Really Proud is Relative

Awhile ago I blogged about my lack of perfection in baking. And today, the Carnival at Crazy Hip Blog Mamas encouraged us to talk about something we are really proud of. I guess, for me the topics are related. I am proud that we make a big deal out of our children's birthdays - without creating a rival to your next theme park, circus or spoiled extravaganza 101. That, however, doesn't stop me from wondering what happened to the cakes of yesteryear.

This cake came directly from MARSH supermarket, and I simply decorated it myself. I looked at what they had, and I couldn't bring myself to purchase their experiments - I decided I would do my own. My little one wanted a rocket cake, and I delivered (sort of) without the grand entrance of Dora, Diego, Spiderman or some character that I didn't have the energy to purchase. I always think I should create my own character, because surely I need the money more than they do.

Now this one was for a princess visiting our home, as she and her mom blessed us with the chance to share an 8th bday celebration. I have created multi-tier cakes, 3-D cupcakes, and even a Blue's Clues star cake that deserves to be memorialized - but this seemed to just miss the mark for me. I later decided that our love, hospitality, and joy for celebration would have to take precedent over perfection yet again. I'm starting to consider this lack of perfection a trend.

The house that FEMA built.
In this instance we are thankful for survival. A dear friend, with my perfection issues, decided that a gingerbread house "kit" was a good gift for my daughter. Our combined 4 kids were overly eager to make it, after not seeing each other for at least 5 months. In case you can't tell, this house has the longevity of , a FEMA house, and would stand for only long enough for the adults in the house to laugh, the children in the house to cry, and for a few pictures to document our errors. The pride is in the survival here - not in the creation.

All of this goes to my observation that in the love of scrapbooking, many people edit out the most fun activities. I have been guilty of creating shrines that don't quite tell the full truth. It is a rookie mistake. Now I glow with pictures of plants turned over, kids caught in the act of powdering an entire room, and the ugly years. That includes some very awful shots of mommy, that are really only to help me remember to eat my carbs more wisely. I guess I'm just proud that we have all grown to enjoy the journey just a little bit more.

Having 3 children, there are countless jokes about what happens over the years. The first child has everything sterilized, the second child gets spit shined, the third child coasts with fast food and baby wipes. I would like to believe I'm not quite like that, but you see I didn't post the 3 tier princess cake for a 3 year old.

So maybe I'm proud of our evolution as a family.
Our Martha Stewart crafts and over idealized goals have been replaced with ad hoc experiences. You want to make snowmen....okay, but I'm not interested in going outside at 20 below. There are more kind and gentle experiences since we've all begun to learn to relax, take a step back, and enjoy each other on this ride.