Before you put Pesach or any Yom Tov away, take note.
A few months ago, I shared my Family Health Log here on Between Carpools— the simple note I keep on my phone tracking medical episodes, treatments, and patterns. So many women told me it brought them unexpected calm. Instead of trying to remember everything, they were able to rely on experience they had already lived through and recorded.
Recently, I realized I had quietly started keeping another kind of log.
I thought I’d share it and see what you think.
A Yom Tov log.
Every chag has its own rhythm. There’s anticipation, preparation, family energy, moments that feel especially beautiful, and moments that feel a little more complicated than expected. Then Yom Tov ends, the house slowly settles back into routine, and somehow the details begin slipping away.
So sometime after Yom Tov, I open a note on my phone. Nothing formal. Just a title:
Rosh Hashana 2024
Purim 2025
Sukkos 2025
Pesach 2026
I jot down wins and small adjustments for next time.
Menus that worked.
Quantities that felt right.
Ideas that made the day calmer.
Tiny details that somehow matter enormously a year later.
Things like:
• what time to leave for Chol Hamoed trips based on the teens’ davening schedule
• which route helped us avoid Purim traffic
• how early Sukkah decorating helped everyone feel relaxed
• which foods disappeared first
• when birkas kohanim took place in shul
• which meal flowed best at extended family homes
Nothing dramatic. Just real life.
Then I add one more small step.
I place a reminder in my calendar about a month before the next chag:
“Open Purim Note.”
When it pops up the following year, I’m no longer starting from zero. I’m meeting a version of myself who already lived through it and quietly left helpful guidance behind.
There’s something deeply comforting about realizing our homes grow wiser over time. Traditions settle. Systems soften. Each year carries a little less guessing and a little more familiarity. It feels like continuing a family story already in progress.
Over time, these notes become more than logistics. They hold memories. Little snapshots of what mattered to our families in that season of life.
The note quietly grows along with the family.
Somewhere between the menus and traffic tips, you realize you’re not only preparing better Yomim Tovim — you’re preserving the story of your home.
What’s one thing your family learned from this past Yom Tov that you’d want to remember next year?
Also available is Between Carpools’s Free Download! You’ll Be Thrilled You Filled Out These Pesach Notes.
Is there any way for Between Carpools to only publish articles that are not AI rendered? It feels as though lately I am reading ChatGPT and Claude instead of real authors.
Please dont take this the wrong way but im just wondering why you think its chatgpt?
Also what is claude? I never heard of it….
Omg I was cringing. Great tips, but it read like a liberal Gen Zs diary entry lol
Best thing would be if Moshiach comes and all our notes we take about Yom Tov are irrelevant 🙂
I only take notes after pesach… I love the idea of writing notes agter each YT. Thank you so much for this practical tip!!
I was thinking the same as P.I. This article screams AI and it’s disappointing.
I was thinking the same thing lol
Same here!
I have Pesach notes taped inside the door of the cabinet where I keep most of my Pesach stuff. I love the idea to do this for all Yomim Tovim!
Glad you enjoyed learning , thanks for sharing.
It may be touched up by AI but the concept is brilliant
I will write down now that I need benchers for next year we never have and I always forget
I’m confused why people think they have the right to criticize how articles are written on a free site!
Same here! Beautifully written who cares if the author had help and then went over it or labored hours to get it right. Thanks Fraidy I love your tips!!!
I appreciate the feedback thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
Different folks for different strokes I enjoy sharing my tips and tricks and I’m glad we have this platform.
Thank you! It’s appreciated!
It’s cute that you think this site is “free.”
Do you pay for a subscription?
Because we see ads it’s not free?
Because they get paid if we buy from their links, it’s not free?
Neither of those things cost me any money. They may be making money, but for the reader, yes, it’s 100% free.
Great tips! Re the AI- removing all uses of the word “quietly” would help a lot. It’s an instant AI alert.
So these days we just assume no is thin without shots? And no one writes well without AI?
How’s that a way to live!?
Enjoy the content and proceed on your merry way
They’re great articles and they’re helpful…
I actually thought this was so beautifully and softly written! Thank you Fraidy for sharing this with us, I love your gentle big sister wisdom!
I actually use something I learned from bcp- an article written by Victoria- to do this! https://betweencarpools.com/menu-template-download-organize-your-yom-tov/
I use this template for every yom tov and also include all my produce, butcher, grocery lists on it as well
I have a separate tab for chol hamoed and now I’ll put a separate tab for notes! This way everything can be in one place!
This prob works better for someone who uses a computer though, versus a phone
For the less techy ones:
I type my notes into an email, and then shcdule a send for the time I want to receive it (erev yomtov of that chag next year)
and for even less techy:
get a notebook for each chag, or an accordian folder with a section for each chag.
Super simple and doable .
Thanks for taking the time to share
I use Google docs for every Yom Tov….have been using this simple tool for years . All of my menus plus inventories of all the food that I cooked, Purim poems and themes as well
Having it on Google allows other people in the family easy access.
I started taking very detailed notes after Pesach ..what ingredients I bought too much or too little of…what ingredients I am keeping for next year. Most especially what recipes (as Pesach recipes can be such experiments!) people (especially the in law kids;)) loved and what flopped, or what was too little or too much. I have menus going back years..before Google they were handwritten….and on those menus I also list what guests we are having for each meal. THAT is always a fun thing to look back on and see who we used to host and how everyone’s loves have changed .
This is brilliant
Thanks for sharing
Yes! This is so helpful. I’ve been documenting a lot like this as well. I can’t imagine trying to function without my past notes! I love all your special categories. I’m going to add those in now too! Thank you. I also found it very helpful this year to simply talk my notes into the iPhone Notes app. Simple, quick and easy. I didn’t have to stop cooking to record the tidbits. It came in surprisingly helpful as a simple catch all. Love this article!
I’m a big fan of post Tom tov notes! I keep them in my phone. It starts with what I need to buy for next year and includes everything from where I put items that aren’t in my pesach closet to favorite recipes and ingredients used. I keep a record of our seating plan as reference and it’s so special to see who our guests were. We hosted my grandparents for a bunch of years and it’s so poignant to see the seating plan that included bH so many generations at my Seder table!
What a Zchus – hosting your grandparents !!
I love this idea- already use it for Pesach, handwritten. But no reminder needed to look it up- as we all are aware when Pesach is coming.
And even with the great idea, yes, the AI part of this does bother me as well. The lines below (as well as others) just don’t sound a like a frum person wrote them.
“… our homes grow wiser over time. Traditions settle. Systems soften….. It feels like continuing a family story already in progress.”
Great idea! I’ve been doing it for pesach food but never thought about writing notes for chol hamoed outings /times… love it!
Thanks for the inspiration!
Glad to help 🙂
Thank you very helpful tip!
Such practical good ideas! Going to write my Pesach one right now.
I’m also enjoying the added benefit of getting to “reconnect” with a cousin through her great ideas.
Wishing us all a Pesach next year hosted at the Beis Hamikdash with no need for our plans!
(Also, who cares if ai was used to write this post or not. Welcome to the times! Take what you like, leave what you don’t. )
Thanks for your warm comments