The question I get most often is, “What does Crunchy mean?”

This is a great question, and a term I had never heard until the past few years. To put it simply, it’s basically someone who leans towards a more natural way of living. 

That can look differently, depending upon the person. I know several crunchy moms who choose to use cloth diapers, and I know several who choose not to cloth diaper, but will opt for an organic, non-chemical version of a disposable. Some crunchy peeps swear by and love their essential oils (that’s me!), while others will dabble in them, but will never fully commit. The list goes on, but I think you get the picture.  

So how does Crunchy translate in our house? 

We’ve slowly become a “crunchy” family over the past few years. This was definitely not something that happened over night. It started a little over 3 years ago, when I became a stay at home mom to my two boys, right after the Nugget was born. We had gone down to one paycheck, and were looking to cut costs wherever we could. Since we had another boy for round 2, we already had all the clothes and baby items we could possibly need. So I asked my friends and family for cloth diapers. We were fully stocked and ready to go! 

The next step came after Little Miss T was born, and we began looking to remove toxins from our home, and seeking for a more natural way to handle sickness that may come our way. When T made her arrival 6 weeks early, we had to take extra precautions to keep her healthy due to her under-developed immune system. That’s when I was introduced to essential oils, and they became an integral part of our life.

A year after using (and loving) our oils, we still knew something was missing.

It wasn’t until I received a life-changing book, that opened our eyes to the food we were eating and the havoc it was wreaking on our bodies. So we decided to begin removing processed foods from our diets. Now, I don’t consider this part particularly “crunchy”…just informed on the benefits that real food has to our bodies and overall health. 

After we finally took control of our health through oils and food, I decided the last thing I really needed to do, was to take a close look at the stuff we put onto our bodies. I had been researching and came to find out that the things that we put on our bodies, actually get inside our bodies…and most often than not, those things are not okay. Like, at all. 

So I reached out to a few friends who I knew were either making or selling natural skin and body care products.

I have come to truly love my BeautyCounter face wash, and their line for kids. I love that I can confidently use the shampoo, conditioner and body wash for them, without feeling the least bit hesitant. Now I can say this because I am not a BeautyCounter Rep. But if you have never heard of them, you need to find a Rep who can help you. Stat. If you don’t know anyone, I can hook you up with my girl. She’s extremely passionate about helping others find a way to remove toxins from their home by switching to safer alternatives. Let her help you. I promise you won’t regret it! 😉 

Then came the makeup. I had a hard time with this one for some reason. Maybe it was because I had just dropped some bucks on my usual foundation, powder, and blush, and I hated the idea of throwing it away. I may have even stashed it away somewhere (just in case)…what if I didn’t like natural makeup? What if it didn’t work like I was hoping? 

Oh friend. I’m here to tell you that if you’ve never tried natural makeup, then you are missing out! And if you have tried “natural” makeup, but it made you break out or felt unnatural, then you were using the wrong stuff. I have a dear friend who actually HANDCRAFTS makeup in her own home. And it is nothing short of amazing. She is nothing short of amazing. This woman has a heart and desire to help women feel beautiful in their own skin, and to feel that way without all the nasty chemicals and allergens that can and will wreak havoc on your face and body. Want to try out her stuff for yourself? You’re in luck! She has an Etsy shop and she will SHIP to YOU!! Seriously, do yourself a favor – click here and check her out. Tell her Brenna sent you. 😉 

Now, am I full on “Crunchy” in all areas of my life?

Far from it. I mean, don’t get me wrong…amongst my friends and family, I am far and wide one of the crunchiest people I know (personally). We have been called “Chewy” (which is not as much Crunch), and we’ve heard Outdoorsy, which makes me chuckle. I mean someone actually said that to Mountain Man and me one day. A few years back (the Nugget was just a babe), J-Man woke up and his lips had a blue tint. I freaked out, called the pediatricians office and took him in. We ended up taking him down the mountain to a pediatric cardiologist to have him thoroughly checked out. The nurse that was working with us had asked us where we were from and when we told her she said, and I quote: “Ooohhh….I thought you two looked a bit…(seriously uncomfortable long pause)…outdoorsy.”

We acted like we didn’t notice was she was really trying to say. But we did have a good chuckle about that on the drive back up the mountain. Also, J-Man was fine! They found nothing wrong with his heart and he’s never had any incidents since. 

Regardless of how much “crunch” you have in your life, it’s a journey.

And everyones journey looks different. We are still learning and growing. Later this year, we are hoping to remodel our kitchen, and in doing so, plan to remove the microwave all-together (I just heard about a million gasps on that one…it will be hard, but I think I’m up for the challenge). One day, I’d love to have chickens, and we hope to start our own garden in the Spring. If I’m not careful, we might get way past crunchy, haha. 

My Crunchy blog…

Back when I first started this blog, Mountain Man and I went round and round on names. Chewy was thrown around…even snake oils made an appearance. But I knew that “Mountain” needed to be a part of it. After all, where our house is situated at the top of our road, nestled in the woods, it feels like we are on our own private mountain. And since this was going to be about our life, and we were considered “crunchy”, well, there you go. 

And FINALLY, after ONE YEAR of blogging, I feel like I’m actually starting to figure this thing out. Blogging about their lives, what they do and eat, and their hobbies, seems to come so naturally to people. Not this chick. I’m a work in progress, much like this blog. And so today, I’d like to roll out to you all my new logo. That’s right, I officially have an official LOGO! So when I first started writing, I literally just grabbed a picture I had taken (of mountains, duh) and placed a generic font over it that stated the name of the blog. It worked for its intended purpose, but it lacked…everything. It was blah and boring and made me sad every time I looked at it. 

I decided to contact a friend to help me out with a logo…

When I got the email from her that the logo was ready, I was blown away. Never in a million years did I expect such a perfect one for this blog.

So without further ado…

RIGHT?! Ok, so if you can’t tell by my excitement, I love this.

When she first asked me what I envisioned for my logo…y’all, my mind went blank. I had no clue, but I knew it needed to be clean and crisp. Not too busy, and definitely unique. I think she absolutely covered all of those bases. I am beyond thrilled and I know that she can design an incredible logo for your business, too! So if you’re looking for a new logo, or even if you’re not, and you’re just curious to see what her other work looks like, I encourage you to visit Heather over at Krafty Panda Designs. Tell her Brenna, the Crunchy Mama sent you! 😉 

Disclaimer: I am not and will not be receiving any sort of kick back or commissions from mentioning, promoting, and bragging about my friends’ businesses. I am a small business owner myself and I love to, and encourage others to support small business! Most are run by stay at home moms, who are looking for a way to help bring in some money to support their families. So I am encouraging you to consider supporting small business the next time you need to make a purchase. Chances are, you know one (or several) friends who have a business!