Homeschooling R.O.C.K.S - Meet Julia

Homeschooling R.O.C.K.S!

Real Moms, who face different Obstacles and Challenges as they homeschool their kids, yet put their trust in their King, Jesus Christ, and Stand firm in what the Lord has called them too!

This week I have the privilege of introducing you all to a friend I went to Bible College with!  I had no idea she was also homeschooling her kids until I saw something she had posted on Facebook!  She has some wonderful things to share and I hope you are all as encouraged by her words as I was!!

Julia and her family!

Me: "Hey, Julia. Thank you so much for being willing to let me interview you about your homeschooling experience"

Julia: Thank you for inviting me to participate! I love talking about homeschooling!

Me: "I already know a little about you and your family but share with my readers so they can get to know you more"

Julia: I am a married stay-at-home mom. I have three kids, ages 8, 5, and 7 months old. I'm also a licensed pastor and a musician. We live in Southern California in a little college town where we can walk to shops and restaurants. We are an attachment parenting/organic living/foodie type of family :)

Me: "Have you always known you wanted to homeschool or are you what they call an 'accidental' homeschooler?"

Julia: I guess you'd call it "accidental". When our oldest was little and it was "time" to put her in preschool, I just didn't want to part with her! I wanted to keep her home and keep having fun with her each day. I started looking into alternatives to preschool and praying about what to do. I had always thought that homeschoolers were "weird". I didn't know anybody who homeschooled. Once I started looking into it and asking around, I found out that homeschoolers are not "weird" at all and now I can't imagine doing anything but homeschooling. Sending my kids to a school seems "weird" to me now!  

Me: "What made you decide to homeschool and how long have you been doing it for?

Julia: Officially, I've been homeschooling for 5 years. I think the decision was made when I gathered materials to teach my oldest preschool at home. I read some great books on homeschooling and they described the kind of relationship and home life that I wanted for my family. I also felt like it was the path that God wanted for our family and so I also decided to do it out of obedience to Him. It was scary at first and seemed very overwhelming, but now I see it as a thing of joy and I have a lot of peace about it.  

Me: "What would you say has been the hardest aspect of having your kids home with you?

Julia: I don't know. I don't know any different, and so I guess I don't see it as I'm having to adjust to something different. I honestly don't know what it'd be like to not have them home. We are all so used to being together all the time, it doesn't feel normal when someone isn't around. We are a close knit family, lol!

Me: "What is your favorite thing about homeschooling?"

Julia: My favorite thing would be that we are all together all the time. I also like that I get to be their teacher. I love it that it was me who taught my kids how to read. I also love how it allows our family to live a "slower" life. We aren't having to rush around to get to school on time.

Me: "I know you had a baby not too long ago. How has this changed your day to day life and homeschool time?"

Julia: It has been an adjustment! I don't know how we got through all the curriculum this year, but we made it! Thankfully, we finished the school year just as the baby has started crawling. She had been napping during school time and so I would hold her and teach while she slept. Now that she's not napping as much, it would be much harder to accomplish anything. We'll see how it goes once we start up again in September. The plan is that I'll have the older two children switch off playing with her and working on school things. We are all going to have to be flexible!

Me: "What have you learned the most about yourself since homeschooling?"

Julia: Hmmmm, that's a hard one! I guess I've learned that God knows me better than I know myself. Before starting homeschooling, I would not have guessed that I would have liked it. He knows me better than I do! I absolutely love it!

Me: "Are there days/times you feel like throwing in the towel with homeschooling? What encouragement would you give to any mom out there who is feeling this way?"

Julia:  Sometimes I still feel overwhelmed. Usually when it's time to choose the next year's curriculum. There are so many choices! Sometimes I feel like maybe the kids are missing out on something by not being in a school setting with other kids and then I start to doubt our choices to homeschool. But when I step back and think about it I realize that homeschooling really is the best choice for us. My kids are each other's best friend. They have amazing imaginations and can play together all day. My oldest is a talented musician and she can devote hours each day to playing piano and writing songs.

When I feel overwhelmed, I tell my husband and he does a great job of reminding me that any stress I feel is so worth the investment we are making in our children. Parenting well is a lot of hard work! I am dependent each day on the strength I get from my Savior. Everyday I ask Him to fill me with the fruit of the spirit. Without love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control, I could not do any of this. Thankfully, He gives us what we do not have so we can do the things He calls us to do!

Me: "Thank you Julia so much for taking the time to share in a very real and honest way. I know your words are going to impact many!"

Julia: Thanks for asking me, Andrea. I hope I was helpful in some way :-)

Just in case you missed it, here are the first five in the series:

Homeschooling R.O.C.K.S - Introduction

Homeschooling R.O.C.K.S - Meet Sandi
Homeschooling R.O.C.K.S - Meet Sarah
Homeschooling R.O.C.K.S - Meet Tracy
Homeschooling R.O.C.K.S - Meet Minda

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