Little Helpers

A few months ago, I rearranged our kitchen set-up and moved the dishes to a lower cabinet, easily accessible to little people. The silverware has moved, too, because its former location was squished between the stove and the dishwasher. Now, this is what I see when it's time to unload the dishwasher:

The bigger kids take turns with silverware and dishes, which are Corelle Vive Enhancements (I never thought I'd intentionally buy Corelle, but practicality trumps almost everything when you have small children). They were a huge improvement over our former big box store stoneware dishes (SO heavy, and SO ugly!), and we managed to find 52 pieces -- 12 open stock plates (2 sizes), bowls (2 sizes), and 4 serving dishes  -- for just over $100 with a sale and a coupon code. We've had them for three years, and no regrets! Only one bowl has broken in that time. Sometimes, tile wins... We don't have to keep extra children's dishes, because they are light and durable enough for even a toddler to use. Which is good news, considering that Laddie likes to "help out." That makes my heart skip a beat, partly because he's tottering across the kitchen with our dishes, partly because it's absolutely adorable.

 I'd been wanting to include the littles in more of the household chores, and this was just the ticket. Such a simple adjustment, with such great results.