Can you believe it’s basically time for Back-to-School and summer is practically over? (At least, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere).

Over the summer I’ve been taking a bit of a break from this blog, posting less frequently, and spending more time slowing down with my son and daughter. There have been a lot of changes in our lives, but it all seems to be coming together again just in time for the new school year. Since back-to-school always signals new beginnings in my mind, I thought it’d be a good time to fill you in on what’s going on behind the scenes.

If you’ve been following along for a while now, you’ve noticed that I’ve basically stopped the frequent multiple-post-a-week schedule for almost a year now. I’ve even stopped participating in blog hops I co-hosted and any weekly series I was running. It was a bit of a juggle trying to get back into the swing of my other job (as an attorney) last summer - even though it was only a few hours a week. And after settling into a manageable routine, I have now officially ramped up into working almost full-time again. Of course, at the same time, I’ve been growing my blogging career, attending dozens of conferences and social media or startup events, and starting some projects and an organization of my own with amazing and entrepreneurial friends I’ve made along the incredible journey of the last 2.5 years.

On the personal side, I’ve been working hard to lose 40 lbs of “baby weight,” and am 20 pounds successful so far. I’ve decided to throw out the phrase, “I’m not,” from my vocabulary, so I am no longer “not a runner” and am training for my first half marathon. (I may get carried away and train for a triathlon, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves). So that means no more of my favorite 3 a.m. late night blogging sessions since apparently there’s a correlation between lack of sleep and not being able to lose weight or exercise. And in fun news, my 20 year high school reunion was this summer, my best friend had her first baby, and we sold our house and moved within walking distance to my parents! We also took the kids to Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, California, where we got married 6 years ago. It’s amazing to think of what has happened in those six years.

On the baby front, my little babies are babies no more: 3.25 and 4.5 years old now - a preschooler and pre-kindergartener. And potty-trained. (No more diapers!) They’re in school for a lot of the week, so we no longer have as many endless crafting days. BUT, we do get in all the creative and educational goodness as much as we can, which requires a lot more planning on my end.

So, you’ll see that my posts will be a bit shorter and to the point. They’ll cover activities you can easily do at home with your own children. And they’ll take on my primary parenting goal, which is to Raise Thinking Kids. Our post on Keeping Kids Curious during summer break will give you an idea of the flavor of future posts you’ll see here. Raising children without “braces on their brains” (i.e., flexible and creative thinkers) has always been my number one concern as a parent and now with more limited time with the kids, I need to be more intentional in the choices I make and I’ll be sharing how I do that with you.

If you’re following us on social media, you’ll see these posts tagged as #RaisingThinkingKids.

In terms of weekly series, I will be bringing you more of the Virtual Book Club For Kids because early literacy is a primary focus of our “afterschool” program at home. I’ll also be bringing back the weekly Crave It. Covet. Love It. (TM) series, which features fabulous finds for you every week. Before the posts were never sponsored, but going forward, we’ll be switching it up with some sponsored finds. (Don’t worry, I’ll let you know if a post contains affiliate links). Of course, I will have to give in to some holiday, grownup craft, and recipe challenges. I’m really looking forward to growing as a creative this year.

If you’re a blogger or a brand as well as a reader, please join me at Bloggy Law, a website featuring articles on the intersection of law and social media. I’ll be sharing weekly tips for Bulletproofing Your Blog & Brand, like this.

And I have one more super special project I’m working on that I can’t wait to share!

Until then, remember those two birthday party posts I promised you a year ago? Well, I have 5 of those now, so there will be lots of celebrating here on the blog over the next few months.

Thanks for staying part of my community all these years and for being such fabulous friends and readers that have kept me afloat and inspired since the beginning. I hope I can do the same for you in whatever small way it may come through either the blog or our friendships.

~Chrissy

Parents and friends: for more ideas, activities, and inspiration for #RaisingThinkingKids, click on an icon below to join us on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ and Twitter.

Fellow bloggers: join me at Bloggy Law, where you’ll find Simple Tips for Bulletproofing Your Brand and Blog and I’ll help you navigate the social media legal landscape a little more smoothly.

Chrissy – who has written 426 posts on The Outlaw Mom® Blog - Creative Living in a Conventional World.

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