sewingjunky Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Today I gave my diningroom table to goodwill (it was not a very nice table, and we did only use it rarely) But it did look pretty in my formal livingroom....... well, yesterday I told my DH that we only have about 10 years left with the kids, so the space would really be better used with an airhockey table???? I know....I wasn't drinking I swear!:o:o:o So tonight I have 7 kids at my house making a huge amount of noise while I listen to them laugh and taunt each other as the tournament continues. I video recorded them screaming and laughing and my heart now knows why I gave up the table for hockey! They are as I write, all 7 in the hot tub and going out into the snow and making snow angels, and yes I had to record that too! Kids are so crazy! DH and I are just smiling while they enjoy their friends and our home, it may not be what the designers would recommend, but the smiles on their faces will last me a life time!:D:D:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witha'K'quilting Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Sounds great! I don't have a couch. Had it taken out to put in a large 12' x 4' table to play games on and sew while the kids do homework. The table has a large checkerboard built into it. DH and I play chess on it, while kids have huge checker pieces. We can have several different board games going on at the same time. I love it. I agree with you that the kids smiles will definitely last a lifetime! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boni Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 I miss the commotion and laughter of a bunch of kids in my home. I have fond memories of when our children were growing up. We're empty nesters now and I really love it. I'm glad you are making the right decisions for your family Brendalee. You won't regret it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Brendalee, you and your DH have created a safe home for your kids and their friends to hang out. Not only are you creating some great memories, you've got an eagle eye on your kids. What a wonderful thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb2bie Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Brendalee, Kudos to you and DH!!! Making your place THE place to hang out is the best move you'll ever make!!! You can have another formal Diningroom but you'll never get those years back!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg_marsh Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Oh, the memories - I do sometimes miss them. For us it was the computers were always open to the kids and they were a bunch of gecks - all programing by the time they were in jr. high. Then it was the science bowl practices - they went to Washington DC twice! I did a lot of cooking in those days - all boys!! All but one was at my son's wedding and it was so fun seeing them. They are now spread around the country and all doing well. Enjoy these days - they are wonderful and it is so great that the kids hang out at your house!!! You know they are safe and the relationship you develop with your kids is so important - kudos to you!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Brendalee...you did exactly the right thing! Enjoy those kids and the laughter and the crazy things they do while you can, they grow up way too fast. One of the best memories I have is that of our stepson while playing high school football. The team would meet at a parents house every Thursday night for a dinner before playing the game on Friday night. One Thursday they came over to swim in our pool after a dinner we co-hosted at another parent's house. It was still early September so that was fine...however, it doesn't take long that time of year in the midwest for the evenings to become quite "crisp". The team won their game so they all decided it was because they swam in our pool. We had to leave the pool open that year until they finally lost a game. It was well into October! Those kids would jump in and right back out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 I totally agree....my house is where all the kids want to hang out as well....and to hear them laugh is just a joy. Siana has such a cool Grandma...the kids call me either just "Grandma" or Mrs. Siana's Grandma....they are so cute. And their parents just don't understand that is the important thing, they are happy, noisy, and safe at my house.. I do have to admit if it gets to bad I have to pull the plug on them, but it last about 1/2 hour and its back to full volume again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VictoriaG Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Brendalee, You have truly made the trade for something much more valuable. And with videos too! Treasure the times, 10 years will go by faster than you believe possible. vg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsbishwit Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Having 5 kids, it's like living at the zoo most days, monkey house to be specific, lol Lots of noise & comotion. Then add in their friends and well you can only imagine. My two older kids are always having their friends sleep over (14 & 17) my son & his friends are video game junkies and my daughter and her friends are totaly boy crazy. My daughter's friends are always comming to me for advice on how to handle things from boy problems to friend problems. My daughter also tutors her friends in math at our house as well...It's nice to have a good relationship with my kids and their friends especially since my daughter will be going away to college in the fall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suezquilts Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 It's never to late to get a Pool table, my dear Mom at 70 purchased one. She had cancer at the time and was on alot of pain meds... She would joke, It will keep my kids and grandkids out of bars and here with me... She would say she always wanted one, and had to go to a tavern to play.... And she was correct, our children loved to be there. And we were all playing and having fun together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoleneK Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 When adults your kids will look back on this and remember how great their childhood was and you'll build lasting relationships. Our house was also the hang out, always knew where the boys were and what they were doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriVB Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 You are one smart mom--we would only let my DD go away 2 of the 3 weekend nights--so Sunday nights her friends would come here--and the tradition has continued with out DS!! They come after church and I will make a snack of some sort for them--bacon bread is their favorite-- and then they just hang out. My DH and I are moved into the sewing room--we move the little tv from the kitchen and the cable cord is all along the floor--but we wouldn't have it any other way!! DD friends still just stop by on a Saturday--right about dinner time and stay for dinner and DS friends gave us a Christmas card last night with some money in it to a local resturant--because we make food for them!! You will never regret having this time with your children and their friends!!! Enjoy--this is my last year so I am savoring every day!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherri Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Brendalee, you won't regret it for even one minute! We did something similar....we put a pool table in the "sitting room", a table-tennis table in the basement and a trampoline in the back yard. We set up an area for watching TV and playing video games.....with bean bag chairs so there were plenty of seats. Kept lots of snacks available for all my guys (the ones who lived here and the "adopted" ones as well) Those guys would come through my kitchen like locusts......cleaning out the snack cupboard in no time flat. The Dolly house was the place to go "hang". For years, I'd wake up on Saturday morning to find my living room strewn with 7-8 boys, their sleeping bags, blankets and pillows, chip bags and soda cans. Cost a small fortune in food bills every month. They were loud and boistrous....and being active, athletic boys, they were sometimes sweaty and smelly. But they were mostly respectful and fairly well behaved.....and I made them clean up after themselves, too. The best part was that I always knew where my boys were, who they were with and what they were doing. There were rules to follow - but they were always welcome to be here with their friends. Food bills: $$$ Carpet cleaning: $$ Safe kids, laughter and memories: Priceless P.S. My boys are now men at ages 24 & 25....and a couple of the friends who used to sleep on my living room floor still come by occasionally to say hi and visit. How cool is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingjunky Posted January 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 I am really enjoying it! Thanks for the suppolrt! Brendalee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Can we get up a tournament at the Moxie meeting? :P:P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Good for you. I have a cousin who was discussing with her husband what would go in their dining room. He wanted a pool table and she wanted a table to serve family meals (8 kids). they ended up with the pool table and when it was time for the family dinners, a board on top with a table cloth became the dining table. Whatever works for each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattyJo Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Ok, can we play some airhockey at the Moxie meeting.? We used to have a table when our kids were 12 to 14 or so. I had to have a really good day to even come close to winning over our 2 boys. See you next week.:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bekah Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 BrendaLee take it from a mom whose children are now grown and scattered all over the country. You will never ever regret the memories of thise children and their laughter. I second Patty's request, but then we might get so busy playing air hockey we will forget about quilting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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