I hear ya ~ I use to try to do an 'activity' at the table while I prepped the last of lunch but I spent more time referring and dealing with tired hungry kids who were not coping with sharing or turn taking at activities than getting lunch ready and things would burn on me and what not stressing me out more ... it was just 'not working'.

I too prep as much as I can in the morning and in winter months try to do 'crock pot' type hot meals that just need to be served but even than you still need time to 'serve and cool' for them.

So now if you are 'over 2' you get to sit and watch a 10-15 minute video on the TV while I get lunch ready and the 'under 2' sit in their highchairs in the kitchen with some fidget toys or finger foods while I get lunch ready, If you are not doing a 'good job' in the livingroom with the show you have to come into kitchen and sit at the table with the 'babies' and do a quiet table activity which is motivation for them to be 'nice' in the living-room cause the TV is seen a big kids treat .... we all eat lunch together and everyone 'stays' at the table and keeps other company until we are all done and after lunch we brush teeth at the table as a group now instead of trying to do it in the bathroom where again they had trouble taking turns with the sink so now we spit in a 'spatoon' at the table that is just for this purpose and than we read a story or two together to 'wind down' depending on how long they took to eat and than I send the potty trained kids one by one to the bathroom and than they get on their cot. The kids in the highchairs I change their diaper and put them to bed one at a time while the ones 'waiting' look at board books while sitting contained in the chair and I tuck everyone on their cots in after the babes are all in the pack and plays ~ and they got to sleep on their own.

As we wake up after quiet time they are invited off their bed to come do quiet activities at the table OR watch a bit of TV again if they are not quiet awake enough to do table stuff.