while I'm cooking...

This is often what one would see if they were at my house while I was cooking.  Grizzly is holding onto my legs begging me to hold him.  (Though sometimes he's content to be eating in his high chair, or playing with the tupperware in the drawer.)

And if Chico is in a good mood while I'm cooking he'll be playing with his toys.  The other day I heard him holler from the other room, "Mom! Guess what I did!?  Come see!!!"  So I went and looked and he was so proud of himself for figuring out that he could hook his lego trailer pieces onto Mater.  It was so cute to see how proud of himself he was that I took a picture of him.  He often calls his lego creations his, "new invention".

I feel like i spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It's increasing lately.  I actually really enjoy cooking most of the time. I think of ways to improve recipes on my own. I'm getting pretty good at starting my meals earlier in the day so that it's not a crazy rush to get it done before Brent gets home. I'm also getting better at getting the kitchen clean every night before I go to bed. I can't tell you what a difference it makes to wake up to a clean dishwasher!  It makes the whole day just go better. Seriously.   

I want to be better about making homemade bread every day or so.  I want to be better at not letting vegetables rot in the crisper. And lastly I want to be better about planning ahead on weekends so that we don't end up going out to eat because I didn't make time to cook.  Weekends really throw off my groove with the hole mother thing. I've got Brent there to help me and so I get into this mode where I don't do as much I think.  Do any of you have suggestions in regards to meals and cooking and keeping the kitchen clean that have helped you in your families?