On Motzaei Shabbos prior to C-Day, I made a Master List that rivaled all the lists I’ve ever made

I’ve always been in awe of the Chatzos Group women. The idea of being ready for Shabbos early resonates with my organized inner self. You see, my frazzled outer self is just a reflection of the circumstances around me. I hope.

When my oldest was four, I tried being ready for Shabbos by chatzos, but quickly discovered the wonderful diversion tactics of a four-year-old, two-year-old, and newborn. My children set up complicated obstacle courses that required me to hold them, feed them, pop pacifiers, rewind mobiles, and empty toilet-training potties, all while trying to cook and clean.

The results weren’t bad: I was ready to light candles on time with no last-minute rushing and the accompanying heart palpitations —seven hours after chatzos, but proudly ready for the Shabbos Queen.

I reframed my goals to more attainable ones (read: staying sane and losing a pound) and put away the chatzos dream for a different lifetime.

However, my oldest daughter’s recent bas mitzvah led me to wonder if I dare try to awaken that dream once again.

I chose a Friday when the zeman was late, figuring that a long Friday of bliss and relaxation would be the ultimate incentive. I marked the day in red on my calendar, and told my oldest group of helpers about my plan. The enthusiasm was visible on their faces. Not.

I attributed their groans to the yetzer hara’s bag of tricks to stop me from achieving my goal. I wouldn’t be sidetracked.

On Motzaei Shabbos prior to C-Day, I made a Master List that rivaled all the lists I’ve ever made. What to cook and freeze and shop and prepare and clean and organize, so that come Friday at 1:00 p.m., I could sit and play board games with my children. I would serve them wholesome veggie sticks and listen to their stories and visions. Okay, the veggie sticks were a bit wishful, but why not aim for the stars?