A Mum Who Bakes!!

Hi,

Previous to having my three children I spent barely any time in the kitchen - don't get me wrong - I enjoyed baking when the opportunity arose but when there was only myself and my husband to enjoy it it didn't seem worth the effort most of the time.
However now that I spend a lot more time at home with the children I seem to constantly have my nose stuck in a new baking book! People joke at the number of books I have - I just love to find new ideas and, sometimes, I even try to make them myself!!

Having three small children means that I don't have as much time to do 'my' things anymore. By the time they are all in bed I am usually exhausted and tend to head for the sofa rather than the local pub! Conversation after 9pm is a thing of the past!!

Therefore I have had to look within the house for things that I enjoy to do. Of course I love spending time with my children but two of them are now at school and the youngest is happy to potter along with me most of the time. When the older two come home they love to play together in the garden or to sit and draw at the table so I've found that while they are busy with their activities I can now enjoy myself with mine (and still all be together!!)

Baking! Not as hard as you may think! Now I'm no master baker but I can knock up a decent cake if I have to. I sometimes share the activity with the children and other times I steal a few minutes to myself and rustle up something for after dinner as a surprise.

It's not just about the practical side though it's also about finding a bit of myself even if only for a few minutes. I once attended a short course in cake decorating and I was amazed and astounded to find that given a bit of thought and patience I could actually make a rose out of icing and produce basket weave on the side of a cake. Of course I've never actually repeated these skills at home but it did give me the confidence to give other things a go - whereas before I would have dismissed them as too time consuming, too difficult or just 'not me'!

I never knew I had a creative side until I started baking cakes! I don't always decorate them but when I do it's such fun. They're not good enough to sell but they're good enough for my family and friends - and that's all the encouragement I need!