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I’ve always wanted to find a meaningful way to show gratitude during November, but haven’t ever found something that has actually turned into a tradition.

I once tried filling a jar with paper slips that had things we were grateful for on them, but that only lasted one year. I’m definitely not perfect.

I love the idea of doing a gratitude tree, but actually using real branches and hanging paper leaves on them isn’t very kid-friendly. That would probably last a few days in our crazy house.

So instead, I decided to make a paper gratitude tree! But there was still the problem of making a tree big enough that we’d be able to add leaves to it until Thanksgiving. There’s five of us (assuming our two-year-old participates), and a wimpy little tree printed on letter paper just won’t cut it.

Last year I made a giant bucket list for December (instead of an advent calendar) I printed it on 18″x24″ poster paper at Office Depot. It was perfect!

So I sat down and drew my best tree, scanned it into my computer, and printed it off at Office Depot (I found a coupon code that made the price only $20), and voila! The cutest gratitude tree I ever did see!

I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you all! I think it’s a great visual representation for kids to see how much we have each to be grateful for.

You can download your own giant printable gratitude tree below. And please remember this is for personal use only.

Now as far as the leaves go, I used my Cricut to cut them all out. But I know not everyone has a Cricut, so I’ve also included a printable of leaves you can print on colored paper and cut out yourself. And if I was you, I probably would skip the stems if I was hand-cutting all of these!

I hung our poster up downstairs in the kitchen, and I can’t wait to fill it all up over the course of November! I’ll include a picture of our full tree after Thanksgiving (scroll down to see it!), but for now, enjoy our staged version!

One last little note. If your kids can’t write yet, have them draw things they’re grateful for! Gratitude has no age limit, so you can use this even if your kids just scribble!

Update: Our gratitude tree was a huge success! It was so fun to recognize all of our blessings each night and it certainly brightened up our kitchen!

I’m definitely going to do this again next year!

The post Giant Printable Gratitude Tree appeared first on Life With My Littles.

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Something I love about the holiday season is that it gives me an opportunity to teach my children about special, important things we wouldn’t normally talk about. In November, we have been talking about gratitude and how we can serve others to show them we are grateful for what they do for us. We have also talked about all of our blessings we can be grateful for, like our family, our friends, our home, our clothes, and our toys. And now with Christmas only a month away, we have started turning our focus to Christ.

The post Teaching Toddlers to Show Gratitude appeared first on Life With My Littles.

After my husband and I got married, we spent our first Thanksgiving with his family. His mom made the most amazing sweet potato dish that I just thought was the bomb.

Last year we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving at his mom’s house and we were again lucky enough to be blessed with her delicious yams. I tried to find the recipe when she was at work the next day, but alas, I could not. So I manned up a few weeks ago and just asked her to send it and of course she did.

One of the best parts of this recipe (besides the obvious deliciousness of it) is that it’s super easy. If you’re busy with other things in your kitchen, your husband or kids could probably even make it all by themselves. That’s how easy it is!

Now yams are basically a vegetable, so I’m going to go ahead and say that this recipe is pretty much healthy (haha). And even though I’m not a huge coconut fan, it is by far one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes. It’s almost a dessert because it’s so sweet, gooey, and delicious, but I’m going to call it a side so you can still have several pieces of pie afterwards!

Yield: 8x8" pan

Coconut Yams

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

These coconut yams are the perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner! It's such an easy recipe (your kids could even help!) and it's almost like a dessert! If you're looking for a yummy sweet potato recipe for Thanksgiving, this is it!

Print

Ingredients

• 2 (29 oz) cans yams, drained
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 eggs, lightly scrambled
• 1 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 6 Tbsp. butter

Instructions

1. Combine yams, melted butter, sugar, vanilla, milk, and eggs in an 8x8" baking dish.
2. In a small bowl, combine coconut, brown sugar, lour, and butter.
3. Sprinkle over yam mixture.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

The post Coconut Yams appeared first on Life With My Littles.

One of my favorite things to do is to make little crafts and bake yummy treats with my kids. And with Thanksgiving coming up, I have been on the lookout for fun turkey-themed things to make with my 2-year-old and 3-year-old.

We did a few of these turkey crafts, activities, and recipes last year during our Thanksgiving Tot School week, but I wanted to have more ideas this year so the kids didn’t get bored.

I found a ton of crafts, activities, and recipes that center on turkeys and are perfect for toddlers, and today, I want to share 57 of my favorites with you guys! Yes, I did go a little crazy looking for ideas, but it’s worth it for you! So pick your favorites, grab your glue and tissue paper, and get creating with your kiddos!

CRAFTS

{Tissue Paper Turkey via Mess for Less}

{Washi Tape Turkey via Craftaholics Anonymous}

{Thanksgiving Turkey Cards via Glued to My Crafts}

{Candy Corn Handprint Turkeyvia Frogs Snails and Puppy Dog Tails}

{Handprint Turkey Hat via Crafty Morning}

{Leaf Turkeys via Crafty Morning}

{Paper Fan Turkey via A Girl and a Glue Gun}

{Candy Corn Turkey via Crafty Morning}

{Fingerprint Turkey Cards via DecoArt Blog}

{Paper Plate Turkey via I Heart Arts n Crafts}

{Thrifty Turkey Wreath via You Brew My Tea}

{Pipe Cleaner Turkey via Cutefetti}

{Pinecone Turkey via One Creative Mommy}

{Turkey Trivet via The Inspired Home}

{Pinecone Turkey via Jinxy Kids}

{Paper Bag Turkey via Creative Ramblings}

{Pom Pom Turkey via Moms & Crafts}

{Cupcake Liner Turkey via Raising Little Superheroes}

{Cardboard Tube Turkey via Raising Little Superheroes}

{Toilet Paper Roll Turkey via One Resourceful Mama}

{Paint Chip Turkey via One Resourceful Mama}

{Construction Paper Turkey via One Resourceful Mama}

{Coffee Filter Turkey via Buggy and Buddy}

{Bubble Wrap Turkey via Crafty Morning}

{Popsicle Stick Turkey via Life Beyond Laundry}

{Doily Turkey via I Heart Crafty Things}

ACTIVITIES

{Turkey Dress-ups via One Creative Mommy}

{Felt Crayon Holder via Skip to My Lou}

{Fine Motor Skills Turkey via Fantastic Fun and Learning}

{Turkey Counting via Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds}

{Letter Turkey via Growing by the Book}

{Color Match via Lalymom}

{Invitation to Create Turkeys via Cutting Tiny Bites}

{Feed the Turkey Counting via Mom Inspired Life}

{Turkey Feathers Fine Motor Skills via Mom Inspired Life}

{Color Matching Fine Motor Skills via I Heart Arts n Crafts}

{Turkey Squishy Bag via Life Over C’s}

RECIPES

{Turkey-Shaped Turkey Sandwich via Arts and Crackers}

{Little Gobblers via Seventh House on the Left}

{Turkey Donuts via Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons}

{Chocolate Turkey Cheesecakes via Hungry Happenings}

{Nutty Turkey Cookies via Somewhat Simple}

{OREO Turkey via Our Best Bites}

{Turkey Cookies via Jenny Cookies}

{Turkey Cupcakes via The Party Dress}

{Turkey Fruit via Clean and Scentsible}

{Turkey Apple Tarts via Miranda Made}

{Handprint Turkey Cookies via Bee in Our Bonnet}

{Chocolate Covered Turkey Pretzels via Inside Bru Crew Life}

{Turkey Treat Bags via Clean and Scentsible}

{Turkey Snack via One Creative Mommy}

{Turkey Fruit via Coffee Cups and Crayons}

{Reese’s Turkey via Inside Bru Crew Life}

{Turkey Rice Krispies via Shugary Sweets}

{Turkey Cupcakes via Your Cup of Cake}

{OREO Pretzel Turkey via The Krazy Coupon Lady}

{Turkey Pretzels via Miss Candiquik}

Aren’t those all so cute!? I seriously just want to make them all. But of course, even if I made two a day I still wouldn’t make it before Thanksgiving. Anyway, I hope you found some you like! Happy Thanksgiving, mamas!

The post Toddler Turkey Crafts, Activities, and Recipes appeared first on Life With My Littles.

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Black Friday has always been a tradition for me. Growing up, my family would always visit my grandpa for Thanksgiving, and then hit the mall the day after for some Black Friday shopping. After I was married, I made sure to continue the tradition with my husband’s family. Last year was the first year I went with my son, so it was a little bit different! This year, I am taking my now-20-month-old and my 2-month-old with me, so I definitely need a plan. I sat down and made a list of tips to make it easy, and today I’m sharing them with you!

1. Plan out your trip. Shopping with a toddler definitely has a timer. As much as you would like, your toddler is not going to survive an all-day shopping trip. So plan out where you want to go, and what you want to buy, BEFORE you go! Most stores put out Black Friday ads either in their store or online, and these are a huge help when you have to take your toddler out. You can get in, get what you want, and get out, hopefully before any meltdowns!

2. Go right after your toddler wakes up, or make them nap before you go. There is nothing worse than a grumpy, tired toddler. You won’t get all of your shopping done if your toddler isn’t well-energized!

3. Put them in something comfy. If you are going early in the morning, keep them in their PJs! If you are going a bit later in the day, make sure their outfit is something they are going to be fine wearing.

4. Check diapers before leaving! Or if your toddler is potty-trained, make sure they go to the bathroom before you go. And even then, make sure you know where the bathrooms are in the stores you will be visiting. You don’t want to end up wasting thirty minutes trying to find the bathroom!

5. Utilize carts or use your stroller. Sure, my son can walk, but I am definitely not letting him run free on Black Friday. He will definitely be buckled in the cart or our stroller the whole time!

6. Bring something to keep their attention. Make sure you pack some toys and some extra snacks. I always have to have at least three different snacks and Little J’s water or he will whine when we go shopping. He gets picky about his snacks, so I always make sure to have backups!

7. Let them hold things. If you are going to get serious and make this Black Friday shopping a tradition, letting your toddler hold things will get them excited about it and help distract them.

8. Let them pick out a treat for the end of the day. Or if you have something in mind, pick it out yourself and let them hold it! The key here is letting them know that if they are good, they will get a treat when you are all done. I picked out some HÄAGEN-DAZS® Caramel Vanilla Pizelle Gelato Bars at Walmart and told Little J he could have them at the end of our shopping trip. He was so excited, he tried to open them right there in the frozen treats aisle! Which honestly, I don’t blame him! Caramel, vanilla, and ice cream all in one handy bar? I wanted one as soon as I grabbed them, too!

9. Go with another person. Last year I went with my son, my friend, and her daughter, and it was great that our kids could distract each other. It definitely helped that it wasn’t just me trying to keep Little J occupied while shopping. Plus, sometimes toddlers are better behaved when there are other people around!

10. Have a backup plan for meltdowns. We rarely let Little J play with our electronic devices, so it keeps him busy when he is allowed to. So stash something secret in your bag before you leave for the “just-in-case” moment that hopefully won’t happen. If you need it, you will be glad that it is there.

11. Reward your toddler (and yourself) when you finish! At the end of your big Black Friday shopping trip, make sure you treat your toddler to that special thing they picked out. Little J absolutely LOVED them (and I did, too!). Who wouldn’t love creamy vanilla gelato with two golden caramel ribbons, fully dipped in milk chocolate & crunchy Italian-style pizelle cookie pieces. Seriously. And since they came in a three pack, we even let the Mister have one, too! It was a #Feast4All!

I’m sure that with these tips, Black Friday will be a success this year, even with Little J in tow! And even if it isn’t, at least we get to have a sweet treat with our HÄAGEN-DAZS® Caramel Vanilla Pizelle Gelato Bars when we are finished!

The post Tips to Sweeten Black Friday Shopping with a Toddler appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Last year was the first year we had any littles of our in our home for the holidays. It was a lot of fun to try and make it special for Little J and try and do things that we could turn into traditions.For Thanksgiving, I decided I wanted to try and make a special pie for him that we could do each year for him and any siblings he would one day have (little did we know he’d have one next year!). I had seen pies with shapes cut out for vents before, and thought it would be really easy to make my own little stencil and use it to cut a shape out of our pie crust. And guess what? It was really simple! So now I am sharing this super fast way to cut any shape into a pie crust.I love this idea because you can either print a stencil off your computer, or you can make your own. I chose to make our stencil be Little J’s handprint. It will never be that small again so I wanted to remember it!

All you have to do is trace or print your stencil, cut it out, and lay it flat on top of the pie crust.

The post How to Cut Any Shape into a Pie Crust appeared first on Life With My Littles.

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

I wanted to involve Little J as much as possible, so when we got home, I let him help me crush the OREOS in my food processor. It’s a small one, so he was able to help put the cookies in and press the button to crush them. He doesn’t get to sit on the counter very often, so he thought it was pretty cool that he was up there helping me.

After I mixed the OREOs with the cream cheese, rolled them into balls, and froze them for 10 minutes, I started getting the decorations ready in little paper cups. He was really interested in what I was doing, and I was glad that he knew something fun was happening. I placed my freshly-chocolate-covered Cookie Balls and the decorations on a cookie sheet, and let him go to work!

Little J was a natural! He did end up eating a lot of the candy corn, but every time I had to take the tray to dip more Cookie Balls, he got upset. He did pretty well, and it was a great way for him to work on hand-eye coordination as well as the fine-motor skills it took to grab some of the decorations. Putting the decorations in the little baking cups was perfect for his little hands!

This was such a great way to get Little J involved in Thanksgiving baking, since a lot of the other things he won’t be able to help me with. And it kept his attention the whole time, so I know he had a lot of fun.

Making OREO Cookie Balls is a great way to get your toddler involved in Thanksgiving baking, too. And with only three ingredients, they are super simple to make.

Yield: 48 cookie balls

Official OREO Cookie Balls

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Here's an easy way to get your toddler involved in Thanksgiving baking by decorating OREO Cookie Balls!

Print

Ingredients

• 1 pkg (8 oz.) brick cream cheese, softened
• 36 OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 3 cups)
• 4 pkg. (4 oz. each) semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted

Instructions

1. MIX cream cheese and cookie crumbs until blended.
2. SHAPE into 48 (1-inch) balls. Freeze 10 min. Dip balls in melted chocolate; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan.
3. CUSTOMIZE it with your own ingredient additions or edible decorative skills.
4. REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm.

Here are some tips to make decorating OREO Cookie Balls with your toddler easy:

• Dip the Cookie Balls in small numbers and let your toddler decorate them as they go.
• Don’t worry about stray sprinkles, candies, or other decorations. It’s going to get messy and that’s okay!
• Use a wide variety of different toppings so your toddler has several things to choose from.
• Put your decorations in mini cupcake wrappers. The shallow cups make it easy for your toddler to grab the decorations, and they are small enough that even if your toddler picks them up and dumps them, it’s not a big loss.
• Have extra candies on hand. Your toddler will eat them.
• Decorate the OREO Cookie Balls right after you dip them. The chocolate dries faster than you would think!
• Have fun! Your toddler certainly will!

Little J and I both had a good time making and decorating these delicious Thanksgiving treats. It was such an easy way to get him involved in Thanksgiving baking, and I can’t wait for his sister to be able to help next year!

What tips do you have to get your toddler involved in Thanksgiving?

The post Getting Your Toddler Involved in Thanksgiving Baking appeared first on Life With My Littles.