I spent months secretly saving every dollar from my baking orders to buy my husband the iPhone he’d been dreaming about. On Christmas morning, surrounded by his family, I watched him give his father a car, his mother a Hawaii vacation, and his sister a designer handbag. Then he handed me my gift, and I couldn’t believe what I was holding.
I’m 37 years old, and for the past decade, my entire life has revolved around my three children. Sophie is seven now, bright and full of opinions. Liam just turned four, all energy and chaos wrapped in a tiny body. And Chloe is two, still at that stage where she needs me for absolutely everything.
Since they’re still so little, I’ve chosen to stay home with them for now. It can be exhausting, honestly. Most days, I don’t sit down until after 8 p.m. But it’s also the greatest love and joy I’ve ever known.
To help a little with household expenses, I occasionally take on small baking orders like birthday cakes for neighbors, cookies for school events, and cupcakes for office parties. It’s not much, but it gives me a sense of independence.