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| My pot of knives and forks |
Life is fairly hectic in our house .. but meal times are the time we sit together as a family. Even when I am pushed for time we all sit and eat, but whenever we are in all in a hurry there is a point just as I am about to serve a meal that I remember that the table needs laying. It's usually really close to the food being ready. Inevitably nobody has a moment to put the knives, forks and spoons on the table and on occasion this really becomes a point of high stress. My three children all argue that it is not their turn to help and yelling at my squabbling children just before we all sit down to eat tends to ruin the atmosphere. I am not one for charts, and to be fair I don't remember which child did what and when, and I hate referreing , but I have now found a solution.
Not so many weeks ago I was in a cafe and I looked for the cutlery. I looked about, up and down and around the counter, and then felt a little silly as one of the children pointed out that it was under my nose in the middle of the table.
I've now popped all the knives and forks into an old plant pot and leave it in the middle of the table. The children have time to put their toys away, wash their hands and come to the table without arguing and I get to serve supper peacefully.
Lazy ... or genius what do you think?
genius. something I think I am totally going to pinch too!
ReplyDeleteIt's so obvious .. I don;t know what it took me so long to figure it out!
Deletex
Genius is what I think. Why spend time putting knives and forks away just to bring them out again a couple of hours later, if you can avoid it? Our problem, is clearing enough space on the table to put any knives and forks onto it in the first place!
ReplyDeleteGenius. Although my mother would not have stood for it. She would have twittered on about instilling responsibility in the kids or some such blather. I think it's pretty cool if you ask me!
ReplyDeleteThink its a great idea, we often do this if we eat outside or have friends over. Love your pot as well!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant. I do quite often just dump the cutlery on the table in a heap when we away to eat but this is so much more stylish. :)
ReplyDeleteA very stylish casual way of delivering cutlery to the table - fabulous idea for a BBQ. Then again I am was one for rotating charts and my children have followed suit (although they are still young yet so there is no arguing yet!) Having four children under 5 the eldest had jobs right from the start and then little house jobs after school it was the only way I survived and a certain amount of peace in the house. They felt grown up looking up the chart to see what job they had to do on any particular day, they learnt to compromise and negotiate and swap jobs when activities or homework overlapped.
ReplyDeleteWow! now I feel really inadequate. But very impressed. The Glam Teens do lay the table and have got to the stage where THEY can't be bothered with the arguements and just do it. GG
DeleteGreat idea, especially if the cutlery and pot are as chic as yours are and if it's near to where you wash and dry.
ReplyDeleteActually, while I'm here - can I ask a question of you all?
I had it drilled into me that when you have finished eating you put knife and fork together with knife blade facing in. I'd never realised this wasn't standard until recently when I asked Mr B if he'd finished because his cutlery was strewn across the plate. He said he'd never heard of my weird rule. Am I a bit "Hyacinth Bucket" or is that fairly normal?
it was standard where I went to school and in my home for sure. It still is.
DeleteStandard for me to. My mother would not have let me get away with anything else.
DeleteIt is a great idea Vanessa, especially with 3 children in the house.
Yes absolutely normal - if knives and forks are left any other way, it means they haven't finished eating and want more. Well, that was what I had drilled into me by my mother anyway.
DeleteI think it is a legacy from the era when you weren't allowed to speak unless spoken to and couldn't just take more food. It was very much used in my rather victorian childhood home. Now people don't get the point as they just ask for or take more food if they want it (and, shockingly, don't finish all the food they have taken to start with). Especially when people don't clear their plates it is handy having a non verbal signal so maybe it is good to carry on.
DeleteGenius but I'm sure that when younger the Glam Teens would still have found something else to argue about. Who comes down stairs first?! GG
ReplyDeleteGenius! I tend to do when eating outside in the Summer, but a brilliant idea to incorporate inside - especially when it all looks so beautifully styled. Everyone wins here - no squabbling from the sprogs and Mum's happy to look at the beautifully styled table (husband of course is still busy catching the wild boar outside with his bare hands - lol!)
ReplyDeletePaula xx
p.s. Just to chip in - I'm a definitely knife and fork placed together at end of meal person!