My Little Helpers

Mikea loves to help me in the kitchen. Whenever she sees me getting ready to make a meal, she grabs a chair and drags it over to the counter. I try to find little jobs that are safe enough for her to do, like dumping in ingredients and stirring. She just can't resist sticking her fingers in and tasting whatever's in the bowl. I let her set out the kids' plates and utensils on the table since they're plastic, and sometimes she puts the food on the plates. The other day I told her to give everyone three carrots, which she did until she got to her own plate and dumped out the whole bag.

The boys enjoy helping in the kitchen as well, and when I bake something like cookies or muffins, we'll gather round the island and take turns putting in ingredients and stirring. I always have to be especially careful around eggs, of course. Joe knows we don't eat "rotten" (raw) eggs, but I'm sure Dan and Mikea would eat them if they could!