How To: Cook dinner with the help of a Toddler

1. Tell Toddler it's time to cook dinner
2. Toddler says "I help?"
3. Smile and say "Oh! Yes please thank you for offering"
4. Toddler smiles and opens pantry door
5. Tell Toddler we need three potato
6. Toddler opens potato bin and counts the potatoes out
7. Toddler closes bin and pantry doors
8. Take potatoes to bench, get out two vegetable peelers (one for you and one for Toddler)
9. Toddler pulls out step ladder
10. Help Toddler open step ladder
11. Toddler climbs up and selects their vegetable peeler
12. Give Toddler a potato to "peel" while you peel the other two
13. Give Toddler the two potatoes you've peeled to wash under the tap while you peel the last one
14. Have last potato to Toddler to wash
15. Put steamer on floor and ask Toddler to put frozen peas into it, while you cut up the potatoes
16. Toddler happily opens freezer door, selects frozen peas and attempts to pour into steamer
17. Only a few peas fall out into the pot (peas are frozen into a large clump)
18. Toddler says "Peas Stuck"
19. Stop cutting potatoes and show Toddler how to bang bag of peas on floor to help break them up
20. Toddler happily bangs the pea bag on the floor until they can be poured into the steamer
21. Toddler pours peas into steamer and nods head
22. Toddler says "All done Mum, Peas"
23. Tell Toddler "Well done" and ask them to put the peas away
24. Toddler stands there and starts eating the peas out of the bag
25. Remind Toddler to put the peas away
26. Toddler puts the peas away and lifts up steamer
27. Take steamer off Toddler and put on stove
28. Toddler opens his drawer and pulls out snack container
29. Toddler then proceeds to fill container up with peas he poured out, but didn't make it into the pot
30. Toddler eats his little snack and puts in lounge for later
31. Toddler comes back up step ladder and helps put potatoes into pot
32. Fill pot with water and put on stove - turn on
33. Pull out defrosted chicken - give Toddler tongs
34. Help Toddler move chicken out of bag onto oven rack
35. Put chicken into preheated oven
36. Send Toddler into lounge until dinner is ready
37. Hubby comes home asks what's for dinner
38. Tell him chicken and vegetables
39. Toddler runs into kitchen with a grin and says "I help"
40. Share smile with Hubby before he takes Toddler back into lounge to listen to Toddler tell him how he cooked dinner