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By Brianna In which Brianna breaks down winter outerwear for snow newbies. Monkey’s daddy is a Marine, and his job moves us around quite a bit. We’re both from New York (state) and used to playing outdoors all year. However, the vast majority of Marines will spend most of their careers stationed in very warm climates, as most of their bases are in the American South, Southern California, or the South Pacific. Today, we live in Michigan. To us the winters we have spent here are hardly different from what we experienced growing up. Wind chill, lake effect, black ice, snow plows are all terms and realities we grew up with. So when it came time to play with our little Monkey in the winter, we knew what she needed, because our parents had swathed us in similar attire.  This article is not for people like us. In the military community, we have made friends with people who have never left the South before finding themselves and their children suddenly thrust into the cold arms of a Northern winter (and of course, civilian families might relocate for better jobs, too). It’s hardly Game of Thrones up here, but many states south of Virginia shut down in the face of more than an inch of snow or a day of ice. People from these areas, you know who you are, and I, a native Northerner, am here to help you and your kids through this. I know from experience that a drastically different climate can be a BIG adjustment! My first summer in North Carolina was awful. The air conditioner in our house stopped working, and the humidity gave me a headache that lasted over a week. I thought I’d have to be scraped off the parking lot on my way into the grocery store. Well fear not, my Southern friends, I will not let your children turn into popsicles!
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By Ariel In which Ariel expounds upon the Bilibo by Moluk - a strange looking toy with unlimited potential! This post contains affiliate links by using them you are helping to keep Busy Nest News up and running. Bilibo by Moluk  In an ideal world every toy that enters my house would be sleek, minimalist, wooden and, preferably, not make noise – unless it is a musical instrument! But that isn’t realistic. Other people love my child and want what they think is best for her too. And while I would love to unleash my controlling tendencies- “Bring out the toy police! No Barbie for you!”- that isn’t healthy for me or Bean.
I can only reasonably control what toys I purchase. This Christmas I chose Moluk – the Bilibo to be exact. Sleek and minimalist? Check. Wooden? Nah. But I am willing to overlook that for a toy this incredible. By Brianna In which Brianna endeavors to acquaint those new to snowy regions with the essential tools for winter wonder enjoyment. This post will contain some affiliate and non-affiliate links, but it's all great. If you make a purchase using an affiliate link, we get money from that sale, which helps keep Busy Nest News going. Thanks!  Greetings, snow newbie! If this is your first winter playing in the snow with kiddos, you are in for some fun!
Good news! If you’ve ever brought toys to the beach, you are in luck. Snow isn’t all that different. That is, if it’s the sticky kind of snow. Some snow is very soft, and powdery. That snow is beautiful, but it is difficult to really play with. You need dense, wet snow. How do you know if the snow is good for packing? Try making a simple snowball in your (gloved) hands. If it sticks together and forms a decent ball, it’s ready. By Ariel In which Ariel makes a confession and then proceeds to make sure you never forget it. Hint: She really likes Christmas music. This post contains affiliate links. If you buy the featured products using our links, you're helping to keep Busy Nest News running. Thanks! The Twelve Days of Christmas So I have a confession to make. I unashamedly love Christmas music. I have been known to put it on during the “off season” as a means of cheering up a particularly dismal day. So when Bean fell in love with Elmo’s Twelve Days of Christmas last year I did not complain when she continued to pull it out all year long. I gladly sang it in the spring, in the summer and the fall. Anxiously anticipating when it would again be relevant! Now that I have the whole dang thing memorized, it’s relevant again! In tribute to Bean’s all-time favorite book – yes all two glorious years of her life – I compiled a review of our favorite renditions of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Some are silly. Some are beautiful. One has monsters! But all are fun to sing. Come sing along with us! 
By Brianna
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Shoes, by Elizabeth Winthrop and William Joyce
When Monkey started walking everywhere, we knew she would need good walking shoes. My mother came to visit at about that time, and she went to the mall with us to find some sneakers for Monkey. Monkey’s grandma bought her two pairs of shoes that day; white sandals with small flowers, and sneakers that were purple and hot pink. Much to my surprise, Monkey loved trying on lots of shoes, and when the sandals fit, she refused to put them back in the box. She clutched them tightly in her hands, while we pushed her stroller around and tried on more shoes. Since then, Monkey’s grandmas have gotten her more sandals, sneakers, and- arguably her favorite- boots. I suspect boots (both rain and snow boots) are her favorites, because they’re so easy for her to put on by herself. Every morning, Monkey pulls on her boots, grabs her backpack or a purse, and heads for the door, proclaiming “Let’s GO!”
By Ariel Celebrating Overseas For those of you that don’t know, I spent the last three years living in South Korea. Do I miss it? Absolutely. But am I glad to be home? Yes, especially now that the holiday season approaches. It is hard enough to be separated from your loved ones during the holidays. That feeling only got worse for me without the comforts of my culture to fall back on. Having weathered a few holiday seasons abroad, I can confidently say it got easier each time. So whether you are relocating for work or following a spouse abroad - like I did - this post is for you - the reluctant, the reticent, the excited, the ecstatic, the nervous, the ambivalent. I was all of those things - usually within the same hour. Simply moving across the country can feel just as overwhelming! Stick around these tips are applicable to anyone living outside their comfort zone this holiday season - the expats and the out of staters - we’re all in this together. Yes, I did just quote High School Musical. I learned how to make the most of my situation and – dare I say – embrace it for what it was. You can too.  Hiking in Seoraksan National Park, Republic of South Korea By Brianna This post contains affiliate links. If you buy the featured products using our links, you're helping to keep Busy Nest News running. Thanks! Proven Picks for the Littles on Your ListWhen shopping for the holidays, simply walking into a store and hoping to find good ideas for the little in your life can get overwhelming fast! There are so many toys available in early winter, and the malls and stores are packed with people. Likewise, shopping online can get a bit harried, too. You’re being inundated with ads everywhere from your inbox, to your social media account. You can certainly pick the most adorable clothes or toys you come across, but you might be disappointed by how little they get used after the wrapping paper has been discarded. As you're shopping for presents this year, don’t be afraid of getting toys or books that are a little bit of a reach for your favorite littles. Rather than watch our kids play with everything until January, and then never touch any of it again, we opt for things that we can watch them grow into throughout the year, and hopefully enjoy for another year or two to come. This is a list of toys and products you can expect to put some miles on. Everything is at least useful, and hopefully beautiful as well. Let’s take a look.  By Ariel This post contains affiliate links. If you buy the featured products using our links, you're helping to keep Busy Nest News running. Thanks! Gifts for the Mom-to-be on Your Shopping ListWhen you’re shopping for the pregnant lady in your life, please avoid falling into the trap of gifting exclusively to the coming baby. A few gifts for baby are, of course, nice and appreciated, but don’t forget that there’s a woman there who likes presents, too! I will admit during the hormonal rollercoaster that is pregnancy I may have become unreasonably irritated receiving only gifts for the baby - all the time! Not that I told anyone this. Growing a baby is hard work, so this holiday season calls for next level pampering. The gifts we’ve selected are so indulgent, we’d love to get most of them even when we aren’t pregnant. If you’re stumped for ideas, start here!  By Brianna This post contains affiliate links. If you buy the featured products using our links, you're helping to keep Busy Nest News running. Thanks! Getting to know Jan Brett's workDo you know who Jan Brett is? If you said no, I bet you’re wrong. Do you remember, as a kid in grade school, reading a book about a kid who loses a white mitten in the snow? The animals of the forest, knowing cozy outerwear when they see it, climb in one by one, each animal bigger than the last. And then you all cut out mitten shapes from paper and got to use the STAPLER to stick the two pieces together into a mitten-shaped pouch, into which you popped your colored-in animals, thus replicating the story before your very eyes. I KNOW I am not the only one who did that at least once growing up. If you have a very similar memory, you can thank Jan Brett. 
By Brianna
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Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen and John Schoenherr
Published in 1987, Owl Moon is a sweet story about a little girl and her father making the most of a clear, winter evening. The prose is simple, but evokes beautiful imagery of the countryside in winter. The illustrations won this title the Caldecott Medal for 1988, and it was featured on Reading Rainbow.
Owl Moon depicts a child and their father exploring the woods on a cold, winter evening, as they look for owls. The story is about a very special one-on-one bonding experience, shared between a parent and child. The two don’t talk in the woods, but the narrator tells us how she feels inside (special, loved) and outside (cold!). She tells us that this has become a tradition, almost a rite of passage, to have Pa take you owling. We learn that her older brothers have all gone owling, and she’s been looking forward to being told it’s her turn. 
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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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