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Wednesday, September 16

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!

52 comments:

  1. My kitchen is the heart of my home. It is where I feel I make my family know just how much I love them! We gather there to share our lives and our love for one another!

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  2. It is definitely the heart of the home where memories and traditions are made!

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  3. Our kitchen: food preparation, family eating time, mealtime prayers, art projects, science experiments, communication center (notes on appliances), primary way of entering and exiting our home, the only path to get to parts of our home, and the location for some serious discussions. It truly is a hub.

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  4. My kitchen is where my almost grown granddaughters, try new recipes, new techniques and have a lot of fun together.

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  5. The Family Kitchen to me is good food, friends, family, and memories. Thank you for the wonderful giveaway.
    Erin
    ErinLoves2Run at gmail dot com

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  6. The American Kitchen to me is like the heart of the home. It is where meals are made with love and care. It is also where family can come together to work and share in laugh and brings back memories from when you were little and cooked with your mom or other adult.

    dlatany at gmail dot com

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  7. American Kitchen to me means that it’s the place in the home that families spend the most time together, catching up and enjoying meals and time together.
    Thanks so much.
    rickpeggysmith(at)aol(dot)com

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  8. American Kitchen means a place for me and my family to create memories together by cooking meals that nourish our bodies and minds.
    amy [at] utry [dot] it

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  9. The american kitchen means a place where i can cook food for my family and share some good laughs and love with eachother! alicia.szemon@hotmail.com

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  10. The American kitchen means to me love, and the most used area in our home. It is where my family and friends gather on holiday's when visiting or celebrating any occasion even just dropping by to say hello. The kitchen is where I keep my secret recipes that friends and family often ask about and where I spend the most time creating a feast and experimenting on recipes like science to make sure they turn out perfect.

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  11. Brownie

    The kitchen is where I get to make memories with my family and cooking with my grandsons..It is my comfort zone. The kitchen is where magic happens!

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  12. The kitchen is where I put love into my families food. It is the place where we all gather and share about our day. It's where memories are made!
    xnadax@aol.com

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  13. American Kitchen: it means great food and great fellowship! We love trying new recipes together with friends and family. The more the merrier!
    matthewj.kirby (at) gmail (dot) com

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  14. To me, the American Kitchen refers to the heart of every home. Families all over America gather together, share great food, cook together, entertain friends and family, work on homework with their kids, and so much more every single day right in the kitchen. American Kitchen=Love.

    Thanks for the chance to win!
    wildorchid985 AT gmail DOT com

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  15. Our family kitchen is the pulse of our home, it is where we begin the beat of the day. We don't need fancy, we don't need shiny. We need the rhythm.
    krosemones@gmail.com

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  16. My kitchen is a place for friends and family to feel comfortable and welcome. I love baking goodies for loved ones.

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  17. https://mobile.twitter.com/michael64263870/status/649034463523966976

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  18. https://mobile.twitter.com/michael64263870/status/649034463523966976

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  19. My American Kitchen is where I spend most of my time with kids everyday!
    tina19820115@gmail.com

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  20. It means the place where the family/friends get together, at the end of a long day, to relax and enjoy meals, conversation.

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  21. it means something that runs smoothly and seamlessly to help me get through the day

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  22. Tweeted https://twitter.com/aqualina56/status/653884320298479616

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  23. The American Kitchen means to me a gathering place for family and friends. Where there is warmth and comfort and good food. A place we can all gather as a family to enjoy each others company.

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  24. The American Kitchen is a place where memories are made, where stories are shared, and where love is reinforced. Food has always been a central feature complementing the most important events in life (holidays, weddings, birthdays, etc). This makes the American Kitchen a central feature of American life as well.
    sazzyfrazz at gmail dot com

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  25. Tweeted: https://twitter.com/sazzyfrazzy/status/655097970346487808
    sazzyfrazz at gmail dot com

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  26. Our kitchen is where we have shared laughter and tears and learned all about making good food to share with family and friends. It's the first place we gather and it's busy until bedtime.

    willitara [at] gmail [dot] com

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  27. Tweet - https://twitter.com/willitara/status/655909024051781632

    willitara [at] gmail [dot] com

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  28. An American Kitchen means to me a kitchen with modern convenient appliances - its the heart of the home where family meals are prepared and served!

    debbiebellows (at) gmail (dot) com

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  29. i posted a tweet here: https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/655932382566969344

    debbiebellows (at) gmail (dot) com

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  30. https://twitter.com/shiebs24b/status/656183429726269440

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  31. The kitchen is the heart of the home. It's where the family comes together. It's where dinner is made, kids learn to cook, lunches are prepped, Christmas cookies are baked, and family and friends come together!

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  32. The American Kitchen to me isn't a place but a feeling. When I was a young whipper snapper much of my time was spent watching my Grandma use her hands and the love from her heart to provide the most delectable dishes we could imagine. I now am passing this off to my kids in my kitchen.
    jlammers002 at woh dot rr dot com

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  33. I shared on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FireRunner2379/status/656589556972695552.
    jlammers002 at woh dot rr dot com

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  34. To me, a kitchen is a place to cook and eat and celebrate and show those you love that you love them with food! :-D
    Angie
    14earth at gmail dot com

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  35. The kitchen is the place where our family gathers for conversation and nourishment over a wonderful meal that we prepared together.
    nuthouse(at)centurytel(dot)net

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  36. it means comforting and easy to use
    pokergrl8 at gmail.com

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  37. https://twitter.com/aes529/status/657874783397412864
    pokergrl8 at gmail.com

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  38. I tweeted: https://twitter.com/BurtArby/status/658130460330041344

    cateria7@live.com

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  39. to me, the American kitchen means a place where I look forward to spending quality time with my family- where we sit together,
    converse & enjoy a meal or even cook together #SweepstakesEntry

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  40. The American Kitchen means a place for family and friends to get together for a great meal.

    rounder9834 @yahoo.com

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  41. #SweepstakesEntry - comment

    I feel the American Kitchen is the most important room in a house for the family as
    it is where we all grow. Not just growing from eating nutritious food prepared in the kitchen
    but growing (closer) as a family & individuals as we come together to eat, relax, converse & work on projects.

    KC
    kacor7@hotmail.com

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  42. my #SweepstakesEntry tweet:

    https://twitter.com/thrincor/status/658341013388423172

    KC
    kacor7@hotmail.com

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  43. The american kitchen means to me a place to cook food from the heart. It's a place for family members to gather just to sit and talk and catch up. it's a place for families to sit and eat a home cooked meal together.

    tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

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  44. tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/658342458930155520

    tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

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  45. The American Kitchen is a cozy place for us to go. We cook food from the heart, and always healthy! wlbellows at gmail dot com

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  46. The american kitchen is a place it my home where i feel i belong

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  47. https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/658410266162515970

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  48. For me the American kitchen represents countless precious memories of my families heritage and our love of food and cultural. And, I can tell you size doesn't matter some of the tiniest rustic kitchen were able to cook all day and the most delicious food was served. My love of food and passion to cook and entertain has been passed down to me through the decades of fine cooks.

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  49. It represents a place of grab and go... Lol... We're a busy family always on the run! Shawn92379@gmail.com

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  50. https://mobile.twitter.com/Esham4life/status/658563727596326912 Shawn92379@gmail.com

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  51. https://mobile.twitter.com/kytah00/status/658557119780823040 afjackly@oakland.edu

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  52. Afjackly@oakland.edu ... It's a place where family gathers

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