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The Homeschool How To
I don't claim to know anything about homeschooling, so I set out on a journey to ask the people who do! Join me as I chat with homeschoolers to discuss; "why are people homeschooling," "what are all the ways people are using to homeschool today," and ultimately, "should I homeschool my kids?"
The Homeschool How To
#184: How Teaching Public & Private School Led Her to Homeschool
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Her son was all set to graduate from her homeschool and become a master mechanic — and then he enlisted in the Marines a month before he turned 18.
Christina Franco from Rooted Home Life joins Cheryl this week. She's a former public and private school teacher turned homeschool mom of five, and she gets real about the moment she realized it wasn't public school she had a problem with — it was school itself. They talk about her oldest son's surprise decision to join the Marines, the "mother's intuition" story from speaker Amber O'Neill Johnston that changed how Christina parents, why she doesn't believe in college for college's sake, and how family-style unit studies shape her very relaxed homeschool days.
You'll hear about:
- How a public school teacher ended up distrusting the entire system, not just one school
- The real story behind her son enlisting in the Marines right after graduating homeschool
- How being a blended family can affect homeschooling
- A mother's intuition story about a medical procedure gone wrong
- Why she doesn't believe in going to college "for the experience"
- How family-style unit studies work across five kids at different ages
- Her honest answer on putting her kids' faces online
Connect with Christina:
Ready to homeschool but wondering where to start?
📘 Grab my book, So You Want to Homeschool? Everything You Need to Know Before You Start
🎓 Need a step-by-step plan? Check out Cheryl's mini-course, How to Work and Homeschool
📚 Still wondering, "What do I actually teach?" My guide walks you through exactly what homeschool families focus on by age and subject.
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Why Homeschooling Starts Suddenly
SPEAKER_00I didn't plan to homeschool. I started asking hard questions, realized how little control parents actually have, and made the hard decision to leave a government job to homeschool my kids. Now I interview other homeschooling parents to learn how this all works. I'm Cheryl, and this is the Homeschool How-To podcast. Let's learn this together. Today's guest was a public school teacher. I don't know if you guys are starting to notice a pattern here. And then she was a private school teacher after that before she realized that it wasn't either school that was the problem, it was school itself. Her oldest son, who was old set to graduate and be a master mechanic, told her a month before he turned 18 that he was enlisting in the Marines. And then she shares a story from a speaker named Amber O'Neill Johnson about trusting your mother's intuition that will genuinely give you chills. If you've ever wondered how to teach multiple ages at different stages without losing your mind, Christina walks us through family style unit studies, which pairs perfectly with my guide, What do I actually teach? If you want a grade-by-grade starting point, the link is in the show's description. Alright, let's meet
Meeting Christina From Rooted Home Life
SPEAKER_00Christina. Welcome, and with us today, I have Christina from Rooted Home Life. Christina, so cool to see you again. How are you? Yes, I'm so good and so excited to chat. Yeah, you're right here in my neck of the woods, and I met you at Fort William Henry last year on their homeschool day.
SPEAKER_01I know, that was so cool. I kept looking at you like, I know her, I know her. I'm like, no, I don't actually know her. I know her from Instagram, but I'm going to say hi to her anyway.
SPEAKER_00I'm so glad you did, and I don't know why we haven't m met up locally and done Tuttle Twins commercials, because we really probably should. Yes, we really should. So we're both Tuttle Twins groupies here, and uh I love I love the work that you do on Instagram, but you've been homeschooling a much longer time than that, which is what we're here to talk about today. But I do want to get into the content creation because I think that does play a bit of a role and I have questions for you. So why don't we start out by how many kids do you have?
SPEAKER_01I have five. So my youngest is six, and then I have a seven, eleven, fifteen, and eighteen-year-old.
SPEAKER_00And your 18-year-old just went into the Marines, correct?
SPEAKER_01Yes,
The Surprise Decision To Enlist
SPEAKER_01he just graduated from Marine Corps basic training a few weeks ago.
SPEAKER_00How do you graduate a child from homeschool who trusts the government enough to want to go like be part of them? No, I I I we I we are so thankful for his service. But as homeschoolers, we're pretty sketchy of the government and their decisions. How is that going over with you guys?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean, it's a wild ride for sure. I didn't necessarily see it coming. He had a total different plan in place that involved him being five minutes down the road, um, learning under a master mechanic to become a master mechanic. That's how he spent a lot of his senior year was just teaching himself mechanics. And so it all made sense. And I actually, I mean, the joke's on me because I was actually really thankful he wasn't going to college. I was like, smart choice, no need, skip the debt. You're not looking to go into a career that requires it, and I'm happy that you're gonna be sticking around. Um, so he just had to be 18 in order to step into that role, just for insurance purposes, I guess, in the garage. And a month before he turned 18, he told me he was going to enlist in the Marine Corps and he wanted to serve his country.
SPEAKER_00Where did he get this?
SPEAKER_01So, according to him, he always wanted to be in the military. But I'm like, Mom, he's like, mom, I was always like, I'm like, yes, but you also wanted to be like Buzz Lightyear and Spider-Man and a police officer and like all these other things too. Like that was like pretend play. You were playing. I didn't know that we were for real about any of those, you know. But when I actually think about it and I actually reflect on it, there's a lot of things in common with those, right? It's like being the hero. So I guess what he's saying is true. Yeah, so many interesting thoughts about my oldest, and just I could go on a whole tangent about how I was like so did not, it's really funny now because now my views are so different. I don't know if we need to launch into guns right now in the beginning of this conversation, but back then I was like just not into the gun thing. I was like 22 when I had him, and I was like, he's not, I'm not doing the whole like he's gotta just be violent and fight and boys and guns and all that stuff, right? And he would bite his peanut butter sandwiches into guns, and he would use hangers and pretend they're guns, and like everything was a gun. And I'm like, okay, so this is not like taught. This is like innate for some people, right? Like for some guys, or maybe all guys, I don't know. But anyway, yeah, eventually I had to give up, and it makes sense that he wants to have a gun, I guess.
SPEAKER_00Put plainly. Have you guys ever done like shooting practice and stuff? Like, was that a thing?
SPEAKER_01Well, he ha I mean he has like hunting rifles, yeah. Obviously. And I mean he did airsoft and paintball, and like everything was always about the guns. And it's funny because he's like a pretty chill guy. He's not like a super, like you wouldn't see him as an aggressive kid if you were around him. He's just like he's more chill. He's very analytical, very logical. But yeah, there's like that side of him that he would just spend hours building like functional Lego guns that could like spit out the the shell, I guess. I don't know much about guns like he does, but yeah, hours upon hours of guns. Really?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, really wow. I mean, are I'm the same way you were, like I never would have had a gun before, but now my views are very different on things, and I'm like, man, people fought for our rights for this. We better yeah, we need to get our uh hands on every gun we can and you know have them safely locked away in our home. But I need to learn better how to use them. I have a couple, but like they're there, and I'm like, one day I'll learn how to use them. We even have a shooting range in our yard that our husband that my husband like built, but like we don't really get out there to use it often, and then when he tries to tell me how to use it, I'm like, I don't need your help. I got it.
SPEAKER_01Well, I have a funny side note since we're just already on a gun tangent. When he was home from his Marine Corps training, he got like a little leave to come home before his next phase of training, and he was in the backyard with my youngest son shooting the BB gun that he had got. His older brother, my oldest, had gotten him for Christmas before he left. And I said, You know what's really funny? We had a neighbor behind, like to diagonal to us, that came to the door one day angrily, I'll never forget it, like what probably like eight years ago, with a handful of biodegradable BBs, and was like, Are these yours? Like angrily, and I said, Wouldn't it be funny if you went over there like in your full dress blues and said, like, hey, that was me.
SPEAKER_00I put out a good new. I was just practicing, and I will be protecting you. The irony. Yeah, no, it and it to anyone that doesn't know anything about guns, it sounds like oh my god, what a only a crazy person would want to but when you know about them just like anything else, like homeschooling, you know? Like only crazy people do that. But like when you learn the intricacies of them, and like my husband could tell you like this gonna kind of do this and that gonna can do that, and oh yeah, well, you can buy it, but only this part is legal in this state, and if we take this off and change this out to make it louder, yeah, lighter, or whatever, now it's not legal, and now you can drive in a car with it, and blah blah blah. I'm like, it's a science, there's a science to it, and they love that part. So it's no, it's not just like crazy people like it's normal. So yeah, I can't imagine what you've gone through in the last year with you know, the child that you've homeschooled, you have a plan set, and then like ripping the rug out from under you. But I guess part of homeschooling is like this is like child-led learning, is you let the child learn how they want to learn, and this was Obviously. Now that he's done with the like boot camp, is he happy that he he took this journey?
SPEAKER_01He is. I mean, he's very excited about it. At the same time, he has a wonderful girlfriend, so I think he struggled coming home, seeing her, getting to be with her, and then having to leave again. I do think he was pretty sad. He would probably be irritated that I shared that. But he was I think he was pretty sad, but he was really excited to, you know, start the next phase and just keep progressing. Do you know where he'll be going next? Yes, he's um he's going to be air crew, so he has to go to an airbase next.
SPEAKER_00Okay, but hopefully, like do you know if he'll be on in our country? Will he be a he will at least for a year? So that much I know. And is it a two-year stint?
SPEAKER_01No, it's four or five. I want to say it's five for air crew because there's a year of training for it's the longest train. So some of the guys that he went to boot camp with, their training's like, I don't know, like nine weeks or something, and then they're done with their training. But his is a year. Wow.
SPEAKER_00So his poor girlfriend, like that's what five years. I mean I know. All right, I'm gonna have to follow up on that.
Leaving Public And Private School Behind
SPEAKER_00So okay, your next children, like are how how it what made you decide to homeschool in the first place? Have you been doing it since the beginning?
SPEAKER_01No, so there are a variety of factors, are obvious, and then some are like a little bit more personal. So I was a teacher. I was teaching 10th grade English at a local high school, and my oldest two kids were in public school. I was public schooled. I always wanted to be a teacher like that. When I was a little kid and I was pretend playing, it was always I was a teacher. Like all my stuffed animals were getting worksheets and they were getting taught stuff, you know? So yeah, I was teaching and I loved it until I didn't, until I started to like I loved the part of like I love teens. I just think they're brilliant and they're just like an untapped resource. Like, I just feel like it's such a special age group, and it's also the time of my life that I really became lost and slipped through the crack. So I have like a real soft spot for teens. And so I loved that part of it. Like, I just I loved teaching, I loved having conversations with them. I just I loved all of it because I didn't love the system part of it. I just started to see like just so many things that didn't sit right with me. And at the same time, things were happening with my kids, more my oldest, in his school with different teachers and things like that that I was just not okay with, not comfortable with, and I just became just more and more discontent with the setup that we had going on. And I even just started to think like just basic logic, like, why am I teaching other people's kids? Or somebody else is teaching my kids? Why am I not just teaching my kids? Like it was just kind of like A plus B equals C kind of thing. It just like wasn't making sense to me. Yeah, and I just I didn't see it as a possibility though. Like I had I was paid, I was in one of the highest paying districts in the area. I had just gotten tenure, which is crazy people stuff. Like you don't get a job in a district like that and get tenure and get a secured, basically like you're gonna retire here type of situation, and then just decide, you know what? And then all the student loans that you have also from getting a teaching degree. Like everyone thought I was crazy, other than my husband. He was very team-like, let's figure it out. Um, there was also hard things going on because my oldest three are from like my first marriage, which is a whole other podcast episode of like surviving an abusive marriage, but we had very traumatic things happening in our personal life as well. And so that was kind of like the regular discontent with the system and everything that was happening, mixed with the fact that like my kids really needed to be like cared for more than they need to be in the school. That was kind of like the final, the final decision maker where it was like it's time. Like my husband, we were gonna wait till the end of that school year, and it was like April, and I'm like, we're almost there, like I need to just finish out the year, it's the right thing to do. And my husband was like, No, like they need you to come home now.
SPEAKER_00And I'm like, uh, and so you pulled out five at one time or just the three?
SPEAKER_01So ironically enough, that la that particular year that I'm talking about when I came home finally full time. We that year I transitioned to a private school. So I thought, okay, maybe it's just like the public school, right? Like I'm just over the public school. So myself and my oldest three went to a private school. So I started teaching there, and the kids were attending, and I'm like, maybe this is the best of both worlds, right? Like I'm here, it's a small environment, it's a Christian school, like all these things, and there were things that were better about it. Where in the beginning I was like, okay, like I think we could do this. Like, I like this. Like, I'm seeing my kids here and there throughout the day. I was at that point at that school teaching fifth through eighth grade ELA, and so I had my sons were like in my classes, and one was in my homeroom, and there was like really good things about it, but I did start to see very quickly that there's a lot of things that are still the same, right? Like it's still a system, and while they weren't teaching certain things that the public school is teaching, and like certain things aren't tolerated, and it is smaller. This system I realized that it was the system that I had a problem with, and much of the just so many layers to it. I didn't like the way teachers were talking to my kids, even like even in a private Christian school, and even where I was teaching, I'm like, you're not gonna talk to my kid like that. Like, I'm just I had those issues with the teachers in public school, and I just remember like having these email back and forths with them, and then like going into meetings, and then I'm like, oh, I'm starting to feel the same way here, and this is really sticky now because now I work here, yeah. And that's like not only my co-worker, but the one who's like has seniority because they've been here. I'm like, this this isn't gonna work. So ironically enough, I pulled my oldest in January. So he only lasted the first few months of school, and then I was homeschooling him after work, so yeah. At the time, my grandmother would just come and kind of be the adult here, and he would do like his, it was kind of like a flipped classroom model. Like I would teach him when I got out of work, and then he would do his independent stuff during the day. When I was at work, that would be like his homework, I guess you could say. Technically it was because he was home. And then my first grader, which was my third oldest, so I had an eight, a fifth, and a first. So she was the only one that wasn't in any of my classes or anything like that. She started having issues in her class, like drama in first grade. Like, like there was like a like a love triangle that she wanted no part of. It was like she had a little friend. I can't even believe this is real, but she had a friend, she was so innocent. She had a friend, and then the friend liked this boy, and the boy liked my daughter, and my daughter was like, he's not even cute, I don't like him. I wish he would just like her because she's mad at me. And I was like, We're in first grade.
SPEAKER_00First grade at a Christian school.
SPEAKER_01Correct. And she was so stressed out about it, like real stress. And I was like, no way, like and this other little girl's mom also worked there. So now there's this weird tension, and she's like wanting to talk about how we're gonna resolve this conflict. I'm like, there is no conflict here, this is nonsense. Like, they're in first grade. I don't even want to talk about this, you know? Like, stop this. G is not interested in this little boy, and even if she was, they're in first grade. So all that's even me anyway. Right, what are we even talking about here, you know? Anyways, so I pulled her next. So imagine this scenario. Like, I'm a teacher, I pull my oldest, then I pull my youngest that's in the school, and it's really funny when I think about it now because my now 15-year-old was in fifth grade at the time, and he was the one that was with me the most. So he was in my homeroom, and then they had block scheduling. So he was with me like the first two, two and a half hours of the day, and then he had like gym and lunch, and then like some afternoon things. So he was the one that he stuck it out until I left. So, you know, we left together right before April break. Whenever that is, it was like that was kind of like all right, we're not coming back after April break. Wow. And we've been home ever since.
SPEAKER_00And that's gotta be really hard to like say to the you haven't even made it there a year yet. You have students that you're teaching, and they've gotta figure out who else is gonna teach them for the last couple of months. I'm sure it was not an easy gen. But no. Are you happy that you had that experience at the private school, or you're like, I I just shouldn't have even tried that?
SPEAKER_01I mean, I am because I think it made it really clear to me that it's not just public school that isn't for us and that I don't align with. It's just school in general. Yeah. Um, and so that was a really interesting, different perspective because I didn't necessarily expect that, even though my heart was still to homeschool before going to the private school. I also was like open-handed with God, where I was like, all right, well, like if this is your answer, because it it very clearly like was at the time. It really like the way that it all played out, it really was just obvious that it was like that was the direction to go in. And so in my mind, I'm very much a settle-in person, right? Like, I thought I was gonna be at that public school for 30 years, I was gonna retire, I was gonna have a retirement, we had my benefits, like that was kind of that was set, right? And then when I had to transition, it was like, oh, okay, like so. I'm gonna be here until I retire, and this is where my kids are gonna go to school, and like this is what we're doing. I remodeled, I did like extreme makeover classroom edition on this classroom that was like really like dilapidated with broken furniture and stuff. Like, so they got a they they got a whole classroom makeover out of it, so maybe they forgave me because of that. I don't know. Like they're like, Can you leave the furniture and the decor just until the end of the school year? And I was like, I you can have it. Like, I don't I don't plan on taking it with me, you know. So yeah, my husband was like, they're they'll be fine because I was saying all the things you're saying. I'm like, I this is wrong. Like, I am supposed to be here to the end of the school year. Like, I can't do this, and he's like, Yeah, you can. They'll be okay, they'll figure it out, you know? Yeah, he sounds like honestly, yeah. And they did, they were fine. I mean, and it's so funny because I remember it was like the end of the school year, and it was like it seemed like light years ago that we had been there, and my husband was like, Could you imagine? Like, you'd just be finishing up there. And I was like, No, no, I couldn't. I was already living my wild and free life by then, two months later, you know?
SPEAKER_00A wild and free life. Is it was it hard for you? It was a little bit hard for me when I left, and I left the pension too.
SPEAKER_01We're the craziest, but uh like now, depending on your husband solely financially, that that was like it was in the beginning, yeah, a little bit, like I think I think I was so ready, like I was just so ready to be home, and honestly, like we st we probably started praying about it in January of that school year when I pulled justice because my oldest, that's when I realized, like, okay, I I don't think this is a fit, which is like so unsettling.
Making The Leap Work Financially
SPEAKER_01Like, I don't know what to do with this because this doesn't make sense that it's not a fit. Because I know that we weren't just like doing willy-nilly things and just like making random decisions. Like we really knew that we were making the right decision. So I was so and we just started to pray, and I'm like, I did not have the faith to believe that I was gonna be able to come home full-time. I did not see that as a reality, almost hurt to hope for it because I was like, this, there's no way. Like, there's just it's just not gonna happen. So this doesn't make sense to me. I don't know what this is, I don't know what to do with this. And my husband actually started applying for jobs before I knew. Yes. And for us to leave, he actually had to take a job three hours away.
SPEAKER_00Oh my goodness.
SPEAKER_01To make the number that we needed in order for me to come home. He was gone five days a week and only was home on the weekends. Oh my goodness. Yeah, and so for like the first six months of me being home, he was not really here. Um, we would go visit, like, we would get an Airbnb close to where he was, like once or twice a month to try to like break it up, break up the time a little bit more of when we would see him. And it was really, really hard. And that also wasn't making sense because we couldn't find a house out there, we couldn't figure it out, and we're like, okay, like long term, this isn't gonna work out. So I think I was the money on the Airbnb. Exactly, right? And like everyone missed him so much, like he's very hands-on husband and dad. So, like, I remember like my little guy, my youngest son, he is the second to last, was just like he would just like cry at night and just like, when is daddy coming home? Like, it was really sad, it was really heartbreaking. And so I think maybe the relying on him part, I think, probably didn't affect me as much because we were in like such a huge transition that it was like a lesser issue, if that makes sense. Like it was just kind of one of those things where it was like we just gotta, we just gotta figure this out because this is like what we're I knew so much in my gut that that was like the the way to go, as hard as it was to accept. Like, even now, and I think back, I'm like, I don't even know how we did that. Right. Like, I don't even know how we were like, okay, like see you every weekend. Do you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Right. And then, well, I want to ask too, and you don't have to answer because I can edit it out. But like, you're reminding me of a conversation with my friend Mary, who has a child from a previous marriage, and she's like, It was hard for me, or sometimes it is hard for her to like homeschool all of her kids, knowing that like money that's coming from her current husband is like she needs it to pay for things for her son from the previous marriage.
SPEAKER_01Is that was that a struggle too, or like a mindset shift that you just had to be like, we're all the family, and no, no, because my husband was truly like it sounds silly in a way, but like he was truly like our hero, like everyone's hero. Like he literally was the knight in shining armor. So, I mean, he loves all of our kids, like they're his own, like he's very big on that. I remember thinking, like, and this is again getting like deep and sidetracked, but I remember thinking and planning on just being a single mom. Like, I was happy to be a single, like in my mind, that was freedom, that sounded like wonderful to me, just like leave me alone. I want to be left alone, I'll take care of my kids, I'll work. I got this. I have no interest in ever even thinking about dating, getting like, no, like just get me out of here kind of thing. And um and additionally, thinking like, I've got three kids, like, who's signing up for this? You know what I mean? Like, real like, let's be honest. Even if I did want that, who's signing up for this? And it's Just so funny. Like, you just you never know because for him, he's like, he grew up in a family of five kids, and he wanted a lot of kids. So he's like, Great, like I love this. I love big families. Like, he's he was all about it. And so it was just so funny to me because I'm like, it's just like my brain was shorting out. Like, what? Like, you want I have three like I thought that was gonna be like I have three kids, right?
SPEAKER_00You've got to be an insane ex-husband.
SPEAKER_01Like it's it's not good. Like, I don't think you want to sign up for this. Like, you know, and he was like, he was the guy for the job.
SPEAKER_00I think that gives people a lot of hope that are going through that, or you know, thinking like, oh, I can't homeschool. I am the single mom. It'll just it's just not gonna happen. That like doors open all the time, and you you still could homeschool as a single mom. There are different things you can do. I've had episodes of single mom, but I think that gives a lot of like light, and I don't know, just like whatever situation you're in right now, if it doesn't feel if it feels like I don't know, the weight of the world on you like that, there might be something really good around the corner. Thank you for sharing that too. Of course. If and if you if you want me to edit anything out, I'm happy to, but I know it'll help a lot of people, but yeah, not everybody has great marriages, and they think like, yeah, okay, this is what I'm stuck in. So now, all right, so he was on board with homeschooling all of them, right? Like what have there been obstacles along the way? I know your older three were in the public school at one point, so like they probably appreciated homeschooling more, or like they missed things. I did the little ones now that you're homeschooling. Are they ever thinking, like, oh, I want to go to school, I might be missing out on something?
SPEAKER_01No. My oldest two, I don't know if my 15-year-old has ever expressed interest. I'm trying to think if he has. I think the only time he expressed interest in going to school was when he was really into basketball and wanted the opportunity to like play on a school team because he his hope was like he wanted to play college ball. And the ironic thing is, I was like, I love you, but like you're not going to school. Like, there's ways around that. Like Tim Tim Tebow was homeschooled, okay? Like that you don't have to go to school to play profess to public school to play professional sports, right? And there's a lot of controversy around like, oh, if my kid I keep it open-handed if my kid expresses interest. Like, no, like I'm in charge. I'm the adult. Like, and I've very lovingly have those conversations. I had that conversation with my oldest before his senior year. He expressed one expressed wanting to go for his senior year. And I had like really good conversations with him. He was a little frustrated and like it like said things like, so you're going to force me, or like, you know, would kind of like use those things that you know friends were talking about, or somebody had maybe put a bug in his ear or something like that. And, you know, I had to explain to him. First of all, I did say, like, I'll pray about it. And he was like, annoyed by it. I said, no, if I say that, like I mean that, and if I feel like I need to let go, even though I don't want to, I will. But like until I get a clear answer that I'm supposed to send you, I everything in me is like screaming no. And it wasn't one of those things like screaming no, like, I don't want to let go of something that I want to hold on to. It was like a very clear no. And so I was honest with him about that. I'm like, no, I can't. I said, you're too important to me to roll the dice with you for your senior year. Like, we didn't come this far to just be like, okay, now we're gonna get all of the vaccines, and which another ironic thing about joining the military. Yeah. So I was like, so you know you're gonna have to like get all these vaccines just to go to have your senior year. Like, what is it that you're worried about? And so we talked through all of that, and honestly, with how strongly he approached it, I was actually shocked how quickly he transitioned and kind of like like I thought it was gonna be an issue and it was going to like really impact our relationship in a negative way. And I'm also thinking, great, so this is how we're going into our last year homeschooling, is he's upset with me that I'm like holding him back and making this decision for him and not letting him decide things and make decisions for himself. And then, because this was like really close to the beginning of the school year, too.
Mother’s Intuition And Hard No Decisions
SPEAKER_01And then I went to the Wild and Free Conference in September, and I'll never forget. Do you know Amber O'Neill Johnston? One of my favorite speakers I've ever heard in my entire life. She's incredible. She was speaking, I won't do it justice, but in her talk, she shared a story about like mother's intuition. Like her whole talk was about like mother's intuition, and she was sharing about how when her baby was a newborn, he had a really bad tongue tie, and she took him to like the ENT and they needed to like clip it, like he couldn't eat, it was so bad. And she said when she got in the room, everything in her like sirens were going off, like, don't do this. And she said she was too like like embarrassed or not confident enough or something to look at this doctor and be like, wait, actually, no, we're not going to do this because they were like to getting ready to do the procedure, and this doctor used the wrong size instrument, and the baby blood was just she said it was everywhere, the baby was choking on its own blood and had to be like emergency brought to the hospital, and the doctors at the hospital were screaming at this ENT like, what were you thinking? You should have never worked on this baby. Her baby almost died, and so like her story impacted me so much, and she shared another story. There was like another story she had of a completely different scenario that she had a really bad feeling about like this one kid, and then how this one kid ended up showing her other kid something that they should have never seen. And she was talking about once again, I had this bad feeling, but I was worried that I was being like I was being neurotic, yeah, just like crazy or misjudging the situation, or if I brought this up, I would seem crazy. And so her big thing was like, like, listen to that. And I I sat there just crying through her whole thing because it was really confirmation for me because I was questioning myself, I was wrestling with myself, like, am I am I not being fair? Do I need to let him go? If he really wants to have this experience, is it like wrong of me to not just let him? So I did try to get myself there, but it was like every time I would try to do it, like everything in me said no. And so when I heard her, it was like, it was like healing for me and just confirmation for me of like, nope, like that no is clear, and I'm and I made the right choice, you know?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. And I wonder, like, did that for him play into like, well, now I'm gonna join the military? You thought high school was bad, Mama. Like you think was he? I mean, when I think of like high school and senior year, it's not like you're gonna learn anything there that you couldn't learn at home. It is for the girls, yeah, the the the pals, your buddies, and that sort of thing. But at the same time, you can get that just in a more controlled citin. You know, you can play basketball outside of school, you can meet girls outside of school.
SPEAKER_01Well, I found out later on while he was at basic training, his girlfriend and I were chatting, and this whole topic came up, and she was like, That was because of me. And she's like, I was crying on the phone with him, saying that like no, I had no friends in my lunch, and I was gonna be eating lunch all alone, and like and she's like, he was trying to like come to be like, it's okay, it's gonna be okay, I'll come eat lunch with you, and like all that. So he didn't tell me that at the time because he probably knew I'd be like, Yeah, like sorry, but no, yeah, you know, like sweet, but no, you know. Um Wow.
SPEAKER_00Alright, well, so then maybe that's not why you joined the military. Because if he he wanted to go to school just to like be with his girlfriend, then to like leave the country for five years. I guess this is a more deeper rooted like need that he had inside of him. Wow, that's amazing. Like, what a roller coaster for you. And when you you think like when they've gotten to 17 years old, like your roller coaster should be like done. Slowing down at least for that child, and he's taking me on a wild ride, but we'll bring you out of safety and thank him for all that he's doing for the country. And you know, it it's just I can't imagine what you're gonna go through. Yeah, it's a lot, it's a lot, and you know, people talk about like preparing kids in high school. How did you think about preparing them? Obviously, like you're kind of like me, where like we we don't really need to spend three hundred thousand dollars on college, so like could we do something that doesn't need it? Or you know, if you are gonna do something that doesn't need a college, let's not look even into that, but you still want to prepare them for the world. How did you look at that, even from like the teacher perspective and and and the homeschool mom's perspective? Getting your kids there because you have a 15-year-old now, you're probably still going through it.
College Alternatives And Real-World Prep
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So I I mean, we had talked about college, of course, like it was something that we talked about for you know, during his high school years, and I told him that I would support his decision to go to college if that's what he like, if he really wanted to do that. But I also strongly suggested that he have a very real reason in terms of necessity to go to college. Like, if your dream is to be a doctor, well, yeah, you're gonna have to go to college. If you really want to be a school teacher, you're gonna have to go to college. If you want to be a lawyer, and so that's kind of the way I way I presented it to him is like my perspective is if you don't need it, then you're wasting your time. I don't, and this is like a maybe a hot take for some people. I don't believe in going to college for the college experience. I think it's nonsense. I think it's all propaganda and brainwashing, and we've all like we were all conditioned like to think like that was the gold standard, like that's what you do, or you're a loser, right? Like, I feel like my generation or our generation, it's like if you don't go to college, like what are you even doing with your life?
SPEAKER_00But yeah, when we was looked down upon to not go for sure.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and so I feel like people are starting to wake up to that. There's still people that are stuck in that mindset. Like, he was like, there were quite a few family members that every time we got together during his like even a little bit in junior year, but definitely senior. Have you looked into colleges yet? Are you taking your SATs? Like everything, and I remember thinking, like, do people not know how to talk to young people about anything other than college? Like, is that the only thing they think there is to talk about? So like there's other things to talk about, right? And so it was it was annoying, but it also made me realize how stuck in that mindset so many people still are. Yeah, you know, even you know, even to this moment, I know that like so I thought I had a break from that, right? And then my 15-year-old one day is like, mom, I guess insert family members' name here, was asking me, like, if I think I want to go to college, and I'm like, at the he just turned 15, dude. And I was like, at the time he was 14, I'm like, you're 14 years old, you're a freshman, like, you don't even need to be thinking about that right now. Again, like, not everybody might agree with that, and that's fine, but like, no, he's probably I'm 99% positive he's not going either. He is very entrepreneurial-minded, so in terms of like preparing him, it's letting him start businesses, it's letting him, you know, just kind of go after those things. Like, there's been times where I've almost been like there's still parts of me that I have to fight, right? And be like, Whoa, well, did you do your language arts? And he's like, Ma, I gotta make business cards. And he's like dead serious. And I'm like, he's like, I've got money to make. And I'm like, fair, you know.
SPEAKER_00You weren't at the the makers market yesterday.
SPEAKER_01I know, I know. And my friend who came over today, she went to it. She was there yesterday. She's like, You've gotta come next time. And like, we've gotta have the kids like sell and I'm like, I know, I can't believe that like every year. I'm like, I need to go next time. And then it's like it comes up and I miss it.
SPEAKER_00Yesterday was the first time I went. Um, I last year said I was gonna go and I didn't go. This year I said my son was gonna make something and he didn't make something, but we went. So each year I get a step closer. There you go. Yeah, it was it was beautiful. I have some videos from it too, so I can't wait to put them together. That's cool. It it was inspiring for me. Like you're saying, with your and I know you guys do the lemonade stand, and yeah, that's what's so cool. But it was like so inspiring to be a homeschool mom and seeing there must have been a hundred families. I mean, I between fifty and a hundred families, more than fifty, of just you know, the these kids, all these different things they've learned to make. And one of the coolest ones is I was talking to my friend and she was like, Yeah, my daughter did these maths last year and realized that they didn't sell. But even that like quote unquote failure was a learning thing for her. Like, okay, not everything I do is gonna be like a need in the world. So, what can I do that people will actually do and this year they made kombucha and it was hot, and we were like, Okay, I don't know how to make kombucha, I'm gonna say I'm gonna buy something. I mean, even that was just so cool, and to see all the different ideas these kids have and to give them that perspective on like you don't need to go to college, you you're you're 14, you can start like making something and selling it right now. Like, I just love that when we think about the world, I was thinking about this the today, I probably heard the Tudleton's real but like this world of AI coming, we just don't know what is what jobs are gonna be non-existent by the time our kids get there, and what jobs will be needed by the time our kids get there. So, what better thing can we do other than teach them to be an entrepreneur? Create something in this world that people want and just go figure it out, and like that is just so much better than any two. So I that gave me a great perspective on it. And really happy, like in the choice to homeschool. Yes, for sure. Yeah, you guys
A Relaxed Homeschool Rhythm That Works
SPEAKER_00join us next year. All right, so like what is your how do you construct your days look like?
SPEAKER_01So we're very relaxed, and every day looks a little bit different. I joked with my friend who came over because we're like we're so similar, it's like scary. So unfortunately, she had house fire a few weeks ago and like like her everything.
SPEAKER_00Lindsay was just telling me about her then. Yeah, she's one of my favorite.
SPEAKER_01Everybody's okay. Yes, but she doesn't, she's in a hotel right now. She like keeps having all of the rental homes fall through, and so hopefully she's gonna get this next one. But I was like, you need to just come over and do laundry, right? Like, I know you need to do laundry. So she comes over today, and we're like hanging out on the front porch, sipping our iced coffee. It was really hot, and then it started to rain, so we're like standing in the rain to cool off, and then she's like, I probably should check on my laundry. I'm like, Yeah, yeah, yeah, you should. So I go down in the basement with her, and she's like, I don't think we turned the dryer on. Yeah, no, we definitely didn't. And then I'm starting, I'm like, this is two type theme moms trying to do laundry together and like keep the kids entertained. So it was funny because I say all that to say, I should have done a day in the life today. And she was like cracking up because I did a day in the life on my Instagram stories yesterday. And yesterday I was like super whimsical homeschool mom all day, like the whole day. Like it was we were watercoloring, we were reading poetry, we were doing devotionals, we were doing notebooking, we were reading all the beautiful picture books, we were doing language arts on the front porch, like it was just the good homeschool day. But today was a good homeschool day too. But instead, it looked like me chatting with my friend and her doing her laundry and her boys building ridiculous. I'm looking at them, they're a mess all over my floor still. Ridiculous magnetiles towers with my kids and running around in the backyard and coming inside and outside of the house too many times and just like being together, and so I have a very, very relaxed style, and I kind of like go with the flow. So yeah, yesterday was the bad I had one plan for yesterday, and it was like we've been doing a lot of just like getting it done lessons lately, and I was like, it we need like a more whimsical day today. Like I start to feel like no no no no, hold up, like we're losing sight of like the vibes. And so yesterday it was I did this beautiful watercolor setup for them, and then just like one thing led to another, and we just kept learning and building off of that. They chose like a clownfish watercolor tutorial, and I was like, Oh, I've got like this book that has a clownfish in it, and you know, this other book about oceans, and this one's about coral reefs, and we read a poem about the coral reef, and just that was our day. And I did do language arts with my 11-year-old, but like my 15-year-old did zero academics yesterday, he went golfing, and still learning, right? Yeah, and my six and seven, they didn't do any of their like formal subjects, they did the watercoloring, they did the poetry with us. I read beautiful picture books with them. My six-year-old made a delicious smoothie for everyone. Like, to me, all of that is just part of it, you know? And so it'll make some people twitch because there are some super academically diligent homeschool moms, and I respect them and their style, but that's just not ours. We're not sitting down doing school, we don't have a schedule. Sorry, I don't know. So, yeah, I don't know if that really answers because it's so vague, but that's why it's hard for me to even share a day in the life on social media because every day looks different, like it really does.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, I remember your day skiing, and I loved that too. I was like, oh my goodness, this looks so fun, even though I'm like scared of ski lifts and I don't ski. But um, if I did, I would follow that. No, but you're right. I it's the same here too. Like there might be days where we're like right on and we're reading together and doing different stuff, and then today I don't know. I've had four podcast recordings today and gymnastics. But what my son did, he started helping the neighbor with her horses in exchange. He's teaching him how to ride, so he's like, that's his homeschooling today. And it's 6 30 in a couple minutes, he's either going back over to help her give them a dinner. So like that is the learning, but that's homeschooling, and I think it's hard for people to conceptualize it. But you kind of bring it up a great point too, because we both are well, you do a lot for uh for the love of homeschooling, and then I've contributed to their like bundle pack, and so we're like promoting that right now, and the the reels that you've put together are so beautiful. And I'll ask you more about that in a minute. But my first question is I think a lot of people have questions on because the bundle pack is a lot of unit studies, and then people think, well, if I have a curriculum like say the good and the beautiful, where do unit studies fit in? So I try I've been trying to like answer that for people in a few different ways, but I want to hear your take.
SPEAKER_01So for me, it would be like something like we did yesterday. It would be the same kind of like the same kind of day. So when I start feeling like we need to switch it up, we need a little bit more whimsy, or we just need a little bit of something outside of the books, I'll pull a unit study, whether it be okay, it's we're gonna have an uh ocean trip coming up, and so maybe I'll do an ocean unit study, or maybe it's the middle of winter and I do like a snow unit study, or it's springtime, so we'll do one that relates more to the season, or it's just maybe something my kids are super interested in, or it's a topic that I feel like we haven't covered that would either be super interesting to cover, or I feel like it's important and I want them to know it. And I do it similarly to what I did yesterday with the watercoloring, where it's like I just set up, I usually like to make it like visually appealing. I'll set it up on the table, and it's like almost like setting out a charcuterie board, right? It's like this interest of like, ooh, what's that? You know, and so that's how I use them. It might be like for that day, that's what we do. Like that's our homeschool. Um, it may be that you do that for a week, it maybe do that. You do it for two days. It may be just like your afternoon. So I feel like you can use them in whatever way fits. And some of them are longer, some of them are shorter, some of them, you know, it really would depend on the particular unit study. But I think part of the reason that we school year round, I don't even like to say school year round because we don't like school, like it's not schooling. Educate them. I wish I could get myself to say home education, it just doesn't roll off the tongue as well, right? Because we're not schooling at home, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Intentionally educating, I guess.
SPEAKER_01Yes, right. It's just easier to say homeschooling. That's the only reason I say it, but it needs a rebrand. Part of the reason why we don't like take a break for the summer is because I feel like we can just be a lot more relaxed year-round and I don't feel as much pressure because then like it all balances out, right? And so I don't worry so much about, oh, if we don't do the math lesson today or we don't do the language arts lesson today, like I'm not worried about like, oh, the by the last day of school, I want to be done with this curriculum. Like, I just don't think of it that way. The one room schoolhouse, when they would have the McGuffey readers, they did not start the McGuffey reader on day one and end it on the day of school the last day of school. It was like when that kid finished that reader, they got the next one, whenever that was, right? And so even with that school model, it wasn't like this the grade levels weren't the same.
SPEAKER_00Good point. I never thought about that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I mean, in that one-room schoolhouse model, you just if you're done and you've mastered it and you're ready for the next one, you move up. But it was more manageable then. That's not manageable in school now. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And tell me how how you do um, I I remember being super interested to learn this in the very beginning when I started
Family Style Unit Studies For All Ages
SPEAKER_00the podcast. Family style learning. Because that's great when you're my favorite. And you have kids of all different ages, pretty pretty wide gaps sometimes there too. How do you make that work?
SPEAKER_01So, our first homeschool curriculum ever was family style unit studies. It's really what I wanted, and I wasn't sure it existed or not. I didn't even really have a name for it. And I found Gatheround Homeschool. I don't know if you've ever used Gatheround.
SPEAKER_00I haven't used it, but you've heard of it, yeah.
SPEAKER_01I still love them so much. And I was just having this conversation um at a homeschool coaching call with a mom who had some questions, and I said this exact same thing to her. I'm like, I don't really know if it was that, like, I do think Gatheround's amazing. I'm like, I don't know if it's that it's amazing or if it's just like I love it because it was like our first, like it was our I'll never forget. We did North American birds from Gatheround Homeschool, and it was like we had a new lease on life. We were like going to the lake and observing birds, and you know, just all the time.
SPEAKER_00Did you get the Merlin ID app?
SPEAKER_01Of course, of course, yes, and all the little bird identification books and binoculars, the whole thing. Like we went all out on the bird study. They built bird houses, bird feeders, all the things. But why I love theirs from Gather Round Homeschool is they really do simplify it because they have the main lesson that's for literally everybody. Everyone. And then they have the in I wish I was an affiliate or something for them because I could promote them so well. But but then they have the the the leveled books for them to do their independent work to dig deeper at their level, which is really cool because for me, I just felt like it was it was hitting the easy button in a way that wasn't like not quality. Do you know what I mean? Because I'm all about easy unless it's just not quality, right? I always laugh when people say like homeschooling is neglect or unschooling is neglectful. There's, I don't know if you've seen there's like this whole this pendulum is really swinging about like the homeschool neglect thing. And it's like, look, sure, I'm sure there's some people who neglect to educate their kids, but like I don't really think that reflects a large percentage of homeschooling. So it's getting a little annoying to me. But anyway, I digress. Um, I actually think it's harder to unschool and educate your children well. It's actually more effort on your part. Yeah. And so for me, I don't think curriculum is necessary at all. I think you can homeschool really well without it. I actually use it because it's easier. Yeah. And so something like gathering. For sure.
SPEAKER_00Because then you're thinking about like, okay, like paying attention to that kid. What are they interested in? And if your other kids are interested in something different, now you gotta like make sure you're getting everyone's needs, and then you're like actually going to every place and like making sure that they're having hands-on experiences and getting those books from the library where you're right when the curriculum's there, at least a little easier. But that's why the unit studies are so nice, yeah. And especially this bundle, because it's like what I like about the bundle too is that you have all different creators, yeah. So you can test them out and see whose style you really like and what works for your family, and then go buy more from them.
SPEAKER_01Right. And there's really like unique units in there too, like things that you wouldn't necessarily even maybe think of. Like there's stuff I wouldn't even think about studying, and then I see this unit in there, and then like, oh, like I actually think my kids would think this is cool. Or like that you see, did you? I'm sure you've seen the paper dissections.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, of the frog.
SPEAKER_01Those are so cool. There's like the frog, and then there's the cow is in the farm upgrade. There's like the whole cow dissection that shows like the different cuts of meat and everything, like in the cow.
SPEAKER_00Because we do have half a cow in our freezer right now, and it would be cool to be like, this is where it is. Yeah, yeah. I love
Kids On Camera And Ethical Content Creation
SPEAKER_00that. Okay, I wanted to talk to you a little bit too about the social media. The hour is really flying by. Okay. So you have an awesome page, and I know that you're starting a new page right now, too, but you've been doing rooted home life for a couple of years, and you share all about the homeschooling on that. One question I always kind of have, because this is a controversial topic, is like having the kids in the videos, and I do it, and I see a lot of very intentional parents who do it as well, but then there are also the people that are like I would never put my kid on the internet without their consent, you know, but um no, and I I I respect those people too. It's just I wasn't the choice I made, so I'm gonna obviously not like it, but no. No, but you're a very intentional mom. You are, you know, spiritual, and you obviously thought about it before you decided to put the kids in the videos. Can I hear about that decision?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean, it actually is something that I think about quite a bit, and it is something that I've considered numerous times, and I don't know, like I wouldn't say that it's something that I'm so sold on that I will always do it and I don't care what anyone says. I it is one of those things that I'm open to the fact that if I start to feel like it's not a good decision, then it may change. I genuinely actually have toyed around with trying to film with showing as little of their faces as possible. Like almost like a creative challenge for myself. Like, could I actually still bring this vibe? Like without losing the vibe of like what I share. Not that that's the priority, because it's not, but as like a creative challenge, I'm like, could I actually do this? Like if I decide that this is the direction that we should move in, that it's the right thing to do. Um, or even just the choice that we make, right? Like, um, could I do this? So it is actually something that's on my mind quite a bit. It's something that I talk to my husband about, and I don't really feel super like I would win a debate on either end, to be honest, because I understand both perspectives and I understand like every I understand everything in the middle too. Like I just I respect parents on both sides of that debate um because I do understand like how weird the internet has gotten. I do understand like how weird AI has gotten, and I get all of that, and so I I get why people make that decision. For me, I think I started sharing when I first went on social media. I never had the intention of becoming a content creator. I went on in order to find inspiration for homeschooling, actually. I didn't know anyone in real life that homeschooled, and I didn't really know what I was doing, so I went to YouTube and I went to Instagram. And I think I my first time on YouTube was just to search up gather round curriculum just to get like some, you know, information on it beyond like the website and what the website said, like to get some perspectives on it. And then similarly for Instagram, I and I just started like sharing what we were doing and connecting with other homeschool moms, and back then it was so different, like it was more of an organic, just like it was social media, right? Like it was a more of a social platform where you're just going to connect with others. And maybe I didn't realize the whole like there was an influencer culture then too and content creation, but I think I wasn't just I just wasn't privy to it or aware of it. I was just kind of sharing what we were doing, and I was excited about it, and I was just sharing it like I would share anything else, like a vacation that we went on or whatever. And I'll never forget, like, I was using these really beautiful printables by a watercolor artist who creates homeschool resources, and I was just sharing them because they were really beautiful. And she reached out to me and was like, Do you want to be an affiliate? And I was like, What's that? I had no idea even what it was, and she was like, Well, you would get all like you'd have access to any of the digital products for free for you to promote them, and you would have a link, and your link would give, you know, anybody you give it to, give them a discount, and you would make a commission. And I was like, Sounds good to me, like I already love these things, you know, and so that was like that was I guess the start of like me being a content creator, I guess, was just I just kind of stumbled upon it. And I mean, since then it's become a full-blown business, obviously. This was five or six years ago, but yeah, I guess that was like my really long sort of non-answer for not really having a strong conviction either way about it, and I just kind of keep it open-handed. And we'll just doesn't want to be on camera unless he's being paid, and I one hundred he's my entrepreneur, like he literally is like, and I respect it. He's like, How much am I getting paid? And so I pay him, and then like if his face is going to be in it, he gets paid more.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, I do have my kids signed up as employees, yes. Yeah, we uh and I had Raven on um like last year, and she was like, Well, if I mess them up, I've paid him enough money they can afford the therapy.
SPEAKER_01I was just gonna say, yeah, and that's so that really and it's funny because I honestly, if I'm being completely honest with you, before he started bringing it up, I didn't think of it that way. Right. And I still don't know if I fully do. Like, I know this is a super controversial topic, but the reality is, like, my daughter is a pretty serious gymnast, and the reality of the situation is if I didn't have content creation, she would not be able to continue. Like, we can't afford her to be in that. We cannot afford it. We truly cannot. And so the reality is, and again, I know this is gonna be really controversial, but I'm just being transparent and on there's so much of our lifestyle that impacts them every single day that would not be possible without social media. I'm not saying it becomes their responsibility to keep it afloat or be a part of it, but it is real to talk about. Like, so yeah, I could keep my entire life private and I respect people that make that choice, but my kids also have a whole different lifestyle because of it. And we're not like we're not like living the the luxury life over here. Like we've got a base a bathroom that's needs to be gutted like 10 years ago, and finally it's about to because we had a leak and now we don't have a choice. Like, we're not living a life of luxury, we well, we make a lot of sacrifices, and the content creation kind of makes up the difference and makes it all work. And so, my mindset up until like he kind of brought that up to me, if I'm just being real, the car has always been before the horse with the whole content creation thing. I'm always trying to catch up. And so it wasn't like I made a conscious decision, like I'm not going to pay them, but it was like they're they're blessed by this. They really are. Like their lifestyle is blessed by this. And I do believe even just the blessing of a mother being able to be home with her children, instead of being them apart, instead of them being apart from her all day, even if it means no material benefits and no extracurricular benefits, if it just means that they get to be with their mom all day, I I think that's already a huge blessing to them. If if the mom doing whatever entrepreneurial thing she's doing with or without the kids' involvement, equals them being able to be home with their mom and live a free lifestyle, I think, I mean, I think it's worth it. But once he brought that up, I was like, you know what? I do think you should all be paid. 100%. I agree with you, you know, and I think like you're on the right track with it, and so let's do that, you know? So yeah, and so now that's how we handle things. But it's not like I was so together and had it all figured out that I'm like, this is how we're doing it, and I have it set up. I didn't, you know.
SPEAKER_00Well, it's all like trial and error because it's all new. Because again, 10 years ago, this wasn't a job that people really did and made money from, you know, and and and it's still always evolving. And like, especially with the AI coming out there. And yeah, I think I kind of look at it too as like there's literally cameras everywhere we go if somebody wants to see a photo of my kid. And I know they say like, oh yeah, but they like they didn't want this and you know, this, but it's it's also like you like I'm not putting our entire trip to Florida on, you know, Instagram for 100,000 either. Like that's more Facebook stuff, which actually I don't even have time to put on anymore because I mean that's the idea was on Instagram.
SPEAKER_01But I think people sorry, that's the thing I think people somehow don't realize too, is it's like you think because I'm posting every day that I'm sharing everything, like you may have gotten maybe, maybe 15 minutes out of my day. You maybe got a snippet of 15 minutes out of our entire day. Like, I'm not sharing everything about our lives on social media, you know? Yeah, that's a good point.
SPEAKER_00I don't have a live stream in here 24-7. That's a good point. And yeah, people like um, I'm just thinking of some of the stuff that we're on to where families have just made you know millions probably on the playground or playland. I don't know, the dad just shows like all the cool stuff they do on a farm, which my kid loves, even though we kind of live out in the country. But think about the kids that lived in the city probably love that. Like, what this kid gets to do this and that, like I they're probably set for life.
SPEAKER_01So and I'm sure there's parents that are like doing things the wrong way, even in the content creation space. I'm sure they are, right? Like, there's there's unhealthy versions of everything, right? It's like when people talk about the homeschoolers that are weird or the homeschoolers that are being educationally neglected. It's like, yeah, of course. Like every single profession, every walk of life, every lifestyle, there's the bad seed part of it, right? That doesn't reflect the whole or the majority.
SPEAKER_00Sure. Yeah, yeah, it's it's an interesting thing for sure. Um man, we are already over an hour. I'm trying to think of other things I wanted to ask you, uh, but I feel like I delved into every aspect of your life that I probably could fit into an hour very deeply. I like story and all of my perspectives. We jumped into guns in the first 10 seconds. Guns, uh high schoolers that are wanting to go back to school and how we make decisions on our kids being on social media, blended family. That's a huge thing though. I really appreciate you being so open and honest this hour because it is so such valuable stuff that you know people don't usually people probably just don't ask, but I told y'all edit anything out that you don't want to shared. Yeah, so thank you so much for that. And I really think we should meet up soon and get our kids together. We have such cool stuff in our backyards here. Like I always say, like New York, upstate New York, as much as I can complain about New York, we really have so much history here, so much cool stuff. Like between height mountains and history, like there's so much here. So we definitely have to get together and bang out a really cool Tuddle twins reel at the same time.
SPEAKER_01Yes, we definitely need to, and you need to jump on my podcast too.
SPEAKER_00Anytime, absolutely. Yeah, well, so let's do that too.
Where To Find Christina And Final Thoughts
SPEAKER_00Like, tell people where they can find you, and then I'm gonna put all the links in the show's description.
SPEAKER_01So let's I'm all over the place now. I finally got on TikTok. I got back on Facebook, so Rooted Home Life on Facebook, Rooted Home Life on TikTok. My main account is Rooted Home Life on Instagram. I'm on YouTube, Rooted Home Life on YouTube, and yeah, I have a podcast that gets neglected quite a bit because it's the one thing that kind of comes off the plate when you know. I don't know how you balance all of that.
SPEAKER_00Do you have a team? No, I'm the team. I don't know how you do all those platforms. I'm the team. You are the team. Just me. So you gotta get your your son that wants to be pissed to start editing and getting all that stuff together because that would probably be a cool all right. Christina, I'm gonna put everything in the show's description, all the links so people can find you, follow along. You do content creation stuff too. Did you want to share that account?
SPEAKER_01Sure, yeah. I just started The Rooted Creator. Um, I started it just because I was having my first content creator retreat. So I was like, okay, it needs its own page, and then it kind of morphed into homeschool and content creator coaching. So I don't share the homeschool coaching over there. I share that on my main page, but yeah, and I'm just trying to kind of share my journey a little bit and give it a little bit of an inside peek into content creation because I feel like on my main account, I don't love like I guess breaking the fourth wall with that necessarily. I see people do it really well where they integrate it, but it just doesn't, I don't know, it just doesn't seem to flow as naturally for me over there. So it's like, you know, I'm gonna give it its own space and let it be its own thing and let people just have rooted home life as is, as they've always known it. And yeah, so we'll see how it goes. I mean, it's a very little tiny account.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and but it could blow up just like Jesse tomorrow, right?
SPEAKER_01Oh my goodness, yeah, that is wild.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, oh my goodness. I I fa I did take her yap challenge, but I'm only on day third, and I haven't posted the thing.
SPEAKER_01You might be ahead of me then. You might be ahead of me. I'm like so far behind.
SPEAKER_00Her one thing is like, oh, do like a series so you have episodes, which in theory that makes such good sense, right? Oh, this is episode one, I want to watch reinforced. So I started a five-part episode, but I'm like, oh, nobody's really watching these. So now I'm like, I don't want to make episode three, four, I know, yeah, but I will do it because I have OCD, and if I don't finish it one through five, it will bother me in the back of my head. Right.
SPEAKER_01But maybe just figure out how to rework it. Like make it the four and five, but figure out like how it will perform better. Give it a different twist.
SPEAKER_00That is the the task at hand, isn't it? For every single post. For everything, yeah. Yeah. What worked yesterday didn't work today. What worked tomorrow won't work today after. Oh my god. Well, I gotta love it, gotta love it. It keeps me on my toes. I was so bored for 16 years working for the government. So this is like my like stimulating, like gotta be a tough one.
SPEAKER_01One thing it's not is boring.
SPEAKER_00It's not boring. Yeah, it is not boring, and it helps me just to try to. I definitely need to get a better routine going for like the homeschool plus this stuff. Yeah. But you know, what whatever. They're alive. Yeah, they're doing great. I'm sure they're thriving. All right, Christina. I hope we get to see each other soon. And thank you so much for coming on today and sharing. Thank you for having me. Thank you for listening to the Homeschool How Two Podcast. If today's episode helped you, please be sure to follow the show and leave a review. It's the best way to support the podcast. And if you're just getting started or need a reset, head to thehomeschoolhow.com and grab my free 30-day homeschool quick start guide. Until next time, keep learning, keep questioning, and thank you for your love of the next generation.