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Am I the only one semi- freaking over Covid-19?

I know that the first thing we are told about this current coronavirus is not to panic. And I’m not… exactly. I am trying to prepare though. Just in case. I might have mentioned before that I have acquired a small case of germaphobia, while living in the Orlando, FL area. Being someone who grew up with tons of breathing room, pretty much a a free range kid, all of the people crammed together in tight, tight spaces eventually got to me. We have moved to rural Pennsylvania though now, so I have been slowly getting back to good. Until now. I am not in a full case on of freak out mode, but I am feeling perpetually uneasy, and probably will until I feel completely prepared to deal with this. I have been avoiding the news, for the most part, and trying to implement common sense solutions. While we were living in the city, we lived by all of the homesteading principles that we possibly could. We made our own lye soap. (Still do.)

We grew citrus and herbs on the patio, along with greens and tomatoes. (Here we can do that in the summer, of course.) We grew sprouts and micro-greens. (We are working on it, here.) We lived on the fully raw diet for years. (We still do raw food detoxes a few times a year for the health benefits.) We shopped at Whole Foods (I so miss you) and lived as green as possible for our circumstances. We home-schooled our kids. (Still do.) So, basically we lived by all the trendy homesteading principles, at the time. Now we live out…way out. The nearest Whole Foods is a 2.5 hr drive, We haven’t really met anyone like us here yet, and we are realizing how much easier it is to grow things in Florida, as compared to here. We really miss our life there…but we are making the best of it here. When we decided to move here, we were very clear on thinking that we wanted to homestead. We had pictures in our heads of wholesome family life, working in the sun, lush harvests, trendy farmers markets.

In Florida these things are fun. There’s tons of farmer’s markets, loads of interesting people with interesting ideas. You are always learning something new; every kind of exotic fruit and vegetable is available at the markets, and you can grow anything at home on your patio, or in your backyard.

The sun is always shining, so you don’t ever feel depressed, and your motivation is always at maximum because you are really happy. Here? Well…let’s just say it’s different. There you pay others to do all the work for you, to the point that you are bored to death if you are not at the beach or theme parks. Here it seems like the work never ends. And we have barely begun.

We had pretty big plans when we moved here, (we usually do) but we had a house to fix, land to prepare, business ideas we wanted to grow, kids to finish raising plus educating, and Hubs works two hours away, 50+ hrs a week…we’ve been fairly busy. Needless to say we haven’t achieved optimal food storage for six people, or gotten our gardens fully planned, even, let alone flourishing, and now there’s a possible crisis afoot, and I am so. not. ready. What to do? I’m sure I’m not alone in this place, so I’ll tell you how I’ve spent this weekend preparing, and maybe give you some ideas to help you get your kitchen stocked up a bit, as well.

Here’s what I’ve bought so far:

Dry Goods:

Rice
Dry Beans: Pinto, Black Beans, Chick Peas, Black Eyed Peas Great Northern Beans
Boxes of Pasta: Thin Spaghetti, Rotini, Fettucine, Macaroni
Rice Noodles
Flour (loads)
Yeast
Oats
Cake Mixes
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Corn Starch
Corn Meal

Canned Goods:

Canned Pasta Sauce (like Hunts)
Evaporated Milk
Canned Pumpkin
Canned Fruit Pineapple, Peaches, Applesauce
Canned Pie Filling
Canned Corn, Peas, Beans
Canned Tomatoes

Frozens:

Bulk Frozen Strawberries
Frozen Mango
Frozen Broccoli
Frozen Corn
Frozen Peas
Frozen Brussel Sprouts
Chicken Breast
Turkey Bacon
Breakfast Sausage
Pork Loin
Imitation Crabmeat

Dairy:

Milk (one for fridge, the rest for the chest freezer)
Bulk Shredded Mozzarella, and Shredded Cheddar
Bulk Cream Cheese
Ice Cream
Cool Whip
Butter
Sour Cream (can be frozen, but will change the texture)
Eggs (not dairy, but we did stock up, for use, until the warmer weather when the chickens start laying more)

Medications:

Cold & Flu Remedies (for adults and kiddos)
Immune Support Tablets
Vicks Vapor Rub
Motrin
Tylenol
Cough Drops
Fire Cider

Spices & Herbs & Other cooking Essentials:

Bulk Oils
Vinegars
Garlic
Onions
Shallots
Leeks
Ginger
Turmeric
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Rosemary
Cumin
Chili Powder
Cinnamon

Drinks:

Coffee
Green Tea
Black Tea
Ginger Tea
Water
Coconut Milk
Gatorade
Milk

There’s so much more to be done, and as long as we have time, we will continue to add to our stockpile, but if a pandemic does strike, we have food enough for a couple of months at least, albeit, we might be living on rice and beans. Luckily, I have a fair amount of recipes for those as well.

So tell me, are you planning on preparing for a possible crisis with this coronavirus, if so, what are you stockpiling? Let me know in the comments. We can also be found on social media. FB@ canigetaramen.food.blog, and insta & pinterest@canigetaramen.

Road Trip Smoothies

The weather here has been unseasonably warm the past couple of weeks, which has put me in the mood to take inventory of our camping gear. Yes, I know it’s going to snow this weekend.

The weather here has been unseasonably warm the past couple of weeks, which has put me in the mood to take inventory of our camping gear. Yes, I know it’s going to snow this weekend. Buckets of snow. I’m staying positive though, and looking forward to spring, plus, I’m willing to drive a few hours south, to get some camping in; hopefully soon. Our philosophy when it comes to camping leans toward keep it simple, but there are some things you can’t live without. We usually take a couple larger tents, air mattresses for all, sleeping bags, cast iron cookware, and a coffee pot. Now that we are stable homeowners we seem to be acquiring more and more gear, but I prefer to travel light when possible. The one thing that I hate about camping is feeling like everything I eat, while camping, is convenience food. The kids tend to eat things like pop-tarts and cereal bars for breakfast, and then we grab meals on the fly the rest of the day, unless we are hiking, then we bring light, healthier meals with us. As you know, how you start your day affects your productivity for the entire day, so I try to start mine with green smoothies, every day possible. Unless of course, I’m camping. I try to eat fruit for breakfast, or something healthy, but it’s just not the same. Having just recently rediscovered my love of camping, I am not well versed in the latest gadgets available to make life easier when camping. I have spent a lot of time as of late researching all the cool things I have missed. There are much cooler camping gadgets than these personal smoothie blenders, I’m sure, but I can’t think of anything more useful to me, personally. A blender that I can take camping, or hiking, is about the greatest invention, for me, that has ever existed. You know I’m going to buy this. Which one though? They have differing features like cup size, number of cups, types of batteries, display screens and bases available, have varying levels of portability, a few you can run while charging, most can’t, and they come in every color you can think of. Choices, choices. Here’s my top picks:

This fun little blender also comes with an ice tray and funnel!

This little gem is great for tossing in your gym bag.

The next road block, then, is how to keep your fruit frozen, on the road. There are of course various coolers that can easily maintain a core temperature of 40 degrees, but that’s not going to keep it frozen for very long.

If you’re looking for a simple cooler, no brand is better than a YETI.

This one is a basic model, but is actually electric; it’ll cool down to 40 degrees and can keep things at a toasty 130 degrees as well, if that’s your thing.

Pricier than most, but this one is the ideal cooler for all situations.

This should cover everything you need to take your smoothie game on the road. I can’t wait to try this out on my next excursion, not sure I’ll be splurging on the Dometic cooler yet though. If you decide to, though, let me know if you love it. Likewise, if you have any tips for keeping camp food super healthy, please share them in the comments, or on insta@canigetaramen. Find us on FB or Pinterest @ canigetaramen.food.blog. Thanks for reading!

Game Room Makeover

This month we will be revamping the upstairs bunk room/flex space. The boys have run of the majority of the area, which they use for gaming, making videos, jam sessions, and generally acting like teenage boys. Hubs and I hang out with them a fair bit, as well, so we need it to serve multiple purposes, as I also have a small sewing space, and #2 has his puppet making counter up there also. It’s a wide open space with very little structure built in, so we need to add some storage, seating, and just fun decor too, so it feels like an enjoyable place to be.

I have been scouring Pinterest specifically, and the internet in general, to find appropriate furnishings to complete the project, on a reasonable budget, that will stand up to a lot of abuse, and be flexible, too. I feel like so much gaming decor has been completely played out, so if we go that route, it needs to be highly curated, so as not to come across cheesy. First let’s start with the floors. Right now, the floors are wood and although we do have a throw rug, it really needs replaced. Here’s what I’ve found, so far.

For all their games and music, this rotating cube should do the trick.

These are perfect for our game room rug, and furniture for our white and gray room. Now we need some accents. The boys are here for these Kontrol Freek Lights. They’ve been looking at them for a while.

We plan to hangs these lights all around the gaming area.

Because the boys all play instruments, they spend a lot of time hanging out practicing together. We have a shortage of available seating right now, so I am looking for a few musician’s stools and a couple of new mics.

I’m going to need three of these stools.

Perhaps it’s not the best idea to get them mics…

We have a plethora of geekcentric pictures to hang, plus various comic book/gaming/pop culture merchandise to set about, so with a few floating shelves and some great lighting, our little game room should be perfect for us.

Classic character on a super classic sign design!

For those about to rock, we give this to you!

With the turn of the year comes a turn in style, and we believe this is our signature game room style. Do you have any rooms in your house you plan to remodel this year? Did any of these products, perchance, spark you own interest in a room re-do? Show us any pictures you take on Instagram at #canigetaramen! Find us on FB and Pinterest @canigetaramen.food.blog! Thanks for reading!

Are You Feeling Buried in Christmas Clutter?

Last night I ended up taking my tree down. On December 25th.

Last night I ended up taking my tree down. On December 25th. This was not done out of an abundance of impatience to be done with the holiday. I had intended to leave it up until this weekend. We had a minor accident, with the mirror that hung over the mantle. It came crashing down, after a fair bit of stomping upstairs, and shattered, all around the Christmas tree. I ended up, in an abundance of caution, taking the tree down, shaking all of the glass out of it, and storing it away for next year. Not an ideal end to Christmas Day. My Christmas was already feeling a little depressing, because with the boys being mostly grown now, Christmas shopping was all about gift cards, big ticket items like guitars and amplifiers, and mixers. The number of presents felt a little light, our tree opening ceremony was short lived, and it lacked the energy of Christmas morning with little ones, with loads of presents, to watch them excitedly unwrap. Our youngest was very animated, therefore fun to watch, and the older boys were happy with their gifts, but this year I struggled, more than usual, with the fact that they are all growing up. I have spent every possible minute with them but it still feels like it’s happened too fast. Such is the struggle of the parent of teens. As there is almost always a bright side, I woke up today with the biggest post-Christmas chore already accomplished, and a yen to get back to a very tidy feeling home again.

Photo by Pixabay.
This is how I want my home to feel. Maybe someday.

We have embraced minimalism for many years now, but have been finding it a struggle, since moving north again, to maintain it, especially in the wintertime. You just need so much stuff! I find myself purging our belongings monthly, but it feels as though we are buried under a mountain of junk. Everybody has at least four jackets. In Florida we had one. Everybody has at least eight pair of shoes. In Florida we had four or five. You just need more. We had a bigger place in Florida. As you can imagine, six people in a smaller space, with twice as much stuff, is a recipe for disaster. Literally. Now, my sons are not slobs. They put a ton of effort into keeping things orderly. They have had a consistent chore routine since they were small. Keeping a clean house was completely effortless in Florida. Here it feels overwhelming at times. Since most of our Christmas mess was handled last night, due to the small number of gifts we had purchased for the boys, we decided to spend today purging and deep cleaning the house to prepare for the coming new year.

After Christmas there seems to be a few things in particular that holds people back from tackling the Christmas clutter:

An abundance of new toys, games, clothes etc, with no set place to store them.
Leftover food.
Christmas ornaments
Tree
Lights
Miscellaneous Christmas decor: rugs, linens, pillows, candles, pictures, knick-knacks etc.

Hopefully, before Christmas, you purged the toy room, to make some extra space for the new toys and games coming in. If not, now is a great time to do so. If you use the one in/one out rule you will have the toy mess handled promptly. The same rule can be applied to new clothing. For every new article of clothing purchased, you can remove an old one and hang it’s replacement in that space.

With a family of six, with four tween/teen boys, we don’t often have leftovers for long. We make lasagna for Christmas dinner, so it’s not hard to convince them to clean up the leftovers for the next couple of days. If we did do the traditional ham dinner I would have tons of leftover ham. They would happily eat it on Christmas day, but that’s it. If you do have leftover ham, my suggestion would be to freeze it until New Year’s Day, and use it in your Hoppin’ John. Toss some black eyed peas, onions and collards in a crockpot with the leftover ham, and let it cook all day. Invite friends over for a New Year’s feast. Freeze your leftover cookies, candy, or fudge, to pull out on New Year’s also. Set up a dessert table, add champagne, for guests to enjoy. By the end of the meal, you should be pretty much, leftover free.

When it comes to taking down the tree there are tons of little tricks to keep it orderly and keep your special ornaments safely tucked away until next year. You can, of course, buy special boxes with individual slots for each ornament, but they can get pretty pricey. An easy method that my sister taught me is to wrap similar ornaments in color coded tissue paper, and nestle them neatly into sturdy shoe boxes, put on shelves. This way you know which set is which, and if you change up your tree’s theme each year, you can easily find the sets that you are looking for.

The simplest way to store your tree’s lights, is to wind them up neatly and store in a gallon ziplock bag. We set ours right into the tote with the tree, on top, so they are easily found and tested, the next year.

A part of Christmas cleanup that I find particularly frustrating is going around the house, searching for all of the miscellaneous Christmas items that we throw around to bring cheer to every corner of the house. Throw pillows, Christmas rugs, tablecloths, napkins, the Christmas candles, and little soaps etc. We even switch out our art to Christmas pictures. We set around wooden nutcrackers, and nativity sets. With all of the little things we set out and around, we are bound to forget one or two. Or ten. That means ten different trips back to the Christmas storage to return everything to its proper place. I’m pretty patient about it, until a week after Christmas, when I think I’ve gotten it all, then find one lone bauble hanging out in my kid’s room, under the bed.

Where the heck did that come from? Trip number eleven. Finally, done! I hope.

The most difficult part, for some, is finding the motivation to take on the overwhelming task of Christmas cleanup. When I am feeling buried under the mess, I scour pinterest for minimalist homes, decluttering posts, tiny home hacks, and anything that inspires me to get up off my butt and clean. I start in one corner of my house and begin purging what needs purged. I divide my home into six zones. Three downstairs, and three upstairs. Starting in zone one, I put everything back in it’s proper place, and purge/donate what needs to be gotten rid of. Then, I tidy, fluff, arrange until everything looks exactly right. Next, I sweep and mop, swipe and dust until everything is gleaming. This includes, floors, ceilings, lights, walls, pictures, baseboards, everything. When zone one is finished, I move onto zone two, repeating the same process until zone two is finished. If I have to stop, for some reason, as soon as I get a chance I pick up with zone three, and continue until the entire house is immaculate. The great thing about this process is that with six zones, and six people, if I have the boys around to help, I can just assign them a zone and they know what to do. If all six of us are here, the whole house can be immaculate in 30-60 minutes.

Don’t hesitate to enlist the help of family members to get your home back in order. Everyone enjoyed the holiday, everyone should participate in getting life back on track after. It’s important to start your New Year feeling organized and on top of your game. That goes for everyone in the family. Put the kids in charge of taking care of their new things, teach them how to organize, and keep belongings in great condition. Start the New Year strong with everything in it’s place. Help the kiddos do the same. They will go back to school refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of the school year, and you will feel accomplished and ready to handle whatever new and exciting prospects 2020 has in store for you!

How about you? Do you have any tips or hacks for dealing with the Christmas cleanup? Share your ideas in the comments. Find our Can I Get a Ramen boards on Pinterest to see more minimalist home ideas. Find us on FB @canigetaramen.food.blog and on Insta @canigetaramen.