I had said never again. That was when koolaid was spilled on my black and white dining room rug, oh, about a week after I’d bought it. It had been a bad idea since the beginning. I’d bought the rug online and didn’t really think about how the material mattered. Oh, it matters. The material wasn’t like my other rugs, it was woven cottony material. It was hard to vacuum. It was a magnet for the fur and dirt and dust. And, let me tell you, white just isn’t a smart option for a rug when you have four (this was before Margaret) kiddos, even if there is black involved.

The rug ended up being thrown on a bonfire one balmy fall evening. Never again, I told my husband, as I watched the embers fly in the air. And I’d meant it. But then we moved our dining room into our old living room and we bought a new table. Our dining room now shared space with our entry way. And I found myself saying, “I really think this space needs a rug under the dining room. But I just can’t.”

“It would be a waste of money,” my husband agreed. I nodded.

And then a few months later, I bought a rug for under the dining room table. And I was right. The space needed a dining room rug.

But this time I did pay attention to the material. It’s the normal kind of rug. Not a woven cottony material that soaks up koolaid like a paper towel. And I made sure this rug had lots of dark colors with some splashes of pink and oranges so that when that birthday punch does get knocked over, you’ll hardly be able to tell. We’ve had it for a month now and I’m so glad I listened to that little voice telling me to buy it. So far, no spills…at least none that I see. *wink, wink*

Which brings me to my biggest piece of advice, my mommy friend that may be reading this. There will be spills. Embrace this beforehand. It’s okay. It’s just a rug. And because we picked one out that has a little bit of pattern and color, no one will really even notice. In fact, it’ll be that stain that you smile over five years later. Because this rug will hopefully be hanging around five years later…not being burned in the bonfire.

OH!!! I’m not even going to waste your time giving you links to that first rug. But if you love my blue patterned rug that hides all the spills. You can purchase it at Wayfair here or Walmart here. I’d check both places because the price can fluctuate and one place can be significantly cheaper than the other.

Until Next Time. From My Porch to Yours,

Sharlie