I was thinking about dds' upcoming birthdays. Every year so far (5 for dd1 3 for dd2) I have made their birthday cakes. I come from a family where food was always home-made and bought cakes were considered devil's work, a waste of money, and generally lacking in wholesomeness and flavour. (now that we've all left home mum contents herself with making cakes for WI events and stocking up the freezer for our visits - you get the picture). I could never reach my mother's dizzy maternal now grandmotherly standards but 5 years ago I decided birthday cakes were non-negotiable. A random choice, but something I felt I could do. And guess what? 5 years later my crappy little "principle" is wobbling. That's beside the point but I wondered if anyone else does this and if so what about and why?