift and say, "Where are my other presents?" Of course, our child would NEVER say this....(I'm really hoping you sense my sarcasm there...) What is polite at Christmas? We find ourselves trying to squash his sense of expectation. After all, we don't want a child who expects the people who love him to bless him.....hmmm....this is something I've been wrestling with. Christmas, as us Christians celebrate it, is the fulfillment of one of the biggest hopes and expectations of all time -- the birth of our savior! Is it wrong to hope? Even if that hope is in the earthly loved ones that we share our lives with? I know, I know...this sounds like a gross misuse of theology to excuse my son's bad manners...that's not what I'm trying to do...I am, however, trying to examine my own life to see what this means for me and how I relate to God. Do I hope for things from him? Do I think it's wrong to? And, you know, sometimes I think I do feel it's wrong...and that's kind of weird....since I want Ezra to be able to hope for blessings from me...now I'm equating myself with God...danger...warning....anyway....just something I've been thinking about and having a difficult time parsing out here...obviously...

One specific shout-out on the gift-giving front this year: pretty sure my sister, Haley, wins the award for most thoughtful gift given. We draw names in our family and she drew mine. For my gift, she took the time to print out ALL of my blog posts from our year in Germany and put them in individual plastic sheets in a binder for me as a book! I can't remember the last time I cried when I opened a gift...actually...I'm not sure if I've ever cried over a gift before...but...I definitely cried when I opened that. Ever since we got back from Germany, I have said that I would like to do that but, of course, I've never found the time. I love you, Haley! You are the best sister a girl could ask for! She and Hogey (her husband) also gave Ezra a pretty sweet gift this year -- some dress-up clothes which include a handmade (by Hogey's mom) Sherlock Holmes outfit complete with fake pipe and real magnifying glass and a wildlife explorer vest with binoculars and a compass! Just amazing!

In other, less soulish issues, the weather in New Albany, Indiana has been insane! We're talking a high of 60 today! Far be it from us, though, to ignore such eccentric weather patterns. Can't remember the last time I went to the park in January and we went twice this week! Today at the park, I spread out on my back on an unused see-saw and just soaked up the vitamin D. I felt like a cat in the sunny spot. Of course, the forecast calls for snow this weekend but, that's all right. We like snow too.

Continuing with the present, I am working more in this new year than I did in the last. Last year I taught two classes a week at the local YMCAs. This year I will teach 6 and another one at Indiana University Southeast! Four of the classes are straight Zumba classes and the other three are Zumbatomic -- Zumba for kids ages 4 to 12! I recently became certified to teach this format and, so far, I LOVE teaching these classes. The kids are so fun! Thankful for the ease of this extra income. I really could not have a more perfect job as a mostly stay-at-home mom. If Michael is unable to look after Ezra during any of my classes, he can just come with me and go to the Y's child watch. At IUS, he can go to the Children's Center! Also, I'm getting paid to work out! Blessings all 'round.

And my time's up! This has been a bit of a slapdash post...I think it's just been such a long time that I'm a bit giddy (some may say, incoherent) but, according to my schedule, it's time to go watch our show...