Welcome to Jewish Moms & Crafters (formerly Beyond the Balagan), where Jewish mothers inspire their families with everyday solutions!
A huge part of our mission is to help like-minded Jewish mothers create that joyous home filled with love for Judaism.
Our posts are designed to help provide solutions for families across the spectrum of Jewish living.
We hope you’ll stick around to see what we have to share with you!
Navigating the Chaos
Granted, we know that balancing the budget, the business, and the blessings of a rich Jewish lifestyle can make our heads spin. But when we look beyond the chaos, plan better, and forgive ourselves just a little, we’ll be able to build happy homes and inspire our families!
We believe in doing what we can to make life easier, while finding the solutions to make the seasons fun.
We believe in crafting memories and experiences, while celebrating the blessings behind the mess.
We believe in sharing and collaborating while involving the children in the day-to-day decisions.
We believe in looking beyond the chaos to enrich our lives…
What you’ll find at Jewish Moms & Crafters:
We want to give you those resources that you can’t find elsewhere. We want to approach the lack of free and affordable resources for Jewish mothers and educators that are in line with our values.
That’s why we’ll be focusing on solving your problems throughout the year.
Some of the topics we plan to cover:
- Entertainment and crafts for the kids
- DIY and crafty solutions for moms
- Printables for any need – and just for fun!
- We love the chagim and want the kids to as well! Seasonal crafts and coloring pages are one way we accomplish that.
- We hope to help you with some easy meal ideas and even menu plans to get through the holidays!
- Doable Dishes that are affordable are our agenda!
- Organizing a family can be complicated – that’s why we plan to give you solutions tailored toward your life.
- Between Kosher food, holidays, and private schooling, we know that your budget is TIGHT, which is why we hope to help you find places to save.
Want to see a specific topic covered? Comment below! We can’t promise everything, but sometimes our best inspiration comes from readers!
The family behind Jewish Moms & Crafters:
About the Jewish Mom – Menucha:
Menucha is a creative family lifestyle blogger and spends most of her life running Moms & Crafters while juggling home, work, and four active kids.
Menucha is a full-time creative for a while, but has been dreaming of an outlet to share her favorite holiday projects. This Jewish section is a passion project.
Menucha’s mini helpers:
Baby Jay is the latest addition to our family, circa July 2023. He’s our “gingy like King David” and already has a sense of humor. His favorite thing to do is jump (and eat).
A joined our family in November 2020 (yes, THAT 2020) as the one and only “girly girl”. Her personality is big enough to fill those shoes. She’s full of cheer but may just be slightly dramatic. She’s also a sweet, compassionate soul.
Y was born May 2016 and is a sensitive and friendly boy. He has a sweet dimple and a sincere compliment for everyone, and makes friends with whoever he meets. His hobbies include eating snacks, LEGO, and making art. He has serious food allergies, so you may see some food allergy references on the blog.
M is our bookish “bechor” (oldest), who as of September 2013 made us parents. He loves bossing around his little brother (who bosses him right back), hates getting dirty, and is an easygoing and pleasant friend. He’s more tinkery than crafty – give him a screwdriver and he’ll dismantle everything in his path. He does science experiments and assembles robots in his spare time, and gets excited when I buy something with “assembly required” written on the box.