Dare I say it? I don't think I like Chol Hamoed very much!

odchai

Sun, Sep 26 2010, 6:57 pm

And I do feel somewhat guilty saying this, but I hate the chaos and the sight and knowledge of the laundry piling up and the general feeling of disarray in the house. I feel I'm the only one that is picking up after everyone and of course there's the cooking that never ends. And did I mention the laundry??? I am a type of person who likes to keep on top of laundry and I find it very difficult to ignore it. The rest of the family is in vacation mode while I am looking forward to having the house back for myself again next week! Yom Tov is really, really hard on the ladies of the house. Granted I don't have to spend hours davening in shul but I don't feel I have much time to breathe.
Maybe I just need to go to sleep, had a long day running around with the kids...

Isramom8

Sun, Sep 26 2010, 7:10 pm

Good description! Smile

I don't think of it as not liking; just getting used to the way it is.
I separate whites from colors and store in garbage bags - you might consider that if you feel/understand that it's ok on Chol Hamoed. And I was told that for kids under 5 you can do their regular laundry with no differences.
Use disposable dishes.

PinkFridge

Sun, Sep 26 2010, 7:30 pm

Isramom8 wrote:

Good description! Smile

Absolutely!
My kids are too old for me to do their laundry but I am definitely pitching laundry into piles at least once a day. Seeing the discrete piles is very calming.

In chu"l the three day marathons are draining, but E"Y has its own challenges. I know how exhausting a chol hamoed with Shabbos in the middle is; on Pesach when it falls that way there's one "long day", then comes erev Shabbos, Shabbos, and erev yom tov again. I can see how having that extra erev, erev Shabbos, is draining in its own way.

Of course, we know how great a bracha Shabbos and yom tov are, but we can't deny the marathon aspect of these yomim tovim. I second Isramom: do what it takes to simplify your life to bring some simchas yom tov into it. Think for a few minutes what would do it for you: buying some packaged food, disposables, something new (can be little) for yourself or house, carving out time to take a walk...I don't know what floats your boat but I hope you can tap into it.

chocolate moose

Sun, Sep 26 2010, 10:14 pm

I don't see what the big deal is. Before yomtov, I plan the meals, freeze the food that freezes best, and store our laundry in big hampers.

It's healthy to go beyond your comfort level once in a while.

Why is your house in disarray, because your kids are home? have them help on their level !

PinkFridge

Sun, Sep 26 2010, 10:44 pm

chocolate moose wrote:

Not sure if this is exactly where OP's coming from, but for some of us, especially those who are home a good part of the day, we had a few weeks after summer ended to catch our breath and have not so much "me time" as much as "catching up on lots of stuff time." Having the kids home with all the attendant excitement, mess, etc. can result in some sort of sensory overload. (Not too bad here, so I'm not totally projecting my life onto someone else but it has been like that other years.)

I just want to add that there's also the post yom tov let-down. For people facing all sorts of stresses we had an extended Shabbos where we simply couldn't do anything, and now it's back to real life with all its pressures.

SingALong

Tue, Sep 28 2010, 12:28 am

I try to keep our outings simpler, not that far and take up less time. a bigger breakfast means less lunch to pack, etc. (my kids are still little enough that even small trips are exciting)

today we didn't do any trip yesterday we went to the circus/rides so we just chilled out at home today, went to Target and grocery. I got stuff done so I'm more in order for going out tomorow.

tomorow before we leave I'm doing supper in a crockpot so its ready when I get home exhausted from a trip. on the spot sides like salads or veggies in teh oven for 10 minutes work great.

I did cook a ton extra on rosh hashana so that I already have 1/2 what I need for second days in the freezer, hence, less to cook the next 2 days

as for laundry, I am nagging my kids constantly about putting their laundry away. I always have a few laundry baskets so my kids separate their whites/colors into certain baskets. I actually put a pop up hamper in their room and for some reason they have an easier time with that then putting away their laundry directly into the laundry room