Philosophy of Education

We have loved our first year of school at home. Jonathan is an incredible student, who likes to constantly keep his teacher and the other pupils on their toes. :) He is so good with reading, math and music. Abigail is amazing with her writing,drawing and reading. Thomas is terrific with his building. Elizabeth is enthusiastic with her smiling and eating. :)

As we are developing our first year of "formal" schooling at home, we find ourselves constantly fine-tuning our direction. Tonight we were writing out our goals and thought we would post them here.

Our goal for our children's education is to help equip them with the skills to do whatever the Lord has for them to accomplish. We want them to be active participants in their world-- no matter how big or small their world may be. We want them have a Christian world view as seen through the lense of Scripture. We want to encourage them to respond to Christ's service by having a heart of service towards others. We want them to have a love for learning and the ability to develop the knowledge or skills in any field. To be logical in their thinking. To be articulate in conversation, on paper, or in public speaking. To enjoy music in private or public. To have the skills to learn a language or even languages.

Birthdays

Well, this is a two-person birthday post.

Yesterday, March 27, was Adria's 17th birthday. When I first met Adria, nine and a half years ago, she was one of Joe's nieces. It was Christmas time and I was meeting all of Joe's family for the first time. We had all met at great-aunt Julia's retirement home to do Christmas music. There was a swirl of brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews...and I fell in love with all of them! Now my niece Adria is a beautiful 17 year-old who is wonderful with children and old people alike. She always knows what to say and has a gift of encouraging others. Adria, I praise God for you and am thankful that you have shared your Uncle Joe with me in such a big way. :)

Today, March 28, is my big brother Chris's birthday. Chris was always one of my best friends when I was growing up and I looked up to everything he did. Chris is one of those people that anything he tries, he can do. I have always been amazed at Chris's memory and talents. I am blessed to call him my brother.

When we were young, Chris was incredible with animals. He used to own many types of pigeons, show and race. He won many awards at shows and enjoyed racing his pigeons for fun. Wounded animals always were attracted to Chris and he nursed many birds back to health as well as a goat or two and was it an opossum?!?

When we were growing up I was always the one that liked to stay inside and read or cook or clean. :) Chris was always busy inventing things, catching things, building things... I remember my mom saying that Chris took the vacuum apart and put it back together when he was three!

Chris liked to go on bike rides with me. We would ride all over Crest, exploring the dirt roads that seemed to go forever. We would ride our bikes down the grade from Crest to Harbison Canyon. We also hiked a lot of the mountains around Crest and Harbison Canyon.

Those were great days of exploring and growing together. Now Chris has his own son, who is an incredible inventor, and a daughter who has one of those unique, always bubbly and genuine personalities. It is precious to see who Chris is as a man and father. May God guide you in this season of your life. Happy 31!!!

Sickness...

I am sitting here with a snuggling and sick Thomas. :( He has been quite sick all night. He had a runny nose on Sunday, a fever off and on yesterday and then last night around 9:00 he started saying, "Mommy, my tummy 'huts' sooo bad." His sleep has been very fitful and he has had many trips to the bathroom... He's such a strong boy and looks like a little cherub in my arms. I sure love being a mom--it is very special to give comfort to my sick Thomas James. Jonathan has a cough and runny nose and has gotten up a few times for drinks. I hope it's the same sickness but the symptoms seem different. Oh! I hear Lizzie, I'll go slip Thomas into bed now...

Fritz and Christy

The other morning I was calling my father and mother in-law. The phone was answered with the question "Is this a Veritas House?" I cautiously answered,"Ummm, I don't know." Tom and Joanne then went on to explain that they were doing a word study on the word "truth" and found that it meant far more then they had ever thought. We typically think of truth as the antonym of a lie. However, it means far more than that. Veritas means the absence of evil.

Fritz and Christy were married 7 years ago today. God has blessed them with one daughter, that lived only one minute before going on to her eternal dwelling, and three strong, healthy, busy boys. Fritz has run his own school, built a timber-frame house, taken numerous trips to Europe as a tour guide, hosted dances, movie nights, and get-togethers that most people cannot even imagine. Christy has been a beautiful help meet to her husband. Christy is an encouraging wife, dedicated mother, gracious hostess, and great friend and sister-in-law. Many people have been challenged and encouraged by this couple's example.

The path that Fritz and Christy have chosen is one that has a deep desire to be a "Veritas House." Thanks for the struggles and victories you have been challenged and blessed with. Happy seventh wedding anniversary!

Eternal Life

Our family has been studying a lot of things that explain, in detail, Christ's completed work for us. These things include learning CEF's wordless book, AWANA verses that have to do with the resurrection and salvation being a free gift, our evening Bible reading we've read through the whole Bible up to Acts and our morning we are reading Jesus' life. We've had lots of discussions about sin and our complete dependence on God for forgiveness.

We had a busy day and Joe was tucking everyone in and asked each child what they would like to say. Abigail said that she thought we should name our next baby Elizagail, Thomas and daddy thought the next baby could be Thomathan (no, there is not a next on the way). When it was Jonathan's turn he sat for a minute and then said "I would like to ask Jesus to wash my sins away." Joe came and got me. Jonathan then prayed the sweetest prayer "Dear Jesus, please forgive me for my sins and make me whiter than snow. Help me go to heaven so I can be with mom and dad. Amen" Daddy then prayed with him. When we were through praying Jonathan said that he felt like his sins had been like straw and Jesus blew it away and put bricks in his life instead.

Our dear son, we definitely need God's "bricks", or grace, in our lives. We daily have a desperate need for a foundation that can be built upon. We praise God for Jonathan's tender heart towards the Lord and pray that he will daily glean from the riches of eternal life in Christ.

"And this is eternal life, that they may know thee

the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent."

Teaching

My husband is an incredible teacher. He is able to make the most interesting and amazing lesson out of the simplest object. He teaches so that you don't just hear the information and then have the capability of getting the right answer on the next test (if the test isn't too far from when you learned the material). Rather, he teaches so that you have mastery of the content.

At dinner tonight Joe was telling us about a writing lesson he has been doing using Memory cards. He will give each student three random Memory cards (with a picture of, say, a bird, a flag, and a caterpillar), he will then give the students two minutes to write a mini-story using those three objects. The kids love it! They write as fast as they can and add wonderful details.

After dinner we were looking at the children's shirts and Jonathan had a race car, Abbie a strawberry and Thomas an anchor. So...here is our kindergartner's story that came from those objects:

The Anchor
by Jonathan Joseph Hinrichs, age 5

Once upon a time there was a ship with a boy named Thomas. A big wave came right over his head. It wasn't a storm, just a big wave. Then he started back to land. When he got to land he hoisted the anchor but he hadn't gone shallow enough so the boat floated away. Then he took a raft back to land and checked into the hotel for one night. The next morning they ate breakfast. They ate: strawberries and pancakes. After breakfast they took a taxi, a race car taxi, home. The end

Egypt

Jonathan went to Egypt with Grammie and Ryan, David and Gannon today. He came home with a pharaoh mask, a pharaoh collar, more of an understanding of hieroglyphics, excitement at having "seen" the pyramids and great memories with his uncles.

I am starting to appreciate people that will take the time to turn their house and yard into a different time and place. Maybe someday we'll have Rome in our living room or Abraham Lincoln over for dinner. :)

Personalities

Each of our children have their own special mold. Now the question is: what do we do with the mold? Jonathan is passionate without many parameters but with the ability to be very focused. Abigail is very social, likes to always be in charge of every situation and learns more through experiences than through words. Thomas is our analytical child who loves to be a clown. Elizabeth is our peaches and cream child, who always wants to be close.

I love to do crafts with my children and watch how differently they each will do the same activity. After I explain what we are doing Jonathan will become extremely focused and carefully work on each little detail, completely absorbed and unaware of anything else that is going on. Abigail will keep the crayons, scissors, glue, etc... beside her, eager to pass them to whoever wants them, get anyone water, pick up anything that is done being used etc... Thomas will take one crayon at a time (received individually from Abbie) and make a straight line of different colors across his page, then make a line of colors beneath it, and so on down the page. At the end of the project Jonathan will have flushed cheeks and a glowing face as he proudly comes out of his world and shows me his craft. Abigail will also be beaming with her finished craft which will be similar to what she saw Jonathan do and she will have most, if not all, of the craft things put back in their piles. Thomas will want his special paper on the board. He will be quite happy because Abigail took care of every need and he was able to get his drawing done in straight, color coordinated lines.

I look at these children and marvel that I am called "mommy" by them. Sometimes their personalities can become irritating or overwhelming to me, but I sure have my own idiosyncrasies that I need their patience with. How wonderful that God has chosen to develop all six of us with each other. There are so many sins and flaws that He is working on in our lives through our six personalities. How marvelous!

Right-ness vs. Righteousness

I am sitting here at the end of a Tuesday, Elizabeth snuggled in my lap, some Rachmaninoff playing in the background. Everything is feeling very settled and cozy.

I started out the day with T-Tapp, my daily exercises. It is such a great way for me to clear my head and get out any stiffness that I have. I then sat on the couch, with Abbie snuggled in my lap, to read Mark. We read about when Jesus healed a withered hand on the Sabbath. The religious leaders were horrified. That was sin in their eyes. Christ told them that good is meant to happen on the Sabbath. The Jewish culture of Jesus' day defined any type of work or any extra exertion as sin. They condemned the Righteous One, a sinner, for the good He had done.

I have been reading a biography on John Newton. When Newton was a sailor it was customary for the sailors to go on shore and take part in the "pleasures" that were available. All men participated. No one thought of what they were doing as sin. No guilt. No need for confession, let alone repentance. There were other "vice sins" that Newton was a slave to prior to his conversion and God miraculously delivered him from them: his cleaned-up speech being on the top of list . But the other "pleasures" he didn't even question. The pure and holy God, whom Newton served, knew otherwise and in His sovernity brought Newton to the realization that the "pleasures" he was so freely partaking in were sin. Then guilt, followed by repentance and confession were able to come. Culturally there was nothing wrong with what Newton was doing. Biblically there was.

These two situations startled me into thinking about what I am doing that seems so "right" and yet it may be the complete opposite of what God's righteousness is. Also, what am I refraining from that I should be wholeheartedly doing. God's ways are not my ways...but He has redeemed me and is conforming me to His image. I must be driven to His fountain of life, to learn what true righteousness is, not what is culturally accepted as right-ness.

With my children young and very impressionable may my actions be filled with God's righteousness.

Family Fun

Being a family is a wonderful thing--this weekend gave strong testimony to that fact. We were given the delight of good conversations, long walks, good books, and yummy meals. The things that make you sit back and thank God for His goodness.

We went to the beach yesterday. It was COLD. So, we built sand castles, then played football, then tag, and finally decided to go on a long walk. It was bliss to be on Joe's arm, Elizabeth nestled into my chest, Thomas in Joe's, Jonathan and Abigail running ahead. We drank in the sea air and enjoyed the sights and sounds around us. The highlight of it all was what our children were doing. As they ran ahead of us they would stop and write in the sand. Dad. Mom. Jon. Abbie (or EibbA), Tom (also, MoT). Jonathan would use a heart instead of the "o" in mom and he would put a smiley face for the "a" in dad. So precious. They also liberally put smiley faces all over the sand. What a delight to be a parent and watch them delight in our delight.

Today we went to Balboa Park with my mom and dad and brothers and sisters. It was so fun to stroll through the hospitality houses with my family and casually enjoy the different cultures around us. The children all climbed a lot of trees in the Park and enjoyed themselves. When Thomas got cold he just nestled into his daddy's arms for comfort and warmth.

These different activities that we did filled me with delight in being a mother, watching my children interact in their world, knowing that they were completely safe and secure with mom and dad close. My Heavenly Father wants me to turn to Him for comfort, strength, wisdom, direction when my day reaches its low points, to delight in Him during my high points. If we, as parents, know how to give good things to our children, how much more our Heavenly Father?

Our entrance into the blogosphere...

We have been given one blessing after another and thought that this would be a fun place to keep a record of the goodness of God and the delight of family.