Shownotes
Imagine being a super mom of 13 kids—yep, you heard that right! Meet Jenny Burba, a resilient powerhouse from North Carolina who juggles her role as a mother, a graphic designer, and a faith-based coach like a circus performer on a unicycle. In this delightful episode, we dive into her extraordinary journey filled with ups, downs, and everything in between. From being a teen mom to navigating the rocky roads of difficult relationships, becoming a widow and the gut-wrenching experience of losing a child, Jenny's story is nothing short of inspiring. With a sprinkle of humor and a hearty dose of authenticity, she shares how her faith has been her guiding star, helping her to rebuild her life and support other women facing their own adversities. So, whether you're a parent feeling overwhelmed or someone just looking for a slice of motivation, Jenny’s insights are like a warm hug on a chilly day. Get ready for a conversation that’s equal parts heartwarming and empowering, as we explore how to rise from the ashes of grief and embrace the joy of new beginnings!
A gift from our guest: I’d love to bless the audience with 10% off your purchase from any of my three Etsy shops! Simply use the code VibrantFam10 when you check out, code expires Dec. 31, 2025.
You can also download my free pdf that covers the first 5 steps to take on your healing journey from my creative resilience healing website. https://creativeresiliencehealing.com
Residing in Northeastern North Carolina, Jenny is a mother of thirteen, ten of whom she homeschooled, and a seasoned graphic designer. Her life is a powerful testament to faith, resilience, and transformation. Having navigated the challenges of being a teen mom, the hardships of a difficult first marriage, the devastation of a late-term pregnancy loss, and the sorrow of widowhood, Jenny found strength in her faith to rebuild. Now remarried to an incredible man who lovingly embraces her children, she dedicates her life to helping women overcome adversity. Through her creative business and faith-based coaching programs, she empowers others to find hope and begin again.
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Transcripts
And today I have the pleasure of introducing Jenny Burba. Residing in northeastern North Carolina, Jenny is the mother of 13. 10 of whom she homeschooled and a seasoned graphic designer.
Her life is a powerful testament to her faith, resilience and transformation.
Having navigated the challenges of being a teen mom, the hardships of a difficult first marriage, the devastation of a late term pregnancy loss, and the sorrow of widowhood, Jenny found strength in her faith to rebuild. Now remarried to an incredible man who lovingly embraces her children, she dedicates her life to helping women overcome adversity.
Through her creative business and faith based coaching programs, she empowers others to find hope and begin again. Welcome Jenny. It is a pleasure to have you here today. Thank you for joining us.
Jenny Burba:Thank you so much for having me.
Kristina:Yeah. Whenever I talked with you, it's like, wow, we haven't had somebody, come on. Who could share this scope of knowledge. Right.
We've had people come and talk about grief in the family. We've had people talk about homeschooling.
We haven't had someone who can kind of like weave those together and help families figure out when something big is happening. How do you support your children? How do you support yourself so you can make it through all of those different layers?
So thank you for coming on today. And yeah, it's, it's amazing. Thirteen kiddos. I have two and that was enough. And I assume that you gave birth to most of them.
So again, it's like, oh my goodness, two was enough for me. So thank you for joining us and thank you for sharing some of this very powerful and sometimes vulnerable story with us.
Herb:So first question, because I found it interesting. 10 kids or 10 kids homeschooled. Out of 13, which three didn't get it? Was it like the first three, the last three, or somewhere in the middle?
How, how did, how did 10 get homeschooled?
Jenny Burba:Let's just kind of two of them are my, my stepchildren from my second marriage. So. And they're also, they're the same age as my oldest too. So they were already grown and, and starting their own adult lives.
And then the third one is, is my son who, who was a still birth. So he's, he's included in the number because we, you know, we, I was far enough along that we knew it was a boy. We named him. The kids were excited.
So in everybody's mind, he's still part of the family.
Kristina:That's great because some people don't know really how to handle that. Right. Did you kids lead on that, or did you kind of lead on that? Because, I mean, like, what part?
Herb:The homeschooling?
Kristina:No, the. Including the stillborn baby and everything, I think.
Jenny Burba:I don't know. I feel like it was a mutual decision. It just. It just came naturally. I think it's harder for.
For families that lose a child in pregnancy earlier on, but we were so far along, we were excited we had named him, so in our minds, he was already a part of the family, so it's just natural to continue to include him as part of the family.
Herb:That's beautiful.
Kristina:That is beautiful. Thank you. Yeah. All right, so back to Herb's question. So 10 homeschooled. How did you do it?
Because most people are like, I can't even imagine handling one or two, but maybe having five or six, because, I mean, 10 as they grow, you know, you don't have quite as many homeschooled at the same. How many do you. Did you homeschool one time?
Jenny Burba:Well, I mean, probably nine, because my youngest was. Was only five months old when. When I stopped homeschooling. So, you know, I mean, I started homeschooling when my oldest was entering second grade.
He has a lot of learning or had. Still has learning disabilities, and the school system was just not the right place for him.
My mom started homeschooling me and my siblings when I was entering junior year of high school. So I'm the oldest of nine, so the eight siblings under me got a whole lot more homeschooling.
But I watched her do it, so I felt comfortable that I could do it. So I started homeschooling. It was just. It was a second grader and a kindergartner were my oldest two.
And then it just, you know, as I had a new one, the older ones learned how to read, and so that they became more independent and were able to do more of the work independently so I could focus on the younger ones. And it kind of worked that way for a while.
As the older ones reached, like, high school and middle school, they started helping teach the younger ones. So it was almost like. Like I had teacher assistants because the older ones were able to help, and that. That was a big.
A big part of being able to homeschool so many.
Herb:So we're.
We're Gen X, and I grew up in this little tiny town out in the middle of nowhere, and we're actually living there now, and the town's almost doubled in size since I left, and there's like 800 people now. Okay, not kidding. So small town. There was 11 people in my graduating class. There's 55 people in my high school. Okay.
We didn't have classes that consisted of just one person. It's like one grade level. Yeah. Not one person. We actually did have one class that only had one kid in it, so.
So, yeah, that was fun watching that kid go through school. I remember when they got. When they got a classmate finally, and there was two people in that grade for a year. So again, small school, that.
That ability to work with children of different ages and see the olders and the youngers working together, that is one of the things that we talk about, about how homeschooling is better for socialization of children than necessarily public school where they're just around children of their age. Because now, like you said, your younger ones are learning from your older ones. Your older ones are teaching your younger ones.
And it's not like a structured. I don't know who they are. And the question that I came from, that is actually, it's kind of different.
But when did you start, actually, with the academics, with your children? Because with such an age range, was it like, oh, you're five, you have to start doing this. Oh, you're six, you have to start doing this?
Or did some of them like, oh, I want to read, and they started reading at 3, and some of them didn't start till 7. How did you manage that? Because. Because so many people think it has to be this way. And the joyfulness of homeschooling, the public school, is.
Is that you are so open to that. How did that go? Let's talk about that.
Jenny Burba:So. So we did our schoolwork at the kitchen table. And so the youngest ones were e little baby corral, pack and play area.
And then as they got older, you know, I'd give them coloring books to color with. So they were at the table working, too. Not necessarily unstructured work, but it just. It. It. You know, just like with.
With including my son as part of the family, it just came naturally. They were used to it because they saw their older siblings doing it. And. And now my girls, and I think this is. Is normal anyway.
But my girls started reading earlier and faster than my boys. And a lot of my boys, I struggled with finding the. The right kind of book that would spark their interest to really get them, you know, to read.
But once I found the right. The right title or the right genre of book, oh, my goodness, they ate it up. And it was like, took off.
Herb:Was it dragons or farm tools or race cars? Or, you know, you know, you got space. It's like you trigger the boy's imagination, and then when he's done beating and breaking stuff, he's gonna.
Oh, I'm. I can do this now. So. Right.
Jenny Burba:Yeah. Like my. Not my oldest son, but my second son, it took me a while to find something that he liked. And I find.
I found this book series called Wings of Fire. And I think.
I can't remember if she's still making books now, but he was following that series up until he was in his 20s, and he just couldn't wait to get the next book. And it was so fun to watch.
Herb:My childhood, one that I read all the way up into adulthood, was Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators. These three kids, Jupiter Jones and Pete Crenshaw. Right. Now, I don't remember the name of the third one. Pete Andrews. There we go. Or Pete Crenshaw.
Yeah. But Anyway, there's like 40 or 50 books in that series, and there was always a problem. There was always a challenge and a mystery.
And that's what gripped me is how are they going to do this?
Kristina:And how they can solve this?
Herb:How are they going to solve this one? And they were just fun and corny enough to really keep your attention. And so, yeah, that turned me into an avid reader for most of my life.
Finding that. That genre of children's books towards boys, that. That just grabbed me.
Jenny Burba:And. Yeah, yeah.
Herb:What kind of books do your dear daughters like?
Jenny Burba:They seemed to really like stuff that they could relate to. Like they did gymnastics and cheerleading and. And ballet.
So anything that had characters that did those same things, that's what they gravitated towards and read and enjoyed.
Kristina:That's awesome. So did you kind of force your.
Jenny Burba:Older kids to help with the younger.
Kristina:Kids or what did that. What was it? Just kind of a natural, oh, can you do this? Can you do this?
And it just kind of happened because I know in public school, whenever the big kids get to come down and help the little kids, lots of times it's like, oh, yay, we get to go hang out and help them.
And then other times, like, oh, my gosh, in the same grade level, the ones who are a little bit quicker, like, oh, do I really have to go help so and so. Right. So how did that all work?
Jenny Burba:So obviously there were times when I did have to kind of say, look, I really need your help right now, because they. They just didn't feel like it at the time.
But for the most part, it was just natural, you know, because we were able you know, because we were together all the time since we were homeschooling. You just build this really great bond between the siblings, which is still apparent today.
Even with the ones that have moved out and started their own adult life, they are so close, always talking to each other, so they naturally want to help each other out. In fact, to the point. And this is a struggle that I've had that I feel like I've finally gotten over the hump of understanding, grasping.
But the older ones started to tell me how to parent the younger ones, and I've had to remind them, I understand where you're coming from, but I am the parent. I have a little bit more experience than you. I appreciate your input, but I raised.
Herb:You confident enough to be able to say that to me, right? Back off.
Jenny Burba:So that's how much they care about all of their siblings.
Kristina:And that is so amazing. So do you happen to know what the secret sauce is? Because that's again, one of those things that we hear from families all the time.
Like, I can't imagine being with them all day, every day. What if that bond doesn't really get there? Or what if we start fighting a whole bunch? What do you think it was?
Herb:I don't get along that great with my sisters. I. We don't have that greater relationship. And. And there's one of them that I don't even really talk to anymore. So, you know, the fact that.
That you came. Had 13, and they're still talking and actually wanting to be in each other's lives, you know, secret sauce.
I'm going to say taking them out of public schools because schools caused a lot of problems, and, and, oh, yeah, my grade's better than your grade.
Jenny Burba:Well, I mean, there. Some of them are closer than others, but like, I do my. My second son and my second daughter, so I have two boys and then two girls.
So the second son and the oldest daughter, they get along really, really well. But the second son and the next daughter, they don't really talk all that much.
Not necessarily because they don't like each other, but I think that there's just not the same connection there or with the other sibling. Like, when we get together all as a family and everything, they'll talk and enjoy each other's company, but they don't just call out of the blue.
And I know my.
My second daughter gets a little frustrated that her older brother doesn't call and check on her, but, you know, I just have to remind her, well, you guys are all adults now. You have your Own lives, you're busy. It's. It's hard to, you know, remember to reach out consistently.
Herb:I have an older. I have an older sister and a younger sister. I get along better with my older sister. Yeah, he's chasing her.
And my little sister is annoying because she was chasing me, so.
Jenny Burba:Right.
Herb:That changes the relationship. It totally does.
Jenny Burba:Absolutely.
I think, though, the secret sauce, I would say, is just encouraging them to, I don't know, for lack of better words, be nice to each other and respectful of each other.
And we did have conversations about how you don't always have to like the same thing as somebody else, but that doesn't mean that you can't still love each other. You know, I think raising them up in a faith and understanding that, I think that is huge because that gives them more.
A more understanding of morals and ethics. And.
And then we also made sure that everybody had their time to be just them, where they got space away from their siblings so that they weren't with them 24, 7.
And they were allowed, you know, we, we did some homeschool co ops and we did some parks and rec sports, so they were able to find friends in their own peer group that weren't their siblings.
Kristina:I love that.
Jenny Burba:Yeah.
Kristina:And that's one of the things we also talk about with families sometimes is that, you know, whenever they do have an interest in something, get them involved in that activity, whether, you know, it's horseback riding, dancing, taekwondo, whatever it is.
So they do have those interactions, but again, those interactions are a little bit different because it's not like in a school setting where some people want to be there, some people don't want to be there most of the time in those settings, everybody wants to be there. So it's a whole different atmosphere and feeling and you can build bonds a little bit easier and learn quicker in those areas.
Jenny Burba:Yeah, yeah.
Kristina:So let's take a little bit of a farther step. When, when did your husband, your first husband pass away? What age kind of was the group, Kiddos.
And kind of talk about that a little bit because we want to weave in, you know, how. How do you help your kids through something big like this? And like I said, how did you take care of yourself as well?
Jenny Burba: Yeah. So that was in:He had been in a medically induced coma for about three weeks on a ventilator. So. So I think the length of time, you know, helped us talk about it and helped Kind of extend the goodbye in a way.
I mean, obviously everybody hoped that he was going to get better, but as it got longer, had more time to process what was happening. So at the time, My oldest was 21 and my youngest was five. Five months. Yeah, yeah.
So I do feel like losing my son first in that stillbirth was kind of like, in a weird way, almost like a blessing from God, so to speak, you know, how he uses all things for good. Because I went through a really deep grief during that time, which caused me to.
I decided to lean into my faith and to get my questions answered from the right people. And so going through that process helped me understand what grief looked like and how to move on in a healthy manner or move forward.
So that allowed me to be a little bit more present with my kids.
Now I did have a lot of my own healing work that I had to do, so I had a lot of family and friends and the older siblings that were able to help me get time to myself so that I could reflect without having the kids all around me.
Now, the kids, it was, it was pretty interesting now that, like, I'm four years out from it, I can look back and really see how the older ones coped and the middle ones and the younger ones.
And, you know, I think because my two oldest sons were already moved out of the house, it wasn't as difficult for them because they had already started that separation between parent and child. My girls, they both took it differently. Like, one was trying to think of their ages, 16, 17 and 15, I think.
Oh yeah, because my 17 year old, she turned 18, so my husband died on October 23rd. She turned 18 on November 2nd. So it was like only a week or so. And that was, I mean, we made her birthday special.
She and I and her younger sister, 15 year old, went out to Shenandoah Valley, went hiking and just spent the day, just the three of us. And it was really, it was great.
But she was feeling, because she was the oldest in the home now, she started feeling like too much stuff was being put on her shoulders. So she ended up moving out as soon as she hit 18 and she moved in with a family friend. So that was difficult.
But I mean, she has, she is now a Virginia State trooper. She went through boot camp, which is really, really intense. And she, she made it through that with flying colors.
I am so proud of her and her resilience to, to move forward. And I think she used her dad and wanting to, you know, make him proud as motivation to do that.
Herb:How many Boys and girls are. You're in your family.
Jenny Burba:I have five boys and five girls. So of the, of the 10 living children that are biologically mine, and then my, and then my, my second husband, he has a one boy and one girl.
So it's still even.
Herb:I was gonna say having five brothers, that's gonna help you get through boot camp no matter where.
Jenny Burba:Oh yeah.
Herb:List. You're going to be so totally, totally understand how that can, can be for her.
Jenny Burba:That is very true. And it's, but it's also hilarious having five brothers, right? It's also hilarious because she's like a toothpick and she's only five.
I think she's only five two. So this is a short, tiny trooper coming up to your car. But she is strong. Holy cow.
It's, it's funny some of the stories she tells me with people not believing that she's actually who she says she is when she's in regular clothes now. I think the one that took it the hardest though was my 13 year old.
And, and I think that's because that, that, that preteen early age is really when you're starting to discover who you are as a person and you're really able to have like actual conversations with your parents.
So he was just starting to get to that point with his dad and then his dad is torn away from him and he just, he, yeah, it, it was really, really hard for him. He, I think he was the only one out of the kids that actually wanted to go talk with a therapist.
So we got him a therapist and he went through that for a while until he decided that it wasn't doing anything more for him. But, but I also feel like it, it grew him and I closer the longer we went.
And he and I have had some really great conversations in the recent months because he's 17 now, he'll be 18 in January, getting ready to go off to college. So I've seen a lot of really great growth in him.
But he, he definitely lashed out a lot and had a lot of pent up anger, but just having patience and working through him with that I think was the most important part. And then with the younger ones let me think I had. So he was 13, so that means I had a 10. Eight. Six. No, 10, eight. Five and three.
No, sorry, six and four. And then my five month old. Yeah.
So that seemed like a really interesting break because my 10 year old, I mean we would talk about his dad, but it wasn't the same.
He wasn't quite at that level that my 13 year old was at, so he was able to be a little bit more resilient, a little like there, there wasn't as much of a. I don't know how to describe it, you know, but then brain changes in the.
Herb:Hormonal changes in the 12, 13 year old time, the amount of energy, the amount of confusion and at that time to then lose the person that you, that, that, that helps you, that you watch through that, that helps you hold that stability and can contain that energy that's within you. Yeah, that, that going away can be absolutely devastating. And.
Jenny Burba:Yeah.
Herb:Yeah.
So abruptly, I was older when my father passed away, and you triggered the heck out of me because he made it through his cancer surgery and then he caught a secondary infection and they induced coma and three or four weeks later he passed away.
So your story just like, really, it was hard for me to think for a little while there, so I, I can totally empathize with that and it does make saying goodbye easier. And my youngest son changed his name, his last name, right before he got married.
And that kind of broke me and he stopped letting me see my granddaughter and he stopped talking to me. So to me it felt like my son had passed away. He was dead, but he was still alive. And that kind of made it worse.
Losing my son was worse than losing my dad. Yeah, I also got that. So, yeah, you threw me completely into my feels all over the place through that.
And so your resilience, the way you came through it shows such strength and, and that you have the family around you to guide you, help you.
Kristina:Yeah.
Herb:Again, it's. I wish I had had like 10 kids and we'd homeschooled them just to give me that kind of family support because it's like.
Oh, I'm not really sure where I kind of lost my question in all of that as well, but. But I just, Just wanted to let you know that.
Jenny Burba:Thank you.
Kristina:Yeah.
Jenny Burba:Yeah.
Kristina:So with the youngers, are you going to. I don't know. Well, no, they have a new dad now. I mean, do they call your new husband dad and stuff? Is that relationship going really?
Jenny Burba:Yeah. Yeah. So those younger. It's five, right? Yeah. The younger five call him dad and they see him as their dad. You know, my.
The One that was 10 at the time is now 14. And you know, he's always out in the yard working with him. My.
My second husband is a woodworker, so he's teaching Owen how to do woodworking and carpentry stuff. And it's just it's so fun and great to see that relationship that the two of them are building.
And then, and then so there's three girls and one more boy underneath that one. And, and the three girls, oh my goodness, they love him to death. And it's, it's an amazing relationship.
Now we do still talk about their, their birth dad is what we, how we try to differentiate. We have pictures of him like we kept his piano because he, he was the pianist at our church and we had a piano at home, so we kept his piano.
We have pictures of him on the piano.
And then for Christmas to the second Christmas after he had passed, I made all of them photo albums of pictures of just them and their dad, just full of it.
So obviously as I got down the line, the younger ones don't have as big of a book, but they still, still have, they still have pictures to look back on. And I think that's really important for the four year old.
Well, yeah, she was four and the five month old because neither of them, my five month old will have no memory of him at all. My 4 year old, I think she has some, but I don't think very many. And I think at this point it's just what she can see in the pictures.
Kristina:Yeah. Yeah. Wow, that's amazing.
I mean, just the question that popped in is like only one child kind of has asked for therapy and stuff, but I assume you're kind of on the, on the lookout for the others kind of saying, well, you know, things aren't quite setting or whatever, right?
Jenny Burba:Yeah, absolutely. And I did end up putting them all into public school after he passed away just because everything was way too overwhelming.
And I will say I think the homeschooling really, I don't know if prepared them is the right word, but they are thriving in the public schools, but they still have that, that love of family and that love for each other that we established in the homeschool setting. And I just lost my train of thought. Oh, I brought that up because my, my daughter, who was four at the time, she is now in third grade.
Last year I did get a couple phone calls from the, from the school guidance counselor because she was talking about her dad, but the guidance counselor was just letting me know that, that Annabelle had brought this up and that she and her had had a discussion.
But, but yeah, so, so public school systems have been really great for them too because they, you know, I've put in notes that their father, their birth father had passed away and they've been watching for things too. So it's kind of like having a set of eye, another set of eyes looking for that.
Herb:So you homeschooled for a while. And so for the last four years now, all of them have been in public school. Have. Have any of them been homeschooled?
Jenny Burba:No, I've not homeschooled any of them. I mean, I still work with them at home and we have a lot of fun activities, but it's just, it's. It was a difficult transition and.
And they're all thriving there now. So now I'm working on my business and helping other people, you know, find this path towards. Towards their new journey.
Herb:What's the oldest child that you put back into public school?
Jenny Burba:She was a. She went back to school her junior year of high school. So junior and senior year she went back to school.
And so now she is in her second year of college at culinary school, so. Which I don't think she would have even pursued culinary if it hadn't been for the homeschooling.
Herb:Yeah, so. So I want to ask about that kind of transition there. When she went back to school, did you talk to her about the differences in school or did that.
No, not, not like a formal. But like, did the differences in school come up?
Did the differences in the way the children came up, what was her thought of the way school was being taught and the children in school at the time around her? So, again, big transition from public school or private school at that age? Home school, public school at that age?
Jenny Burba:Yeah, Well, I think.
Herb:What's. What did she think of the people in public school? Because I've heard of some, and they're like, they don't do anything.
Jenny Burba:So, yeah, I would say that they did feel like there was a lot of wasted time, but in the way of the other kids in the school, they already had friends that were in public school from our neighborhood and from church. So they kind of, you know, already got the rundown of what it was going to be like if they had gone to school.
And some of them were asking to go to school before their dad passed away. So. So they didn't struggle with it too much because they've always been social butterflies in our neighborhood and in. And in our church.
But I also, you know, we gave them that firm foundation of faith and morals and ethics, and we did talk about the stuff that they're going to find in high school that they need to make sure that they stay away from. So they've all been.
Been really good with making good decisions as far as as far as I've heard, and all of their teachers and the principals, they just, they.
They rave about the kids and how polite and respectful they are, but also how they have this great goofy personality and aren't afraid to be themselves. So. And I'm hoping that continues to rub off on the longer the younger kids. And who knows?
I might, if life changes a little bit, I might homeschool the younger ones again and pull them back out. So. So.
Herb:And that's one of the beautiful things about where we live and. And what's going on is, is if.
If it comes time to homeschool, you can pull your kids out and do that, and then if the situation changes and you need to put them back in public school, you can do that. And then if you want to pull them out and put them in a private school or this or that or however you want to do it, that is.
That is the most freedom that the Americans have right now is with the education and the. Of their children. So don't waste it. If you want to try it, try it. And don't give up right away because it's really hard right at first.
But if you get into it, I mean, the benefits, the family structures, that what can come about is tremendous. But again, and if it doesn't work, you can flex into something new. So again, it's not. It's not locked into one thing.
And that's the beauty of everything that we're talking about right here. Is she homeschooled?
Kristina:Y. And I also want to point out here that Jenny's also mentioned along the way, she did some of the teaching. It was a blended family kind of teaching.
There was co ops, there was other groups. So remember, along this journey, it's not just you. You've got ways to get help and flex and move around.
Herb:And so you had homeschool. You had 10 kids, you had. You had the whole school all at once. So tell us how you set up your schoolroom and how were the desks set up?
Did you use a chalkboard or a whiteboard? You know, tell us how the schoolroom in your house was set up for homeschool.
Jenny Burba:We had a bookshelf and our kitchen table.
Herb:Thank you. So homeschool is not replicating the school system in your house. How much education did your children get helping you cook?
How much education did children get helping you clean the house and do the yard work? How much education did your children get learning to work together and fight and figure out their own problems? Yeah, let's learn that A little bit.
Jenny Burba:So much. Yeah, so much. I loved it. I mean, you can turn everything into a learning moment.
And that's one of the great things about homeschooling, you know, and because it's not all about book work, I mean we obviously you have to do math and teach them all that stuff, but that can also be done with cooking, which, you know, like I said, my, my 19 year old is at culinary school and she did have to take a math class there, but it was very basic, you know, measurement type math at that school for her degree. And then teaching them how to read is another probably a little bit more structured thing.
But social studies, science, music, all that you can do with your, you know, everyday life. I loved it. Whenever we went out for a drive, they would point at things and ask questions and you know, they're learning.
And we were in Virginia, so we had Williamsburg, Jamestown, all those great places to learn about history. And even when we went to other states, you know, I had family in Washington D.C. so we got to see that whole area. Yeah.
And it's just there's, you know, outside is science, bugs and leaves and trees and weather. So it's just, it's great.
It's, it's, it's fun, you know, when you're just out and about and they ask a question and you, you answer it and you're like, I guess we just had science today. We're good, you know, so.
Herb:And that creates that love of learning. That creates that, that, oh, what else can I know? And as they're again driving around and just oh, what's that?
And asking questions and talking the older ones telling the younger one, it's like that those dynamics are just an absolutely incredible for the learning mentality. And again, your children started before they could read at the table coloring. So their idea of learning is something you do every day.
So that, that won't end when they're 18. It didn't end with their brothers, it didn't end with their mom.
So again, that, that constant learning and growing is something that, that, that is so poignant. That's so right there in a lot of these homeschooling environments. Yeah, you were I lucky to have 10 kids.
Most, most people don't really have that many. So. Wow. Was it, was homeschooling different when you just had a couple? As to when it ramped up to 10?
Because, you know, because homeschooling for two kids or one kid is a whole lot different than 10. What, what? Yeah, families kind of, I'm trying To.
Jenny Burba:Think because for a lot of the stuff, I mean, obviously math and science is different, but you only have to do a little bit each day. You don't want to overwhelm them anyway.
But then when it came to like the social studies and the science and that kind of stuff, you can have the same lesson that you want to teach them but give them different age appropriate activities to do so that you're not repeating yourself all the time, if that makes sense.
Kristina:Yeah, and that can. And I'm just going to add a little bit there. So for example, if you're learning a history lesson, right.
The oldest might go in and do more research about a certain character in that part of history and do a full on paper. Right.
But then a little bit younger, they're writing just a paragraph about what they just learned and maybe the littlest is just drawing a picture about what they just learned. So it's different level activities. Right. And different depth depending on the age and what they need to learn out of that situation.
That's kind of what you were talking about, right?
Herb:Yeah, because thing they're also having conversations about it at different levels and the youngers are learning through osmosis even if they don't necessarily understand directly what's happening, so.
Kristina:Exactly.
Herb:Great, great framework.
Jenny Burba:And if you look at the traditional school system at their, their, their what? Learning outcomes. I don't. Every school system calls them differently. They repeat stuff, you know, every other year, every year anyway.
So it's not like you don't need to be worried about your older ones not knowing something or, or your younger ones getting behind because eventually they'll learn it all.
Kristina:Yeah, yeah, exactly. I mean if you look at anything kind of spiral. So life cycles, Right. At one grade they do insects, another grade they do birds.
Another grade they do, you know, amphibians or something. Right. So the life cycle kind of main lesson circles back around. Yeah. Just with different animals or whatever. Yeah, exactly. Wow.
So thinking about it now, would you. I don't know, because you, I guess because you had the homeschool model to begin with. Right.
Because you were partially homeschooled and you got to see the other kids being homeschooled.
Did you ever think, oh, I'm just going to directly put them into home, into public school or did you make a conscious choice to homeschool from the beginning?
Jenny Burba:Well, so my, I mean I did start. I, I can't, sorry. My. So my oldest one, he had the learning disabilities. He had, he needed speech therapy.
So I was encouraged to get him into the Head Start program.
And, and so he did the Head Start program for preschool and then kindergarten, and then we moved to another county and he did first grade in that county, but they were not, they were not giving him what he needed. And so his younger brother had also started in a Head Start program, but that's the only traditional schooling that he had got.
But once I got that little taste of the, the public school school system for those kids, I was like, this school system is not gonna do what they need. If my mom could do it, then I can do it. So.
Kristina:Yeah, that's right. I'm sorry, that part out because we. So many different levels. Oh my goodness. Awesome.
Before we came on the show, we talked about lots of different things. Is there anything that we haven't covered that you really wanted to talk about today?
It's like, I really want to make sure I say this to the families who are listening or I really hope to get this message out there. Something that we missed or we didn't talk about.
Jenny Burba:I mean, I feel like we touched on pretty much everything.
But I do think that it's important to understand that if you want to homeschool, you should give it a try because it might not be for everybody, but you won't know unless you try. And the benefits of homeschooling are, are tremendous.
There's so much, you know, they, they, they get real world experience from a young age and they do get that, that innate desire to always be learning and then in the way of grief. Definitely seek help for you and for your children. Force them to go to therapy.
But definitely offer it and just, just have patience, Take time for yourself and have patience for your children. There's also lots of books out there to help as well.
Herb:Okay, so we've, we've talked about a lot of your experience and developed this understanding of who you are. So let's talk now a little bit about your business and what it is that you do and how you help people. So tell us what it is that you do.
Jenny Burba:So my main business is Berber Designs. And there's, there's three pillars to it.
So I do digital designs which I make the files for crafting machines like silhouette laser engraver embroidery machines. I make those digital files and sell those.
I also do custom made products like these shirts back here and laser engraved wooden toys that my husband makes. Lots of personalized and customized gifts.
And then I have the creative resilience healing program that I've started that has a foundation in the Christian faith and it guides you on Your journey of grief so that you can learn how to carry the grief and find joy in life again through create creative activities, journal prompts, and reflecting on the Bible.
Kristina:Oh, that sounds amazing. Wow. What, what a great way to, you know, kind of in this story, right?
You've gone through so many ups and downs and now it is in this beautiful space of supporting others and being creative and joyful all at the same time. Awesome. Make sure you tell us your website or how can people get a hold of you to find out more about that?
Jenny Burba:Yeah, absolutely. My main website is www.burbadesigns.com and there's a link on there Creative Resilience Healing Program to find out all the information about that.
Kristina:In the show notes as well.
Herb:And because berba.com is a lot easier than creative resilience.com gotta say that for sure.
Jenny Burba:Verbadesigns.com way easier.
Herb:Creative resilience Healing.
Jenny Burba:So exactly.
Herb:At least to type out, right?
Kristina:Exactly. Oh, wow. Jenny, this has been such a wonderful conversation.
Thank you for being so open, so, so forthcoming with all the information and all the tips that you've given parents throughout this episode. It warms my heart and I am so glad that we met and I was able to bring you on the podcast for other families who are out there.
So thank you very much for being here today.
Herb:Thank you for joining us today. Your backstory is incredible.
I wish we'd have been able to get a little more into your coaching and how you actually help people, so maybe we can bring you back later for that. But I really appreciate your story. You've gone out and you fought your dragons and.
And you came back to the village and so many people's like, oh, that was scary. It hurt. And. But you're out and you're telling your story and you're relating your story.
And not only that, you're helping other people deal with their dragons. And that is the hero's journey.
And you are a hero because you've been out there, you've lived it, you fought it, and you came back to share your story and to help other people. So, again, thank you for being here today. Thank you for being a hero. Thank you. Thank you for actively working to make the world a better place.
So many things that you talked about or would be a reason to shut people down and just sit back and complain about life, and instead you showed your resilience and you came back again, hero. So thank you for being here.
Jenny Burba:Thank you so much. I really enjoyed being here and getting to know you guys.
Kristina:Audience, you know what time it is. It's time to, like, share, review.
Make sure that if you have someone in your severe sphere of influence, right, someone who's like, oh, my gosh, this story would be perfect for them, please make sure you share. That's what this podcast is all about.
Bringing education home is for you, the parents, the audience, to take away those gold nuggets and put them in place to raise happy, healthy, and successful kids, but also to share it with others. Because somebody needs to hear this message. And you might be the perfect person to give it to them because they.
Herb:Might really want to be making change. They might really want to take their kids out of school. They might. And just hearing this and say, give it a shot.
Kristina:Yeah, exactly.
So make sure you're doing all of those things that we love, and make sure that you tune in next week for another wonderful, amazing person to share more tips for you and your family. Until next time. Bye for now.
Herb:Bye for now.
