Bronte 0.3

This month, I thought I'd do the update as a quick list. Here's Bronte by the numbers:

• 5400 grams--11 pounds 14 ounces for you imperial users--as of last Tuesday. She's growing slow but steady like her brother did.
• 56 cm, or 22 inches, tall the last time we measured her, which was actually nearly a month ago at her two-month shots. It might be a bit early to make predictions, but I have a suspicion that little B isn't going to be tall like her brother--her hands & feet are pretty little.
• 12+ hoodies--she's already got waaaay too many clothes, most of which are hand-me-downs from her twin cousins. 
• 8+ hours that she sleeps straight through at night, though not every night. Little bugger likes to k eep me on my toes: some nights it's 5, some nights it's 9. I never know.
• 5+ major spit-ups a day, so #3 doesn't seem that excessive when you think about it.
• 2 hands grabbing at things to stuff them in her mouth. She's still not very good at this, but I see progress by the day.
• 1 big brother who still asks, "Can I hold my baby?" nearly every day.

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Holiday Bucket List

I love the holidays & it's getting really fun as Linnaeus gets older & is more able to enjoy more of the great kids' activities at this time of year. Every year I sit down & think about all the things I'd like to do to celebrate the season. This year, with a newborn in the mix too, we may not make it to as many of them, so I'm trying not to be too ambitious. Here's my list of activities big & small that I'd like to do this December:

1. Bake something, maybe sugar cookies that we could decorate.
2. Visiting Bright Nights in Stanley Park & the Christmas Train.
3. A photo with both kids on Santa's knees.
4. Walking around to see the Trinity Street Light Festival.
5. Completing The World's Largest Advent Calendar, aka, the Giant Christmas Tree Felt Board.
6. Getting a real cut tree & decorating it.
7. Having a big Christmas dinner with family.
8. Making at least one present for each of my kids. I'm already crocheting a hat for Brontë & have plans to crochet slippers for Linnaeus.
9. Watch some family Christmas movies: we've already seen 'Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer' (the 1964 version), maybe we'll watch 'Elf', 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' & I'm not sure what else... 
10. Performing on my stilts at the Mount Pleasant Family Centre's Winter Celebration Party (10am-noon on December 12th at the Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House if you want to come too)
11. Visiting the Vancouver Christmas Market, riding the carousel, & having a mug of Gluehwein.
12. Make & hang a cut greenery wreath on our front door.
13. Decorate the house. We've already got one of the front windows covered in Christmassy window clings & we left the lights up from last year.

 Have you got a bucket list for the holidays? What are the top activities on your list?

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HANDeBand Review: My Latest Favourite Gadget

Along with running this blog, I recently started writing for One Smiley Monkey. I'll be doing articles here & there, plus reviews at least once a month or so. My first post is up today: a review of the HANDeBand. 

The HANDeBand is a loop that sticks on the back of your phone to make holding it easier. I'll admit, I was skeptical at first, but I'm now a convert. Read why, plus all the details over on One Smiley Monkey.

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Healthy Snacks, Delivered: Top 10 Reasons I Like Snackbox ($15 off & Giveaway!)

Have you heard about Snackbox yet? It's a cool new concept I got to try out recently--a subscription service that brings snack food right to your door. Here's why I think it's neato:

1. I'm too lazy to go grocery shopping.
2. In the same vein as #1, Snackbox is a subscription service--no need to even go online & pick out what you want, it just arrives on your doorstep each month.
3. I get stuck in a rut & don't often try new snack foods--Snackbox allows me to try new things without committing to a large package/container.
4. Snackboxes contain a variety of sweet & savoury snacks (some of which are gluten free, if you're into that sort of thing) as well as dips & drinks, even cereal.
5. The snacks inside are actually healthy (ish), curated by a nutritionist. You won't need to look up the ingredients in a chemistry textbook to figure out what they are.
6. Snackbox provides a 'menu' with websites & company info to make it easy to find more info on the products.
7. The snack menu also includes lists of the stores that carry each of the items so I can find more.
8. Snackbox is local--started right here in Vancouver.
9. The snacks are mostly very kid friendly & easy to toss a few in the stroller basket or diaper bag for when I'm on the go.
10. I love getting packages in the mail!

A selection of snacks delivered to your door!

My Snackbox had:

• Arora Creations Gobi Spice (with a recipe to make crispy chickpeas)
• Enerjive Quinoa Skinny Crackers
• Oï Ocha green tea
• Bella Viva Orchards Dried Pear Slices
• Cocolico Toffee Coconut Dark Chocolate
• La Fourmi Fruit & Nut Medley
• Lärabar (my three-year-old LOVES these & has for a couple of years)
• Sensible Portions Veggie Straws (also very toddler-friendly)
• My Smoothie Blueberry
• Pirate's Booty Cheese Puffs (these are the dangerously addictive real food version of cheesies)
• True To Nature Hemp Protein Bar

So, now that I've got you all excited about Snackbox, here's the fun stuff. If you want to go out & order one RIGHT NOW, you can save $15 off your first box. Here's the code:

You're welcome!

And now for the contest... If you can stand to wait just a little, you could also toss your hat in the ring to WIN one of FIVE Snackboxes! Just enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. You've got lots of ways to enter (the more you do, the better your chances!). Contest will close at 12am on December 11th. GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received a free Snackbox but was not otherwise compensated for this post. The words & opinions above are my own. 

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Federal study reveals top killer of wild birds

Photo Credit: Steve took it via Compfight cc

Pop quiz time! Each year, more birds in Canada are killed by:

A. window strikes.
B. vehicle collisions.
C. cats.
D. wind turbines.

What do you think? The answer may surprise you... Find out after the jump & learn what you can do to help.

Neighbourhood Pride: Mount Pleasant Mural Project Video

We love the area we live in & wouldn't move anywhere else, despite the high real estate prices & big city problems that we have here. It's an amazing community that's always changing & never ceases to surprise me. Here's a short documentary on some new murals in the area & the artists behind them:

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Review: Google Nexus 7

Babywearing while using the Nexus 7

I'm a big fan of Android devices & have been using them for several years now. I have been a Google devotee for longer than that, using Gmail, Calendar, Google Docs/Drive, Chrome, Blogger, Analytics, Adwords--basically everything Google's got. So when Staples contacted me with the opportunity to try out an Asus Nexux 7 tablet, I jumped at the chance. My main devices are a net book & my Samsung Galaxy S3 phone--the only tablets I've had experience with are the rare occasions when I use my husband's Blackberry Playbook or a friend's iPad.

The Nexus 7 arrived, I started it up, updated the operating system, entered my Google account details & bam, all my apps were loading. Now the tablet had nearly everything that my phone has--certainly all the apps that I use regularly. I find navigating the menus & settings as easy to use & as intuitive as my Samsung Galaxy--nearly everything is the same software-wise.

The main differences, besides the obvious--the Nexus 7 tablet is a lot bigger than my phone--the things that stand out are how the keyboard works & how you 'wake up' the device. The space bar & home button are a bit too close, I find, so when typing one-fingered, I tend to have issues writing what I want to. I've got large hands, but fairly slim fingers, so I'm thinking this might be a bit of a problem for men with larger hands. The other complaint I have is when the screen has timed out & I need to use it again, I have to press the power button on the side. It's nearly flush & not easy to press. I find I need to use one hand to hold the tablet & the other to turn it on again--nearly impossible one-handed. This is a serious issue for a breastfeeding mama--I don't always have a second hand free to do this. However, to be fair, this issue is pretty consistent across other tablets too--it's not just with the Nexus.

The Nexus is a nice size in the hand, a lot like a pocket book, with a slightly grippy back. Reading on it (I use a great free app called Aldiko) is fabulous, especially during those late night breastfeeding sessions where I want to keep the room dim to discourage baby from staying up long. A lot bigger than my phone & my Kobo Mini, though significantly heavier than both. If you compared it to an iPad, it'd be 2.7" smaller screen. I'm not particularly technical--I just want my devices to be easy to use, surf social media, blog & hold lots of baby photos, so I don't have a lot to say about the technical specs. For more details on that, see the Staples Nexus 7 page.

The Nexus 7 is available for about $250 at Staples.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, however, I received a free Asus Nexus 7 from Staples Canada.

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