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by Brianna The holidays and months of cozy reading are upon us! Whether you're buying books as gifts or treating yourself, you might be wondering, "where can I buy books online that isn't Amazon?" There are loads of reasons to want to get away from Amazon purchases, though its convenience is undeniable. When it comes to books, those reasons mostly look like: 1. Saving money 2. Supporting local bookstores So, I'm going to offer some alternatives to Amazon for buying books which are just as convenient, but address those two issues. As with our Amazon links, the links below are affiliate links. This means that Busy Nest News gets a little something if you shop with these links, at no extra cost to you. Thanks. 
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by Brianna
Little kids can't tell time. Slightly older kids can tell time, but they sometimes have trouble connecting the numbers on the clock to what they're supposed to be doing throughout the day. Meet a watch that attempts to solve both of these problems. By using the affiliate links in this article, you're helping to keep Busy Nest News going. Thanks for your support! 
Over the last several months, it has become clear that Monkey is not the type of child who puts herself on a schedule. Meals, naps, bedtime and everything else all need to be imposed upon her. However, just because she’s bad at creating a schedule for herself doesn’t mean she doesn’t need one. In fact, she thrives on a fairly rigid daily schedule. Sometimes we get doing things on the weekends that are so fun that we don’t want to make her take a nap right after lunch. This is always a mistake; an hour after her nap was supposed to start, she is hyper and belligerent. So now we know, she needs to stick to her routine in order to be her best self. The problem is that I’m not great at sticking to a routine, either, despite knowing that I thrive under one, as well.
by Brianna & co
Do you have a dad in your life who is a proud nerd? Is he a science or literature buff? Does he dream of rolling nat 20s in battle? Does he spend as much time in other worlds as he does in this one? If you answered 'YES!' to one or more of these questions, we have the list for you! Use this guide to select the perfect Father's Day gift for your favorite nerd/father. Using our affiliate links helps keep Busy Nest News up and running. Thanks for your continued support! 
Dads with hobbies are a breeze to shop for. When it comes to nerdy dads, you're truly spoiled for choice. It might not seem that way if you aren't in on the same nerdy passions, though. Or, perhaps you think you've already purchased every geeky gift the internet has to offer. That's why it's good that you came here. My husband and I are both HUGE nerds. Our interests overlap quite a bit, but we have some different ones, too.
Whether the dad you're shopping for is your own father, a friend, or your husband, we have a bunch of fresh ideas that are sure to thrill any nerd. I know Monkey's daddy would be excited to get anything on this list. Bonus: some of these gifts are meant to be shared with the daddy's littles, too! Share the love and help him share his imagination with the next generation. by Brianna In which Brianna reveals the best activity tracker you've never heard of. The Misfit Shine 2 is just the best activity tracker, especially if your hands are frequently tied up pushing strollers or carrying children, or you enjoy other cardio besides running. Read on to learn why we've rejected the Fitbit.  Activity trackers have been around for a little while now. They started as glorified pedometers but now offer other features, as well. The most popular, or at least the one everyone says they have, is the Fitbit. But is the Fitbit really the best choice for parents on the go?
By Ariel and Brianna In which Ariel and Brianna gently nudge their families toward fantastic gift ideas for them. Ahem! Is the mom you are purchasing for a coffee lover or a jet-setter? Is she a mom married to the military or simply a multi-tasking mom who always needs a third hand? Chances are she falls into one of these categories. If so, we have ideas to jump-start your Mother's Day shopping! This post contains affiliate links. By using them you help keep Busy Nest News up and running. Thank you for your continued support!
By Brianna
Wherein Brianna introduces and reviews an app for organizing your whole family. This post contains affiliate links, which help keep Busy Nest News going. Thanks for your continued support! Cozi
It’s been a little while since I’ve brought you some helpful tech, dear readers, but my review of Glow is still quite popular, so I know app reviews can be filed under Things The People Want. Any time I encounter a problem, I immediately start looking for solutions. If one is not readily available, I stew on it for a long time. Example: I'll look at a disorganized bookshelf or another problem area in my home every day, and work on the problem in the back of my mind until one morning in the shower (obviously it's in the shower) the perfect plan falls into place. So when I tell you that Cozi is the closest thing to a perfect calendar app we have right now, I need you to understand on what a profound level I am enjoying this app. With that in mind, it will take quite a bit of effort to only hit the high points in this review without getting into the weeds of Cozi’s deeper features.
The primary function of Cozi is an incredible calendar, designed with busy families in mind. Each family member has their own username, but the whole family shares one password. You can add accounts for members who do not have email addresses, such as young children and pets(!). All accounts are color coded for extra ease of use. With the basic version of Cozi, you can set one reminder for each event in your calendar. An example of how we use this feature is I have Cozi text my husband a reminder that our anniversary is approaching two weeks in advance. You can set your one reminder to text, email, or send a push notification anywhere from zero minutes to two weeks before the events you schedule.
By Brianna In which Brianna describes an app that has captivated and educated her daughter. This article contains both affiliate and non-affiliate links. Endless Alphabet by OrginiatorThere are loads of apps and games out there for kids. A lot of them are…not great. At best, they’re mindless and repetitive. At worst they can be harmful. There are dress-up games with questionable story lines and bizarre let-the-toddler-perform-a-c-section games. Then there are the ads for things that have nothing to do with the game you’re in. We don’t let Monkey play endlessly with her tablet, but it does have its uses, especially for long car rides. To avoid all the pitfalls mentioned above, I’ve carefully curated a collection of games and apps for Monkey’s tablet. This is about one of her favorites, Endless Alphabet. 
By Brianna
In past reviews, I’ve mentioned that I do most of my non-picture book reading with audiobooks. I’ve been a fan of audiobooks for a long time, but they’re especially important to me now that I’m a parent. First, let me explain what an audiobook is, in case you’re just joining this awesome party, and then we’ll get into why you should give them a shot. At the end, catch a promo for one of our favorite audiobook services. If you use it, we get paid, and that helps keep Busy Nest News going. Thanks!
What's an audiobook?
Audiobooks are actual print books that are read in a studio and recorded for others’ listening pleasure. Many people call them by the format in which they first encountered listening to books, such as:
Books on tape. Books on CD. MP3 books.
These are all formats for the recording, but they all fall under the broader heading of audiobooks. I choose to use this broader term, because for our purposes it is the most precise. I encourage you to use this term, as well, if you ask for a recorded book at the library or as a gift. If you use “book on tape,” the person doing the fulfilling might think you’re married to that format, and tell you it isn’t available, when it might be available on a disc, or as a digital download instead. Or your friend might gift you a box of tapes, when you don't even own a cassette player.
By Brianna This post contains NO affiliate links. If you choose to try these apps, we won't get anything for it, but we'll be really happy you took our advice. We really believe in them, so give it a try and let us know what you think! Glow and EveI could review every period tracking app I’ve ever tried, and maybe I will someday, but today is not that day. Today, I’m going to review the only pair of cycle tracking apps that knocked my proverbial socks off. I say pair, because it’s two sister apps, created by the same company. Glow is the original, intended to help women become pregnant by tracking every fertility metric known to humanity. Eve is Glow’s sassy little sister, meant to help all women track everything to do with their sex life, with very little focus on fertility and more on frequency, pleasure, and period prediction.
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AuthorsAriel and Brianna are friends who met while working in a library. Now they collaborate to develop life-enhancing book club experiences. Archives
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