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Leaf and Steel

motherhood - growth - living

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 25, 2021

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

No matter how you celebrate, I hope you have the most wonderful Turkey Day.

Last year’s celebration was a blur. I had a literal newborn baby and there was a raging pandemic. I know that we visited my parents and in-laws, but I cannot remember it, if that makes sense. I do remember feeling really anxious and wondering if it was postpartum anxiety or just the baby blues. Luckily those intrusive thoughts and edgy feeling lifted after the first two weeks, but it made me feel a great deal of empathy for mothers who feel like that all the time!

I am a Christmas girl, through and through. But, since having a baby I’m becoming one of those every-holiday-is-a-party people, and today is no exception! I can’t wait for my daughter to experience the best parts of Thanksgiving – food and family. I can’t think of anything cuter than a little baby loving on some mashed potatoes and turkey.

This year, I’m extra grateful for my health and my family.

Between getting older and the state of the world these past two years, I have a newfound gratitude for my body working with me and not against me. I always took my health for granted, but not anymore.

It sounds obvious to be grateful for family, right? It sounds so simple, but it really is the most important thing in my life. I’ve been blessed with the best biological family and those that have placed in my life, like my husband, my daughter, and my friends.

This year is all about the gratitude.

I can’t wait to hear what you’re thankful for this year!

Be sure to check out my Thanksgiving Dinner This-or-That.


What are you doing to commemorate Thanksgiving this year? Has your celebration looked a little different since covid? Let me know below!

O.

More from Leaf and Steel:
  • Thanksgiving Traditions to Start with Your Kids this Year
  • Thanksgiving Dinner This-or-That Printable PDF
  • 10 Cozy Farmhouse Decor Items Under $20 for Winter
  • The Moody Writing Playlist II

Filed in: Living • by Olivia • Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving Dinner This-or-That Printable

November 2, 2021

Put the Halloween decorations away – it’s turkey time! Here is a Thanksgiving dinner this-or-that printable PDF!

The history we share about Thanksgiving has changed over time – and rightfully so. It’s about time we start telling the real story and honor those who were here before us.

Despite the change in tone and message of the holiday, one this has stayed the same: the FOOD!

Thanksgiving dinner is one of the most recognizable and celebrated meals in America. The mashed potatoes, the stuffing, the turkey…it’s America’s specialty.

Although not as contentious as the conversation around Native Americans and Columbus, Thanksgiving dinner has it’s own slew of controversies.


My family had a mini-Thanksgiving feast to celebrate the first day of autumn, and I am remorseful to share that my daughter’s first experience with cranberry sauce came from a can. I’m a homemade cranberry sauce girl while my husband prefers the classic, sliced Ocean Spray stuff.

It brought up a lively debate over other Thanksgiving foods. Should the stuffing be homemade or store-bought? What part of the turkey is best? We don’t agree on any of it. Opposites attract, right? Thank goodness we’re not in charge of making Thanksgiving dinner, we’re just in charge of eating it.


Here is a Thanksgiving dinner this-or-that printable PDF that you can share on Thanksgiving day. You can read it with your kids on the way to Grandma’s or print one out for everyone at your table.

Thanksgiving Dinner This-or-ThatDownload

Do you also share strong opinions about Thanksgiving dinner? Is there something you just won’t serve at your table?

Let me know below!

O.

More from Leaf and Steel:
  • Thanksgiving Traditions to Start with Your Kids this Year
  • Thanksgiving Gifts for Babies
  • The Best Thanksgiving Books for Infants and Toddlers
  • 10 Thanksgiving Decorations Under $10

Filed in: Living • by Olivia • 1 Comment

Thanksgiving Traditions to Start with Your Kids this Year

October 26, 2021

Thanksgiving is the time to create family traditions!

I love the holidays and I love traditions.

Since I had my daughter, I’ve had a newfound focus on creating a family culture and making the most of each holiday.

I write down what we do for that holiday (even if it’s something small, like the first day of fall) on an index card and tape it to the inside of a cabinet so I don’t forget for the next year.

Traditions don’t have to look perfectly the same every year, and they don’t have to include just family.

To me, Thanksgiving is all about warmth, giving, and gratitude. And sometimes the food.

Keeping the focus on principles rather than material goods is a strong habit to foster in children, no matter their age.

So, here are some family traditions you can start this year to celebrate Thanksgiving!


Take a family walk

Taking a family walk together every Thanksgiving can be a great memory to make! Whether it’s before or after the big feast, it’s a great way to make room for some extra pumpkin pie! Have your kids pick up leaves, pinecones, and acorns along the way.

Bake the dessert together

It might be too much to have little ones help with the chaotic prep of Thanksgiving dinner, so let them help with a dessert! Bake a pumpkin pie, apple crisp, or whatever your sweet tooth is yearning for. Kids love to help and feel needed, so this is a wonderful way to include them in the festivities.

Give to those less fortunate

I love this one! Create a family culture of giving. There are countless families in America that will not be enjoying a delicious, hot meal in a cozy house this year. Donating a turkey, a few jars of gravy, your time at a food bank – any of it helps. Teach your children the spirit of giving young, and it will stay with them a lifetime. Check out more from Feeding America.

Create a family gratitude list

Sitting down and creating a family gratitude list also re-instills w

hat the holidays are all about: taking a moment to count your blessings around family and friends. Gratitude lists are another fantastic way to teach your children that they probably have more than they could ever want and need. Another way to do this is to go around the table at dinner and have everyone say one thing they are grateful for – a practice that can be incorporated into every dinnertime conversation!

Decorate Thanksgiving cards

Decorating Thanksgiving cards together can be so much fun! Using materials like feathers, rhinestones, and stickers can add to the creative spirit. Make cards for each other, veterans, family, or neighbors.

Create a Thanksgiving feast

This one is for younger kids, but create a Thanksgiving feast for the stuffed animals or dolls! Cut out paper turkey legs and mashed potatoes and let your children prepare their own “meal” for their toys. It’ll get them out of your hair for a little while and inspire their creativity!


Check out my other Thanksgiving posts, 10 Thanksgiving Decorations Under $10 , The Best Thanksgiving Books for Infants and Toddlers, and Thanksgiving Gifts for Babies!

What are your family Thanksgiving traditions? Do you do any on this list?

Let me know below!

O.

Filed in: Living • by Olivia • 6 Comments

Thanksgiving Gifts for Babies

October 24, 2021

Thanksgiving is a month away, so here are some Thanksgiving gifts for babies!

It’s time to bring out the turkey and the mashed potatoes – the holiday of food, family, and gratitude is almost upon us. Babies love the delicious foods and company that comes with Thanksgiving.

My daughter’s birthday is just before Thanksgiving, so I know we will be adding some of these to her gift list!

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission off of products that are purchased through these links, at no cost to you. You can read more about this process here.

These gifts would make a wonderful distraction while you cook up Thanksgiving dinner or in between dinner and dessert. You could even create a Thanksgiving toy basket for your baby or toddler.

I also have a post on the best Thanksgiving books for babies and toddlers here.

Here are Thanksgiving gifts your baby will love!

Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman

Stuffed Thanksgiving Turkey Toy

Caroline’s Treasures Fall Pumpkin Pie Baby Bib & Burp Cloth, 11 x 18″

Baby Starters Magic Years Soft, Crinkle Activity Book with Tabs and Strap – Happy Thanksgiving Turkey

Mud Pie Thanksgiving Bib

Happy Thanksgiving Bright Baby Book

Mud Pie Children’s Gobble Turkey Puzzle

You Are My Little Pumpkin Pie by Amy E. Sklansky


Head over to The Best Thanksgiving Books for Babies and Toddlers or 10 Thanksgiving Decorations Under $10!

Do you get your kids a little something-something for Thanksgiving?

Let me know below!

O.

Filed in: Uncategorized • by Olivia • 2 Comments

The Best Thanksgiving Books for Infants and Toddlers

October 13, 2021

I can smell the turkey and stuffing already! Thanksgiving is just a few short weeks away and I can’t wait to celebrate with my baby!

Some blog posts may use affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission off of products that are purchased through these links, at no cost to you.

Last Thanksgiving she was just a blob of a newborn and I was in the nightmarish haze of first time motherhood. This year, she’s rocking and rolling and ready for her cranberry sauce.

I want to be honest with my daughter about Thanksgiving; how it wasn’t this cutesy dinner where pilgrims and Native Americans sat down peacefully and had dinner. I want to teach her about America’s honest history, even though it isn’t pretty.

These days, Thanksgiving is more about getting family together and enjoying a comforting meal. I know my daughter will love being able to sit at the table and smashing her hands in some potatoes.

To help get her ready for turkey day were looking into Thanksgiving books.

Here are the best Thanksgiving books for infants and toddlers!


1. Happy Thanksgiving, Biscuit! by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

2. Llama Llama Gives Thanks by Anna Dewdney

3. The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh

4. Porcupine’s Pie by Laura Renauld

5. The Very First Americans Cara Ashrose

6. I Am Thankful by Sheri Wall

7. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by Charles Schulz

8. Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson

9. Thanksgiving in the Woods by Phyllis Alsdurf 

10. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey by Lucille Colandro


Does your little one have a favorite holiday?

What will you teach your child about Thanksgiving?

Let me know below!

O.

Filed in: Uncategorized • by Olivia • 3 Comments

10 Thanksgiving Decorations Under $10

October 12, 2021

Thanksgiving is just around the corner!

Here are 10 Thanksgiving decorations you can purchase for under $10 to decorate your home!

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission off of products that are purchased through these links, at no cost to you. You can read more about this process here.

1. “There is Always Something to be Grateful For” 4″x6″ Wood Sign

2. Burlap Hanging Turkey

3.Give Thanks Metal Pumpkin Rustic Sign

4. 18″x18″ Set of 4 Farmhouse Style Thanksgiving Pillows

5. Autumn Wall and Window Decals (144 pieces)

6. Autumn Leaf Orange Table Runner

7. Thanksgiving Day Maple String Leaf Lights

8. Two Wooden Thanksgiving Gnomes

9. Farmhouse Tiered Tray

10. 4 Piece Wooden “Thankful” Cutout

Filed in: Home • by Olivia • 3 Comments

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