it has recently occurred to us (thanks to consecutive instagram photos and Paige pointing it out - hi Paige!)  That our kids spend an oddly large amount of time atop our kitchen counters.

Although wildly unsafe (seriously, do I need to preface this with:  "This is NOT parenting advice") we often set our kids on top of our counters.  For like a seat.  Like while we walk away.

Before you go all judgey-wudgey was a momma on me, we only do it after we are sure that our kids understand 2 things:  1) how to sit by themselves and 2) that falling off of things high up is dangerous.  The second part is obviously the clutch piece in this scenario- but in both cases of our kids - they grasped that concept at around age 10 months.  (are you calling child services?) This is the same time that they stopped crawling carelessly at the edge of our bed and when they hesitated and whined for help off of the couches.  We saw that they understood falling equals pain.  Which clearly means to us that they are ready to sit, legs dangling precariously, on the kitchen counter.

So now the counters are sort of our favorite drop-off for the children when we need a break from lugging them around on our hips.  The positives are endless - they are eye level height, they can't get down by themselves; therefore they are sort of 'trapped', they can't make a huge mess somewhere else...somehow the counter top has become our modern day short-term playpen.

timeout after destroying Mum's mascara

contained muffin mess while eating!

posing with her bruises

breakfast snack (super healthy 'sausage stick')

sneaking candy

waiting while we get packed up for Easter

watching his Hatch 'Em egg crack

getting their vitamins after brushing their teeth

singing Happy Birthday

awaiting sunscreen application

Oh, and then there's that one negative - falling off and busting their face.  That hasn't happened yet, so we'll keep being super dangerous for the sake of convenience.

someone needs to teach these kids' parents that #tablesareforglassesnotasses