Comments on: The One-Armed Chef

By: ladybughugs

ladybughugs — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:23:23 +0000

I used to sit Lil’bug on the counter next to me and half-stand in front of her to keep her from falling. As she’s gotten older she’s been able to stand on a step stool to help. I’ve even given her a kid’s knife to help slice mushrooms for marsala. She loves adding ingredients and has been really good about being careful near the stove and oven.

By: Kathie

Kathie — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:55:35 +0000

I’m just going to stand up and admit that I put T in front of the television for around 20-45 minutes most evening whilst I cook dinner. He has a playpen that he is quite happy to sit on as long as “In the Night Garden” is on…

By: Keli

Keli — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:53:45 +0000

Hi Kim! I saw this and totally thought of you. Apparantly putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth will stop the tears when cutting an onion. http://lifehacker.com/5393659/keep-onion+cutting-tears-at-bay

By: Michelle Smiles

Michelle Smiles — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:10:51 +0000

Tessa is a total momma’s girl. And Sabrina will beat her up and push her down if I’m not in the same room. My solution? I cook during naptime, while they eat, and I wait until my husband gets home to do anything that I can’t just pop in and out the kitchen while doing. It means we eat a little later (thankfully he is usually home by 5) but I can’t get anything done with her crying for me. (High chair thing totally doesn’t work except at meal time here either.)

By: Alli

Alli — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:09:23 +0000

When clingy is interrupting cooking (which admittedly I haven’t been doing a lot of), I tend to put him in his feeding chair and give him something to snack on (Cherrios) or some spoons to bang. And while he is there, if the older clingy is also in the room, Fuller will be given the task of making faces at Tebow. It usually works.

By: lisa

lisa — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:46:20 +0000

I am a teacher, so I get to be a stay at home mom for part of the year, and it is always a tough transition–way more work than I expect it to be, every year. But I would agree that putting dinner on the table is a big part of feeling like you have actually produced something for the day. Otherwise you just work your butt off all day and have nothing to show for it.

My method this last summer (with a 2.5 year old and 6 month old) was to do as much prep work as I could in the first 45 minutes of the baby’s nap time. Any leftover nap time was my relaxation time. Then when it came time to actually cook, I would turn on Little Einsteins, or just wait for my husband to come home and throw everything together.

By: Hillary @ The Other Mama

Hillary @ The Other Mama — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:10:34 +0000

Onions- definitely.
Um, really, we do a little bit of everything: TV, dancing in kitchen to Thomas tunes, Play Doh in the kitchen time (there is a kid’s table in there) and did I mention TV? That’s the main time that we let them watch because it’s always crazy from 5-6. And I also encourage my hubs to cook if I have to do something else and he’s usually pretty good about that. He’s an engineer, so he LOVES to follow a recipe.

By: Must be Motherhood

Must be Motherhood — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:22:12 +0000

Yep. Backpack. Or I turn up the itunes REAL LOUD to drown out the screaming.

By: Sara

Sara — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:21:38 +0000

I always try to find a task for my 4.5 year old. He’s actually a very good egg cracker because of it! although, I probably wouldn’t have andyZ crack eggs for you…

By: brit

brit — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:35:57 +0000

I skimmed the comments, (I’m like that) did anyone recommend the book ‘the one armed cook?” because I love that book..and it takes kids into consideration.

My other trick? dump some flour on the counter, get some dinosaurs or trains..and ask them to ‘help you’ with dinner.