***Download the whole (free! and customizable!) planner by clicking OJH_Countdown to Pesach and get a one page simplified calendar for planning by clicking OJH Pesach planning calendar 2012. See the 6 week, 5 week, 4 week, and 3 week to go checklists, too.***
With Passover coming up (that’s right, it runs from April 6 – April 13/14, 2012!), all our extra energy here is devoted to getting ready. I don’t know about you, but that’s where I am this week! (Looking for
If you haven’t started, now is a good time to start. If you are still waiting, then planning can be helpful. Get going on lists: meals before, menu planning, shopping, etc.
As you’re cleaning now, remember that Passover cleaning is different from spring cleaning. Passover cleaning is looking for chametz. Regular cleaning, especially spring cleaning, is looking for dirt and dust. Now, no one wants dirt and dust in her home. But when there is a lot going on, like there is when preparing for Passover, extras can break the momma’s back (so to speak). You may choose to add things in, but don’t make yourself crazy over it!
So your attic (where no one has ever eaten) probably doesn’t need to have everything removed, sorted, cleaned, and reorganized. That’s spring cleaning. If you’ve got the time and energy, great. But if you’re frantically trying to get ready, don’t do it. You can ask about things you are unclear about – it seems like many people are trying to add extra strictness in, so when you are trying to cover just the minimum requirements, it is good to have the weight of your rabbi behind you.
Take some time and make a fun “no chametz” sign – or a few (kids love to do this–we laminated ours last year and they’re going back up in our cleaned areas).
Now’s the week to get to where you want to be so you can be ready for Passover!
