tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62146758463527387532012-02-04T12:37:29.276-05:00To clarify Christian values as they apply to parenting in a contemporary society, in order to strengthen Christian families.Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.comBlogger291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-10411636187182470362011-07-24T10:57:00.002-04:002011-07-24T11:05:13.036-04:00

July 2011: I would like to give an update on the progress of our homeschooling project, both the successes and the shortcomings, after starting last summer. Overall, I must say that the homeschooling experience has been an eye-opener for my wife and me. While homeschooling has been more difficult than we anticipated, it has also offering greater rewards, though the outcomes have not been

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-57172260049162769462011-07-10T22:16:00.003-04:002011-07-10T23:06:41.340-04:00

    I was browsing recorded books when I came across this title, The Teacher Who Couldn't Read, by John Corcoran and Carol C. Carlson. A few days prior, an old friend and new acquaintance on Facebook had posted this priceless piece of doggerel to which I wanted to reply (especially about education), but resisted. In the background, I have been preoccupied with our own children's first year of

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-67925650108759513172010-08-26T20:12:00.002-04:002010-08-26T20:40:20.243-04:00

Money problems have invaded my normally philosophical mind and taken over as of late. It seems like I worry about money all the time. Now, adding a new expense into the mix, we just sent our oldest son off to college. An already tight family budget has shrunk to ridiculous proportions. For me, struggles with money can be especially acute because I grew up in fairly affluent

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-9605692851104484582010-08-10T22:25:00.002-04:002010-08-11T23:00:23.713-04:00

"Did you sign [name omitted] up for the 'Voluntary Drug Testing' program?" she asked. (My child and her child were both entering 7th grade.) The other parent was referring to a program that was new to the public school at the time, "Voluntary Drug Testing." Starting in 7th grade, parents could sign their children up for random urine drug screens and be notified of the results. "No," I

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-36462878456282669292010-06-22T22:54:00.002-04:002010-06-22T22:58:22.082-04:00

Public schools stink! I went to public school and public universities, and it's a miracle I know anything at all. Most of what I know today, I learned on my own or from my family.Lately, I've been wondering: If my own education was independent and family-based, is that typical of most students? I've concluded the answer is yes. Smart, motivated parents tend to have smart, motivated students. I

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-25747652532654382012010-02-12T19:23:00.004-05:002010-02-16T22:45:37.247-05:00

Dear wife has been wanting to home-school for the past several years. I've resisted. Gradually, though, I have started to see the sense in teaching our children ourselves. Over the past thirteen years, we've had both good and bad experiences with schools, public and private. I don't think the schools or the experiences have changed as much as our perception. For me, the tipping point was this

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-90974808575517859912010-01-26T13:35:00.004-05:002010-01-26T14:31:46.430-05:00

"For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, and cast away himself?" Luke 9:25I know it's a bit belated, but Happy New Year! These past few months, especially since Thanksgiving, have been exhausting, stressing, trying, and rewarding. Precisely because of these difficulties, I've found myself praying more often. I've tried to shift my focus only to Jesus, and, as

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-41484406809881694682009-12-17T14:32:00.003-05:002009-12-18T08:40:16.687-05:00

We had company for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful to visit with family and it made my mother very happy. But nonetheless, after they left for home, I was exhausted and definitely tired of cooking. So on Saturday after the Holiday, my husband and I used the excuse of going to Lowe's for paint to stop by Wendy's for a burger. Stopping at Wendy's is actually a treat for us. You see, we have children

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-68082306740235075532009-12-02T22:09:00.004-05:002009-12-17T14:36:59.242-05:00

My desire to post about potty training stems from several posts of a friend on Facebook. My friend was frustrated with her three-year-old boy who liked the idea of big-boy underwear, but didn’t seem to grasp the concept that going to the potty went along with the new BVDs. One of her friends posted something about learning “the ins and outs of potty training,” which started a string of thoughts

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-69683452235430844882009-10-31T16:40:00.003-04:002009-11-01T06:53:12.804-05:00

Every year, I usually approach Halloween with a tiny bit of anxiety. This year is no exception. Most times, I'm racing around town at the last minute looking for vampire teeth, tiaras, and tootsie rolls. I worry if we have enough candy or if I bought too much. I'm usually trying to stuff a hotdog down every one's throat before they race off to collect candy. Most of the time, I'm still sewing

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-27295191658083265742009-10-28T23:04:00.003-04:002009-10-28T23:21:21.421-04:00

The month of October has been designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As such, I've been hearing a lot about breast cancer and finding a cure. I know a few people who are involved in raising awareness through programs like this and this. Even the NFL has gotten in on the action. Breast cancer is an insidious disease. It has touched my own life through family members. Raising awareness and

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-22237351037204832142009-10-25T21:06:00.005-04:002009-10-25T22:18:18.373-04:00

Our 17-year-old son has disclosed something surprising to us, but perhaps common in today’s youth culture. Read on, and let me know what you think.No, he is not a homosexual. But he does seem counter-cultural, particularly in how he approaches teenaged dating. Here’s his dilemma: A number of our son’s teenaged friends have told him lately that, if he just made a commitment, he could have a

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-56805754633228296782009-10-05T22:27:00.005-04:002009-10-05T22:58:18.282-04:00

I realized this week that it has been a month since I’ve blogged. I’ve let the daily intricacies of our life take priority. Since school started, we have had soccer practices and games, Cub Scout meetings, and college visits. It’s taken awhile, but we are slowly falling into a routine. As such, we haven’t really had time to watch a lot of children’s movies. Oh sure, there has been some movie

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-33646269903737657252009-09-03T21:05:00.006-04:002009-09-04T16:00:36.770-04:00

I have no movie review this week. We were so busy trying to get the children ready for school and adjusted to new bed times that we simply did not make family movie night a priority. Instead, I decided to watch some television with my mother. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t mention this, but my mother and I have very different ideas of what makes good television watching. She likes American Idol, I like

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-67063029024554037012009-09-02T12:53:00.003-04:002009-09-02T12:58:01.996-04:00

I haven’t always been a Christian. Though I’ve always had religious inclinations, I never considered myself a Christian until my thirties. Prior to that, I was an atheist who was curious about Eastern religion, Western philosophy, and, occasionally, Christianity. And so, when today I identify myself as a Christian, I do so with recollection that I once identified myself as a non-Christian. It’s

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-32948677336045150762009-08-20T06:33:00.005-04:002009-08-21T08:34:59.152-04:00

Every so often, movie night at our house begins with moans, groans, and sighs. It usually happens when my husband or one of the boys opens the Netflix envelope only to discover a chick flick. This week was especially vocal. The movie wasn't just some sappy love story, but it was actually about weddings. I've had weddings on my mind a lot lately. We celebrated our wedding anniversary this week.

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-62479946885407536522009-08-14T22:39:00.002-04:002009-08-14T22:42:13.753-04:00

    Our 8 year old son is fascinated with giant animals. He especially likes giant animals that lurk underwater. One of his favorite television shows is River Monsters. So when our family movie arrived in the mail last week, I had high hopes. I was sure he'd love it, but I wasn't convinced the younger ones would be interested. I had, after all, committed the ultimate parenting faux pas; I

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-11486985872170420312009-08-09T19:00:00.005-04:002009-08-09T20:59:56.904-04:00

Everything is lawful, but not everything is beneficial. 1 Corinthians 10:23When I was in 4th grade, every Thursday night I used to beg my parents to let me watch "Kung Fu." My father, not an especially strong Christian, nonetheless sensed that there was something hypocritical and corrupting about David Carradine's character on the show. Whether or not his assessment was correct, we had one

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-14010183532246453472009-08-07T01:28:00.003-04:002009-08-07T01:40:45.536-04:00

"For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church." Ephesians 5:23 This weekend it rained, a lot. Sometimes, when it rains, I catch up on chores or read. But this week I decided it would be a good time to watch some of the movies we had from Netflix. We had two that were beginning to collect dust and I wanted to update our queue. One movie was peculiar. When I ordered

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-49052396794370522612009-07-31T09:30:00.002-04:002009-07-31T09:40:06.359-04:00

"     When I was a growing up, nothing really good came out of Russia except Mikhail Baryshnikov. Back then, it was the USSR, but most people called it the Soviet Union. Whatever it was called, Russia evoked fear and dread. Chernobyl, the KGB, War and Peace—these were the subjects of nightmares. But it's different now. There are some really cool things going on in Russia. Maria Sharapova

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-6934090475270999912009-07-26T21:05:00.002-04:002009-07-26T21:16:57.878-04:00

Train a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not part from it. Proverbs 22:6     Children do the strangest things. They put pop tarts in the mail box. They clean the bathroom mirror with shaving cream. They feed the cat the last can of tuna. They use laundry soap in the dishwasher. Parents work hard to teach their children what to do, and no matter what, the

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-59837345844576793872009-07-25T17:29:00.009-04:002009-07-27T18:06:33.119-04:00

Infant Mental Health?As a counselor with a master’s degree in psychology and 15 years experience in the secular mental health arena, I find myself increasingly tongue tied. Over the years, my faith in psychology has waned as my faith in Jesus has waxed. As I am paid to provide secular counseling, I often find myself carefully couching my comments in order to soften the impression of my skepticism

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-81520705917045461062009-07-24T01:30:00.006-04:002009-07-24T08:00:30.793-04:00

I’m going to share a secret with you. I hate movies with “talking” animals. I don’t mean those wonderful little animated films with donkeys and mice. Those I love. The ones I hate have some family pet with a famous celebrity’s voice and attitude. Hollywood, though, has figured out that kids and old people adore these silly motion pictures where the dogs, cats, and gerbils are smarter than NASA

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-10505416091110305422009-07-21T23:27:00.003-04:002009-07-21T23:45:54.161-04:00

When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. (1 Corinthians 13: 11)Spiritual maturity is akin to physical maturity. Parents don’t put their baby down for a nap only to return to find him dressed and ready for college. Instead parents spend countless hours waiting for first smiles, first teeth, and first steps

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-40988281593290214472009-07-15T17:58:00.005-04:002009-07-16T11:16:26.038-04:00

When I decided to write movie reviews for this blog, I knew I wanted to do something different. Personally, I don’t believe that parents care much about what critics think when they are looking for a movie to watch with their children. Most parents I know just want something entertaining, exciting, and engaging without having to worry about inappropriate content. I never want to be guilty of

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-7215850019717439772009-07-12T23:30:00.008-04:002009-07-13T11:12:14.765-04:00

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7) Perhaps one of the hardest and most important things for Christians to learn is how to trust God. This is especially challenging for Christians as they

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-91109241182405284482009-07-10T01:04:00.013-04:002009-07-13T12:56:00.865-04:00

My family loves to watch movies. Yet, I’ve found sorting through the plethora to find something appropriate for children can be quite a challenge. Generally speaking, I’ve discovered that the MPAA ratings are quite helpful but not necessarily reliable, at least for content. I usually don’t allow our young children to watch PG-13 movies, for example, unless we have viewed them first and likewise

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-24471489183256992622009-07-04T17:50:00.000-04:002009-07-06T13:52:51.332-04:00

A few short decades ago, people who wanted to have children got married, and people who did not want to have children did not get married. Today, this is not necessarily the case. According to government statistics, almost 40% of children were born out of wedlock in the U.S. in 2007. It is unclear how many of these were born to Christian mothers, but the number is likely to be significant.

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214675846352738753.post-84919694540735203512009-06-27T16:00:00.000-04:002009-06-27T20:18:15.954-04:00

In the beginning of our marriage, we were invested in the culture. We took advice and suggestions from people in the secular world--doctors, pediatricians, and psychology professors. This had a profound and often negative effect on both us and our children. At that time, though we both believed in God, our faith was more in a generic Higher Power than any specific diety or Christian God. We were

Cindy Willmothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04074715198310800028noreply@blogger.com0