I am one of the last people who should be cloned

unless it was for medical research purposes... but I could use another me this week.

My oldest daughter is turning 12, becoming bas mitzvah, this Shabbos! I am determined to make it a special day. I am not trying to do anywhere near what I used to do, but I don't want my daughter to feel that that is the case. I want this to be her special day. I started baking today, hoping that if I do things slowly each day and let her take care of what ever she can it will work out without me crashing.

Yesterday we made a menue and my daughter went with a friend to buy paper goods. Today I made challah and chocolate chip cookie dough and my daughter went to the grocery store and bought some of the ingredients we need. Tomorrow my daughter is planning on having a friend over to help with the baking.

The party is going to be small. She is inviting her closest friends to the third Shabbos meal and we are serving her favorite foods, lots of desserts and she will be giving a speech. We are surprising her by inviting her cousin, who is the same age, for Shabbos and we bought her a surprise gift that I am sure she will appreciate.

Things I usually do for myself are being put by the wayside since my energy is being spent on this. It is okay, though there are certain things I am less happy to miss.

I am not going with my friend to our beading class. I wanted to and was going to try, despite everything, but in the end it is the one day I have help this week. I can't both spend the energy traveling and beading and give up the help in the kitchen and with the laundry.

So choices have been made. This week my goal is to make my daughter's celebration special. I want her to feel like a princess.