One of the biggest disadvantages of being a family of 5 is that the world is built for a family of 4.
Hotel room? Sure. 2 adults, 2 kids... oh, you have 3 kids. Ummm, that'll be an extra charge.
Table for 4? Oh, you're 5? Ummm, you'll have to wait for a table. Sorry.
Vacation to Disney? Absolutely. Oh, it will cost extra for a third child. Our packages are only for 2 adults and 2 kids.
What really jerks my chain is that the divorce rate is right around 50% for North America so do the families with only 1 adult get a discount? Not a chance! It's just stupid and it's really starting to tick me off. Once Kyle reaches 1 year old he will officially count as an extra body in our hotel rooms. Really. Stupid.
What got me on this soap box is the fact that we have outgrown our kitchen table. Craig and I bought it years ago out of the Pennysaver (before Kijiji or Facebook even existed) when we were still a family of 2. It's a beautiful solid oak pedestal table with 2 leaves and 4 matching oak arm chairs. That's all fine and dandy as long as you're only entertaining 2 people at a time or if you're only a family of 4. Now that we have 5 kids we need to expand and a table that seats 6 just isn't going to cut it. What? Are we going to have only one person over at a time?
"Sorry Aunt Bertha. It's Uncle Herbert's turn this Christmas. You can come next year."
I'm campaigning for a table that seats 8. But not just any ol' table. It can't be pub style. It seems SO many 8-seaters are pub style. SO impractical for those with kids. I hate them. It has to be harvest style, so no pedestal. It must have leaves for it so I can expand it to seat at least 10; maybe 12 in a pinch. No veneered tops. They chip and peel away and just look generally ugly within 10 years of purchase. We have waaaaay more than 10 years with kids in the house. AND it can't come with chairs. Seriously. I have this grand idea of a table with mismatched chairs seated around it. We have a dining room that isn't used for it's intended purpose so the kitchen table is where we eat. Who wants a formal dining set in their kitchen? I figure a nice table plus mismatched chairs will equal shabby chic. Yes?
Anyway, do you think I can find a table that matches my specific requirements? Yeah, and Kyle changes his own diaper and my dishes washed themselves this afternoon and Craig put a remote control on the lawn rake and pigs fly.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
That was awesome - and very PG :) What is harvest style vs. pub style though? I have eaten at many Mennonite tables designed to seat 10 children, 2 adults plus 2 adults with 3 children. They all had a loooong bench seats on each side plus some mix-matched chairs at the ends and corners. It was always quite the sight, especially if one bench was against the wall - what if the guy in the middle has to go pee? P.s. I should have edited better the first time I posted this, why does it have to tell the world that I deleted a post?
Harvest style is more like the Mennonite style you're familiar with. Usually very straight legs, slightly tapered; a little like my parents' table. Pub style is bar height and you basically have to JUMP into the chair. They're awful for kids.
I kind of wish Blogger had a spell check like Facebook. I've caught many spelling mistakes in my comments because of that handy tool.
You are friggin hilarious, Michelle. I love your humour, and you always tell it like it is. I wish I would have known not to buy a veneered top... ours is gross after 4 years! I tell myself it's a version of shabby chic and well loved, but with only Isaac's corner chipped and dented (he tends to go at it with his spoon) the effect is not quite sophisticated. Keep blogging... you make me smile!
Amanda
My Mom gave us her Dinec set. Kind of expensive, but they've got what you want. I just wish our chairs had no fabric on them - gets messy fast!
Post a Comment