This week has been one big carb load. We’ve eaten pasta. I’ve made meatballs. This morning, I took Isabelle to Starbucks so she could get a muffin before school. Tonight, we’re bringing pizza in for dinner. Why? Because PASSOVER BEGINS THIS SATURDAY NIGHT AT SUNDOWN.
Carb-loading aside, I’ve been preparing for Passover with Ari for the past few weeks since he’s reached at an age where he is curious about the holidays and is soaking in everything he learns.
This morning, after I got the chicken soup — the first of many dishes I’ll make for our Seder — simmering on the stove, we began gathering everything we needed for our Seder table.
Gathering the items we need doesn’t mean setting the table. (That won’t happen for a couple of days because four-year-old children, fine china, and crystal don’t mesh.) What it means is running around the house and finding all of the items that we’ll need for our Seder table. Thankfully, he was an agreeable helper!
Once everything was gathered, we took a nap. (I wish.) Seriously, though, we neatened everything up and went back to the soup.
Tomorrow, I’ll make charoses, matzah balls, and a flourless chocolate cake. The rest of the dinner will get prepared on Saturday.
So now you know why I’ll be missing from the SOLSC this weekend!
Raising Literate Humans 
Preparing for holiday traditions is so special!
I’ve been doing a lot more to prepare for each holiday at home this year since I cannot rely on our synagogue or community programs as much as I have in the past due to the pandemic. It’s actually been good for me to learn to do more.
I smiled reading about your little helper. 🙂 Chag Sameach!
He’s a wonderful helper! Everything takes longer when he helps, but it’s worth it.
Chag Sameach! And this is why I am so grateful that we still do seder at my mother’s house (even though we do so much of it, these days!). It’s enough just to clean and turn over the kitchen…and we have 3 (reluctant) helpers!!
Typically, we spend one night with my in-laws and one night with my parents. However, I’m just not comfortable traveling right now with my son being newly potty trained since it would mean stopping frequently for the bathroom stops, which doesn’t thrill me in the midst of a pandemic.
Alas, despite the amount of work that it is, I have been enjoying getting ready!
Chag Pesach sameach to you too!
Happy Pesach to you! One of my favorite nights of the year.
Enjoy and chag sameach!
Oh, I wish we could be there to celebrate Passover with you. So much preparation, but it is a wonderful experience for young and old! It looks like you have everything under control. Again, you are amazing! Chag Pesach Samech!
I wish you and Ralph could be here too, Lynne! Hoping for next year!
Chag sameach!
A good Pasach to you and your loved ones. Thank you for Mayim’s video and her fun matza dress! Passover takes on a new meaning when you have little ones to share it with. This year my grandson will be 20 months old so I bought the Velcro soft objects on a Passover plate for him and puppets with the plagues. Like Mayim, last year we used a script for a play to tell the story of Passover and it was so fun. It is so much work and I’m anxious for my daughters to take over being the host, but in the meantime, we have to stop and enjoy the food and appreciate the lives we lead.
Thank you for sharing your family traditions. I learned so much from the video and I love how you shared your things and labeled them in the picture. I hope you have a happy Passover. I’m sure the work you put into it will be a meaningful tradition for your kids!
I watched a different Mayim Balik video for kids about Passover with my daughters and we learned a lot! I enjoyed this one too, and learned even more! I knew the history of Passover and I knew about seders, but I didn’t realize so much work went into preparing for it, like clearing the house of all grains for such a long time beforehand! And your food preparations sound like so much work too! I really enjoyed how you labeled all the special items in the picture, and I would love to hear more about how they are used or what their significance is!