{p,h,f,r} Dining Dilemma

Think about going to church. It's a special place set aside for worship. As you enter, you ready yourself for what is about to occur. You notice the altar boys lighting the candles in the same pattern that they use every week. The polished chalice and filled cruets are on the preparation table. The lace cloth is on the altar, having been lovingly washed and ironed well before the day. There is no rush, no slap-dashedness.We need to bring something of that sense of time, place, and preparation to our dinner, of course with all that is proper to the family setting. It's up to me, the mother, to think through where, when, and how we will eat (and then the others can help you make it happen). ~ Auntie Leila

I crave this right now! I've been devouring Auntie Leila's Eating Dinner Together series. Her latest one touched on something very real to us. Leila said, "I am grateful for my dining room, and from the time our eldest kids hit puberty we ate in the dining room pretty much every night.
You see, as the children get older, their bodies take up more room! Maybe the size table you actually need just won't fit in your kitchen!" Yup. This is where we are. Up to this point, we have been able to sit everyone at the dining table in our breakfast nook for almost 10 years. But now that we have 1 very long-legged man-sized boy and two almost teenage girls, that bench that used to fit three now really only fits two comfortably. Throw in a 6 month old in a high chair and well, we are officially out of room.

Because we've been able to eat in the eat-in section of our kitchen, we've used what should be the dining room section of our living room as a school room since we moved in. Now we need to reclaim it for dinners while still finding a way to keep our school stuff there. I'd love to hear your suggestions!

{pretty}

The kids have been eating in the breakfast nook and keeping their lenten reading next to the crown of thorns. Sean's work has been so crazy, he's not always with us and depending on how Cupcake feels, I might not be there either. Hopefully both of things will be changing here in the near future. I think we will still use this space for weekday breakfasts and lunches since those meals happen independently. Some of my kids like to eat before they shower and dress, others like to eat after. They usually eat lunches together but without me since Cupcake's nap schedule has dictated a later lunch most days. I'm ok with this because it has allowed me to instruct them on what makes a healthy well-balanced lunch. We call it Health class.

{happy}

This is our dining/ school room. Right now we are on Spring Break but Bigboy is using a cool car drawing kit that The Professor no longer uses to draw some hot rods. It makes me so happy to see these boys share their love for all things boy even though they are 6 years apart in age. What doesn't make he happy are those shelves. Part of our day today is going to be addressing those cluttered shelves and the bins on the floor. Those were relocated from the den and need to find a new home.

{funny}

The Professor has been teaching Cupcake to read. He has very high standards for his baby sister! :)

{real}

The real problem with using the space right now is that we don't have enough chairs. Since this table is used for schooling, it only has four chairs. One sometimes gets pulled over to the computer, or to the desk, so really it's only three chairs. This table will seat 8 but with no leaves it's a tight fit especially with the rounded windsor style chairs. Maybe some chairs like this would be better. We also need a bigger table in here if we are going to dine every night and still have room for occasional guests. Maybe some lamps too. The window keeps it well lit during the day, but in the evening, there is only a ceiling fan light.

I'd love to have a pretty sideboard/buffet in this room, but the shelves and desk are more useful. Plus, the desk belonged to my great grandfather and I'm not ready to let it go. I have considered painting it or trying to sand off the dark finish for a lighter look. Also, what you can't see is that opposite the giant window is an area we call the dry bar. A dry bar is a wet bar without the sink and apparently every house built in the 1980's just had to have one! It acts as a good place to put some barstools and set out food for a party. Right now we use the cabinets for game storage, so maybe if we shifted things around it could act as a sideboard to house candles and linens.

Like I said, suggestions are most welcome. I wouldn't want to go too formal because this room is open to our front living room/ computer room. We do a lot of living here. I want it to feel comfortable.

I just want to add that I am not complaining or bemoaning our situation here. We have more than enough room in this house for everyone God has given us to care for. I am approaching this as something that I feel called to try to accomplish for the sake of my family and I would love some practical ideas on how I can make that happen. Thanks!

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
with the lovely ladies at Like Mother, Like Daughter