In the Kitchen

I've found that the only reliable way to get dinner ready is to entertain the girls in the kitchen while I work. Sometimes I can set Kathleen up with a puzzle or some other game and let her play in the living room while I prepare dinner, but all too often there's some sort of mischief while I'm distracted. And now that Madeline's mobile, leaving the two completely unsupervised is a recipe for disaster! Madeline only wants the toys that Kathleen's already using. And if she doesn't want toys, she's testing out new death-defying tricks, like trying to stand while hanging onto the infant swing or a floor lamp.

So, into the kitchen it is!

Like generations of babies before her, Madeline is easily entertained with a few kitchen tools. Whether it's a pot or a bowl or a collander, as long as she has a spoon to hit it with, she's completely happy. Here, she's playing in the kitchen while I empty the dishwasher in the morning:

Kathleen needs a little more direction. Luckily for me, though, she's an excellent helper. I measure, she pours. She stirs. She seasons. (Only, she calls it "shake-a-shake-a".) But mischief occurs even in the kitchen. The other day, I had turned away to check on something in the oven, and when I turned back, this is what I discovered:

Wow! That's a lot of soap bubbles. (I've now taken to keeping the soap on the window ledge, where it's a little more difficult to reach!) Still, aside from the occasional bubbly sink, keeping the girls with me seems to be the best way to get work done in the kitchen. Now, if only I could come up with a decent plan for entertaining them while I mop the floors...