A few years ago, I bought a table for my dining room. I thought buying a table would motivate me to clean the room up.  The table came in a big box and has been sitting there all this time. I couldn’t put it up because there was too much stuff in there. It was exciting that we finally got one but there was no place to go with the things in the room.
Then a couple of months ago, I did get everything out of the dining room but still couldn’t put it up.  Our bathtub has a big crack in it. The plan was to leave that area cleared out so we could put the bathroom supplies there as we bought them.
We spent the money for the bathroom a long time ago.  The dining room has been empty with a few things trying to move in.  I would clear it out every so often.  It’s been amazing that we’ve been able to keep it clean for this long.  It’s been a good test for us, Hoard free in that room for months now!
I got home the other day and was greeted by two very excited kiddos.  They were making pancakes and told me that I should sit down in the living room until they were ready.  They were giggling and acting all silly. They had cleaned up the dining room, taken the things out that had made their way in, swept the floor and set up the table!  It looked way better than I remembered it looking at the store!  It looked great!
The color is beautiful and there’s storage in the benches.  It’s perfect!  They don’t hold much but I’ll be able to put some cookbooks in them.  They’ve been sitting around in my living room waiting for some place to go.  They have a home now.
Family Meal Time at the New Table
We had an awesome meal together at a table for the first time ever. Â Yep, that’s right. Â We’ve always had too much clutter and not enough room for one. Â Yay! Â We aren’t waiting any longer. Â Sixteen years without a table is 16 years too many!!
They’ve informed me that we are all going to sit down and have a family meal together at least once a week. Â I’m hoping it turns out to be more than that but with our busy lives, I’ll take it!
This is very exciting! And as another comment mentioned, a lot of decluttering blogs and websites play by the rule of “nothing on the dining room table” because it can be such a magnet for clutter. I’ve been working on that rule myself and I’m not always all that good, but it does make a room look so much nicer when the table is clear. 🙂
Yes, it certainly looks nice all cleared off!! I’ll work hard to keep it that way.
One thing that has helped me is to never put anything on our dining table. Many people use their tables to hold mail, books, etc. I think it’s easier to get into the habit of not putting anything on it when you first get the table then to try to break a bad habit later. We do put placemats down when we eat but then put them away after. So the table is always clear and ready to eat at or play games at.
It’s been a few days now and no one has left anything on the table yet. The cats on the other hand seem to like this new nice clear place to lay down so we have to keep swishing them off..lol!
THIS is what it’s all about. I totally get this post! Yay
Yay! It’s so nice when all the hard work pays off! Today it’s on to the garage… a huge job. I just hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew. I’m planning on working on it all day today and all day tomorrow. Not the best way to spend a holiday weekend but when else is it going to get done? LOL