An Unforgettable Dad's Birthday, Made with Little Hands
This is a story about my husband's birthday.
Since we got married,
we've had fewer opportunities to do anything "special" for his birthday.
When we were dating,
I used to bake simple cakes, make photo albums or videos, and we would go out for dinner or cake together.
But things changed after we got married and had children.
I made a simple cake once, but
my husband had already started buying a cake on his way home.
Even though I put a lot of thought into planning things for our children's birthdays,
I just didn't have the energy left for my husband.
I'm sure I had feelings of wanting to do more,
but my heart was entirely taken up by the children.
all of it was taken up by the children.However, since my son turned four and my daughter turned two,
I've been able to celebrate my husband's birthday little by little again.
I realized that the children love their dad so much,
and that Dad is also comforted by the children.
Doing things that make my husband happy to celebrate him.
And also, letting the children experience that feeling of doing something for someone else and seeing them happy.
That has become my way of celebrating my husband now.
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Decorating a chiffon cake together
At first, it was when my son was four and my daughter was two.
I asked them only to help with the decorations.
A chiffon cake baked by my husband.
Just a little bit of cream, which the children had never eaten before.
We put strawberries on it together,
and they sprinkled topping sugar with their little hands.
"For Dad"
That was the first birthday they helped out with that thought in mind.
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Cake-style sandwiches made with potato salad
The following year, I made a cake-style dish using sandwiches.
I piped potato salad to look like cream,
and decorated it with vegetables, ham, and salmon.
The children also helped pipe the salad,
and placed or arranged the toppings.
They ate it up, and my five-year-old son said, "I'm so full."
I was worried because I had also prepared a cake,
"There's a separate stomach for snacks!"my son said.He taught me that children have a separate stomach for dessert, and we all laughed.
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The first menu card
The year my son was about to enter first grade.
He had learned to write.
I made the dinner like a course meal,
and asked the children to make a menu card.
My son worked hard to write the names of the dishes in hiragana.
His four-year-old sister also imitated him and wrote next to her brother.
A birthday where a handwritten menu card was added to the meal Mom made.
That alone made it a special night.
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A portrait cake finished by everyone
This year, my son turned seven and my daughter turned five.
I asked them to spread the cream on the sponge cake.
No matter how much they spread, the sponge kept peeking through.
They used plenty of the cream I had prepared and kept reapplying it over and over.
My five-year-old daughter asked,
"Mom, how do you spread it nicely?"
so I taught her how to do it.
The children also chose, cut, and layered the pineapple for the filling.
They also arranged strawberries around the edge.
For the finishing touch, I drew the portrait of Dad that the two of them had drawn on top of the cake.
The method was:
- Place parchment paper and oblate film over the illustration
- Trace the lines with a chocolate pen
- Gently place it on the cake
- Melt jelly and pour it in to add color
The children were so happy to have a one-of-a-kind cake with their own drawings on it.
For the meal, I recreated the dish my husband and I ate on our wedding anniversary.
"Plum and Dashi Dry Curry."
I also decorated it with flowers my daughter picked at kindergarten.
When my husband came home from work,
the children immediately said,"Don't open the fridge!"He was surprised when he saw the meal I made, saying, "Wow!"
The curry didn't taste that great, though. It was just for show.
The cake was something the children helped with.
Dad said,
"I'm happy," "It's delicious," "Thank you"many times.Hearing that, the two of them were all smiles.
They ate even more than Dad did.
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Just a little bit of what you can do
Surely, even if you think "I want to do this," sometimes you're tired or don't have the time.
I, too, have finally been able to enjoy this with my children now.
Just a little bit of what you can do.That feeling also leads to the children's smiles.
Doing something for someone else together with your children.
The faces of the children when they are thanked are something that both my husband and I will surely never forget.
Thank you for reading.
May also has "Children's Day" and "Mother's Day."
A friend's child of mine also has a birthday coming up soon.
I imagine many of you will be spending time with your families during Golden Week.
Please have a wonderful time. ^^