Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Table-Less Tablecloth

Due to the size of our home, we do not have a kitchen or dining room table. We had to decide which was more important - giving the kids a place to play or having a table where we could sit and eat together. The decision was obvious.

And you know what? Even without a table, we still all sit and eat together for every meal. Creativity is easy to come by when a situation calls for it.

Up until a week ago, our dining always took place on the couch. Sometimes we would use tv trays if the meal required a steady surface. Other times the youngest three would sit at their kiddie table while Eric, Isabelle and I sat on the couch. And still other times, we'd all eat on the floor together.

So I bet you can imagine the messes that were sometimes inevitable. Our couch and floor are not shy about showing off their stains.

It may have taken us awhile, but Eric and I finally got smart. We knew we had to do something to protect our furniture and carpet. Eric remembered what the parents of some of his friends did when they were growing up - they used a vinyl tablecloth on the floor.

Genius!!

He rushed out to the store and purchased us a large vinyl tablecloth. As an added bonus, it was on clearance for $2.50. It folds out quickly, wipes clean with just a wet rag, and folds up to be stored out of the way in seconds. The tablecloth stands up to all kinds of abuse and our carpet and couch are breathing a sigh of relief.
Yep, this table-less tablecloth definitely works for us.

Stop by We Are THAT Family for more Works For Me Wednesday.

10 comments:

Sue 10:12 PM  

Very creative! We eat on the couch even though the dining table sits empty next to us. Guess that's what happens when there are only two of us ;-)

Mikki 10:28 PM  

Very creative. Quick thinking and it works!!

sunnymama 12:07 AM  

I love this idea!

Frugal Sara 12:16 AM  

What a great idea. Sometimes I will build a fort out of blankets in our living room and we will eat our lunch under there. Switching the routine up every once in a while is a great thing!

Omah's Helping Hands 12:57 AM  

What a great idea! I'll have to mention this to my daughter. That will solve some of their problems as well!

Niki Jolene 9:41 AM  

My son would adore eating picnic style every night!

:)

annies home 11:57 AM  

we have did this before and I feel that if we are all eating together then what is the deal if we have a table or not conversation has nothing to do with a table

Kate 1:41 PM  

Oh, how fun! I bet your kids will remember those dinners forever. =)

~Kate
"Which Proverbs 14:1 Woman?"
http://proverbs14-1.blogspot.com

Julie Willis 11:50 PM  

I bet it works much better on the floor than on the table! Up there the those cloths always get so crinkly and slip easily. That's why I gave up on them, they always look so pretty in the store. When they go on clearence you could have one for each season.

~Shelia 11:28 AM  

I love your creativity on this topic. BUT I want to jump ahead to another of your posts RE: house for sale...

We were in your shoes a year ago. And I want to point out something our realtor said...

Not everyone who comes to your home as a potential buyer will have children... they will all eat, however.

I highly encourage you to rethink your allotment of space. You should be setting up your home in a manner that allows people to envision themselves living there. The rooms should be clearly identifiable for its purpose. There should be little of you in that mix (very minimal, tasteful, neutral accessories). The moment your put the house on the market, the house and how it functions should be for the buyers, not the seller.

That was a hard pill for us to swallow seeing as we had 3 small children still living there, and needed to be as functional as possible. ~sigh~

You need to get back a table. And put it where it makes the most sense. People walking through will only see that there is NO WHERE to eat in your house.

Sorry, but I felt I needed to mention my observation.

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