"SEND HELP." After a failed holiday, I’m now commencing self isolation with my 4-year-old.

I’ll start off by saying, I get it. This needs to be done. It’s one of the key ways in which we can stop the virus spreading and flatten that damn curve.

As someone about to board an international flight from the US home to Australia with my husband and our four-year-old daughter after a somewhat failed family holiday, we’ll be required to ‘self-isolate’ for 14 days.

It’s the responsible thing to do, and now the government has rightly made it a requirement.

Watch: Mamamia’s Claire Murphy breaks down your most answered questions about COVID-19. Post continues after video. 

Ok, so now that I’ve got that part out of the way.

How on earth am I going to cope at home with a four-year-old for TWO WEEKS? TWO!

How am I going to explain to her that we can’t go to the park, or see her friends or grandparents, go to kindy or even pop out for an icecream? Her little heart. I don’t know if she’s old enough to understand.

But we have to do it. Because we might have nasty germs that can make other people sick.

As a Mum I’ve never been good at staying home all day. Cabin fever. 50 shades of crazy. But I’m about to find out.

Within seconds of ScoMo’s self-isolation announcement my mind had turned from feeling like the worst sister on earth that I’ll miss my brother’s wedding, to calling in favours from family and friends to deliver us some essential food and grocery items, to entertainment ideas for kids .. and me.

Sure there’s Netflix and Disney, and thank god the new season of Bluey is on its way … the show’s creators doing their part to answer the collective SOS from parents everywhere.

There’s a cupboard of colouring books, craft activities and random puzzle pieces. A box of empty toilet rolls saved for ‘a rainy day’ (note to self: new Pinterest board required).

There’s indoor cubbies to be built, and outside picnics to be had. There’s shops to play, biscuits to bake and dress-ups to wear.

Listen to This Glorious Mess, where Leigh and Tegan chat about all the best activities you can do with your kids at home. Post continues after audio. 

For the grown-up members of the family there’s cupboards to sort, meals to prep, life admin to be done, clutter to chuck and gardens to tidy.

I guess having a valid excuse not to go out has its advantages. Also, a deep breath or two wouldn’t go astray. And they always say you need a holiday to recover from a holiday don’t they?

We’re in unprecedented times with unprecedented measures.

So here we go. 14 days of confinement. Just us and the four-year-old.

Will we make it out alive?

Well, when it all comes down to it, that’s what this is really all about isn’t it?

Feature Image: Getty.