The great 100s and 1000s incident on Planet Baby

This afternoon is proceeding according to PB's usual routine. The pixies are all bathed early and fed and Sam is asleep. Soon, Mr PB will arrive home and start his 'shift'. I'll 'clock off' and write my blog post about using photos. Cue phonecall from Mr PB: "Oh, Honey, I forgot to tell you that I'm going out to dinner for work tonight". Okay, no worries. I can do the single mum routine tonight. Cue me: "That's fine. Just say goodnight to the pixies". I hang up.

Uh oh. The realisation dawns. I check the calendar. Yep, another PND-induced oversight. Tomorrow is Mr PB's 40th birthday! No card made by the children (but we can do it tomorrow morning). No presents bought (but that's okay because we have planned to go shopping together, just the two of us on Friday). But no cake!

Joshua and India hurriedly help me whip up a Simplicity chocolate cake. My helpers end up with chocolate batter all over them. No worries. I can do this.I strip off their pyjamas and throw them into the washing machine. The second load of the day starts up. I change them into new pyjamas.

Once cool, we ice it with chocolate icing.They end up with chocolate icing all over them, thanks to their 'help'. No worries. I can do this. I strip off their pyjamas and throw them into the washing machine. The third load of the day starts up. I change them into new pyjamas.

Far from the effort put by the pixies into making my 40th birthday cake, this one is looking a little sad. I'm running out of time. No worries. I can do this. I get a knife and trace '40' into the soft icing. I get out the 100s and 1000s and put some into a plastic bag, ready to snip off the corner and use it to fill the '40' with colour.

Cue India from the bathroom: "Mummy, I need some help getting the chocolate icing off my face". No worries. I can do this. I head to the bathroom and clean her up. Cue Joshua from the kitchen: "Oh, Mummy! I've had a little accident!" I tear into the kitchen and what greets me? The entire box of 100s and 1000s spilt all over the floor! Not just a small patch, mind, but they have spread for metres, in every direction, all over the lino kitchen floor and onto the floorboards in the family room.

This greets me

Hmm, can I do this?

I shriek. The pixies fly off to their bedroom. I pick up my little plastic bag containing my last precious 100s and 1000s and fill in the '40'. And an hour later, I finish sweeping those little critters up. They seem to have spread from one end of the house to the other, tracked on pixies' feet. I will be sweeping them up for days yet. Oh, and we have a dark, speckled lino floor in the kitchen which makes them even harder to see!

So, here's the cake. I'm sorry, darling. I tried. But it was made with lots of love!

Just don't ask me about the 100s and 1000s...

PS Six weeks later, I'm still sweeping them up!