A 12 Step Program for Procrastinators

Step 1: Identify the problem
Step 2: Promise to come up with a solution tomorrow
Step 3: There was something I was supposed to do today....
Step 4: Buy a new notebook
Step 5: Write down the problem in new notebook
Step 6: Create elaborate plan for solving problem
Step 7: Begin elaborate plan! Yay!!
Step 8: Promise yourself that this time you will actually follow through
Step 9: Become distracted by the Internet, a new book, or that fuzzy on the floor
Step 10: Decide you need to vacuum
Step 11: Locate notebook under your bed
Step 12: Promise to return to elaborate plan tomorrow

To Cake or not to Cake

Last year after I put together another awesome, two-dimensional birthday cake for my eldest, he informed me that he really doesn't like cake all that much. WHAT!?!?! Fine, I replied, next year I won't make you one. Ha! What an idle threat that was. His birthday is right around the corner and while he has agreed to forgo the large friend party in order to save for a bigger, better party next year, he is not quite ready to give up the cake just yet. Once I relented (it didn't take much convincing - I look forward to the creative challenge) it was simply a matter of deciding on a design. P began to list a number of completely unrealistic possibilities. I countered with a suggestion that I knew would only require one cake. He agreed. See, every year I bake two cakes in order to complete the design, and every year most of it ends up in the trash. One cake is good. I can bring leftovers to work and anyone currently on a diet can just look the other way. P is on board with my suggestion and I have been brainstorming creative non-frosting ways to make it look authentic. Because relying on frosting is akin to cheating in my book. Anyone can frost. It takes a certain amount of creativity to figure out how to use candy, cookies and other confections to create a realistic design. I love standing in the bulk food section of the grocery store trying to figure out what I can use.
I am glad that P has decided he wants a cake and agreed to a feasible design (stay tuned). Too bad J has requested an upgrade from last year's super easy soccer ball to a dinosaur. The one with the really long neck. That's gonna be a tough one.