o.k... so 2 of my 5 kids have come down with pneumonia, but are on antibiotics and on the mend. One has a respiritory infection, and now i think i have a respiritory infection. I have 2 cakes due saturday...i can physically get them done. I don't care that i don't feel well, just don't know if i should be making making cakes for people. they are both children's birthday cakes. I don't want to make anyone sick. Thoughts?????

Don't get me wrong...i would enjoy getting the weekend off and not doing 2 cakes for friends...who you all know are the ones who pay you the least. But honestly, i don't want to make anyone sick either. Should i maybe give them the option? This must have happened to other people out there? Any ideas? Thanks!!!

From my personal experience (and my hubby being an Army medic): if you THINK you are sick or coming down with something, then you are very likely to be already infected and contagious. You are even more likely to be carrying infectious germs since 2 of your children are recovering from being ill. It's always better to be safe than possibly expose children to dangerous illnesses

I don't recommend doing the cakes if you may be sick, but I also know it's a tricky situation to be in... If you DO decide that you must do these cakes then just take a few extra steps to avoid contaminating anything:

Go to your doctor's office (or a medical supply store) and ask for a mask. Wear it while working on your cakes start to finish. Having something over your mouth and nose is better than nothing! Also make sure that your entire work area, bowls, and tools have been sanitized. Keep everything covered as much as possible, and if you are working out of your home, bear in mind that anyone in your house could be contagious regardless of symptoms.

It may seem like a bit of overkill, but when working with food one can never be too careful

I too had a bad respiratory infection and a baby shower cake to do a week ago. I took my time, washed my hands a lot, wore gloves and a mask and went in another room when I needed to cough. I looked like I was in surgery but so far, no one at the shower is sick! Because I use real butter in my buttercream I keep the cakes in the fridge between times I work on them anyway so the cake was only in the room with me while I was covered.

If you're not sneezing, touching your face, blowing your nose, etc on the cake or your hands....you're all good. Restaurant people rarely take a day off because they are sick. We all get our "germs" on everything we touch and do, even if we're not sick. Every time you talk over a cake you're getting little bits of spit (sorry but it's true) over the cake.

Use gloves if you feel better about it and wash you hands often. carmijok is right...just take the proper precautions and there shouldn't be an issue.

thanks everyone for the input, and carmijok...I love your melon-head cat profile picture. I laugh every time i see you on the forum b/c of that picture.