So much to do, so little time!

[zaksmummy]

Sometimes it really sucks being a women;) Just kidding!

I've written a list of stuff that still needs to be done or sorted before Passover, unfortunately, the husbnad is still recovering from his neck op and cant lift a thing - no I'm not joking, he really cant, so I've got a ton of stuff to clean/tidy/sort and only a couple of days to do it.

I'm just resting now, recovering my energy for the evening ahead of cleaning, but hey...

after all that, it is really blessing me to be cleaning, I have been pleasently surprised at the spiritual lessons to be learned through this process and the encouraging threads on this forum on preparing for Passover, so


Happy Passover everyone, cant wait for Shabbat and a rest :D

[Lulav]

Yes, I look forward to this week rest very much. I made a list for each day of the week but can't seem to get anything done. I did the final ( next to final of course there's always that last minute thing you need) last night, bought three table cloths, tried them out and the winner is in the wash right now. I will have my table set and ready before sundown as I have a special room just for this. I still have the finer points of the menu to work out yet. But I did get my matzah baked on monday, Refrigerator and freezer are free of chometz, as well as cupboards, all I have left really is one bag of Gluten free ginger snaps. and some bread crumbs saved for finding. Still final vacumning, and all. Last night did one of the harder cleanings, my office and desk and Pc, don't forget to vacuum well your pc keyboard! Shut off first though. ;)

Also don't forget your cars, and basements, especially if that is where you do laundry, lots of crumbs can be on the floor from the laundry, tableclothes, sheets, if you eat in bed snacks like I do. :blush:



My last plague came in the mail today, in fact the post man woke me up to deliver them! I got a gross ( 144) of frogs! So now my plagues are complete.

I actually found some fresh baked Gluten free K4P desserts at the store last night so won't have to worry about baking something. I splurged and spent almost 40$ on four different things. i hope they are edible! :eek:

So now I am taking a rest in between things., and meanwhile working on my haggadah, as this year besides music I am adding a powerpoint show and other things so have to work that into my previous haggadah.

I just realized I didn't get a few things on my list last night so will have to return to the store, maybe tomorrow night. Oy! Can't wait until Tuesday, but then I can't really rest, I got a dentist appointment!

[Lulav]

Oh, I meant to say, I will be praying for your husband and for you to deal with it, and getting ready, just don't wear yourself down to where you can't enjoy the holiday, that is the main concern.

[HadassahSukkot]

:groupray: I know how you feel.

Here I am 8 months 'expectant'.. ;) and my DH hasn't helped heaps and heaps to get us whipped into shape. The last two months were literally hard as far as me being able to keep up with the kitchen. Only last month did I start really cooking in there again, so we had way more chametz in there than we should have for this time of year. :sorry:

This is also DH's first time cleaning for Pesach, so he wasn't so enthused about it and had no idea what all it entailed until this past weekend when I really went through what I had set aside and started saying "OK By Monday all of this MUST be out of the house or thrown away!" Reason for that being, I have no idea how I will feel from day to day, and it's best to make my life easier by letting me at least kosher the kitchen for Pesach and let me start playing with the Matzah recipes I have to see if we can get something workable for the 8 days we are to have it.

Monday we took out literally everything that was left that had leavening in it or yeast. What we couldn't afford to throw out (looooooong story) we have at my inlaws on "loan"... sorta.
I figure they can actually keep it, since we will likely be going to their house off and on more frequently once the baby is here in person for everyone to meet 'n' greet. Most of it is prepared gluten free flour mixes to make bread. I'd toss it but I had no idea how much DH had bought in the last two months. I hadn't even looked in the pantry until this month... I felt that bad. :doh:

The Toaster, I cleaned as best I could without an air-duster... it got wrapped in plastic and sent to the inlaw's cellar. (As you can tell -- they don't keep pesach -- I wouldn't do this normally, and it won't happen next year) The same story for our Gluten Free Breadmaker. Wrapped up and sealed off after I did what I could to clean it. DH wasn't willing to go to the store to get a can of air, so I can only do so much between my belly and my hands & wrists to get things clean without putting myself out of comission. (I already once have done that and I care not for a repeat)


Here's how it went:

Monday: Removed leavening agents to trash or inlaws, cleaned oven and "cooked" it to be sure everything was out. (DH cleaned the oven. I can't get on the floor to get eye level to do it, nor can I take the door off)

Tuesday: Thorough vaccuuming, moved Fridge and vaccuumed behind it, moved washing machine and did the same. DH got on hands and knees and cleaned under our kitchen cabinets. I put up our drinks (soda and water cases) from the floor and we vacuumed every nook and cranny.
I cleaned our "breakfast cart" (stores our kitchen linens and smaller kitchen appliances) so it had no crumbs left. From there, we got the steamer out and put in the hottest water we had and steamed where we vaccuumed. Our recycling bag was moved to the hallway, the trash was taken out..
I went to put dinner away and realized we hadn't touched the inside of the refridgerator... so we went and cleaned that out. Thankfully I had actually kept up with the fridge (hey, I was eating out of it, I just hadn't been cooking much! LOL) so that involved just taking things out and wiping it down.... and then with steaming hot water and soap cleaning the glass trays and the plastic shelves that go in the door. After doing that we did another quick run-through with the vaccuum "just in case" we dropped any yeast as there was an open package in the butter compartment that had spilt.


Wednesday: I cleaned off the cabinets themselves as a third run-through and made sure we hadn't missed anything. I cleaned the master bathroom (vaccuum and steamed) since I had trekked food in there (cookies and cake) when I had really bad days and had to soak in the tub... I did a run-through of the items on the shelves to make sure I hadn't any cleaning products or other items that had leavening in it on the shelf. I found catfood (kitten formula) we had purchased for my MIL that had yeast... so it went in the hallway. I did another check of the 1/2 bath, and put the cleaning supplies in it so I can clean it today.

Made one test run of Matzah.... it came out OK, but I need to tweak it. I can't get the GF matzah here that is prepared.. wayyyyyyyyyyyy too expensive. (40 Euro a box not including the import fee)

Thursday: DH took cat food to MIL since there are new kittens in the backyard (stray cats) and that will be gotten rid of. We'll do a run through and clean of the 1/2 bath and the hallway. I have to strip the beds and wash the sheets, as we had eaten in bed (since I wasn't very mobile at night), and wait for DH to come home so we can vaccuum the mattresses and between them.
I'll make another batch of Matzah, this time hopefully it will stay together and taste 100%. :D

Tomorrow: More Matzah Baking, and DH's search for Chametz.


I told my mom what I had been up to and she about had a fit. She thought it was total overkill.. but there's no one else to do it, and DH didn't know what to look for, and I would do things in spurts so I don't get overwhelmed.

I look forward to the cleaning aspect being over and done with, as it seems the last 2 weeks have been nothing but "go-go-go!!!" cleaning wise. (not to mention that bout with lice that had me nuts one week prior to that, and us cleaning our bedsheets, towels and beds/pillows EVERY day)

I'll definitely be resting and celebrating Unleavened Bread with a new respect this year, as it is the first time I've had to clean an entire "house".. before I had just helped clean out our Shul and signed up for KP (Kitchen Patrol), so I found it more than easy. Thankfully I like cleaning though and am almost obsessive about it, or I'd be really up the creek.

Next year, I'm definitely preparing better, and nothing will be going anywhere. It will be eaten, tossed or burnt.

[visionary]

On that matter of lice, die hair. IT works.

[HadassahSukkot]

Well, they are thankfully gone now. :D
I found some really good remedies that cost little, and were pesticide free. :) Willowbark and Thyme Shampoo, the Nit comb (metal), 30 minute treatments with the conditioner of your choice & then washing out... and... the best ever -- drying your hair with a very hot dryer directly applied air to your scalp. Kills baby lice & eggs dead so you have no "next generation". It had run it's course in about 10 days.


Nothing else we were suggested worked or would be allowed due to pregnancy or nursing...



back to your regularly scheduled thread. :D

[zaksmummy]

Haddassah, arent you glad that the Passover cleaning came at the same time as the nesting instinct - at least you've only had to clean the house once!!!!!!

[HadassahSukkot]

LOL how true that is!! :D

My mom seemed overwhelmed when I told her what we've been doing, and said 'oh I'd be laid up for weeks!' (she has fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue).. And I told her, hey -- at least you will only have to spot clean while I'm recovering right? ;)