Passover Preparation with The Happy Planner

     Passover (Pesach) preparation can be somewhat daunting, but I’ve learned that if I start my planning 4-6 weeks out, I don’t have the anxiety that often comes with the last minute house cleaning de-leavening fiasco. 

     I started laying out my Passover preparation this week.  This is my Pre-Pre-Planning Week!!  Next week is my ACTUAL PRE-PLANNING WEEK!  Giving myself a planning week gives me a chance to get myself in gear and have a strategy all mapped out.  That includes updating my cleaning regimen and creating printable lists that can go in my Happy Planner…which, of course, I’m sharing.  J  This is the week that I assess our Holy Day outfits and plan for purchases I need to make to complete them.  This is when I get a tote out and start putting chametz into it as I come across it the next few weeks in the kitchen.  I also assess other supplies that might be needed (new church notebooks, special Passover week foods, etc.)

     I’ve learned to start planning my preparation by working backwards from the week of Passover to layout my cleaning schedule.   I like to leave the week before (or the week of, if starts late in the week) pretty open so that I can do last minute chores and not feel a hectic rush to get it all done!  Since Day 1 of Pesach is on Tuesday, April 11 this year (starting Monday night at sundown) I’m using the week of Apr 2-8 as my “1 Week Before”.  This is when the goal is to RELAX and finish last minute tasks like cleaning out the vehicles, last minute vacuuming (and cleaning out that vacuum!!), sweeping, mopping, and making the matzo!

     Depending on how large my home is I may need to start cleaning 5-6 weeks out (right now I have 2 bedrooms on an upper level that aren’t used, so I can shut the stairway door for the week of Pesach and not worry about it.)  This year, 4 weeks is plenty for me to get everything done and not be stressed about it!   However, since I was making new stickers anyway, I went ahead and added extra weeks of planning for when I might need it.

After printing them out, I put the applicable dates next to that row and Passover dates at the top!

     5 Weeks Before I have set aside for the extra rooms such as children’s bedrooms, guest bedrooms and extra bathrooms.

     4 Weeks Before I start into the part of the house where WE live, but where guests (and children) can be kept out of most of the time for the next couple weeks!  Yes, I know, this isn’t always possible, but  it’s a good time to implement the “nothing but water bottles” rule for the house!  I clean the master bedroom, the master closet (2 in our room!), the office, linen closet, coat closet, and the big open space of the basement—if you have such a space—I do and unfortunately, I can’t close it off for the week!

     3 Weeks Before I move into the workhorse of the house.  I attack the laundry room, main bathroom, family room, back porch (sun porch, etc), and the basement bathroom (if you have one).

     2 Weeks Before I’m still in full swing finishing the workhorse part of the house with the living room, dining room, and the kitchen—which I allotted a couple solid days for (maybe three!)

     To download my THP Passover Planning, click the link below and download it directly from dropbox.   😎  Remember to link back if you share and send me instagram pictures of how you use them!  #myharrydlife 

The Happy Planner Passover Planning Squares

     Keep in mind that my lists are NOT all-inclusive cleaning lists, they are reminders of key things for each room.  Of course, things like cleaning INSIDE the trash can and not just emptying the trash are not included, but these are more of a reminder list than anything since I’ve been doing Passover cleaning my whole life!  I’ve also learned that I come up with extra chores for myself as the weeks go on, so I’ve included extra lines and extra stickers.  I’ll probably be updating this printable next Pesach with my notes from this year!  Just in case someone needs anything extra, I included a yellow row of completely blank lists!

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Pesach!

And So The Cycle Goes....

I recently saw a period tracker sticker that caught my eye.  It was a thermometer with boxes you can check for light, medium, or heavy days.  They were all the same sticker, which is great for some, but I wanted a different version.

Instead of having check boxes, mine are filled in with light pink, dark pink, and red with an appropriate number of stickers on each page for the average cycle--whatever that is--in 30+ years I don't think I've ever been average!  I designed these so they can be printed out on Avery8167 Return Address Labels.  They are 1/2" x 1 3/4" and come 80/sheet.  You can get them in either white or clear.  If you don't have them, you can still print them on plain paper and cut them out.  My page of stickers will give you 26 Light Day Thermometers, 39 Medium Day Thermometers, and 15 Heavy Day Thermometers.

I used them the past couple months in my own planner.  I have been tracking this in a digital app, however, one time of losing everything when I had to change phones was enough to change my mind about how I monitor THAT part of my life!  ...three years of tracking were gone in just a few minutes.  :-(  

Click the link that says Period Tracker Labels and it will take you to my Dropbox Planner Downloads.  If you feel that you need or want individual sheets of each one, just let me know and I'll gladly go ahead and put that together for you, just leave a note below!  :-)

Period Tracker Labels

As always, these are free for your personal use and are not for reselling or commercial distribution.  If you enjoy these and want to share, please link back to me and give me credit for them.

Happy Planner-ish Layout Fun

I love my planner.  I REALLY LOOOVVVVEEEEE my planner.  It’s fun.  It’s pretty. It lets me be creative.  It helps me stay organized.  It looks cute when I say “let me check my schedule for that” and open these adorable pages.  I’ve had the plain schedule planners in the past and they are quite a bore to use…you know the kind…  But….when I decorate THIS I have a desire to look at it daily and stay on top of what I need to do.  I also try to document what I did that day/week, so it’ll be something I can look back on. 

I love NEW planners….but I also love the consistency of same size, easy to add to, etc….which is why I keep going back to my 8.5x11 3-ring binder.  <sigh>  It just does the trick.  However, after attempting to use [my homemade version of] the MAMBI Happy Planner for a few weeks (I considered it too much of a $$ investment I questioned some of the formatting anyway) I realized that what I liked was the size of the squares, the size of the sidebar, the overall layout and the decorating options the layout provided…who doesn’t like alllllll the coordinated planner stickers and washi that are out there….you can decorate to your heart’s content!  What I didn’t like was the oddball size of the planner, there was wayyyyyy more real estate than I needed every day/week, I could not deal with starting my week on Monday instead of Sunday (and there isn’t an option offered by MAMBI or anyone else that I could find with a Su-Sa week instead of Mo-Su week, and finally, to add my own pages I needed to cut EVERY . SINGLE  . PAGE to fit properly and [eventually] purchase a special hole punch.  None of these were things that I was willing to overcome to continue using the planner…  L  Honestly, the Mo-Su order was the clincher for me and sealed its FILE 13 fate.

Alas, I also like to DESIGN things, so why not take the features I LIKE and create a planner that works for me?  DUH!  <facepalm>  I JUST wanted a bare-bones version that did what I wanted it to do and fit in MY binder…and this one does. 

1.       It has the same size boxes as the Happy Planner (good for all those oh-so-wonderful planner sticker sets!)

2.       It has an ENTIRE week on ONE PAGE (so each 2-pg layout is actually 2 weeks instead of one.)

3.       The sidebar is the same dimension as the Happy Planner one, though mine is found under Sunday/Wednesday instead of covering the entire side of the page.  I designed it so that the sidebars are on the outside of the 2 page layout, not in the same place on both the left and right pages.

4.       Instead of “MORNING”, “AFTERNOON”, and “EVENING” I used that space for the day of the week….not all of us need 3 boxes a day to keep track of it all, so there are 10 boxes/week.

5.       3 extra boxes at the bottom…We have bills due every week and birthday/anniversary cards to send weekly, so I use a couple boxes to preplan sending those and I have a spare box to use for any special events coming up, preplanning, etc.  If you need that tiny calendar then you can print some readymade ones out on sticker paper and use the 3^rd box for it!

I have a couple versions…the Roman Calendar Sunday-Saturday one and the Jewish Girl Sunday-Shabbat version.  Click the link to which one you want to download it from dropbox.   I don’t mind if you share it as long as you link back to me for it!  J

Some quick hints for printing & using these pages:

1. It's designed to be printed double sided but can always be used as single pages also.
2. Grampa W. always said KISS-Keep It Simple not Stupid...streamlined undated, no-frills design makes this page useable year after year.  It's created to accomodate the sticker numbers out there or to fill in your own.
3. Planner layouts designed to fit the MAMBI Happy Planner will fit this perfectly so decorate away!

In a few day's I'll try to post a few pictures of my personal planner in action and a few tricks I use to keep it easy and fun(ctional)! 

Blessings and Happy Planning!  :)

Nebraska Cornhusker Planner Stickers

I've been addicted to documenting things in writing lately....my garden, my schedule, my goals, my achievements...you get the drift.  In the process, I've also gotten addicted to the MAMBI Happy Planner layout (though I do not have the original Happy Planner, I have my own version with the same size squares and sections.)  In finding all the awesome pages out there to decorate with, there is NOTHING for us Husker fans...SERIOUSLY!!  So I put one together.  I'll probably make a more detailed one as time goes on, but for now, I can say I have what I need to do some Husker pages if the need strikes!  These will fit the standard Happy Planner and since I only make things like this for my own use, unfortunately I won't be making the ECLP size.  Feel free to use this in your personal planners and scrapbooking, but remember that these images aren't for sale!  :)

The THP Husker Planner Printable can be downloaded from dropbox by clicking the link.

Blessings!

Failure to Plan is Planning to Fail

Last frost date will be here before we know it so Harry and I need to get the seeds germinated and ready for the greenhouse so they can be strong plants when they go into the garden.  Most have germinated and are nearly ready for the greenhouse planting.   This is the first year I'm keeping a detailed journal of everything from day one.

I've altered a standard composition book using Proverbs 31:16.  I also studied all kinds of growth charts and made one that suited what I wanted to track then fit it to my pages.  I left 3 lines of space so I have plenty of seed-specific note room. 

Harry and the Hubby can already taste that fresh sweet corn that we'll be picking in just a few short months and I'm already eager to be back in the kitchen canning away!

Geocaching Today

Here I am with m’lady’s geocaching haul today! Check us out on www.geocaching.com - HuskerGurl

SHOW ME THE WAY!

M’lady stopped in Aberdeen last night at this Super8 and found this relic! She hasn’t seen one in years! 

If you’ve never seen one, the map shows where you are with a green pin and hen you push the button of the place you want to go and it lights a mini light where it’s located on the map. Before the days of smartphones these were quite handy for travelers that wanted a bite to eat and some local sightseeing!

Gardening

Waiting for the peppers and tomatoes to sprout!

GOT A NEW STOVE

M’lady got a new stove yesterday. After the last one shot 220v through her while cooking dinner a couple weeks ago the landlord decided a new one was in order!

Working Out

Christine is pumping the iron so I thought I'd join her! Tougher than it looks! Whew!!

Catchin' Some Zzzz's

It must be sooo rough being only 2. You can't drive mom's car. You have to eat your lunch. Potty training. Falling asleep WHEREVER you want! Did Mention potty training? LOL. :-)

Life Is A Picnic

Monday, March 26, 2012
We've had the littles over a lot lately! SD&T had A picnic outside with Harry & Gizmo. We had a rousing game of freeze tag afterwards. Nothing like freeze tag on a full tummy!! I learned why 40 yr old ladies choose NOT to play freeze tag..... I prefer being a benchwarmer these days! LOL

I HARLEY Know What To Say - I'm Having So Much Fun!!!

Sorry I took a few days off, folks!  Christine and MrAZ took a bit of time this afternoon to take some of the Hog apart and put it back together with a new backrest & luggage rack to make riding a bit more comfy for her!  (It also makes it easier for MrAZ to strap his equipment onto when he goes to work.....that 'cycle is a LOT cheaper on gas @ 40 mpg than the spacious 4-door granny sedan!)  Anyway, after a few glitches (and the kind assistance of their neighbor - and fellow Harley man - Alan) everything went on where it needed to be.  A sweet test drive later and everyone was back in business!  MrAZ told me that the only way I could ride to work with him is if I could wear the helmet....I think it fits pretty good!  Plenty of room for me to move around - don't you think?!  Lookin' good if I do say so myself!
~HH

Ctrl-Alt-Del

It was quite the interesting day!  MrAZ's laptop crashed and refused to re-boot.  Their early diagnosis was the power jack (where the cord plugs into the unit) because it's been loose since shortly after they got it 3 years ago.  So Christine got busy doing some quick research, then on the the lab (kitchen table) for a complete autopsy!  Well, I guess the jack "was" loose, but still secure and everything in it's place.  Lucky laptop got a complete dust cleaning at the same time....boy there was a lot of stuff stuck under those keys!!  She got all the screws back where they belonged and off to the guys at TheWrightPC.com down on Alma School & Warner there in Chandler!  They are the bomb!  They even thought that the power jack was the culprit, so I guess Christine felt pretty good about it!  The REAL culprit, however, was the converter box (the black box in the middle of the power cord.)  $43 later and it works good as new!  While Christine was taking care of business at TheWrightPC.com, MrAZ slipped across the street to surprise her with takeout from their favorite Japanese restaurant!  All in a days work, folks!

~HH

Slip-Slidin'

SD&T came to visit for most of the day, so we've been busy!  We baked Peanutbutter-Oatmeal Cookies this morning.  We watched The Mighty Ducks while they baked!  (We didn't realize that TMD is TWENTY years old!!)  They LOVED it!!  Now Christine is trying to locate the D2 & D3 movies somewhere to buy (or be gifted.)  Later on, Christine took us to the park where we got to play in the fresh air and sun.  The kids buried me in the sand - the pictures weren't very flattering so we won't be sharing THOSE!  I also tried out the slide.  It was nice, but not really made for someone of my stature, so I'll leave that to SD&T!  They had a great time chasing each other up and down that contraption!  I didn't even bother with the monkey gym that's shaped like a big spider!!  After that we had a late lunch and rested/napped before their mom came to pick them up.  Wonder what we'll be doing Wednesday?!  Well, I'm whipped, so I'm signing off...see you tomorrow folks!

~HH

Just Hangin' Out With My Biggest "Fan"

I found the only safe place in the house today.  Christine was scouring both bathrooms and steam cleaning the carpets so Gizmo found the only safe corner and I found this!  Good thing I had all that strength training at the best weight-room available in college football - I don't wanna brag, but the UNL weight room even rivals many Pro-Team training rooms!   Our weight room in Nebraska is widely considered the birthplace of modern-day strength and conditioning!  (ESPN)
WHY was she doing all that, you ask?!  That's an excellent question!  Apparently there was an "issue" (as Christine tells it) in the main sewer line yesterday that made ALL the toilets in their apartment building back up.  Yes, all of them...all SIXTEEN of them!  I'll spare you the nasty details.  Suffice it to say that EVERYTHING needed a good washing and sterilizing and one pair of tennis shoes became a casualty of the war.  Only in Arizona can you steam clean the carpets while it's raining all day and STILL have dry carpets by the time you go to bed!  Everything is now spic and span for the littles that are coming to visit for a few hours tomorrow!
~HH

Mouths-o-Green

We went to see our friends Mike & Melissa tonight....had a little bit of BBQ and BBS.  BBQ chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, & wine coolers!  Of course, there was cake with GREEN frosting for dessert!   Dominic and little sister Taylor were too darn cute with frosting smeared over their faces!  I have a hunch that Dom smeared a bit of extra frosting on when he saw Aunt Christine's camera come out!  :-0  I accidentally left Harry home (poor guy--missed out on some good BBQ) so I had to improvise. Remember when he jacked my new iPhone a couple weeks ago?  Well, I still had him in there!  Take a look!

After the littles were cleaned up and settled in we were able to chat and share a bit of what the Better Body System has done for us.  Welcome to the team M&M!  :-)  We're building Better Bodies everywhere!

www.Your30DayBBS.com

~Christine

Spring Cleaning for Passover

Well folks....Harry's just helpin' get things cleaned for Passover!  For those not familiar with preparing for Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, de-leavening the home involves a THOUROUGH cleaning job with hot soap and water in EVERY nook and cranny of the home....if you have a big home (like my mother did with nine children!) you best start early and have a game plan!  When cleaning, every item that is or has leavening agents is to be put in a sealed container outside the home (garage/storage room/etc) where it can't be seen or opened during the Festival or thrown/given away.  This has been an annual celebration and ritual commanded by G-d since the Israelite's were freed from Pharaoh's slavery and led out of Egypt by Him in 1445 BC.  This, my friends, is where we get the term we use today, Spring Cleaning.  

Want to know more?  Okay!  We are commanded to clean leaven out for a couple reasons.  First is because when Israel was told to flee Egypt, they didn't have time to let their bread rise before baking....they had to bake it as it was, and it was flat, cracker-like, but edible.  We remember their hasty flight to freedom with this flat bread (matzoh) that we eat during that week.  Secondly is the symbolism that leavening has in our lives.  It only takes a tiny bit of yeast to leaven a whole loaf of bread-it spreads and spreads and takes over the entire mass of dough.  Sin has the same relationship in our lives--it only takes allowing a tiny bit of sin in before it takes over your life and you take G-d out of the equation.  :-(  Going through the home and removing EVERY crumb symbolizes what we are to be doing within our bodies, going through our soul, our mind, and our heart and tearing out every bit of sin we can find and asking forgiveness for it.  Spring Cleaning - A fresh start for your home and your heart!  <3  Betcha didn't think you were getting a Bible lesson today, huh?!
~Christine

Going Postal

Headin' to the Post Office to mail some Yoli Better Body System Samples to a good friend of Christine's back in my home-state!    I can't believe that she was so lazy that she didn't want to drive this to Nebraska, so I have to take it!   I know they both begin with "C", but I'm a COWBOY, not a CARRIER PIGEON!!
~HH

PS - If you are interested in finding out more about how we've lost over 30 pounds in one month with NO exercise and a crazy schedule, it's the Better Body System by Yoli and you can see more at www.Your30DayBBS.com   ~Christine

Who's Walking Who?

Well, I took the dog for a walk this afternoon....well, one of us got taken for a walk, but I'm not saying who!  I'm just wondering who had the wonderful idea for ME to walk Gizmo?  I think paybacks might be in order...

~HH