I think it’s a great thing when we can start to learn enough about ourselves to figure out what our strengths are as a person. We can then make choices that will allow us to exercise those strengths and take advantage of opportunities that will develop the gifts we have been given just that much more.
That being said, I think it’s even more of a freedom pill when you discover your limitations. For crying out loud. We cannot do it all. Just so you know.
I say this not to patronize but because I have had to discover that though I am a mother of three young children and yes, it is taxing and tiring and probably some other things that start with a “t”, I really cannot do it all. I am not Wonder Woman. Thank God. Oh, the pressure.
Somewhere along the way, I got the idea that if you were a “good” mother, you made your child’s birthday cake. I have a dear friend who has such a gift in this area – heck, she used to work at a bakery and decorated cookies and cakes for a living. She knows her stuff and for her, this is no limitation whatsoever – it is one of her strengths and the cakes she makes for her children look like they should be entered into competition.
So last year, super-cake-decorator-friend encouraged me to make my own cake for Susannah’s fourth birthday party. HA. HA.
I believe you don’t really know you have a limitation in something until you try it – this philosphy has made for some funny stories such as the time I took a roller-blading class in downtown Indy with another teacher friend of mine (limitation) or when I attempted to try my hand at painting which my husband still loves to tease me about to this day (another limitation). The challenge is that I am most definitely what one would call a Renaissance Woman so I’m pretty much game for anything. Oh and belly dancing? Limitation.
Susannah was into cheerleading last year which remains a mystery to me to this day. Her mother never spent one day as a cheerleader. Another limitation.
We had a cheerleader party. I stayed up the night before trying to ice the freakin’ frack piece of crap very moist cake that kept getting crumbed up on my knife. I said words I should not have said but luckily, my children were in bed and only their father was present to secretly laugh and turn towards the wall when he couldn’t hold it in any longer. The cake, which was supposed to be a megaphone, looked like this:
Um…Limitation.
Sawyer went to a birthday party yesterday before heading over to Susannah’s party. Here is what my other friend, who also is good in this area, made for her son:
Strength.
So because this year I am a little wiser about my strengths and limitations, here is what Susannah’s cake looked like:
Just in case you were wondering, I didn’t make this.
Target did. Thanks, Red Dot Boutique. You came through for me yet again.
Don’t get me wrong here. I don’t think kids necessarily need to have competition-worthy cakes that could win the Betty Crocker Award for their birthdays. It wasn’t about that. It was about knowing that making their cake is just not my thang, nor will it ever be, and accepting the fact that it is OK to have Target make it for them.
I am certain they won’t need therapy over this issue. In fact, Susannah was thrilled beyond words to have this cake. Whew.
This post is becoming far too lengthy so I am going to share more about Susannah’s sweet soiree (say that four times really fast) tomorrow. What a time she had – she’s still talking about it.
For the record, I realize this is not a recipe. I’m sorry. This is the best I could do today because if I put one more thing on my “to do” list this past weekend I just might have self-combusted.
On another note, some of you were wondering about what I thought of the White Castle Dip that was featured in Mmmm Monday a few weeks ago.
I didn’t make it. It just didn’t happen for us with all we had going on this weekend BUT…I did get this email from my mother:
You’re not going to believe this but the White Castle dip is absolutely delicious! I used the frozen packages of White Castles from the grocery, thawed them and then chopped them up in the food processor. I DID USE the no-fat cream cheese-so I won’t have to spend too much more time on the treadmill. Still considering ordering the “Blair” polyester pants with elastic waistband for $9.99 that they advertise in the “Star” magazine.
I don’t know what the “Blair” polyester pants are from “Star” magazine but something tells me my fashionista mother is saying this as a joke.
For the record, she doesn’t need them – she is stunningly beautiful just as she is.
We always buy our kids’ birthday cakes, too. I tried once, and I wound up crying on the kitchen floor because of it, sure that I had just ruined my son’s 1st birthday. So now, to be on the safe side, I let someone else deal with it. Everyone wins this way.
.-= C @ Kid Things´s last blog ..Sick =-.
You so make me laugh, C. It’s good to know our limitations, I say. Again and again, I say it. I’m glad all you did was cry on the kitchen floor – I drank a glass of Chardonnay and said some not so nice things about the megaphone cake to my husband. He still laughs about it. SO glad I can be the entertainment in this house.
Last year was my daughter’s 2nd bday…I really debated if I should make her cake. I bought everything and then chickened out at the last minute. I’m so glad I did. I’d rather put my energy toward other things. I knew I would stress out way too much. I let a local grocery store do the cake and then I embellished it…so, it was semi-homemade…and my daughter could care less. hehehe
Susannah’s cake was adorable!
~melody~
.-= ~Melody @ 6 Feet Over~´s last blog ..Motivation Monday – Interview with Crystal Escobar =-.
Hi, Melody! Yes, I don’t really know what that is but for some reason, we all feel like we should be making their cakes. Again, I say if that is your thing, great. But it’s not mine and my time is most certainly spent doing something else.
Thanks for reading!!! Hope you are having a great week!
I love reading your stories, Nat! This one brought back the memories of A-man’s first birthday… working 40 + hours, married to a PhD candidate and not a family member in sight… I was determined that I would, if nothing else, make my kid’s birthday cakes. I ventured into the Wilton section of Micheal’s and bought, bought, bought! Needless to say, A-man thoroughly enjoyed his psychotic-looking Elmo cake (yes – rookie mom gave a one-year-old heaps of red icing!). The one thing I have found is that the kids enjoy dreaming up harder creations and then helping make it a reality … mostly through constructive criticism. Over the years I have gotten better, given myself more time to make the thing and have learned to make extra icing for the crumb layer! I just have to make sure the kids don’t ever watch Ace of Cakes or Cake Boss!
Natalie–you crack me up!! SO true about our limitations–but I do think your megaphone cake is precious and obviously made with love. With that being said–I confess I am a really pretty lame cook. I try, I can do SOME things, but it’s not hard for me to mess-up a pot of rice! I can bake (never really tried to do a fancy cake) but I am not a real cook!
Oh–and I had NO idea Target made cakes! That is brilliant!! LOVE the Barbie–she is fun and fantastic. I bet your daughter loved it!
.-= Caroline´s last blog ..Recap: Some Imaginative Activities =-.
I made the Barbie cake for my first daughter several years ago and swore I would never do it again! Of course, my younger daughter decided she wanted a Barbie party this year. I was really sweating it because our Target wasn’t making these cakes for awhile but I just got off of the phone with them and they will be making a pink and purple one for us by Saturday. YEA!!
I know there are moms out there who bake replicas of the Eiffel Tower and football stadiums for their kids, but it just isn’t my strength. And it doesn’t matter how much “love” I put into it, it’s going to turn out ugly. I am glad that there are other moms out there who are totally okay with saying “I bought the darn cake and I don’t care what anyone else thinks because my kid likes it!!”
.-= Tricia´s last blog ..Low Fat Cooking in the Crockpot =-.
Well, Tricia, you just count me as one of those moms who is totally COMPLETELY OK with saying “I bought the darn cake and I don’t care what anyone else things because my kid likes it!!!” because I couldn’t have said it better myself. Glad I could be of service and help another non-birthday-baking cake mom. We need to form a club.
Thanks for visiting and reading!
Wel done, looking fantastic!. I can’t wait to try.
.-= John´s last blog ..Fourth of July Cake Decorating =-.