The Family Kitchen + a Giveaway!

We've posted before about the Our American Kitchen series from GE Appliances and what makes kitchens across the country unique, and yet similar at the same time. For each of us, individually, in our own homes, our kitchens play a huge role in our daily life. The kitchen is the heart of the home, and so much of life plays out there in its most honest form. So today we're taking a little different look at the role the kitchen plays in our families.

This is the kitchen we built for our family over the course of three years.

So what does our kitchen do for our family? It keeps us fed, of course, but it does so much more. It is the hub of our home where we cook, eat, work on projects, do messy artwork, and most importantly - where we do all these things together. We spend so much time there and have literally watched our children grow up in our kitchen.

We've eaten breakfast in front of this window (yes, on the countertop) almost every day for the last four years. I have so many pictures just like this I've taken over the years. They love to sit up there to help make breakfast, then they gobble it up while we talk about what we'll do today, what we did yesterday, or whatever else pops into their fluffy little heads.

Our kitchen is open to our living room, which is the only living space in our home apart from the bedrooms. So I'm not kidding when I say we spend a lot of time there. Day in and day out. Working, playing, and just living.

I think some of the biggest impacts from our kitchen have been on our boys. They learn and grow with us on a daily basis in ways that couldn't happen anywhere else. They learn the art of conversation, they grow more connected to us and each other, and they learn basic life skills like how to cook and do the dishes.

Both our boys are at the age where they LOVE to help. Every time there is a meal to prepare or dishes to wash, someone small will be there wanting to measure, taste, and play in the bubbles. They have so much fun, but they are also watching and learning. Learning what makes a healthy meal, how to measure and mix, and how we all work together as part of our family.

And that's what I want for my kids. I want them to know how to prepare their own food and know what is healthy. I want them to learn to build relationships, take turns, and work together. I want them to know every day that they are loved and an important part of our family, and we are so glad they are here with us. And we can accomplish all of those things in our kitchen.

GE Appliances has been a part of American homes since 1905. For a hundred and ten years they have been changing the ways people live, play, cook, celebrate, and shape family life in their homes. GE's Our American Kitchen series highlights the role of kitchens in homes all across the country and, more importantly, the real, honest families who live in them. And while each family is unique, you may begin to see the common threads that connect us all.

Ready to enter the giveaway? We have a question for you:

What does the American Kitchen mean to you? Tell me in the comments in three sentences or less and you’ll be entered to win a GE Cafe™ Series Refrigerator worth $3,100! Entries from participating blogs will be pooled and one winner will be chosen at random. Good luck! 
Entry Instructions:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on the blog post promoting this Promotion.  Your comment will be your entry.  In your comment, tell us what your American Kitchen means to you in 3 Sentences or less.
2. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 9/16/15 – 10/25/15.
Be sure to visit the GE Appliances brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!