I'm talking pre-school children, meaning they are home during the day. I'd like to know if anyone is actually able to run their business while being a mommy to little ones. I have a 3 year old and a one year old and have to do my "caking" after they are asleep.

I have one in school & 1 2 1/2 yr old. It is difficult to say the least. I usually work when she is 1) napping 2) once dh is home & can play w/ the kids or take them somewhere 3) when everyone has gone to bed. I will do finishing touches when they are both at home, playing in the play room, out on the porch, watching & dancing to videos or eating. but they definitely have to be occupied.

Yes,I have a 3, 2, and 9 month old. I do bake and make butter creams and fillings while they are up. It does take time. I decorate only when my husband is around or they are asleep.

I did it with my own 4. Now that they're grown up, I now do it with my grandson. I have him during the day. when he gets picked up, I get dinner done and cleaned up. the counters and things get sprayed down and I relax until they're dry. I then do cake related stuff until around 4 a.m. put it all up. make coffee for DH...crawl into bed and push him out. grandson gets dropped off around 6:30 and he sleeps with grandma until 8:45...this has been going on since he was a month old.... and the circle begins again.

I schedule consultations on Mondays after he gets picked up...there's no cake stuff about on Mondays to worry about either.
I return calls daily beginning at 4:30. The answering machine handles the calls until then.

Wow, all4cake, you are dedicated! As a cake decorator and grandma.

Caking definitely got better when all the kids entered school. The pre-school years were hard. The babies grow up and cake decorating moves into the next stage.

Although I do not have a cake business, I used to run a "fast paced" business while caring for my special needs son. I can't lie about it it wasn't easy. But you learn to prioritize and work very efficiently. I bake a lot of cakes now for my son's class and school functions and for family events. I've never been late for a commitment........close but never late!

Although I do not have a cake business, I used to run a "fast paced" business while caring for my special needs son. I can't lie about it it wasn't easy. But you learn to prioritize and work very efficiently. I bake a lot of cakes now for my son's class and school functions and for family events. I've never been late for a commitment........close but never late!

Dedicated...or just insane?

I do love Sundays...actually Saturday nights too...everything is clean and I have nothing majorly pressing to do until about 6:30 Monday morning.

I have 2 kiddos. I stay up very late. I can't even get started if my 4 year old is around because he LOVES to "help." I let him help if the cake is just for us, but if I'm making it for someone else, he's banned from the kitchen. My 6 year old isn't interested at all.

I am interested in having a shop, but I can't justify that much time away right now. Until then, I'll be training my future assistant.

I don't have a business, but I've started baking a lot for friends and family. Like other posters, I can bake and make frosting when the kids are around, but I wait until my one-year-old is asleep to do any decorating. My four-year-old doesn't take naps anymore, but one thing that helps keep her entertained is to bake an extra cake, usually just 4", for her to decorate. She gets her own little bag of icing, and I get to decorate my cake without any "help."

All4Cake - do you get 2 hours of sleep per night?? I just checked out your photos and you make amazing flowers and pretty much everything else. How can you do it????!

SpringFlour - I also have to put my bakery plans on hold until my youngest is in grade 1- that's 5 years from now! I can barely stand it. I would love to get into the biz now and be established as soon as possible. Sigh.

What a wonderful thing to hear! Thank you!

total between 4 1/2 and 5. any more than 5 and I get a headache (which may be due to too much time sense having coffee and I'm beginning withdrawals...I dunno). Even when I was young(school age), sleep wasn't something that demanded much of my time....I just didn't get tired.

I have 4 home all day. I home school 3 of them; preschool, 1st grade, and 4th grade, and a 4 month old. I do all my paperwork, e-mails, and phone calls during the days and bake and decorate in the evenings. It's exhausting, but I love to stay busy. You just have to pace yourself and take on fewer cakes.

A couple of weeks ago I got way over booked (thanks to a guilt trip by my husband to make him an elaborate cake for his promotion ceremony.) I had 4 weddings, 4 groom's cake, 1 anniversary cake, and his engineer's castle cake to feed a couple hundred. I began work 8 days before they were due and spent every spare moment I could on these cakes all week. I only got a few hours sleep each night. And what little I got was interrupted to go nurse the baby. By the end of it I felt like I was going to have a nervous break down.

I am seriously going to slow it down. I'd rather spend my time enjoying my kids. My son's essay last year said, "....and my mom is always busy working." My daughter's drawing was, "You're busy making a cake." I need my job, so it's a good thing I do like it, but it comes at a cost.

I'm trying to have one weekend each month cake free, but I'm not sure how well I'll stick to it. I start going through withdrawal.

I have a 3 yo and a 5 yo - my caking gets done after 8pm or while they are out with friends/family.

I don't have a business, but when I'm baking for someone else, my kids are good about staying out of the kitchen. In return, I am good about letting them help when it's just a family cake. The last cake I made was my 4 year old's birthday cake, and she and her sister were actually in the kitchen making things out of fondant and sticking them right on the cake and I managed not to get annoyed but barely, because not everything that a 4 year old makes looks like something I want on a cake. She was so proud when it was all done though.

SweetArt, I also homeschool. My business is just in it's beginnings so I'm not constantly covered up with cake orders. Usually no more than 2/week. But having an 8 yr old and a 3 yr old makes caking veeeerrry interesting!

I do school with my daughter in the morning, while trying to keep my son occupied and do something "educational" with him. During his nap, I bake, and make icing/fondant. When my husband gets home I have a little time to torte/fill, and clean up. My son is in bed by 8:00p, so I can really get busy then. I usually stay up till midnight or 1:00a anyway, so I don't mind doing most of my work late.

This is just a season, and thankfully my cake income isn't crucial to our well-being. I don't want to miss out on time with my children any more than I have to. It's a balancing act no matter how you do it!

I run my small business from my house and have a 2 year old home, a 3 1/2 year old, 5 yr old, 6 yr old, 9 1/2 yr old twins and a 12 yr old! Sleep eludes me also since I can't decorate till they are sleeping (at least the youngest four) so I bake and prepare fillings, etc. in my main kitchen - I can usually squeeze that in with them up but then after the cakes are crumbcoated and allowed to set up in the fridge, I move to my "decorating kitchen" which is under lock and key and out of their reach. The the real fun begins with a strong pot of coffee! Good luck to you!

Oh my God!!!!!!
And I thought I was going crazy with my 3 year old and my full time work outside of the home.
I am in heaven compared to some of you people,
SweetArt, homeschooling???? how???

Congratulations to all of you!!!! you deserve a vacation at the Bahamas!!!!
My daughter is away with Grandma, oversea while I have a 3 tier cake due this saturday. I was going crazy, but after reading your story.
My life is a piece of cake!!!!!

Thanks for sharing ladies, and stay sane.

I have 6 yr old twins and a 5 yr old daughter. Now that they are older, I can bake and fill and crumb coat and occasionally even ice while they occupy themselves. Most of the decorating I do after they have gone to bed.

Let's just say I REALLY like the 5 hour energy drinks.

Oh thank you all for replying!!
I know the feeling of being so exhausted and just pushing through to get that cake done. I sometimes have to compromise a design or the perfect outcome. So far it's just cakes for family but once I have clients (when I'm legalized) I can't believe how stressful it's going to be. It's not easy and it seems I am in great company with the rest of you. I thought you all might have some ingenious way to get it all done but it seems there's no way but to sweat it and do it. You're all amazing women!!!!

CakeandDazzle,

And a single mom too!!!!!!!!!
Dear Lord! How do you do it?
I saw your website, your cakes are beautiful! When are you going to start with wedding cakes? you have the skills. How come I didn't see any wedding cakes in your site?

Yeah actually I have 18 month old who is worse than all your kids put together...I put my money on it and my cake business. This child is always into my cake stuff. I can tie him to the table. lol He's like Hoodini he gets loose and comes at my cake stuff. lol I love him to pieces but I've seriously thought about giving up on cakes because he's that bad. Just an example: Pullling out the whole roll of toilet paper and into the toilet, taking out all the dirt of my house plants and knocking down the plant, emptying all the toothpaste toilet and flushing the tube down, pouring out all my beans from the 50lb sack. The list goes on worst part it happens all day until he goes to sleep, I sleep with one eye open. But...I still do cakes when he's around and up, my husband get's home too late and even then I go into the night decorating them, last time I went to bed at 6am. So I totally understand you. But I love cakes soo much, that I won't let those things get to me one day this stress will pay off and I'll have a kitchen of my own....no kids no hubby! I have a dream......

I have a 5yr old boy and 7 yr old girl! They keep me on my feet! But I work full time and decorate on the side! I let the kids sit at the table and decorate cookies or even a small cake when I need to get one done and they won't let me! It works everytime! LOL!!

Yes, I have two small boys, almost four and two and a half. I have a small in-home cookie bakery. On Monday I'm closed, Tuesday and Thursday they go to a preschool/daycare and Wednesday and Friday my mom babysits them then on weekends we are home with them until Halloween then I'll be working on Saturdays but they'll be home with daddy. It works out wonderfully so far but it's only been a month. And i'm also only open 9am to 3pm so it's not a super long day for them when they aren't with a parent. I did that on purpose because it's not worth it to me to have a business and (possibly) lose my family in the process or at least miss out on way too many things. I'm super lucky though and I realize that this situation isn't what everybody gets to have. Good luck with whatever you do!!

I just had to post something... I have 3 kids ages 8, 6, 3 ... I went to bed at 4AM making my last cake (a diaper bag in my photos). Basically I start when they go to bed and that is pretty late in the summer (10PM). I know things will get better...
Sheila

I have 3 boys, 7y - 5y - 7 months. I do my cake stuff anytime I get a chance! My boys know they can watch from a distance and they know they can't touch! I get help from my DH when he is home a few days out of the month! I still work nights, full time too! I do some of my best work when I get home at 3am! Helps me relax.

I have four boys, ages 9, 7, 4, and 2...I'm anxious for school to start at least for the older two!!!! Sometimes the housework doesn't get done! And I only accept maybe 3-5 cakes per weekend, max, depending on size and complexity. I have several "cake fridges" with padlocks on them, and a gate in the kitchen doorway!