Go With The Flow

Housewives have started talking about Pesach. Everyone has a different method to the madness. Some strategies applied are the Last Minuters (starting with the kitchen and then doing everything else) who usually begin no more than a week or so before the holiday; the more common One-Room-At-A-Timers (who spend a few days per room until it is done before moving on to the next) and usually begin immediately after Purim; and the crazy people who start right after Chanukah and have everything done by Tu B’Shvat in time to start it all over again.

I had forgotten how uplifting the feeling of exhilaration was. It had been such a while since I experienced the sense of accomplishment that accompanied the simple act of crossing a chore of my mental Pesach-cleaning list! It was unexpected. Unanticipated. Unusual. Okay, enough with the un-words…

The honest truth is that I had not exactly planned to do any Pesach cleaning today. Just as yesterday, I had not planned on going on a Flatbush shopping expedition along Coney Island Avenue between J and K. Sometimes, you just have to go with the flow. I had an early morning date booked with my husband in Boro Park, but that was all – I thought I would come home and Pesach clean. Instead, I managed to get a rare ride into Flatbush and seized the Monday morning opportunity to finally take care of some errands that were on my C.I. Avenue to-do list. I found a new shell to wear under the jumper gown I had bought for my brother’s wedding. (The original shell I bought last week did not work out, the fit was just wrong for a gown. It was returned.) I also stocked up on shells for the summer and picked up a new Shabbos robe for Pesach. The best part is that almost everything I found was on sale!

Fast forward to today. The one thing that was booked for this morning was my daughter’s birthday party in playgroup. (It really should have been yesterday when it her actual birth date, but there was that pre-existing booking on my calendar. Besides, she was not going to know the difference if the party was a day later.) I packed the bag of peckelach (nosh bags) and we made it to playgroup just in time for the party at 10 AM. It was so cute to watch the kids singing happy birthday and dancing around in a train. I sat next to the birthday girl and enjoyed the proceedings. Their teacher had taught them the birthday routine well (it also helped that they just had another party yesterday) and it was heartwarming to hear the little ones wish “Asach yiddishe nachas,” at the end of the party when they thanked me for coming.

When it was over, I was surprised to note that it was still early in the morning. I stopped off at the pediatrician for a paper that needed filling out and then weighed my options. There was the possibility of visiting the Purim stores to find some costumes and items for my m’shalach manos. Or, I could just go home and tackle another Pesach job…

You know which one I chose!

(The deciding factor was my plan on being in the vicinity of the Purim stores tomorrow after doing my weekly grocery shopping. It’s always good to group errands together when you go out so you save time and don’t have to go out so often for every little thing. When you don’t have a car at your disposal, you really feel every outing. It also helps you stay in shape, but I digress.)

I had mentioned some of my Pesach to-do list in my last post (and of course a bunch of things popped into my head afterwards that I forgot to list). Well, the one task that most appealed to me today was to tackle the arts ‘n crafts closet. As I emptied it out and washed each shelf, I was surprised at what not-a-big-deal this job was! (In my mind, somehow each job majestically receives extra grandeur that leaves me thinking that something which might take maximally an hour ends up taking all day!) Getting everything organized was much easier than I thought. I put all the rolls of curling ribbon on a higher shelf (too many memories of my kids making a ‘spider’s web’ through the house with them) and kept the colored pencils and crayons on a lower, more child-accessible shelf to promote creativity. (I hope I will not be sorry about this move.) I managed to throw out things (yay!) which is always an achievement for me – the major saver that I am. I even threw out my classmates’ wedding invitations that I had been keeping until now, some for over ten years. Don’t ask me for what. I mean, I have not seen some of those people in years! The box containing the user manual of my first digital camera – goodbye! It feels so great to chuck things you no longer need.

Or maybe you never really needed in the first place…

But like I said, I’m a saver. The ironic thing is that when I actually need the warranty papers or a phone number for customer service, I can never find them! So why am I keeping so many of the instructions that come with products?

Good question.

The cherry on top with today’s fait accompli is that I found a toddler lock to tie the closet doors shut. Hopefully this will help my nice clean closet stay that way for longer!

When I was done with the closet, it was time for lunch. I cooked meatballs for supper and then saved another trip by renewing what was due at the library online. I took a nap and then hurried to pick up my daughter from playgroup in order to get home in time for my son’s van. (Rush, rush, rush…) At least some of my Pesach-cleaning quota was filled for the day, today, so I am very glad about that.

Maybe my dream of staying home for Pesach can become a reality after all.