New Blog Name - Fresh Update

It definitely looks different around here, and I am liking it! I hope you are all enjoying the new name, layout and design. I've been working really hard on it and I am in love. I think it really screams who I am. Feel free to look around. I've updated my All About The Conner Family section, contact page and all of my sidebar links. I've added buttons for all of my social media and I've shared two precious youtube videos of mine. You can click anything in my sidebar to see more of me on other forms of social media.

I really hope everyone is loving the new direction of my blog and stay tuned for much more!

My facebook page name is being switched to my new blog name, so in the meantime it is still Getting Kinda Crunchy. I had to get it approved. If you enter my Scentsy giveaway, please know if you follow me on Facebook and enter, it's going to say Getting Kinda Crunchy. You are in the right place! I just had to wait 14 days for them to change it. 

Let me know if there is anything in particular you would like to see on this blog. I have several posts scheduled for this week and I will be blogging our entire vacation to Oregon. We leave July 5th and come back July 13th. Posts will continue to go live during that time though so no worries there. I cant wait to share with you all our adventures on vacation! Keep your eyes peeled for a blog post all about my road trip survival skills with 4 kids!

I hope you are all having an amazing Summer making memories and please have a safe 4th of July!

Danielle

Our Summer 2014 Bucket List

Does anyone else feel like this Summer is going by way too fast? We have had birthday parties, grandma visiting, and tons of other events filling our weekends. We are doing an astronomy unit for homeschool during the Summer and we are getting ready to go on a road trip to see my mom and sister. I decided to sit down and prioritize the things we want to get done before Summer is over. These are all fun things we want to do to make memories with the kids. I thought it might be fun to post it here on my blog and hopefully I can give someone else ideas. I hope you all enjoy. Let me know what you all have on our Summer bucket lists. How is everyone else spending their Summers?

Go to Coldstone and get ice cream - NOT paleo, but a nice treat

Visit our Science Center twice

Go to the Desert Museum three two times for Summer Saturday evenings

Go bowling as a family

Visit Tombstone, Arizona/Grandmom(Jon's mom visiting)

Take a family vacation to Oregon

Visit the beach

Visit the redwoods 

Go swimming at least 5 4 times at our good friend's house

Play in the rain once

Have smores on the grill

Make homemade ice cream 

Do 2 science experiments

Finish Astronomy

Go camping with amazing friends

That is our Summer bucket list. We have already accomplished several of these items and we may add to it. I hope we could give you some fun ideas. Please share yours in the comments below! I will update as we get more things crossed off.

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Thanks for stopping by!

Danielle

Improving Our Whole Family

One of the things we talk to our children about is ways we can improve ourselves. We frequently talk about no one being perfect and we all have our strengths and weaknesses. It's okay to throw an occasional tantrum, it's okay to get angry, it's okay to cry. Being able to control our emotions is still a very important thing to learn. We can get angry without hurting another person. We can be frustrated without saying things that will hurt others' feelings. 

Today was a day that I needed to be reminded of self improvement. For some reason, today was just harder than normal. I had to practice patience and there were a couple of times I forgot to remind myself. The thing is, I talk to my kids about ME not being perfect either. And when we aren't perfect, we always talk it out and apologize. My kids know I will always forgive them and they will always forgive me.

We decided to write 3 things we can each work on on our white board in the school room. We agreed to leave it up for awhile and remind each other of the things we need to improve upon. I wanted to share what we all came up with together.

Michael - My 7 Year Old Son

1) Focusing! - This is his number 1 by far. Sometimes I get so frustrated at his lack of focus. He is also 7 and learning, so we get through those moments one at a time.

2) Drink more water - A major one for him. He gets migraines and it's because the kid forgets to drink!

3) Talking - He came up with this one on his own, which was HUGE. He sometimes has a hard time saying how he is feeling or he wont talk to me about things.

Violet - My 5 Year Old Daughter

1) Listening - She is her mother's daughter lol and stubborn as all heck. My husband always says we are going to fight a lot when she is a teenager. I hope he's wrong. I always say someday she will be a strong woman but it's gonna be a rough road getting there. She really needs to work on ignoring me and doing what she wants anyways.

2) Bathroom - She was my nightmare child to potty train and while she is potty trained, her bathroom habits need some work for sure lol. We will leave it at that.

3) Tattling - Because she is her mother's daughter, I know she does this for attention. She constantly needs recognition that she is doing good and she loves to point out when others are not doing good. We are working on this. We are working on encouraging others and tattling less.

Josie - My 3 Year Old Daughter

1) Screaming - I always say it's terrible 3s not terrible 2s and she is proving this to be correct for me for the 3rd time! She is a shrieker lately. I remind her to breathe, calm down and use the words we taught her!

2) Hurting - The only one of our children so far that has felt the need to harm another person. She gets upset, doesn't use her words and harms. We are definitely working on this and it is never acceptable in our home. I say Josie is my sweetheart 95% of the time and those other 5% is my Darth Josie. lol don't mess with her!

3) Listening - When I am trying to calm you down, Listen! lol stop screaming and hear what I am saying girl! But she is an amazing helper and listens most of the rest of the time.

Mommy - Yes! I had my kids help me come up with 3 things for me. Believe me, these things can be hard to hear, but once again, we teach our kids that no one is perfect and we all need to try harder. They listened to the areas I thought they needed to work on and I listened to theirs. Bless their little hearts.

1) Yelling - I WILL say, I don't yell a ton, but when I do, it's because I've snapped and I have to remind myself to breathe(just like me 3 year old lol). I definitely understand why they want me to improve on this and I am trying to get down to NO yelling. I would hate for them to look back and remember a crazy mommy.

2) Playing - My babies are SO sweet. They tell me I work so hard and I never get to play. So I am resolving to play a lot more! I love these guys.

3) Frustrated - My 7 year old chimed in with this one and he is right. I do get frustrated with him a lot. I get frustrated when he stands there staring at me and wont talk to me, I get frustrated when he cant focus on his school work and I get frustrated when he cant remember what he is supposed to be doing. This is a huge reminder to me that he knows his flaws and he IS trying and I need to not get so frustrated with him. He's doing his best bless his heart. I love how sweet and loving this boy is and I hope he always stays that way. I need to show him that I accept him for who he is, but that we all can try harder.

So there you have it. We didn't come up with any for daddy yet haha, but I think we need to. We also made a column called ALL and these are the things they agreed upon:

- Say I love you

- Help each other

- Encourage

- Hugs and Kisses

I absolutely am the luckiest mom in the whole world and I hope my kids feel like lucky kiddos!

How about you guys? Has anyone else run into this situation?  I know I am not alone! I am just being honest and in this house, that is encouraged 100%.

One thing I have learned along the way is if the way they want to do something isn't going to change the outcome, then let them do it their way and don't fight for it to be done your way! I learned this years ago and it has prevented so many tantrums and arguments! 

Thanks for reading! Follow my blog and visit me on all of my social media outlets!

Danielle

New Blog and Business Direction!

Hi my loves!

I know I kind of went MIA on this blog. Life just got away from me and I lost my way. The thing is, I really miss blogging and social media in general. I feel like this is my niche and where I belong. I've made a firm decision to blog daily and publish useful content for you guys. I may still do reviews, I may not. I am not sure how I feel about being a review blog anymore. I really want to take this space in a whole new direction. I want to post about my family, who I am, what I love doing and anything I can post that might help others.

I guess that is what it comes down to for me - helping others. I want to be a blessing in peoples' lives, an encouragement. I hope I can be an encouragement through this blog and all other forms of social media I offer. I really want this blog to succeed and I know it can with your guys' help!

As far as my new business directions go, I've signed on with the Scensty company and I am very excited about it. There WILL be Scentsy posts on here, as I really want to be a blessing to anyone looking for information. This company is all about positivity and being generous and gracious with others. I am hoping I can publish useful information and tips for other Scentsy consultants. I signed up with Scentsy not to be rich, but as a hobby and something for me. Being a mom of 4 doesn't leave me with very much me time, as you all know by my blog neglect. But no more. I plan on pouring my heart and soul into this blog, my social media accounts, Scentsy and any other directions I find myself. I really want to open my own Etsy shop and sell bath and body products. Fingers crossed I can accomplish that by the end of the year!

So what does all this mean for my blog and for you guys? Here is a sampling of some of the many themes you will now find on my blog:

Essential Oil Posts - I am obsessed with essential oils right now, they have changed my life. Let me show you how to use them and what recipes kick serious butt.

Homeschool - I am a homeschooling mama and I am so proud of that fact. I absolutely love watching my little ones learn and grow! Be prepared for me to share all about our Conner Homeschool. I will be posting about our curriculum choices, how I teach certain subjects, my planner, our homeschool room and many other topics.

Paleo Diet - Yes! We are Paleo and loving every second of it. We have only been at it a few months now, but I really want to share this journey as well. I'll share with you the highs and lows of Paleo living and I'll also share some recipes too!

Breastfeeding - I am 100% a breastfeeding advocate! I have breastfed all of my babies for at least a year and the longest was 2 years. I am currently nursing my 12 month old son and we are still going strong. I want to share some of my breastfeeding tips, tricks and sanity savers as well as document my breastmilk donating journey. I am currently pumping up a storm to reach my goal of donating 300 ounces. I would love to share this journey with others and I hope I can inspire someone else to donate breastmilk. It is such a blessing.

Day in the Life - Ever wonder how a semi large family works? Well, let me fill you all in! It's crazy and silly and full of love around here on a daily basis. I plan on documenting our days in a life periodically on this blog.

Summer Events - Follow us around the hot Arizona desert this summer and see what we are up to! We are also planning a big trip to Oregon and the redwoods!

Scentsy - Like I said, I will be posting about Scentsy on my blog. It's a huge part of my life right now and I want to be successful. Don't worry though, I am posting information only. I promise not to be pushy. There will be buttons on my blog if you are interested in buying anything or signing up with me. I have an amazing team of girls! You wont be seeing posts begging anyone to buy or sign up, only information. I will post the monthly specials and any tutorials for other Scentsy consultants. I plan on making a Scentsy tab on my blog where these types of posts will be listed. If this is not something you are interested in, please just skip by it. 

Cloth Diapering - I will be posting a ton of cloth diapering 101 posts on this blog. I have been cloth diapering for 5 years and I am going strong. Let me introduce you to the types of diapers out there, my favorites, what my stash looks like and the best places to find great deals!

WAHM Tips - As I navigate working from home and being a busy mama, I am hoping I can share my successes and failures with other moms in my shoes. I hope I can actually help someone out there! Anything I learn along the way will be shared :)

Videos - Any youtube videos I make will also be imbedded in a blog post on here. I am pretty camera shy, so come say hi! And please bare with me while I get more comfortable in front of the camera!

Giveaways! - One giveaway I can guarantee is a monthly Scentsy giveaway! I will be sponsoring my own monthly Scentsy giveaway and there will be multiple ways to enter and tons of extra entries. Keep your eyes peeled for my very first Scentsy giveaway! For the next week or so I plan on revamping my blog and updating all my information and links and then it will go live. Subscribe by email to keep up with when it will be posted!

I am sure there will be tons more featured on this blog including natural living tips and tricks, my favorite green brands, a whole series about our garden in the desert, and much much more.

Thank you all for sticking around. I am so proud of all the subscribers I have and so happy so many have stayed subscribed. All I can hope is that I do not disappoint anyone in my new journeys. Life is about personal growth, love and helping others and I hope to show all of those things on this blog!

Until tomorrow,

Danielle