And here is my revised layout, with a tentative kitchen idea.

I like the original drawing better than the second. The original drawing has far more storage in the kitchen and pantry, plus has a nicely done laundry/mud room. Tons of prep space to the right of the sink, although when the DW door is open you'll be trapped at the sink. I don't think the traffic through there will be bad since the traffic pattern is outside the prep and clean-up zones. I'd pull the end of the peninsula back so you could straighten it out instead of having the angled end, which would eliminate the DW problem.

The second drawing looks really crowded and gives you hardly any counter space in the kitchen. You don't need island seating since your DR is right there. And the mail center wrapped around the corner doesn't look like it belongs.

I like the second one better! The laundry/mudroom combination leaves no room to set a laundry basket, and puts them right in the traffic path from the garage. It also gives a lot more space for the mudroom, with direct access from the back yard, rather than tromping through the dinette.

The kitchen still needs some work, but I much prefer not having a traffic path through it. I would combine the two - I agree with Cindy that you don't need seating with a table so close, but you do need more prep and storage space. In the first kitchen, the distance from sink to stove is a problem, especially with a doorway at the bottom. Try the "hot pasta" test - do you want to lug that pot form stove to sink to drain - with 2 kids running through because they smell dinner? And the fridge won't open next to the wall as drawn.

How about a U kitchen, open to the dinette? I'd put the fridge at the "mail center" end (you could still build that into the fridge surround), so it's close to the table, family roo, and back yard; range at the closed end, out of the traffic, and sink on the right side. Open this up to the family room completely, build a full wall, or something between.

Cindy, there is a doorway down by the fridge that leads to the bedrooms so I think she is worried the kids would cut straight through the kitchen from the bedrooms past the fridge and stove to get to the backdoor or mudroom rather than go the long way around the exterior of the kitchen (turning right from bedroom hallway, through the family room, then around to the left). I know my kids would constantly be doing that so I agree with her that she needs a better plan, but I think annkh is right that the second plan does not work well either.

Thanks for looking, guys. I am not in love with my plan. One with a microwave would certainly be better. I like the u shaped idea. I still kinda like the island idea, mainly for homework/crafts while dinner is getting set on the table. But a peninsula would be nice, too. Just not a bendy one- and I'm not crazy about 2 level spaces (though I am pretty messy). Maybe I just need to tweak what is there.

My current kitchen is a major thoroughfare for all forms of cars/balls/races and it isn't horrible- but could be avoided. Also my current kitchen is not particularly large (11 x 14) and it is wall to wall (90's style) cabinets and we only use about 70%. So, I just want it efficient- not overkill. Thanks for the advice on the fridge placement!

I missed that door, thanks.

The U shape is a good idea and is kind of a combination of the two. Best would be a total rework of that area, including the laundry and mudroom.