Our Family Table

I have read time and time again how important it is for a family unit to get together around the table for meals. It keeps people together they say. I have no doubt of that. I don’t need statistics or family psychologists to tell me that. It would seem like common sense to me. 

But. We have a small house. We also have a lot of stuff (aka junk) that we have little room for in the first place. 

Soooo, last spring we made the decision to sell the dining unit to make more space for our growing family. We listed it on Kijiji but it just didn’t sell. We ended up storing the table in it’s pieces in the basement, the top hutch in the "to be renovated" back room and the TV now sits on the buffet (which makes a nice entertainment center/unit actually).

All of that meant that we were without a table. We had planned to buy a smaller one when the other one sold but since that didn’t happen were still without.

Fast forward from then to now...

I had a desk which was still reminiscent of my days as a university student. It served me well then but was just not suiting my/our needs now. I’m not siting writing papers anymore. I don’t even had a desktop computer anymore (LOVE my MacBook Pro). It was large and cumbersome for a desk as well, which was fine then, but again, not now. 

My old desk has been disassembled (carefully as Daddy has plans for the wood) and the table has been resurrected. It is sitting nicely where my desk once was. It is still large and we are thinking of taking a piece off of it to shorten it a tad but other than that it is perfect. I’m really not sure of why we never did it sooner. 

First off, it will be so nice to be able to all sit down together again. A place where our meals can be enjoyed alongside each other. I have missed eating at a proper table and was growing quite weary of our current “dining” situation. I am hoping that this will bring a much more pleasant experience for everyone at meal time. In fact, I know it will. This will also allow the children to be much more involved. I see them learning to set the table in their very near futures.

Secondly, it will provide a much better work surface for everyone. It has the clear open space needed for all the kinds of projects we have going on around here. This is truly going to go miles in my attempts at creating more this year and in years to come. I see myself sewing at it. I see us homeschooling at it. I see art and science projects taking place at it. I see myself working at it with books and papers spread about. Some of this I even see taking place simultaneously. Why? Because now it can.

Thirdly, it will give us a central place to gather. Have you ever tried to play a board game on your lap? Neither have I, which is why we haven’t played a decent board game in a while. Candyland bring it on. Monopoly come on up. There is going to be a lot of games and laughter at this table. As a gathering place too I also plan on plenty of family meetings and discussion there. This is where hashing things out will take place and where tough decisions will be made.

This is going to be a great change for our family. Sometimes people push at change but this is one that I am more than happy to accept. This is a step in a very good direction for all the things we wish to accomplish together. 

It is more than just a table. Oh, I have big plans for this table.