Nah…it’s not. But I’m telling you, that’s what it feels like on social media and the news. I am so sick and tired of everyone freaking out and major panicking. I’ve started on MeWe to use the hashtag #AntiVirus on my daily updates. These bring some levity to the entire situation, and just give a glimpse into my life. I’ve asked my contacts on the platform to start using the #AntiVirus hashtag as well, so we shall see if it works.

For us, it’s been a busy two days. As you know, yesterday I built Little Man a new playhouse out of an old printer box. After naptime, we sat down with my parents, turned the tv to EWTN, and said the rosary for the COVID-19 pandemic. It was truly beautiful to know that we were saying this prayer with people across the world, all at the same time.

Little Man is having fun discovering all the random “hidey holes” here at Nanny & Papa’s house. He will sit under the kitchen table and pull the tablecloth down on one side so that he is “hidden” under it. We’ve had the KitchenAid out of the cabinet all week, so he likes to put his water cup in there and climb in, shutting the door. In our room, there is a little side table that has a tablecloth on it, so first thing this morning, he crawled under it and was just sitting there, hanging out while I made the bed and got dressed.

My big project for today was to take inventory and rearrange the pantry closet. I have done this closet SOOOOO many times over the years, same with the Tupperware cabinet. The Tupperware has actually stayed organized the past few years (#WINNING), but the pantry, man, these folks just throw stuff on shelves, not caring if it makes sense. There is no knowledge of what is in there, and it is just a big old mess. Well, I pulled out the baby gate, blocked the doorway to the mud room, grabbed a notepad and pen, and set to work. After an hour and a half, I had it looking spick and span, and everything was grouped together.

I do wish there were more canned items; my parents prefer frozen veg. There are a lot of soup mixes, but 7 of them are potato (really, potato? C’mon, guys, let’s get more options!). We will not go hungry, especially not with all of the baking mixes and ingredients we have (I can make soooo many chocolate chip cookies with the chips my mother has bought.

We have been busy in the kitchen; I’ve made homemade turtles, rolled out sugar cookies and cut them into shamrocks then decorated them with green frosting and sprinkles, and today my mother made several loaves of Irish Soda Bread (my recipe is so much better; check out my recipes here). Dad made his corned beef yesterday, and is slicing it today then cooking the parsnips, turnips, and carrots; tomorrow will be the potatoes and cabbage.

I am having some remorse when it comes to my packing for this now extended indefinitely trip. I am the queen of packing light, but I could have added a few more things to my bag.
Number 1: I wish I had my sweat pants; I’ve my yoga pants, which are great, but the sweats would be just so darn comfy since we’re staying home!
Number 2: I wish I brought at least one more t-shirt and a sweatshirt; this goes with the sweat pants, I want to be a bit more comfy.
Number 3: I didn’t grab all the underwear I had planned on. I fold my undies; I know, it may seem crazy, but I fold them in stacks of 5. I meant to grab two stacks, and I only grabbed one. I thought I had another stack in my go-bag, but forgot that I had switch to just 2 pairs in there instead. Oops. So, I’ve done three loads of laundry in the two weeks we’ve been down here.

As far as preparedness, I keep fluctuating between being ok and being panicked. I know Squatch is A-OK up Nort, because I left him with plenty of medical supplies, emergency food, and the firearms and blades. I, however, do not have any firearms or blades, apart from a cheap-o knife Squatch gave me that we don’t mind leaving behind here if I were to fly home. Since we’re not flying back, it doesn’t matter, and I’m wishing I brought something else with me. Doing the pantry inventory and organization today gave me a sense of calm, because I now know what we have (so much peanut butter; you can never have too much peanut butter. Also, surprisingly, lots of pistachio pudding and lime jell-o; who knows why).

Anyway, keep an eye out for more regular posts on here. It is a great way to just empty my mind of what I’ve got going on, and it makes me feel better. Expect me to be real with what is going on, and how I’m feeling. Yes, I’m proud of how I’m always prepared, yet I’m definitely not feeling that proud right now, because I’m not in as prepared a space as I would like. So, what am I going to do? I’m going to make the most of it. That’s all I can do right now. Tune in for more tales from the end of the world!!!