5 Reasons I'm Changing My Blog Name

1- IN OUR POND WAS MORE CUTE THAN PRACTICAL
When I started blogging almost six years ago, I also had three kids under three!  I was majorly sleep deprived and chose my new blog name based on what sounded cute.  I thought about a preschool or day care center and had the idea that my kids would sit on handmade lily pad rugs for read aloud stories and schoolwork.  It seems absolutely ridiculous to me now.

Because we were "in our pond," my family all has pond-themed nicknames.  The husband is "Bullfrog," I'm "Hummingbird," and the kids are "Dragonfly, Skimmer, and Tadpole."  For continuity, I'll be keeping their names.  They still match those personalities even though we're not in a pond anymore.


2- MY KIDS ARE ENERGETIC
The reason why quiet learning on lily pads is so funny to me now is that my kids are very energetic!  Right now, as I write, they're running around our kitchen island and alternating that with wresting.  Sitting still for lessons is not their natural bent and can only be expected in short bursts.  Of course, we're working with them to increase their amount of quiet and still time, but I also know we need to follow their leading.


3- HANDS-ON AND CREATIVE HOMESCHOOLING
When I called the blog "In Our Pond," I had many encounters with people who were confused about the subject of the site.  I got asked many times if this was a pond supply or pond hobby site.  I fought that misconception for five years, and it was effecting my motivation to blog (notice how many posts I've put out in the last 6 months after starting Party Through the USA).  For a while, I even contemplated starting completely over.  I finally decided to just rebrand after realizing that I wanted to keep most of the old content.

My first title idea was "Raising My Wild Child."  I really liked it, but my marketing research revealed that my audience didn't like it that they had a different idea of "wild child" than I did.  I did a bunch of brainstorming with several groups of bloggers and moms to come up with the new concept.  "Kinetic" is a synonym of wild, but also relates to energy, potential, and motion.  It also has the same root word as "kinesthetic," which is often used to talk about a hands-on learning style.  Since my passion is creative and non-traditional homeschooling, it seemed like a good fit.


4- MORE FREE PRINTABLES
Part of my homeschooling method is creative and hands-on learning, which will translate into more free printables for you!  I already have several lined up to put out throughout the year.  I'm also hoping to continue to update the old ones and make them even better for all of you.  Check back often for all the awesome offerings.


5- MORE FOCUSED
When I first started the blog, I wanted to create a place to record our homeschooling journey and share my free printables.  Over the years, I've gotten interested and side-tracked by many other things and lost my focus.  I'm excited about the rebranding, because it gets me back to my blog roots and should help provide focus.

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