Last year Josh and I hosted my whole family for Pesach and we thought it went well. They, apparently, didn't quite agree with us because coming back to our house didn't even seem to be one of the cards on the table this year. I mean, I ask you, was it our fault that the weather turned freezing out of nowhere and the heat was set at a degree that was just a half a degree too low to click itself on or that it rained for 48 hours straight, so hard that we actually saw a (full) garbage can float down the street? And my street is not on a hill. I'm just saying.
So this year, we are going to my parents. If you have been following along, you will know that we generally avoid going anywhere with the kids overnight, ever, anywhere. We just don't. But the kids reallllly wanna go to my parents, and it's only two days, and everyone else is going away and how can we say no and pleaaase mommmmyy... So we're going.
But because my kids will not have their thousands of toys with them for two days, I feel the need to intervene in the entertainment department. During the day we can go for a walk, play in the park, jump around the backyard, but at night - like say, during the seder - things might not go as smoothly. I already informed my three older ones that the only way they will even have a prayer of staying up for the seder is if they take a nap - and not a "five minute, I'm done resting nap", but a "long, wow, I haven't felt this refreshed in like ever nap" - the afternoon before the seder. And so I'm hedging my bets and trying to come up with some stuff that will keep everyone entertained and at the same time, will not prevent the seder from moving right along.
I'm working on some games, and while trying to gather all my art supplies, it occurred to me that a grab bag of little prizes would be a good idea to have around. So I mosied on over to the Oriental Trading website - because while their shipping rates are pretty high, their prices are pretty low - and found these.They're nativity hats, shhh. I'll admit, I will be using these for an altogether different purpose than their intended use, but hey, why not? I feel like maybe I have seen The Ten Commandments movie one too many times, but I am pretty sure the Jews and Egyptians all wore these things on their heads. So why not at the seder too? Exactly.