Has Anyone Ever Felt They Needed A Break From Cakes?
Decorating By SweetDreams Updated 9 Dec 2006 , 12:51am by bakingbee
Just recently, i have been feeling not as excited to get and do my cake orders. For a while now, i have had at least one or two cake orders each weekend (i know, not much, but it was good for me) with an occasional weekend off with nothing.
Even though it is not much, i am starting to feel i am taking away from my younger children when i do these cakes. (it takes me a while to complete each one).
Has anyone ever felt like this and or taken a break from making cakes for a while? How do you go about this or what do you tell your customers when you already have them used to calling you for cakes?
Just feeling kind of down and uninspired, any suggestions? 
Thanks
I don't know what to tell you about customers but I got sick of decorating when I was in high school. My mom and grandma (dad's mom) had always decorated and stuff and when my grandma got to where she couldn't do it she made me. At 15 you don't always want to be making elaborate cookie houses with your spare time, especially for your aunt who doesn't like you.
I made simple cakes for my kids until a couple years ago when I started making them just for fun. It took me 10 years to decide I liked doing it though.
I think everyone goes through that. It would be better to take a break than have a major burn out. You can just tell your clients you are booked when they call. You just have to be firm about it. They don't need a reason or explaination, just I am sorry I am all booked up... I have been on a break for a while now and I am itching to start again. 
this time of year is especially stressful and tiring with everything you have to do and all the visiting, parties etc...
I can see where you would feel less motivated to do cakes...I would do as the others suggested and take a bit of a break and the booked up idea is great....
I think a break from time to time is good for anyone...gives you time to rest and recharge...
Jane
You should definitely take a break if you're feeling kind of down about decorating. Do you work full time also, besides decorating? It is hard to decorate cakes because it is so tedious and then adding it to work stress is really hard. I took a break for a few weeks, and after that i was excited to start making some new cakes!! I work full time and I'm also in college (1 year left!) so decorating cakes takes a backseat more than it should, so I know how you feel to sometimes not have the motivation.
I COMPLETELY understand how you feel, SweetDreams. I'm a SAH mom of a 2 1/2 year old and 9 month old. I'm sitting at the computer typing because I'm too darn tired to get in the kitchen and decorate a cake for tomorrow! I too only do one/two a weekend at the most, with one weekend off during the month. (Even though that weekend I'm usually busy making icing, fondant pieces, etc. for the next weekend!) After I had my daughter back in March I took off 3 months. People kind of freaked, and then it was real slow to start up again in the summer. I got nervous but now I'm saying "no" left and right. I just say I'm booked, and usually people are okay with that. I can't say that to my regulars, who expect me to make cakes for them on birthdays, etc. I thought I'd get a break at the beginning of next year but I've already got 3 orders in the oven.
Take a break for as long as you need. Your clients will miss you, but they won't stray from you.
I feel so guilty every night working on cake designs, and baking cakes during the day with my kids at my feet wanting my undivided attention. It's hard, and lately I've wondered why I'm even doing this to myself!
Yes I know how you feel and yes you do need a break. It seems like my kids only want my attention when I do cakes but the nights that I have no cakes then that is the night they too don't want me around and want to play by themselves. It does get hard to please everyone sometimes.
Good luck.
I, too, know exactly how you feel. I had gotten to where I was making 1-2 cakes every weekend. Then my husband put a limit of only 1 cake a weekend (because of the time it took away from the family), well sometimes I can't stick to that. Anyway, I finally had too much one night at the beginning of October, had 2 cakes due the next day, to be delivered in the complete opposite directions, just too much stress going on with these 2 cakes. I sat down in the middle of the floor and cried for 10 minutes 
(to relieve some of the stress I was feeling). My husband told me that I really needed to take a break. We decided that I wouldn't take any new orders, and that I would finish the cakes already on my book, then take a break until the beginning of the year. I made my last one November 2. I have had several people call to order a cake, but I have told them that I was taking a break until January. They have all been very understanding! 
And I have second-guessed my decision with every phone call, but I am also A LOT less stressed right now. I look forward to making my niece's 1st birthday cake in January!!!!!!!!! 
So take a break, even if it's just for a month or so. Like someone else said, it's better to go ahead and take a break now, than to have a major burnout later!
I'm there too. I was all excited to start this as a little business I can do to make money while staying home with big and little DS, but it doesn't work. It needs too much undivided attention. I was baking cakes in teh afternoon (this doesn't take too much time), but I was decorating after they both went to bed, so nights I did a cake, I didn't get to bed until 2 am!!!! That time after they goes to sleep is when I have to do everything else I can't do while he's awake too, so.... I've put cake baking on hold and am just trying to build up interest here and there, but not actively pursuing it as I know I can't devote the time to it that I would need to do.
Melissa
Don't feel guilty about needing a break.
Sometimes people don't realise that the creativity required to come up with ideas (let alone the hard work!) can burn you out pretty quickly.... and with a family, it gets pretty bad!
Do NOT listen to the customers who call you up, trying to cajole you into it..."... but all I want is a simple..." Yeah. Oh sure, "simple"! But it's got to be this, and look like that, and...and...
Just give 'em the sweet "oh, I'm SO sorry, but I'm all booked"..... and you ARE booked for time off.... for YOU, your family.... and maybe your sanity !!!
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%