Tips for getting ready for the biggest, most annoying Jewish holiday of the year. That would be Pesach/Passover.

If you actually thought you were going to get that here you obviously are not a long-time reader.

I mean, seriously.

But there is a method to my Pesach-Prep madness. (And it is madness, trust me). A couple of weeks before the actual holiday (like yesterday, in this year's case) I figure out when the kitchen is going to be changed over from Chametz to Passover. I then work backwards. I'd give you the details, but to be honest, it's really not that effective.

One excellent thing that got us started this year: Isaac saw a vacuum cleaner on sale and bought it. When he came home, he immediatedly took it out of the box and spent hours vacuuming behind beds and sofas. Which is why I encourage him now to buy any home appliance he wants to.

I am clever enough to write a list every year at the end of the holiday of things I do and don't need to buy for the next year's holiday. (Gila, who inspired this post actually keeps all her lists and has a kind of time capsule of all her previous Passovers). I don't have lists for previous years, but the list contains things like, "Buy another pan for dairy" and "Don't need another turkey baster, you already have three". One memorable year, I think it was after 9/11 and I thought the world's end was imminent (I still do, actually), I titled the list "Pesach, 2003. If we make it till then."

Back to the list, delivered to you exactly as I wrote it last year:

Pesach 2010, Be'ezrat Hashem (G-d willing--I see I'm still not taking chances)

Need: 1 sharp knife for dairy
1 measuring cup
a milk pitcher (our milk comes in bags, not containers)
ONLY 1 potatoe starch
2 bags of ground nuts
3 containers of oil
DO NOT BUY COLD CUTS. NOONE EATS THEM.
3-4 bags of matzoh meal.


WE DON'T NEED

glasses (uhm, yeah, we do. We broke all our chametz glasses early this year and had to take the Pesach ones down).
wine glasses. You buy them every freaking year.
sucra-lite yellow poison packets for coffee.
cake meal
alumininum to cover sink.

I helpfully added this to myself:

Baila, don't be such a dumba** next year and read the list BEFORE you shop.

And on the side, an addition from Orli:

Don't forget to buy Orli lots and lot of clothes for Pesach.

Which reminds me how much I hate taking my girls shopping.

What's on your list?

(If you really need some Passover tips, you'd do better, here).






Yachdus is hosting Haveil Havalim here.

Haveil Havalim #249--the Israeli Blogger's/Welcome 2010 edition

Welcome, everyone to Haveil Havalim #249. Just a quick mention about last night's Israeli blogger gathering. Organized by Mimi (Israeli Kitchen) and Hannah (Mother-in-Israel and Cooking Manager) and taking place at Sara's (FoodBridge) beautiful home, about 25 bloggers living in Israel gathered together to share ideas. Jacob Share of JobMob was a very entertaining and informative speaker (he had lots to say about increasing traffic and monetizing) and of course, there was food and socializing and networking and just plain fun. If you weren't there, you should try it out next time. I hear the next event is already being planned.

And so it was that I began to work on this edition of HH after I returned home from the blogger's event. Even working diligently until 2 a.m., I didn't get it done. But here it is, posted on Sunday, as it should be. Sometimes the US-Israel time difference works for me.

Founded by Soccer Dad, Haveil Havalim is a carnival of Jewish blogs — a weekly collection of Jewish & Israeli blog highlights, tidbits and points of interest collected from blogs all around the world. It’s hosted by different bloggers each week and coordinated by Jack. The term ‘Haveil Havalim,’ which means “Vanity of Vanities,” is from Kohelet, (Ecclesiastes) which was written by King Solomon. King Solomon built the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and later on got all bogged down in materialism and other ‘excesses’ and realized that it was nothing but ‘hevel,’ or in English, ‘vanity.’”

Without Further Ado:

Israel

I am so impressed with Batya and her dad as she continues to tell the tale of his Aliyah at age 89. She presents I DID It! The latest episode in the saga of my father's aliyah at 89 posted at me-ander.

Batya also presents "Orange," as a Label posted at Shiloh Musings.

Lady-Light presents Archeological Find Proves Ancient Jewish Ties to the Land of Israel at Tikkun Olam.

This book has been getting quite a bit of buzz. Jacob Richman presents I highly recommend the book: Start-up Nation posted at Good News from Israel.

Mrs. S. presents You Just Might be a Religious Zionist at Our Shiputzim.

Harry tells us about a recent trip to the shuk in Hanukah in Mahane Yehuda and India and gives us the Picture of the Week: The shots that won’t make it to the catalog posted at ISRAELITY.

Joel Katz (a fellow Modi'iner, I'm proud to say) presents Religion and State in Israel - December 21, 2009 (Section 2) and Religion and State in Israel - December 21, 2009 (Section 1) posted at Religion and State in Israel.

Leah Aharoni presents The Gilad Shalit Deal as a Mirror of the Israeli Society posted at Ingathered.

Jessica gives us some information on the cosmetics business in Israeli beauty posted at ISRAELITY.

Yisrael Medad presents JPost.com | BlogCentral | Green-Lined | Yes, there is a difference posted at Green-Lined.

Shmuel Sokol presents illegal arab buildings legitimized posted at Torat Yisrael.

Shiloh's fire skies turned Yisrael Medad to his camera, then his blog in My Right Word: Shiloh's Skies On Fire posted at My Right Word.

Politics

Mottel asks Is Universal Healthcare a Jewish Imperative? posted at Letters of Thought.

Batya presents Dear Obama Claus, posted at Shiloh Musings.

Ilana-Davita presents a fascinating piece in National Identity posted at Ilana-Davita. Be sure to take a look at the comments.

Sammy Benoit asks two questions: Is Joe Lieberman a Good Jew? Does the Media Have the Right to Ask That Question? posted at YID With LID.

Anti-Semitism

Is Garrison Keillor being tongue-in-cheek, or just plain anti-semitic? You decide, after checking out Sammy Benoit's Garrison Keillor: The Jews Have Screwed Up Our Christmas posted at YID With LID. Sammy Benoit also presents Jimmy Carter Did NOT Apologize to the Jewish People.

Lion of Zion wonders about the church's new efforts to beatify Pope Pius in The Pope and (le-Havdil) the Bishop: A Lesson in Moral Courage.

Judaism

Shira Salamone presents Xmas eve dilemmas past and Bugged, or Score Another One for the Rabbis at On the Fringe.

Here' a blog that's new to me that I enjoyed. Shorty presents Last year, at this time... posted at Shorty's Adventure.

Berel Dorfman discusses the robbery of the notorious "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign at Auschwitz in Chabad Representatives Near Auschwitz Say Interest in Polish Jewish Life Strong posted at lubavitch.com Chabad-Lubavitch news site.

Friar Yid presents A History of Lawlessness posted at Friar Yid.

David Morris presents Tropper-Gate and Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Blog? posted at Tzedek-Tzedek.

I cried the day we moved from Flatbush out to 'burbs. Apparently not everyone feels that way about my old hometown (which I daresay has changed since we moved from there). Check out why Lion of Zion says I Hate Flatbush.

Hadassah Sabo Milner compiles a list of terms that the layman/laywoman can use to understand the torah talk on the web in Beit Twidrash Dictionary posted at In the Pink.

Jacob Richman presents his useful New Website: My Hebrew Programs posted at Good News from Israel.

Torah

Joshua Waxman presents How many are the days of your life, as question or exclamation? and The Gra's famous peshat on Vayigash posted at parshablog.

Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver presents Torah illuminates and enables discernment posted at A Chassidishe farbrengen.

Read Yisrael Medad's dvar Torah in My Right Word: My Shabbat Dvar Torah posted at My Right Word.

Personal

Batya tells us why she doesn't celebrate the [secular] New Year in New Year, What Year? posted at Shiloh Musings.

Culture

Batya finally gets to make this yummy dish in Finally, Fruit Salad posted at me-ander.

Ilana-Davita tells us about her Favorite Books of 2009 posted at Ilana-Davita. Now there's an idea for a blogpost.

Hadassah Sabo Milner notes it's the comments more than the article that are worth a read (and after perusing them, I can tell you she's right!) She presents Kids are too smart these days! posted at In the Pink.

Robert J. Avrech tells us of when he worked with Brittany Murphy in Brittany Murphy: To Remember posted at Seraphic Secret.

Leora gives us JPIX: Fall Holidays Edition posted at Here in HP.

Humor

Lady-Light gives a comedic clip here at Tikkun Olam.

Heshy Fried presents Woman sues missionary organization that gave her faulty�menorah posted at Frum Satire.

See how The Rebbetzin's Husband deals with his new hi-tech device in Blackberry Blackout.

And thus concludes this week’s edition of Haveil Havalim.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of Haveil Havalim using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Wishing a Happy and Healthy 2010 to all!

I am definitely losing steam....

....as we head into the final week of Nablopomo.

In the spirit of that, I'm posting just to tell you that Mom has Haveil Havalim up at her blog. She did a great job.

[Shoulda done Nablopomo in February].

Check out all the round-ups

Haveil Havalim is up at Simply Jews.

JPIX, the Jewish photo round-up is up at Leora's.

And finally, the Kosher Cooking Carnival (KCC) is up at The Real Shaliach. (Hey!!! Didn't he just host HH last week? Now that's a dedicated blogger.)

Enjoy.