In a few days it’s the big kid’s birthday. He’ll be 13. My birthday is the following week but more on that later. He likes hanging with his friends but there is zero chance of that with lockdown. We’re planning some online hangouts but the kids have chewed through our bandwidth like cartoon gophers in Bugs Bunny’s vegetable garden, so we’ll see how that goes, along with the rest of our hastily scraped together plans.

As far as gifts are concerned, we have not been big on massive presents for a few years but something would be nice. However, I’m not ordering things online because I don’t think it’s a great idea for shipping and handling etc. I’ve seen comments that postal workers don’t have PPE, not to mention Amazon workers. I’ve settled on online gifts.

The only other thing I can do to keep it close to a normal celebration is with food. I don’t think we’re eating more than before but it sure feels like it because I’m preparing food a.l.l. .t.h.e. .f.r.e.a.k.i.n.g. .t.i.m.e.. Sure, the kids still make dinner one night a week, but the rest is effortlessly managed by yours truly (insert anxious laugh).

What does that mean for birthday foods? Sunday brunch is pancakes, anyway, because it’s flour and water, so I’m adding the slightly concerningly aged ham into the mix and the air fryer will whip that thing into some delicious pseudo bacon. I also have some snacks I’ve kept out of the ration rotation which will make a nice surprise, and oddly enough, a boxed cake mix which I randomly bought two months ago. I’m waiting on the soaking prunes, right now, so I can make some vegan choc fudge for an after dinner treat. Add in some soda cans and that’s basically it. It doesn’t sound like much, and frankly it’s not, but these days are what we make them, I guess.

I am far from turning 13, so I’ll be drinking for my birthday. With every meal like any other well-adjusted adult. And husband bought me a brie en poof when he braved the outside world, so that will be my present. We aren’t big on dairy in our house so cheese is always the right present.

I hope you have as much cheese as you like, and the appropriate accompanying drink for all your lockdown celebrations.