In this guide you’ll find simple and easy ideas to celebrate the Nativity of the Theotokos as a family - emphasis on easy! Activity suggestions, book recommendations, song links, and additional information so you can share her story and what this feast is all about!

In this guide you’ll find simple and easy ideas to celebrate the Nativity of the Theotokos as a family - emphasis on easy! Activity suggestions, book recommendations, song links, and additional information so you can share her story and what this feast is all about!

5 Ways to Embrace Christ this Nativity Fast, following the Church as our guide!

Over the past several years, I have been on the hunt for an Orthodox Nativity set for my family. One of my biggest hold ups when searching for sets is majority of the sets on the market have the common “barn” manger scene, which isn’t entirely accurate. I’ve been on the search for the traditional “Cave” scene. This year, we found it! We added this BRAND NEW Wooden Icon Nativity Set by Orthodox Design Company to our collection and when I opened the packaged, I squealed and did a happy dance! It’s a dream to have this heirloom Nativity set that is not only beautiful, but durable and interactive for my children!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! May the remembrance of our Lord’s incarnation life your spirits and cause your hearts to rejoice! Christ is born, glorify Him!

One of my favorite gifts to give for baptisms, specifically for children, is an Orthodox book about baptism! For many young children, they may not remember the details of their baptism, so showing them photos of that day and reading a book about it (especially for older siblings) can be a wonderful way to talk about the day they became a Christian! Check out this Orthodox Baptism Package. All 4 of these books are sold individually or as a bundle by Potamitis Press

A few months ago I set up an Amazon store front with the hopes of making convenient little lists for supplies for various feast days! Fun right? Majority of us use Amazon, so it’s just a convenient option for busy families. Check out this list for the Presentation of Christ + St Brigid (Feb 1 and 2nd)

In this guide you’ll find 9 simple and easy ideas to celebrate the Presentation of Christ as a family - emphasis on easy! Activity suggestions, book recommendations, song links, and additional information so you can share her story and what this feast is all about!

On this page you will find resources for popular feast days celebrated in the Orthodox Church in February along with links to where to find them!

Check out these DIY Pressed Flower stickers using only 3 simple items you probably have at your home.

In Medieval Europe, pious Christians loved to find reminders of their faith in nature, and named many plants after Jesus and the Theotokos. It became popular to take these plants and create “Mary Gardens”, gardens full of flowers and herbs that were named after the Mother of God, often with a statue of her at its center. Today, for the feast of the Annunciation, in honor of the day that Mary said yes to God, we planted the start of our own Mary Garden, using seeds of flowers that are named for her.

In this blogpost you will find resources for popular feast days celebrated in the Orthodox Church in March along with links to where to find them!

This month is jam-packed on the Orthodox Christian Liturgical Calendar. But before you have a min-panic attack… let me break it down for you. Triodion is in full force (the 3 weeks leading up to Lent), we are trekking through towards Lent (starts March 18th), so much of what I’ve listed here is automated. If you are attending services each Sunday and commit to embracing Lent as much as you’re capable of, you’ll be just fine. I’ve added in some fun feast day traditions here if you’re feeling extra capacity but don’t over stress about it. So here are some ways to embrace the liturgical season this month (IN SLIDES):

When beginning to live the Liturgical life, you'll begin to notice new things each year, as if we're adding a new layer of rich soil in the garden of our hearts. Maybe a certain part of the feast day hymn jumped out at you this year. Or maybe you noticed something new in the festal icon. Or you heard a line in one of the prayers that you could have sworn you never heard before. Each major feast day, I try to dive a little deeper, and prepare myself for another sweet revelation to renew my heart and mind.

Here you’ll find 10 fun ways to celebrate Ascension as a family in hopes that one of these ideas will spark some ideas for you as you live out the Liturgical Calendar. Perhaps they will become your annual tradition for each Ascension! These are not just activities for activities sake, of course. My hope is that these will aid you in sharing more about our faith with your children in a way that is developmentally appropriate, allows for their exploration and participation in the feast, and hopefully cultivate a rich soil in their hearts that allows the seed of Truth that stays with them all the days of their life.

Who doesn’t like a fun symbolic recipe to help us remember a Special Feast Day? This Cloud Jello Parfait recipes is SUPER easy and fun, and will help children remember the details of Christ’s ascension into heaven!

Here you’ll find 10 fun ways to celebrate Ascension as a family in hopes that one of these ideas will spark some ideas for you as you live out the Liturgical Calendar. Perhaps they will become your annual tradition for each Ascension! These are not just activities for activities sake, of course. My hope is that these will aid you in sharing more about our faith with your children in a way that is developmentally appropriate, allows for their exploration and participation in the feast, and hopefully cultivate a rich soil in their hearts that allows the seed of Truth that stays with them all the days of their life.

A simple one page guide to pair down this Liturgical season into “bite sized” portions. Let’s set our focus more on what the Church is offering us, and if you have extra capacity, here are a few ideas to help you engage in your home this month.

As I was preparing for the feast of Holy Transfiguration (August 6), I had a brilliant idea to create a “Light of Christ” Night Light! This is a simple project just about anyone can do! Check out this blogpost for simple instructions and links to purchase anything you see here!

Holy Transfiguration is always celebrated on August 6th and is one of the 12 Great Feasts in the Orthodox Church. It is when we remember in Luke 9 & Matthew 19, when Jesus took Peter, John, and James and up on a mountain to pray, and as He prayed, He was transfigured before them. Feast Day Tradition: On this feast day, in many churches, the faithful will bring grapes or other fruit/vegetables to be blessed. It’s a beautiful reminder of the final transfiguration of all things in Christ where all of creation will be transformed by the Glory of the Lord.

Holy Transfiguration is the event in Luke 9 & Matthew 19, when Jesus took Peter, John, and James and up on a mountain to pray, and as He prayed, He was transfigured before them. The Feast is always celebrated on August 6th and is one of the 12 Great Feasts in the Orthodox Church. Feast Day Tradition: On this feast day, in many churches, the faithful will bring grapes or other fruit/vegetables to be blessed. It’s a beautiful reminder of the final transfiguration of all things in Christ where all of creation will be transformed by the Glory of the Lord.

Holy Transfiguration is always celebrated on August 6th and is one of the 12 Great Feasts in the Orthodox Church. It is when we remember in Luke 9 & Matthew 19, when Jesus took Peter, John, and James and up on a mountain to pray, and as He prayed, He was transfigured before them. Feast Day Tradition: On this feast day, in many churches, the faithful will bring grapes or other fruit/vegetables to be blessed. It’s a beautiful reminder of the final transfiguration of all things in Christ where all of creation will be transformed by the Glory of the Lord.

The Dormition Fast is the final fasting season in the Liturgical year. It is one of the four canonical fasting periods of the Orthodox Church year. The duration of the Dormition Fast is always August 1-14th, concluding on the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (August 15th). As we recognize this significant shift in our liturgical calendar, I wanted to provide resources and ideas in this guide to help guide you and your families. May this be a fruitful season for us all!

In the Orthodox Christian church, we spend approximately 180 - 200 days fasting in a year. The Church has given us fasting as a tool for salvation and acquiring the mindset of Christ. St. John of Kronstadt states, “They [fasting and prayer] cleanse us from sin, they lead us to spiritual peace, to union with God, to sonship, to boldness before God.” Fasting is not something to dread, on the contrary, it’s something to help our spiritual life and help us draw closer to God.

But, what about fasting as a family with young children, a pregnant or nursing mother, and a father who all may need to fast differently? These circumstances add an element to fasting that is unique to some seasons of life. What do the Church fathers say concerning fasting and family life? Why are pregnant and nursing mothers often given a less strict fasting rule? 

Here’s an idea for you to celebrate the Feast of the Dormition of the Theokotos. Consider hosting a Dormition tea in honor of the Theokotos! This can be done before or after the feast - so you’ll need to adjust the menu depending on if it’s fasting or not.

The Dormition Fast is the final fasting season in the Liturgical year. It is one of the four canonical fasting periods of the Orthodox Church year. The duration of the Dormition Fast is always August 1-14th, concluding on the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (August 15th). As we recognize this significant shift in our liturgical calendar, I wanted to provide resources and ideas in this guide to help guide you and your families. May this be a fruitful season for us all!

Do you struggle with what fast-friendly meals to make for breakfast, lunch and snacks? In this FREE download you will find a Fasting Ideas Cheat Sheet, 2 Blank Meal Plan Sheets, 2 Blank Grocery Shopping Lists, + 6 additional recipes. My hope is to lighten the load this Dormition Fast, so you can spend less time thinking about what you are going to cook, and spend more time in prayer and participating in the divine services and fasting. I pray this packet is a blessing!

I compiled a few items in my Amazon storefront that can help you prepare your Pascha baskets! Feel free to shop my links, and know that I get a small commission if you do use them, so I appreciate that so very much!

As Pascha draws near, I wanted to create a printable/planner to help you stay organized for Holy Week, prepare sufficiently for attending services, and have a smooth and grace-filled Holy Week and Pascha! A little foresight and planning before Holy Week begins goes a long way so we have a heart like Mary and we can focus on the one thing needful and not be a frazzled mess like Martha running around stressed!