Tonight I am thankful that it is December and it is time to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  I love Christmas and all the traditions and festivities that surround the season.  I love how excited my boys get when we drive by houses bright with Christmas lights and when we sing carols in the car.  Today we picked out new Christmas stories at the library and read the cutest story tonight at bedtime, Mortimer's Christmas Manger.  I am thankful that I can share the true meaning of Christmas with my children and make special memories that we will treasure.  

My two year old has been trying out the Baby Buckle Pad and he loves it.  He is my little escape artist and usually escapes from his carseat several times a week - sometimes several times a day.  Since using the baby buckle pad, he has not tried to climb out of his car seat while the car is moving.  

The Baby Buckle Pad has a soft cuddly lion on the front to entertain your little one while protecting his legs from the sometimes hot, pinching buckle.   The lion is also a nice distraction for those who like to escape their carseats.  

The Baby Buckle Pad is an award winning product that you will want to add to your collection of baby must haves.  It is a Creative Child Magazine 2011 Top Choice Award Winner.

Baby Buckle Pad's® "STOP the OUCH" Benefits:

-No more tears from accidental pinching of delicate little thighs.
-No more pressure from buckle! (Stop the 'Digging In’ discomfort.)
-No more HOT metal buckle against delicate little thighs.
-No more unsightly pressure marks on skin from buckle.
-Discourages buckle release from curious little fingers. (Soft, Cute child friendly pad faces up at the child.)

Easy to use with new and existing car seats, strollers, high chairs, baby swings, etc. Fits baby & child’s 3 to 5 point harness items.


You can enter to win your very own Baby Buckle Pad!  Use the easy rafflecopter form below.

Today I am thankful that my husband is a loving father and spends quality time with our children.  Tonight he made a gingerbread house with the boys.  They were so proud.  

Tonight it is cold and rainy.  I am thankful for our warm shelter and homemade hot cocoa.  I am thankful that my children have full bellies and are sleeping in their warm beds.  

I entered my 5 month old in the Tiny Prints baby photo contest.  Isn't he the cutest?  I would love your vote!  I had to scroll through several pages of photos to find his.  The red background makes it a little easier to find.  It looks like you can vote once a day.

I am thankful for my family and that we are together to celebrate Thanksgiving.  I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving too.  

I really enjoyed this recipe because it is simple to put together and it tastes wonderful.  It has some healthier elements added in which I enjoyed, but my husband would prefer it without (oatmeal and pecans).  I adapted this recipe from Heavenly Homemakers, one of my favorite blogs.  At Heavenly Homemakers, she makes it much healthier than I did.  I used granulated sugar and turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw) in place of sucanat.  I have never used sucanat but will look for it next time I am in a health food store.  I asked Laura at Heavenly Homemakers about sucanat and she sent me some information about several sweeteners and how to use them.  I found it very helpful.  When I made this recipe I used granulated sugar in the crust and filling and turbinado sugar in the topping.  I also used all purpose flour in the crust instead of whole wheat.  You could use half whole wheat and half all purpose.  

We had this for desert last night and again for breakfast this morning.  This would be a perfect addition to a Thanksgiving menu.  Plus I love that you don't have to shape a pie crust.  You just press this crust into the pan.  

Crust:
1 cup all purpose or whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup granulated sugar or sucanat
1/2 cup butter

Filling:
3/4 cup granulated sugar or sucanat
2 cups pumpkin (I used canned, you could use homemade)
1 cup heavy whipping cream or regular whipping cream* 
2 large eggs
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. ground ginger

Topping:
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup sucanat or brown sugar or turbinado sugar

Whipped cream

For Crust: Combine flour, oats, sugar and butter.  Blend with pastry blender until crumbly. Press on bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

For Filling: Combine sugar, pumpkin, cream, eggs and spices in large mixing bowl.  Beat at medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes; pour over crust.  Bake for 20 minutes.

For Topping: Combine pecans and sugar in a small bowl.  Sprinkle pecan topping over filling.  Continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool completely in pan on wire rack.  Cut into bars.  Top with whipped cream.

*original whipping cream was half the price of heavy whipping cream at the store so I used it and it worked just fine

Today I am thankful that God gave me the patience to be an ok Mom even though I did not feel well.

In a house with a two year old and a four year old, there is never a dull moment.  I was cleaning upstairs the other day and realized that I could no longer hear the boys in their room.  I went looking for them and discovered them downstairs in the guest/play room with a carton of ice cream and the ice cream scoop.  They used their kitchen stool to get the ice cream out of the freezer.  They were sitting on the floor behind the chair and working together to scoop the ice cream into a bowl.  They couldn't get the plastic seal off of the carton so they just scooped right through the lid.  

I am thankful that my boys are learning to work together even though they were sneaking ice cream.  I reminded them to ask because sometimes Mommy says yes.  I am also thankful that they can problem solve even though that means they are good at getting into things they shouldn't get into.  

It was a long day today since my two year old did not take a nap, but tonight I am thankful that both my two year old and four year old have been sleeping soundly in their own beds since 8:30.  (Usually our two year old is up later because of his nap)