DH and I eat relatively late, after the toddler is asleep (she is not always interested in eating herself so needs encouragement, and after she is finished, just wants to disrupt the 2 of us, so it's easiest eating later, especially as DH is often only getting home from work then).
I try to have the toddler and my lunches for the following day made and in the fridge, as well as dinner organised and cooking (unless it's a stirfry to cook at the last minute) before she is finished her dinner. Todays' lunchboxes and other dirty dishes neatly stacked for washing up, clean dishes put away and dishwasher unloaded if need be, dishwasher refilled as we go, and washing up done if I can (and the toddler has eaten enough as she HAS to "help" washing up - and that gets wet and messy).
After dinner, DH usually does the washing of whatever is left, and I clean the rest of the kitchen - finishing lunches, organising tomorrow's dinner (peeling vegetables, taking dinners/meat out of freezer, marinating meat, making a sauce - whatever needs doing), wiping down the counters, and laying the fixings and dishes for breakfast on the counter. The recycling is taken off the breakfast bar (it has a special spot out of the way) and brought to the big bin outside, and I also bring out the main trashbag if it is full, and empty the compost caddy as well if necessary (do that about every 2-3 days midweek as it is well sealed - it usually needs doing at least once a day at weekends when we are home all day and cooking properly!!). We don't dry the dishes unless we need more space - DH has a "thing" about teatowels and germs, and it works fine for us.
This is also the time to check through the post (also on the breakfast bar) and make sure there are no bills to pay - filing goes into a basket on the dresser for later, and junk mail goes in the recycling. I try to clear off that counter every night, so that there is only the washing up liquid bottle, hand soap bottle, and the tray (with the pens, notebook for ripping pages for lists, hairbrush and grips) left on it. Or maybe 1 or 2 pieces of paperwork requiring attention.
The kitchen is actually the one area of the house that we are very good about keeping clean and under control. It really is the heart of the home for us, and we can survive if the rest of the house is in chaos, once the kitchen is clean (we can then cook, eat and wash if necessary in the one space).
