Sunday, January 22, 2012

It's Happened at Last..... The Icing On The Cake!

Well, it's finally happened to me.  I always said if this day ever came I would have truly flipped! In my twenties and thirties, while others of my age were settling down and figuring out what family life was all about, I was working and partying my days away.

As anyone who knows me well will agree, I have never been the most domesticated person.   What's more I have never yearned to be.  I have always felt that life is too short for housework, baking and even parenting!  I saw these things as too mundane, ordinary, and restricting and that terrified me.

So it's ironic now, that even though I came to parenthood late, I find that it is not only the best thing that ever happened to me but I love the way of life! 

I admit that I actually get satisfaction from doing housework now. But hey, those who know me needn't worry too much.  It's not that fulfilling that I will spend time doing it when something more interesting presents itself!  I am still liable to drop everything and worry about it later. Life is still too short to do too much housework! And the older I get the shorter it gets so alternative activities get priority!

The best bit of it all though is sharing time with my four year old son. We do lots of fun things together and I love reliving my childhood with him. He has been pestering me for a while now to bake some cookies and cupcakes or biscuits and fairy cakes as we call them here in Ireland. I have been putting it off for ages because baking is something I never enjoyed as a child and hated even more in domestic science at school.  My mother used to get annoyed at the mess and say I had more on the floor than in the bowl.  My teacher was an old nun who was very strict and unmotivating. Actually to say I hated baking and cooking is really an understatement.

I have wonderful sisters in laws and a mother in law that can bake anything. I also have a friend who can do the same.  They always put me to shame because they bake their kid’s birthday cakes and all the things that go with it.  I go to the shop for everything, birthday cake, cupcakes, biscuits, the lot! I have never baked from the day I left the domestic science class in favour of another subject aged about fifteen. 

However, last week, while out with my cousins, I spotted a cute baking kit and decided to buy it for my little boy.  I knew he would love it since he has been pestering me for ages and I thought buying it might finally egg me on. And what do you know, it did.  It actually did!  I had had conversations with various friends about the fun they have baking with their kids but put it out of my mind. Yet yesterday I found myself in the baking aisle of the supermarket perusing all the things we would need.

Today, my little boy and I made our first batch of cookies and our first batch of fairy/queenie/cupcakes and we couldn't be more thrilled!  True, the cupcakes are a little pathetic since some of them haven't risen but hey, it's a first attempt! The cookies are not too bad considering we forgot to add vanilla essence and they could probably do with being sweeter.  They do look cute though, cut out into shapes of little men, women and elephants.  I really must do something about getting some cat cookie cutters.  Now that would please us even more since we are both cat crazy!


I have started to bake.  I have started to bake.  I have started to bake.  I have to keep repeating that as it seems so incredible to me!  And even more uncharacteristically, I think I might even have the baking bug. I can't wait to try making banana bread and carrot cake next. Gosh, is that me saying that?  It can't be, can it?  But, it is..........I am now a fully-fledged domesticated parent. It has finally and unbelievably happened to me! Just have to figure out how to finally put the icing on the cake!






25 comments:

  1. Dear Claire,

    I read your blog, 'Forty Something First Time Mum' recently and I am extremely interested in what you have to say. The office particularly enjoyed your post on ‘It's Happened at Last..... The Icing On The Cake!’ which we thought was lovely and funny at the same time.

    One of our clients is considering launching an app aimed at Mothers and
    would appreciate it if you would provide us with some of your insight into the world of being a mother.

    Would you be available to meet for a coffee in Dublin City Centre, at a
    time that suits you, possibly in the afternoon? Is this something that
    would be open to? My email address is lisakate.mcgrath@redant.ie if you would like to contact me.

    Kind regards,

    Lisa-Kate

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  2. Thanks for the comments LisaKate. I googled you and found your blog on wordpress 'A Few too Many shoes' and I think it's pretty cool! Will email you.

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  3. Facebook Comment:

    Mary Josephine Burke - love the new look to the page claire, there's no stopping you now, yer going all creative on us :) x
    22 hours ago · Unlike · 1

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    1. Thanks so much! I am still getting then hang of the customisation etc. So much to do, so little time!!! :)

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  4. FaceBook Comments:


    Claire Hegarty B

    Like · · Unfollow post · Connect Your Blog · Yesterday at 15:59 via My Blog Posts
    Amanda O Rourke Hogan and Kathleen Treacy Ramirez like this.

    Amanda O Rourke Hogan - Well done you! I love baking with the girls,even though my attempts now are no better tahn they were in school! Memory making...
    22 hours ago · Unlike · 1

    Deborah Keogh O'Boyle - The girls love baking and cooking . Ella made veg soup on saturday , she loves cutting veg , handy to have .
    19 hours ago · Unlike · 1

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  5. Claire, I smiled while reading this post because I can relate. I especially like your comment, "I am now a fully-fledged domesticated parent." Girlfriend, I know what you mean! Great post!

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  6. Claire, I just sent an important message to your email. Blessings!

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  7. Thanks for the comment Cynthia. Will check my email now. All the best.

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  8. LOVE these pics. They are so cute. I tried to bake the easiest cookies in the world the other day with my 15-month old daughter. I don't know if you have these in Ireland, but in the states, we have these cookies that come already made into dough balls from Pilsbury and all you have to do is put them on the cookie sheet and bake (they are surprisingly good). I just wanted my daughter to put them on the sheets with me. I showed her how with 3 of them and I said--YOUR TURN. SHe picked it up and put it right in her mouth of course, That was the end of baking. Can't wait until she's a little older to do that! :)

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    1. Ah, that's so funny and so cute Margo. Gosh, can't believe your daughter is 15 months old already! I remember reading your blog when your daughter was just born! As for the baking, we tried to do a cake and more biscuits on Saturday and they were even worse than last time! Will have to keep practicing!

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  9. Hey...I m a new mom balancing between work & love for my baby. Your blog seems interesting & informative for me now.

    following you !

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    1. Hi Sasmita. Thanks for reading my blog. It can be hard to balance work and motherhood but it gets easier with time! I am lucky to be on a career break from my day job. Gives me time to care for my child, my mother and to write!

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  10. Claire,
    Your son looks like he's doing a magic act with that bowl. Seriously! He has that look of, "Now, for my next trick...".

    Baking with your child is a good way to teach them math, reading, and logic. One thing I always wanted with a recipe was a picture of the end result included. One thing I felt about baking was if you can't picture the end result, it's sometimes hard to make it correctly.

    Don't let anyone fool you about being such wonderful bakers. Just follow the directions exactly and poof! you'll have the best fairy cakes ever. By the way, I really like the idea of calling them 'fairy cakes'. It sounds very 'magical'!
    Donna

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    1. Thanks Donna. We used to call them 'fairy' cakes and 'queenie' cakes when I was small and some people, including me still do. The younger generation, like my son, however, call them cupcakes.

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  11. Hello Claire, I see that we have the "having a baby over 40" thing in common. :) I also see that we share our blog friend, Cynthia (In Season Mom).

    It's good to meet you.

    I enjoyed this post, because I, too, am not very domestic, especially at cooking, baking, grilling, etc.

    I'm so proud of you! There's hope for me, too, I guess.

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  12. Congratulations on your cooking, so great for you and your son to be learning something together. Motherhood can really push your comfort zone.

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    1. I have no choice but to get out of my comfort zone! Loving it!

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  13. Adorable! I love your poetry on your other blog, but notice you haven't posted there lately, so thought I'd say so here. Baking with your son will be a wonderful way for you to spend time together. I did a lot of that with my little brothers, and it's part of our happy memories :)

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    1. Oh, that's so nice of you to mention my other blog. I haven't been inspired to write over there at all recently! But maybe you have given me the push I need with your lovely comment.

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  14. I am very happy to make another Irish friend blogging friend. I do like to bake and cook much more than any other domestic pursuits...that's what my kids are for, right? To eat my baking (which they do) and then do the dusting and the vaccuuming. Your little boy looks pretty cute.

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    1. Hi Rebecca. I must admit I have never been a fan of any domestic pursuits up until I tried baking. It rekindled something in me that I had forgotten was there! My son even ate the biscuits and cakes we made though both my hubby and myself couldn't!

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  15. I know the day will come when I have to bake with my son. So far I have been putting it off. I LOVE this post and I hope I can follow in your footsteps xxxx (My boy is 20 months) xx

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  16. Ah Liska! You will do it. I guarantee it. Especially when he keeps pestering you! Tee Hee. And, you never know. You might actually be like me and LIKE it!

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I love comments and feedback!