These short winter Shabbats can be hectic! Sometimes it’s a heart-pounding, tense race to get ready on time, even though I wish it wasn’t. That is definitely something I need to work on. One way to manage is to have a good Shabbat list (or two). I just updated mine, and thought I’d share it with you!
First, I make a menu for each week and check things off as they are completed. Because that changes, I can’t have it on my laminated regular checklist.
My other list is a checklist. (You can download a copy of my Shabbat checklist in a word doc to get your started.) Each time I update it, I just print off a copy and try it out, and when I’m (mostly) satisfied with it, I laminate it and use dry erase markers to check it off as we go. I know things will get done and when they are done. And even better, when someone is helping, you can see what needs to be done at a glance!
What needs to be done varies with the house, the ages of any children, guests, etc. For winter, I even put “refill humidifiers” on my list because of how dry it is in our house. But there are some constants, both last minute (lights, blech) and things that can be done ahead of time (vacuum, set the table). I leave a few blank checkoff spaces to add things in as they come up, too. Here’s what is on my checklist now.
- Vacuum and sweep main areas
- Menu checked off (or adjusted)
- Put up or turn off electronic toys
- Set the table
- Prep candles
- Check beds and bathrooms
- Check tissues and/or cut toilet paper
- Lights taped as needed (with guests, or in our case for now, toddlers who love to play with lights)
- Lights set (I have a list of the ones we leave on, and you can add in timers if you have them)
- Set blech/hotplate/crockpot (timers, too)
- Check dishwasher and oven: off
I also two Yom Tov additions on the bottom of my checklist so I know what needs to be added. They are:
- Eruv Tavshillin (for a holiday running into Shabbat)
- Light 3- day candle (to use to light candles on the next day)
Do you have a Shabbat checklist? What else do you have on it?
2 comments
Recently found your posts. I hope this is a current blog. I have been homeschooling for 10 years and find our family is the only Jewish one in our homeschool circles. We live in the rural south, where our “local” temple is 60 miles away. Hoping to learn and share here. Thanks for posting!
Author
Yay! I have a lot in the archives, but I’m putting together more, too. It seems like just when we get a handle on a routine or a good plan, it needs to be changed!