Store Brought V's Home Made

Ok, so I am in a dilemma. For all of those that know, lily is turning 4 at the start of August and is having a pirate theme birthday party.

I had found the cake I thought we were going to order from Publix, a pirate ship! Its easy, you pay your money and pick it up at the date and time specified. Every working mums dream.

But then in talking with a new friend Abby, from NZ, who's little boy Louis is just turning 2, we got to talking about how in our home countries you actually make your children's cakes and how special that was! Today she came into work with her cake cookbooks and I picked out what looked like a relatively easy to make ship.

But do I have time for this???! What if it doesn't look as good once I have decorated it. What is more important, how good it looks and tastes.....or that it was made with love??

I don't want to become a quick fix mum, I would love to be barefoot in the kitchen with an apron on baking all day with flour in my hair..... are these days gone?? I googled home made cakes online and there are tons of pictures and recipes, but my guess is these Mums don't have full time jobs :)

http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/pirate-cake.html