April may be the cruelest month, but January is the busiest. There’s New Years, the getting of late holiday gifts, my mother’s birthday, my daughter’s birthday followed the next day by my stepdaughter’s birthday, and the class I teach at Cherry Hill Seminary begins this month as well.

That’s three birthday presents, two to three parties, and some technical glitches, all while at least one of us generally has a cold or flu.

My daughter, Bunny, turned five yesterday. Because of my desire to buy things not made in China, she got a lot of books for Yule, and she got more books for her birthday. She likes books, but she also likes games, toys and dolls, and I am very much afraid that her holidays have sucked AND that its entirely my fault. As the icing on the proverbial cake, I was planning to order her a cake this year. But you have to order them a week ahead, and her party is tomorrow. I remembered this yesterday.

Early in the day, in a complete panic, I bought a carousel bundt cake pan online. That will be here today. It’s not Dora, but it could made to be, and I thought a carousel cake would be adorable. Then I found pictures of the finished cake. It’s ugly, and it can’t be frosted because you lose the detailing. Can you imagine getting your kid an ugly cake with no frosting for their fifth birthday? Talk about a birthday to remember!

In a flurry of last-minute guilt and panic, I tried to order several things from Amazon to be overnighted so I could make a Dora castle cake in time. I also wanted to order a magical shoe cottage (a plastic dollhouse shaped like a boot and complete with fairies and furniture). And I could have purchased all of that, but even overnight it wouldn’t arrive till at least Monday.

So nix on that. What’s the point of calling it next day delivery if it isn’t?

Today I need to schlepp Bunny and I out into the winter and shop.