What is your family life centered around?

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We just got back from our annual family Christmas, and we were discussing how different families center their family life around different rooms/activities.

We decided that our family centers family life around a dining room table and conversation. Even if we aren’t eating a meal, we sit at the table, sip sodas, munch on some kind of snack (carrot sticks, honest!–well, sometimes carrot sticks!), and talk, talk, TALK!

My older daughter’s boyfriend’s family centers their family life around the television. It’s on constantly, and the entire family sits around the television and watches whatever is on, and if anyone tries to talk, they get a rude look from the rest of the family.

I know families that center their lives in a kitchen. Everyone is in the kitchen, helping with preparation of meals, treats, drinks, etc.

I also know families that center their lives outdoors in a garden/deck. When the weather is good, they spend almost all of their time outside, and sometimes even have porches with cots so that they can sleep outdoors.

Lots of possibilities for different families! Around the piano, in the car, the garage (especially for the handymen and women in the family), the basement workshop, a coffee shop or cafe, a bar (at home or out), etc.

How about your family? What’s your “center?” Where do you all hang out and “be” a family together most of the time?

BTW, I am assuming that most people posting are Christians, so of course THE center of our lives is the Lord Jesus and His Church. I’m thinking more of the place/activity outside of church where your family gathers and spends most of their time.
 
The Church, kitchen, outdoor activities (when it is possible), and our extra-curricular activities (like, kid’s sports games or performances (my oldest is a ballet dancer). I feel that we approach most things as a family when we can. Good thought provoking family ideas you are talking about. Thanks.

Eric
 
I’d say OP has the right idea, anything that is not a TV or computer except DD’s family spends a lot of time with the WII but all together–especially the rock band mode, time for grandma to take a walk. the also spend a lot of time with music–everyone plays an instrument and their library is a music room.

I was struck when I moved down here how many homes have in the central location in the main living area an altarcito, a home shrine, with of course a crucifix and Nuestrea Senora Maria de Guadalupe, and candles, but also other religious images, family photos, the wedding bible and rosary, and so forth. The TV is usually in a comfortable but out of the way area, not the center of the main room as it is in so many homes.
 
Our family life is focused around our large dining room table, between our living room and our kitchen. Our children grew up around this table. Now seems like we are always having our adult children over and talking loudly about any and everything around this table. We hold our grandbabies and love on them.
We enjoy having our parents over and eating a big family meal with them. My husband and I have lovely romantic dinners on this dining room table, just the two of us. We always try to keep the dining room clean and pretty, but sooner or later everything ends up on the table: bills, invitations, cards, diaper bags, baby toys.
I wish I could leave this table to all of my four children, but I can’t! I think they would all cherish it, though…
 
I’d say the living room or the kitchen. It’s nice, we have an island in the kitchen now, and the kids kind of sit around that and chat with me while I’m cooking. Our master bedroom also has been an area of ‘‘congregation’’…I or my dh and I will be watching tv or chatting…and the kids will come in and chat with us. Growing up in an Italian family, it was the kitchen table…where most of the family arguments, tears, laughs, etc took place. :o
 
I asked my wife about this and it was an interesting discussion.

We moved up to Alaska this summer. At our old place we had a big dining room table and I was still in school so a lot of the time spent at our condo revolved around that table.

Now that we are in Alaska things have changed. She is pregnant and well… the winters are long so we got cable for the first time ever. We do have the tv on a lot more and our place is so small that our kitchen and living room are separated only by an island. Because my wife cooks alot I would say that our life now centers around that.

We do spend quite a bit of time on our laptops which is troublesome but also fun at times. We will send each other links, research things we are talking about etc…

I have noticed that the TV is on QUITE a bit because we have cable and almost feel like we should GET OUR MONEY’s worth. After a few months of this we have been MUCH MORE intentional about turning it on.

This is a good question - I do think there are a lot of factors that go into individual situations, but overall I think that if you look at your own situation it might give some insight into how and what you do in your homelife. I know that I will definitely be looking at this a lot more closely.
 
My husband is a graphic designer/web designer so it seems like he is always working on something on his computer. I would say the home office is where we really spend our time. I usually hover around him in the evenings after work, scratch his back, chit chat or appear in the doorway with some coffee or juice or tea, a snack etc.
He just recently put a couch in his office/loft space so I could read up there, because I spend a lot of time readnig (usually Catholic or apologetics books and I was running up the stairs every 5 minutes all excited saying "did you know…"etc etc etc lol)
We are not tv watchers, but we do get a few hours a week in on the wii or ps2 🙂 So our living room space is usually empty - although when we put our Christmas tree up we made it a point to just sit on the couch and enjoy the tree while we had tea or cocoa.
Growing up it was ALWAYS the kitchen…I mean for hours, nibbling on tarelli with my mom and nona. I have a small kitchen space now, and my husband doesn’t like to be stuck in there so its really just our place to eat. I think when we have children this will change (won’t everything ;))
 
For my kids and myself it’s the living room, we get to read stories, talk, hold each other, play silly games…In my bedroom is usually our family time with board games, works out for me because we can all lay down on my bed and put the board game in the center and we have a great time…There hasn’t been much of that since I became pregnant, all I do is sleep…pretty much…I hope to have some energy back soon so that we can spend family time again instead of just me sleeping all day long…I miss our family times and I know my kids miss them too!

When we gather with my parents etc it’s usually in the dining room or kitchen…To talk spiritually is usually my parent’s bedroom…DAD likes to lay down while everyone sits around him! LOL

Oh fiance’s family is usually the living room, tv always on, eat in living room and practically sleep in living room! As long as the tv is on! LOL It’s a habit I will have to work on with him because I do not want to raise kids infront of tv all the time! LOL
 
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