The one that goes like this:

"Mommy is working on cakes right now. This is my job and the money I get from this job buys food and clothes and Happy Meals. So while I am working on cakes you need to be out of the kitchen and go play or read or watch a video. It is not okay for you to build a castle out of blocks right in front of the refrigerator. I will be happy to make you a paper airplane and explain why camels can walk in the desert without water just as soon as I am finished. Now GO PLAY!"


BTW, my twins are 6 and my DD is 5. I have been doing this for 4 years so they know what to expect when I am working. I usually do most of my decorating while they are at school or after they are in bed. But occasionally I do need to work on things for a while during the day. And they will spend HOURS entertaining themselves. Except for when I need to finish up a cake. Then all of a sudden they absolutely have to be 1 foot away asking a million questions and telling me they're hungry every 36 seconds

Now that my kids are grown up, it's my DH that I had to tell "go play" today, well actually I said "wouldn't you like to go for that run NOW"!!!

The trick is to keep a mental list of things that they need to get done, and when they come in to ask for something, give them one of the things on the list to do. When they come back, give them the next one Pretty soon they figure out it's better to entertain themselves than to bug mom.

But I only figured that out after my husband said he was getting me an apron that said, "Get your a$$es out of my kitchen!"

As mom to 3,5 and 13 year old I feel your pain !! I have wondered if my children are equipped with some type of radar that alerts them when I am about to work on a cake, relax in a nice hot bath or use the bathroom !!!!
My parents live next door and my children will be visiting them or outside playing and the second I get started I hear "MOM"
I just try and remind myself at these times of the words to the songs "It won't be like this for long" and "You're gonna miss this"

Yep!!!! haha.

Sometimes they are like "Can I watch?" (I put a gate in the doorway) and I"m like "Only if you stay quiet." Yeah right.

"Mom, are you going to put the eyes on that?" "Mom what color is that supposed to be?" "Can I see the picture you are working from, again?" "Who is that for?" "Are you almost finished?" "What is it gonna look like?" "Can I have one of those for my birthday next year?" "Don't forget the ears, mom..." "Can I eat a piece of fondant?" "Can I lick the frosting?" "When can you teach me how to do that?"

OK NOW YOU CAN GO READ A BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO AWAY! haha.

"Can I eat that fondant?" I get that a lot, too.

Oh and they love to help...
Mom a real golf ball has a number on it. You better put a number on the golf ball cake so it looks real. I will go get you a golf ball so you can see how to make it."

I cannot imagine how those of you who work out of your homes avoid going crazy! I am notorious for bringing work home when there is a crunch (or I just get lazy and play hookie). It seems like that will be the night my husband decides to drive the kids crazy so they all come to me. The kids aren't nearly as bad as Dad! My neighbor loves to come over and chat so when I have to bring work home, I get her to come over. She keeps me calm while the house falls down. Even she has noticed what a difference it's like in my house when there is sugar in the house. She calls it "hyperactivity by osmosis!"

My kids are grown with kids of their own, hence the screen name of Grandmom, but it's the DH who leans onto the counter, resting on his elbows...

... if there are cakes cooling, "will there be cake trimmings for consumption?" (such a nerd...)

... if there is stacking, "will there be a ganache bowl?"

... if there is decorating, "will there be buttercream on this cake?"

and always, "Honey, that looks great...!"

Love my man.

Yep, being mainly into cookies I get a lot of "are there any extras?" and fighting over "if you break one I get to eat it!!" Geesh, you'd think I never bake for them.

My little guy just turned 1 this summer and I was so busy with cake all summer that I know next summer I won't be taking as many cake orders.
It was sad because we were stuck in the house and the weather was so nice and here we were stuck in 30-40C weather baking cakes.
He's the only one I'll ever have(almost lost me/he was only 3lbs when born) and I want to make the most of it.
The time is going by so fast and I don't want to miss a thing!
Jodi

My kids, 7 and 5, are the same way. I'll have cartoons on for them and they won't even be watching them, as soon as I decide to change a channel they act like they haven't been able to watch cartoons all day. I don't make many cakes but anytime I do I get the same questions as Kitagrl does. Gotta love them though!

It's funny, but my kids wer always around cakes, so they didn't really pay much attention to them (with a couple of notable exceptions when they were very young, which were quickly dealt with!)

However, now that my son is 14 and has turned into the human vaccuum cleaner, he stands looking at me while I work and says "Can I eat that?" until I tell him to get out of the kitchen!

I feel all you pain with a 5, 4 and alomost 3 year old at home. Just this weekend we had 2 kid friend's b'day parties. One I brought the cake for and one I didn't. When we were leaving for the one party, my children said, mom, you forgot Joe's cake!

I had and still have the same problem. I have found ways to work around it. I have a bookshelf pantry of easy snacks the kids can just reach for anytime they have to eat now. The pantry is only open when I do cakes. I also have spare fondant at times and let them decorate the cheap sandwich cookies at the other table. Thank goodness I have 2! I have been working on cakes since my babies were little. My 18 year old now can walk into the kitchen and know what to do. "I'll start washing" is one of the first. I did like a previous posted suggested and gave the chores to those who enter the sugar domain without permission. Works in so many ways. They now know it better be worth disturbing me as there is a penalty. The also know how to help so they get mommy back faster.

I so understand all of this post! I have a 12, 10, 9 (on Wednesday), and not to mention 30-some year old husband... haha. I am always getting
Can i lick that?
Oooh, what does that taste like? Even tho I have made it dozens of times!
Will you teach me how to bake a cake?
Can I play with the fondant??

I dont work on cake often, it is just a hobby, but when I do it I like to enjoy it and all 'attention' gets very old.
And now my oldest has started telling all her friends that I will do their bday cakes.... for FREE!!! I couldnt believe it, actually had one parent call me and ask me about it. When I told her that I would do it but there would be a small charge for it, she didnt like that, told me I needed to make sure my dd knew that. She is 12... come on now, why would you believe something like that from a 12 year old??

My DH is always saying, "did you make any for me?...WHAT? you never make any for me!" LOL! But he always gets the scraps from the leveling or carving, he is such a doodiespec...LOL!

I feel like I have this "talk" at least once a week LOL I am a homeschooling mother of six wonderful children. I try to do most of my work when my husband is home (he works a rotating shift so he is off 50% of the year but long long hours when he is on shift) but inevitably I simply cannot avoid working sometimes when he isnt. My older girls are wonderful and help A LOT but my littles just can't seem to resist the "edible playdough" that mommy is working with. My 4 yr old is starting to understand that he gets my scraps to play with on the dining room table if he is good but patience is rough at that age LOL

It works out eventually and I dont allow any children in the kitchen while I am working. Gotta love veggie tales

my caking is mostly a hobby with occasional $ perks , I have a 7yr old who most of the time is great, he'll occupy himself while I'm caking, periodically he'll say can I help so now when I have extra cake he gets to make his own masterpiece when I'm finished which he loves. When I'm caking you'll mostly hear me say "STEP AWAY FROM THE CAKE". Also I tsp of icing now and then keeps him busy.

Kitagrl..I had to laugh..My kids do the same thing!!! I've also heard.."Is that cake done cause it's kinds ugly" and I laugh and say no....but they don't lie!!

I'm at the other end of this discussion. My sons are grown with kids of their own. How I would love to have them come into the kitchen while I bake and ask for "leftovers". Those hectic, aggravating times- much too soon -become a wonderful memory. And, you cannot go back.

My kids are all grown. I miss having them in the kitchen with me. My little 2 yr old grandson, Brycen, loves it when grandma is baking. He knows he gets to lick the beater or the bowl. I have more fun watching him than anything.

Although it may seem like a distraction right now, you will certainly miss them when they are grown and on their own. Cherish it!

thanks for the view of what happens in a few short years.

I *wish* I had kids to bug me when I was working on a cake or any other time! You all are so lucky!

ROFL I could have wrote this post exactly except my twins are 2 and the baby is 1. So obviously this won't get better anytime soon huh?

I keep this little reminder posted on my desk, it's my favorite quote of all times...

"Today I may cry because of the frustration and exhaustion of being a mom.
In the future I will cry because I miss those very things."
-Gigi Schweikert: The Devotional for The Not-so-perfect Mom

OK Grandmom...I think we're married to the same man. Isn't bigamy illegal!?!

I have only done a few cakes so far but with a 5year old who is in private school that runs 9-1:00 only and a 9month old I am expecting many pit stops along the way. I think I will decorate my cakes with a glass of wine in hand