The Trio & Me

14. Bake a cake

This one probably sounds like the simplest item on my list – and in many ways, it was. But it earned its place because it was something I hadn’t done in a very long time.

When my girls were little, our weekends were often spent baking. We’d make cupcakes and cakes for the endless tea parties and picnics that filled our days. I loved those years, the weekends spent just being, having nothing to do except eat cake and drink juice from tea cups. They weren’t about creating perfect treats; they were about creating memories, and they became some of my favourite moments of motherhood.

Somewhere along the way, though, those moments quietly became memories.

By the time my son came along, life looked very different. I was raising three children on my own while working full-time, and weekends became less about making memories and more about catching up. There were groceries to buy, washing to fold, floors to clean, lunches to prepare, and a never-ending list of jobs waiting to be ticked off before Monday arrived.

Without even realising it, the little things that once brought me so much joy were replaced by responsibility.

That’s why “Bake a cake” made my list.

It wasn’t really about the cake at all. It was about giving myself permission to slow down, to put the to-do list aside for a couple of hours, and to choose joy over productivity. It was a reminder that not every moment has to be useful or efficient. Sometimes, it’s enough to simply enjoy it.

So we baked.

The kitchen was an absolute mess. I think I managed to use almost every bowl and utensil we owned. We licked the batter from the spoon, scraped the bowl clean, laughed at our mess, and then sat together and simply ate cake.

And honestly, that’s exactly what this challenge has been teaching me.

Sometimes, reclaiming yourself doesn’t happen through the big, life-changing moments. Sometimes it happens in the smallest ones – in flour-covered benches, sticky fingers, shared laughter, and a slice of homemade cake.

🤍 K