Making Dinner with 2 Toddlers

Some nights making dinner is nearly impossible.  For some reason, Kaylee and Karissa love to be held between 5:00 and 6:00 pm, just when it is time to make dinner.  I used to have the luxury of making dinner with two hands, now I am lucky if I have any hands at all!  Making dinner while carrying one baby is challenging enough, but holding 2 babies is downright absurd.  Some nights it is tempting to just let them cry while I chop vegetables or work at the stove, but they tend to wiggle in front of me and push me away from the counter so I can't reach anyway.  Toddlers have this amazing ability to get noticed!  So how is this problem solved?  I have considered all of the following options:

1.  Don't eat ( good for the waistline, but tends to increase crankiness)
2.  Eat only take out food
3.  Eat only sandwiches 7 nights a week
4.  Hire a chef (my personal favorite)
5.  Grow another set of arms (still trying)
6.  Lock the girls in their bedroom (tempting a times!)
7.  Try to figure out the reason they need to be held so much during dinner making time (what fun is that?)

Since the only viable option was #7, I spent a few nights pondering the situation and guess what, it didn't take too long to figure out that they just wanted to know what was going on up there on the counter.   They're toddlers, it is their job to want to know everything.  So for about $120, I found the "kitchen helper."  No, not an elf that comes to your kitchen and cuts up vegetables.  (I wish)  It is a stand the both girls can climb into, be at counter height and watch everything.  If they get bored just watching they can "help", ie:  play with bubbles in the sink.  (makes more of a mess to clean up after dinner, but at least I have 2 hands!)

After about a week of using the stand, the girls love it and I love it!  Let's hope this continues otherwise we may have to resort to option 1!