One of the cool benefits of living way north of the GW Bridge and the Big Apple is that we are in real apple country. On a whim, we can take the kids to a local orchard not ten minutes from our house, and become one with nature. It feels just like the olden days – only back then, the farmers would pay hired hands to pick the apples, while we actually pay the farmers to please, please let us harvest their fruit.

I love hosting backyard barbecues on sunny, cloudless days. Hubby at the grill. Me sitting poolside, sipping a pina colada as the kids splash around. After the party’s over, I’ll lounge a while with a novel.

I try to make it a point to work things into my life – including insane schedules, impossible goals and conflicting priorities – in the most upbeat way I can. OK, so it doesn’t always work. What surprises me is how shocked people are when I tell them I just can’t handle everything.

I sometimes — ok, often — envy my friends who cook daring, exotic dishes and throw crazy things like fruit into veggie salads. Innovative stuff like that doesn’t go over so well in my house. I can prepare it, but Hubby will stare down at the unfamiliar thing on his plate with suspicious distaste. He’s a creature of habit, even more so a creature of tradition. Not only does he want to eat the same things, he wants it prepared in the most traditional way. To him, it’s not really Shabbos without classic gefilte fish and chicken soup. And even when its 99 degrees outside, steaming hot cholent and potato kugel better be on the menu.

This is the final cleaning phase and your vacuum cleaner is going to be running all week long! Go over all the bedrooms, living spaces, offices, the dining room, kitchen – every possible area that needs to be vacuumed.

Order your meat now before the prices go up. That’s right, now is the time to get the best deals on Passover meat purchases. And the best part is that you don’t have to take delivery until closer to Passover.