Lent and Easter and Passover, Oh My!

Christmas is easy.  Thanksgiving warns you it's coming and the stores won't let you forget.  It doesn't creep up on you like Easter does.  Yesterday I realized that Easter is in just 12 days and Passover/ Pesach starts in just 6.  I've been up to my eyeballs in kid's samurai pants and everything else has taken the back seat.  Laundry included.

Plus, Easter is tricky with kids.  It's not difficult telling your child the true Christmas story, but it's a little harder talking about Jesus' death on the cross, or the plagues (especially the death of the firstborn) if you are doing Seder.  Chocolate makes everything easier.  Maybe I'll just get these from here. 

"No, Mommy... I want the open sores!  Hey... you always get lice, no fair!"

All kidding aside, I found a few great ideas here: 5 Meaningful Ways to Celebrate Easter. 

This year, I think we will try to include these 2 ideas:

1.  Make a miniature lenten garden.  It's like a diorama of the empty tomb.  Very cool.  Well, anything with dirt, moss, succulents, and candles is very cool; but it's even better with the empty tomb.  Love this idea!

2.  Celebrate a Messianic Passover. 
Quote from Ann Voskamp,
"It is about keeping something worth preserving: emblems pregnant with the fulfillment of the New Covenant. It is about the questions that keep time to the beat of our children’s heart: Why am I here? What does all of this living really mean? Where am I headed? When will I be all that I am to be?

Keeping the Passover is significant to all believers in Jesus Christ.  This meal is truly the highlight of our year... and our children keenly await celebrating Passover, even more so than any other holiday of the year..."  

She goes into more description on her personal blog, here.

We will be doing something on a standard platter for now, but I found this incredible seder plate from Bicarta, in Tel Aviv on etsy.  Gorgeous!

I may do a paper plate one with Acacia beforehand like this: