Friday is the day I am busy cooking for Shabbos. There are people who make most of their fare on Thursday or – gasp – Wednesday, but I have a husband who likes everything freshly cooked on Friday. The exception is chicken soup, which I prepare on Thursday. (It usually tastes better the second day, anyway.) Even with the boys at home, I still had to cook. No exciting activities were planned. Right from the get-go, I banned the Wii for the day because I was not exactly thrilled with their behavior so there went that entertainment that was supposed to keep them occupied… Oh, well. I do not like to reward bad behavior.
Later, I had to practically drag the boys through the streets to pick up my daughter from playgroup and bribe them with a Shabbos nosh of their choice from the corner store to get them to walk nicely. They were not quiet about their lack of appreciation for the exercise. “Mommy, why don’t you take a car service?” my oldest son asked. He is probably the sort of person who would drive his car down the block to catch a minyan (a prayer service) even if he lived only a block away. Then again, there’s always the chance he’ll grow up by then. He’s still only seven. My four-year-old had a tantrum. I couldn’t figure out what he wanted until his older brother suggested I put his hood on for him. Wow. That did the trick! Sometimes you have to understand a whole different language with kids.
Friday Pesach cleaning tally: 0. (I hate to admit, not all the floors were even washed for Shabbos.)
Fast forward to Sunday. This was a day I had zero expectations of accomplishing anything. All three children were home. DH was working a full-day. I had been lazy the night before and had not done a stich of laundry (I normally get the washer party started by then) so that was still piled up to the sky. The silverware was still in the kitchen sink. No little elves had come to clean it overnight, alas.
Fortunately, I got Sunday off to a good start. I ran out before 9 AM while DH was still home to watch the kids. I picked up fresh bread and milk. I fried eggs and ate a hearty breakfast. There’s nothing like wholesome food in the morning to start the day off right. Somehow, I cleaned out most of my children’s room. I’d say about 90% of it is done. (See what can be accomplished when you push off the laundry?)
My children’s room is the one place I had refused to spend time on whenever I put on my ‘cleaning lady cap’ because it was an exercise in futility. A day or two later, you would never have known that I’d spent hours cleaning it up. I always preferred to focus my energy on areas that could be visibly seen by visitors to the house, like the living room/dining room area because that is what you walk into when you enter the house. The kitchen and bathroom occupied top spots on my cleanup list (as they should) and the kids’ bedroom was relegated to the lowest spot on the totem pole. The youngsters were given the job of cleaning it every week, before Shabbos, but somehow they do a far less thorough job than you or I.
Now, with Pesach cleaning on the mind, everything was different. I figured the kiddy bedroom would be one of the best places to start with because I have hopes that it will remain Pesachdik. (Realistically, I will most probably have to do some of it over, but this cleanup is an immense help!) Boy, oh boy, what a difference it is to walk in there! Before, there was so much clutter and mess you could not walk in there without stepping on something. It was as if a congested asthmatic airway finally received medication via an inhaler and could now actually breathe!
I also cleaned out the main part of their closet and the new format is vastly improved over the previous pileup of outgrown-clothing boxes. Guess I should give myself a pat on the back. I had thought the kids would help more, but they were so busy playing Wii that I really didn’t mind not having everyone in my hair as I worked. When it came to the fun part (think sponges and bubbles) they definitely showed up!
Sunday tally: The children’s room! Yay!
Monday, I wanted to take the boys’ to Chuck E Cheese, but we were so late getting out in the morning, that by the time we returned from taking their sister to playgroup, it really was not worth going anymore. Instead, I decided to take them somewhere within walking distance so we went to Kids ’n Action. (I had coupons for free pizza, drink and tokens!) They did not want to stay very long, which I considered a shame since I’d shelled out $13 per ticket, but at least they had a bit of fun. The seven-year-old refused to eat the pizza because he wasn’t in the mood. He kept begging to go home instead so he could make his own lunch. This from the kid who usually complains, “When are we going to go to a real pizza store?” when I offered him frozen pizza. Go figure it.
Monday Pesach-cleaning tally: 0 but at least we were out part of the day, so the house did not get destroyed. I was surprised at how far my boys walked that day. First they trekked to playgroup and back, then to Kids ‘n Action, and ultimately to playgroup again for pickup. Could it be that my boys who hardly walk anywhere were finally getting the hang of walking?
Tuesday, I woke up with another headache. (Kids vacation somehow does that to me.) I had promised the boys Chuck E Cheese, but I was not in the mood of the whole bus/train equation. I just wasn’t. I was starting to think we would spend a simple day grocery-shopping instead, when a friend phoned and literally saved the day. She offered to pick us up in her minivan and take us to CC! (She has a son in each of my sons’ classes.) I jumped at the offer. The boys had so much more fun with their friends in CC than they’d had the day before on their own at Kids ‘n Action. It was also interesting to hear the Pesach-making tips of a five-year Pesach-making veteran mom!
TIP: Keep a notebook from year to year. Keep records showing how much you bought of each item and how much was actually required. Keep tabs of each year’s entire Pesach expense, this way you know how much to budget for the following year. Keep all the recipes that were successfully used and before you know it, you’ll have a personalized Pesach guidebook.
Tuesday tally: 0, but at least I got a great tip! BONUS, the second Wii controller arrived late Tuesday.
Wednesday, we finally went to do the grocery shopping. I learned (for the millionth time) that my boys walk as slow as turtles and still the seven-year-old was complaining, “Mommy, you’re going too fast!”
Wanting to get out as early as possible (and that still wasn’t early enough) I had not eaten a normal breakfast (just a protein shake). Before I knew it, I could barely stand on my own two feet. It was already after noon and the normal errands I usually do each week had taken SO much longer, schlepping two little boys along, that I didn’t realize how late it was getting. When we were finally on the way home, I could barely walk down the block we were on and decided to sit on the edge of someone’s property to rest. I remembered a pack of Pop Mmms in my purse and shared them with my four-year-old. Wow, that little bit of sugar really rejuvenated me! Just as we were about to leave, the inhabitant of that house came out and caught us sitting there. I was kind of embarrassed but fortunately, she was a frum lady. She did not seem to mind our presence at all, instead she introduced herself and the usual ‘Jewish Geography’ ensued. Upon her realization that she knew my mother-in-law, she proffered treats for the boys before we parted ways. It was really sweet.
Wednesday tally: 0, but I spent quality time with my boys and we even made dough forrugelach! At least I could rest assured knowing Thursday was back to school at last!
To sum it all up, I am happy to note that the vacation was a whole lot better than I expected it to be. Somehow, I felt calmer and more relaxed than an ordinary Sunday. It was really convenient to have my daughter in playgroup while the boys were off. I am glad for things to be back to normal now but look back at this week hoping my sons gained some positive childhood memories from our time together.
What’s more, my heart swells with pride whenever I enter the kids’ room. What a blessing Pesach-cleaning is! If not for Pesach cleaning, procrastinators like me would still have messy kids’ rooms!
No comments:
Post a Comment