Everything But a Drink Table – A Pretty Happy Home

Last year, I bought a drink table (a tiny side table big enough for a drink) to sit next to the bench in our kitchen. There was no place to set a drink if my family wanted to hang out on that bench with a beverage while I cooked dinner. Slap a cape on me because I was sure I was the hero for solving that problem.

However, much to my chagrin, my family uses that table for everything but a drink table.

Here’s how I envisioned the drink table being used:

A quiet, serene place to enjoy a warm or cold beverage. Peaceful, right?

I’ve been married and a parent for more than five minutes.

I should have known my family would choose chaos over peaceful serenity.

Here’s how my family actually uses the drink table:

For someone, this seemed like a logical place to put their work gloves.

Funnily enough, later, this family member could not find the gloves they sat down in plain sight.

After seeing the work gloves, it won’t be a surprise that the next non-drink item on the Everything But a Drink Table list is a measuring tape.

If you give the family an inch…

Moving on, I should have called the drink table a string cheese table.

Finding string cheese sitting on the drink table happens frequently enough that I stopped taking pictures of every occurrence.

Someone in my family likes to eat string cheese warm. That same person also often forgets where they’ve put the string cheese to warm up. I haven’t been brave enough to ask at what point the string cheese is no longer edible.

I can tell you they won’t eat the string cheese if it was left in their pocket and then went through the washing machine. So, they do draw the line there.

I don’t have an explanation for this next use of the drink table.

Why a hot pad?

It’s probably better that I don’t know.

One thing I do know is that I wish I had never seen this next use of the drink table.

One of my children walked past 8 feet of counter space to eat a granola bar while making a sandwich on the drink table.

It does explain why I kept finding crumbs on the table.

As for this next exhibit, at least it is liquid-adjacent.

Alas, in case you were wondering, we do not have an indoor pool.

I originally awarded bonus points for the person who placed this Nerds candy box facing perfectly forward.

However, those bonus points were forfeited and a penalty added when the box tipped over and Nerds candy spilled everywhere. Have you ever seen how small those candy pieces are?

Nerds are the glitter of candy. I found Nerds for weeks.

Last, but not least, I am happy to report that occasionally, the drink table has been used to hold an actual drink.

And it wasn’t mine.

I think we’ve all learned a few things today:

Don’t just ask who made your sandwich. Ask where it was made.

Don’t forget where you put your string cheese.

If you give your family a horizontal surface, they will happily use it in ways you never dreamed of.

Does your family use items in your house in funny ways, too? Do they eat their string cheese cold or warm? I’ll grab a drink, and you can tell me everything! You can comment here on this blog post, email me here, or reach out via direct message on Instagram or Facebook.