Making Shabbas sheva brachos tips and ideas

amother

Sun, May 05 2024, 8:32 am

Hi I’m making Shabbos sheva brachos , I have young kids and older kids, busy making seating and placements for sleeping. Can anyone give me some tips to make it run smoothly. Meals are in hall, my house is the main space people will hang out in. Any tips for ways to make everyone enjoy and with least stress for me

amother

Brass

Sun, May 05 2024, 8:37 am

Toys for the hall, ideally in a separate room or even a hallway if they’re not in people’s way. There are Gemach’s in some communities that have big boxes of clicks and the like and it helps keep the little kids entertained during the speeches so they’re not running around the hall all meal.
This is my personal opinion but on these long days I try to push off lunch instead of rushing to start as soon as davening is over. Helps break up the day when lunch ends at 3 instead of 2.

amother

Yarrow ↓

Sun, May 05 2024, 8:44 am

Have a coffee/ tea station in your house with disposable hot cups coffee, decaf, sugar, slpenda, stevia, tea essence, milk , almond milk and cookies.
You can also have fruit bowl.

amother

↑ Yarrow

Sun, May 05 2024, 8:48 am

If you want to go pictures before shabbos start, let people know on your schedule, have food ready(can be potato kugel) so you have less kvetching! LOL

Make a schedule to give out to guests.
I like to include list of where everyone is sleeping with phone numbers.

amother

Freesia

Sun, May 05 2024, 12:51 pm

Here are some things that helped me:
1. I made a clear spreadsheet with each guest family, where they're staying, the address and any directions they needed, this way if I was busy, people knew where to go.
2. I had some high school girls deliver all the hostess gifts and guest packages Thursday night so I wasn't busy making sure everyone took it on Friday when they came to my house.
3. Got cleaning help Friday afternoon, so when I was getting ready to leave she was cleaning up from Toameha.
4. I had one of my married sisters stay in my house instead of by a neighbor, so she could help with the hosting, making sure things were set up for breakfast shabbos morning, oneg in the afternoon, I was around too, but had to go to shul and was busy with all the guests and my own kids.
5. I skipped the seating, it was such a headache and there's no way to make everyone happy, families gravitated and sat together without me having to have it listed, and I was conscious of people who needed to be invited and showed where to sit like mechutanim, and some of the chosson's aunts.