Kid Friendly Passover Seder Resources

We're always on the hunt to make Biblical holidays the most memorable experience possible, which means incorporating as many hands-on and fun activities as possible for young children! Here are our very favorite Passover and Seder resources that we are using this year:

Messianic Haggadah and Seder Instructions from www.larryhuchministries.com. 

A great resource that quickly outlines the basics of Passover and how-to of doing a Seder. The Haggadah is the "instruction book" for families during the Seder, and he has a free printable one that you can copy off for your family. It's in color, easy to follow, and you can just change things to accommodate anything different that you want to do for your family.

10 Plagues Finger Puppets -- FREE printable over at www.ToriAvey.com 

There's also a coloring version of these available. Just print on cardstock, cut, tape, and go! Use these as a teaching resource before the Seder, or use during the Seder to keep hands busy and to aid the kids in acting out the 10 plagues when you get to that part of the ceremony.

Kid's Passover Seder Set -- made by KidKraft

We use this in the two weeks leading up to Passover to introduce the elements of the Seder, to let the kids have a special "toy" to play with around the holiday, and to have a chance to have dramatic play of Pesach.

Preschool Pesach Printable Activities -- FREE from JewishHomeschool.blogspot.com

Just scroll down to the Pesach section. Our favorites right now are the activity book and "Pesach, Pesach, What do you see?". I laminated the activity book and put it in a 3-ring binder so it can be reused. For the puzzle pieces, I printed two copies, cut one into actual pieces, and adhered velcro to the original and the pieces so that you can "match" the pieces to the puzzle. We use the KidKraft set in conjunction with "Pesach, Pesach, What do you see?" to talk about the different parts of the Seder. 

Other Things:

- Various "Sunday School" printables about the life of Moses and the Exodus

- Reading Exodus from the Bible

- Watching "The Prince of Egypt" (on Netflix)

- Watching The Greatest Story Ever Told's "Easter Story" episode (cartoon I watched as a kid and loved--available on YouTube!)

- Various "Sunday School" printables about the death and resurrection of Yeshua (Jesus)

The kids have a BLAST and are eager to learn and experience the Seder and Passover, and can't wait until Friday to start everything! It is such an honor to teach my children and experience for myself the Feasts of God. Every single time, I learn new things and discover deeper heart truths! Have a blessed and awesome Pesach!

Before You Buy Or Blend A Postpartum Depression Tea...

With so much information on the Internet, it's easy to find recipes for herbal tea blends or to find already prepared tea mixes. Many moms are interested in natural or holistic ways to help support their mood and thoughts postpartum, which makes herbal teas for postpartum depression a welcome option. The problem, though, is that many recipes and blends online don't always take everything into consideration that you need to. While having good intentions, those sharing their recipes on blogs and forums may not understand medicinal interactions, the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of the herbs, or how they affect other things. It's easy to be distracted by the fact that a particular herb can help depression and to not realize it can decrease milk supply, for instance. How many mother's could get thrown into a deeper depression by choosing an herb that isn't appropriate for them? And how many could run into physical problems by choosing herbs that interact with prescribed medications in a negative way? When chosen and used correctly, herbs are a safe and effective way of helping support a mother through postpartum depression and changes, so it's worth knowing what you need to know! Here are seven things to consider before buying or blending a postpartum depression tea:

1. How the herb interacts with medications (including MOA inhibitors or tricyclic anti-depressants)
2. How the herb affects milk supply
3. What the herb does if you take it long term
4. How long you'll need to take that herb before seeing a result
5. If an herb counteracts another herb in the blend (this can be a positive thing, too, like in the milk decrease/increase scenario)
6. If an herb works synergistically with another herb in the bled
7. If the herbs chosen are targeting a symptom or the root problem, and if that is what you are looking for

Happy tea drinking!

Written from our Blessed Mama Services side of things, which is a holistic business specializing in traditional postpartum care. We exist to support mothers as they strengthen their families. www.BlessedMamaServices.com and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BlessedMamaServices

Dear Mom Like Me

Dear mom who is run down, looks like a hot mess, feels like she can't remember who she is, is sure she is failing, feels guilty because she is secretly angry inside, is convinced her life is a hamster wheel, but somehow loves being with these amazing little people even more than she is frustrated by all of the "other" things that come along with them:

You know that you're enough, so I'm not going to tell you that. You know that this too shall pass, and you probably feel like you have no right to even tell anyone how you're feeling because you don't want someone to be confused and think that you aren't grateful for your children or that by feeling this way that you somehow take your children or your moments with them for granted.

I know you don't take the kids for granted. I know you don't take the moments for granted. I know you are grateful. But I also know that you miss yourself. I know that you struggle with being depressed and happy at the same time and man, it's so confusing. I know that you want to scream at doing 400 dishes a day, that Mt. Laundry might as well be called Mt. Never Ending Treadmill and that you just wish you could be a "normal" person (i.e. showering more than once a week) again.

Dear mama, this is what you need to know. This is what I need to know. And this is what we need to remember, and remind each other of daily:

• Your children think you're beautiful.
• No one else knows how messy your house is.
• Your kids don't care how messy your house is. (oh, the irony)
• If you're like me, you just can't accept the fact that your house is going to be messy while you have young children. Instead, work on accepting the fact that you're just going to feel crappy about how the house is while you have you have young children.
• You still have the same smile that your husband fell in love with.
• You can own your new "mom" identity. 
• You don't have to let go of who you used to be. Just because you haven't ran a marathon in 2 years, played piano in 6 months, aced a college exam in 10 years, or learned a new skill that didn't involve your offspring in...a long time..., doesn't mean that those things aren't still a part of who you are. There are seasons, and just because the corn isn't being harvested now, doesn't mean it isn't growing or that it won't be planted again. And if you decide to grow squash next time instead of corn, it's ok. Your entire life makes up you, not just the present.
• It's ok to rest. 
• It's ok to have a bad day.
• It's ok to love and hate what you're doing, where you're at, and to be frustrated by the fact that you can't change it.
• And it's ok to admit that none of these things mean that you don't love your kids more than all the other moms in the world. In fact, they have no effect on the fact that you are a rockstar mom or that your kids are going to grow up, call you blessed, and talk about the awesome memories they have of childhood--because they are going to have them. 

Maybe motherhood of young children is like childbirth; it's excruciatingly difficult at moments, but after it's done, you somehow become oblivious to the difficulties you went through and just remember the amazingness of it instead. Because let's face it, it is amazing hearing a person read for the first time. To see them discover their toes. To hear them say "I love you". The fact that we know what our baby needs by the way she cries. To be the one he needs in the middle of the night. That they want to tell us EVERYTHING. That is amazing.

And you, mama, are amazing, too. Keep your eyes above the waves. You're gonna make it, and you're gonna do great.

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