The holiday of Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) is rapidly approaching. There are four weeks between the holiday of Purim and that of Passover, and every year it seems shorter than it actually is. Passover actually starts long before it appears on the calendar with Biblically mandated Spring cleaning. Theoretically, we are cleaning our homes of all leavened things (bread, crackers, cheerios left in the cracks of the sofas) but most people seem to take it a bit further, ensuring that the entire house is thoroughly cleaned before the holiday.

We have a small house and growing family. Actually, I just blame them. The real issue is that I'm a packrat and have trouble getting rid of things. But pre-Passover cleaning always provides a great opportunity to work on my inability to get rid of things - and I'm getting better every year. Really.

I think it's harder having kids because we seem to have so much more stuff. So, as Passover cleaning is upon us, I find myself going through their stuff as well. This year I have resolved the following:

- There is a finite number of stuffed animals that any kid really needs.

- I cannot keep every scrap of paper that my child writes on.

- It is possible to enforce a "no eating" in certain areas of the house - heck, I never questioned it when I was a kid. This is an area I have been so lax with and it would make cleaning for Passover much easier.

For now, I'm wishing all of you a happy cleaning for the next two weeks or so and hope that it's starting to look like spring in your neck of the woods.