Today I am . . .
- Hosting two Japanese teenagers.
- Driving up to Mt. Hood to play in the snow.
- Hoping to to have either snow or a sunny day, but not driving rain.
- Using a gift card to buy fresh bagels.
- Excited that my older son’s Japanese tutor will be moving in with us until the summer. She wants to cook Japanese food for us and help with cleaning! She will also help the kids with their homework, and give them someone with whom to speak Japanese away from school.
- Parked on the couch under a down lap blanket, thinking that a second cup of tea is necessary before I go get those bagels.
- Getting used to the new configuration of the living room, which points all seated furniture at the TV.
- Calling the living room a “media room.”
- Recalling how cute all the boys looked while playing Beatles Rock Band last night. (This was not possible when the TV was in the spare bedroom, as there wasn’t enough space to spread out.)
- Trying to let go of any negative feelings I have about becoming a TV-in-the-living-room household, as welcoming exchange students into our home is a thousand time more important than the aesthetics of the house.
- Planning a restaurant dinner of Mexican food, which the Japanese boys have never had before.
- Unsuccessfully trying to find a coupon for said Mexican restaurant.
- Happy.
How about you?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I, too, worried about being one of “those” families with TV in the living room. But after 15 years of tv in the spare room or basement, when we moved it I found we tend to hang out more in the living room, together, more than before. Even with the TV off. Few regrets.
We don’t do the TV in the living room either. But we don’t have cable or TV reception and use it solely for watching movies once or twice a week anyway. WEspend plenty of time in the living room without the TV there.
We moved the living room into the tv room, since I gave up my “parlour” living room so my dh could have an office up in the daylight and heat, rather than in the dark cold basement.
Arranging the furniture was tricky because I didn’t want the tv to be the central focus of the room (and the room doesn’t have a fireplace or a picture window to act as that focus.)
My girlfriend told me that I could put swivel bottoms on my Lazyboy rocker/recliners and then they could be turned towards the conversation area (with the tv in the corner behind them) or swung around to face the tv when we have it on. If we are watching tv, then all seats in the room can see the screen. But if we are not watching tv, the screen seems to be tucked out of the way.
This has worked well for us, so, if possible, I’d suggest putting your sofa on the wall opposite the corner the tv is tucked into and two lighter chairs that can be moved around to face the tv when you are watching it. I’m assuming that isn’t that often in your house – since your family pursues all kinds of interesting activities.
We went from a small TV inside a built-in cabinet in the family room to a huge one on the wall. The kids can play and Scott can watch sports and we can have parties. Function over design, really.
Today I am…STILL washing everything in my linen closet to get off all the concrete dust. Going on the 8th hour and folding and putting away, and probably the 25th load of laundry. Filled some giant IKEA bags to take to the humane society for the animals. Filled another bag with crib sheets and such for a friend who had a baby. Found old hang tab curtains and duvets which will never be used for those purposes but will be fantastic material for a project down the road. Going to put them in a bin and label and they will probably sit in the garage as long as the “t-shirt quilt box” which is going on 15 years at least. Some day….
Today was unseasonably warm so I opened up the house, took all of the futons outside to air out, hung out laundry to dry, and otherwise took full advantage of the weather by walking the dogs twice today, culling some of the saplings and bushes sporadically planted in the yard by the previous owner, and eating all three meals outside.
I did some rearranging in the living room since the furniture is so much lighter without the futons on it. Unfortunately my housemate is very media centered so my small tv has been in my office (still haven’t plugged it in since august) and his large high tech one is in the living room. I have gotten him to put all the various remotes away when not in use but the surplus of cables to all his gadgets still bothers me.
Today I attended an all day training for work.
Learned that if I fulfill my annually required 10 hours of training there is a possible financial bonus (there’s one in February I’m going to look at!)
Lying on the couch and being lazy.
Not making dinner, which will probably be leftover (free) food from my husband’s meeting this morning.
Generally, a lazy day!
A live-in Japanese tutor who likes to cook? Sounds ideal!
Today I am . . . feeling thankful for the two small jobs I landed yesterday. Whew!
I hate TVs in livings rooms/kitchens/bedrooms, but yours could be a temporary situation, couldn’t it? There is the possibility of doing without a TV altogether, but I appreciate that’s pretty extreme (though with today’s computers, I think that might be around the corner for loads of people).
I think all that hosting is incredibly exciting. I think I’d have to spend a year cleaning house and un-cluttering before I could cope with having ‘strangers’ come to stay. Silly of me, I know.
If I were the only person in my family, then I would happily be TV-free. However, my husband and younger son watch International soccer games, which is why we have cable. (My husband cycles to work and back to offset the extra cost.)
Katy
This house has an “open” floor plan, meaning that the living room, dining area, and kitchen do not have separating walls. The living room was the only place large enough for the media equipment.
I am having a wonderfully lazy day “cleaning” closets, going through paperwork, going through my “wish list” file and discarding things that I no longer “wish for” and or checking to see if they are now discounted and assembling a bag to donate to Goodwill and another charity thrift shop. Feels so good to “lighten up” a bit, especially since next week I will be “locked” in a conference room all this coming week – so I NEED this downtime. I don’t watch tv much……although I am manic about Antique Roadshow on PBS……but otherwise could care less about even having a tv. In fact, I actively try to avoid tv and news shows because I find it totally depressing ( I do love NPR when I need to tune in).