Some people have asked me how I organize my Passover preparations and seder meal.  For cleaning, I begin with the bedrooms and bathrooms and work my way toward the kitchen.  My children are old enough that they can clean their own rooms.  This entails taking everything out of drawers and cleaning the drawers thoroughly, washing windows, changing sheets and sweeping well.  I keep the kitchen for last.  I throw out all food items with leaven in them.  But, for the 2 weeks or so leading up to Pesach, I try to use up all my spaghetti, cereals, etc., so as to minimize what needs to be thrown away.  I remove everything from the refrigerator and clean the entire inside with soap and water.  I then replace the shelves and line them with aluminum foil.  I similarly clean my stove, microwave and stovetop.  After everything is clean, we replace dish scrubbers with clean ones.  I then close up the cabinets and cover them with paper and use my Pesach dishes and pots and pans for the holiday.

Seder night preparation.  First I determine how many people we will be having for the seder.  Last year we had our family plus 7 guests.  This year it looks like we will be having our family plus 8.  I then decide upon a menu.  On the left side of a full sheet of paper I write the menu.  On the right hand side I list all of the ingredients I will need to purchase to prepare the menu.  I have kept the sheets of paper for several years now and at the end of each year I write notes to help me better prepare for the next year.  For example, I have found that the grocery stores sell out of cakes, cookies and chips in the middle of the chag (holiday).  Therefore, I purchase extra so as not to run out.

Also, don’t forget to buy the items for the seder plate!