Small desk or bigger?

[confustication]

I have a fairly small living room. One of our computers is located on a small desk in there kind of like this http://www.ivgstores.com/IVG2/Y/Prod...ng-Casters.htm only older and in crummier shape. :P The other computer is located in a nook off my kitchen on a much nicer disk with hutch and filing drawers and so on.

I work from home- and when my husband was here, it worked well for me to have my out-of-the-way spot off the kitchen. Since he is not here, I need to be available to the kids at all times, which means I find myself using his computer in the living room most of the time. This setup is not as comfortable or functional for me, but it means I do have the ability to better supervise the kids and work- yay!

The question I have is, essentially, do I give up space in our small living room (this is also our play room and everything else) to have a better/more functional work area in the space I need to be in?

[elsie]

Yes, because you will do a better job both as a worker and a mother if you have a better set up.

[sunnysandiegan]

Absolutely. However, I would make use of things you already own before buying anything. Can you swap the two areas short-term? Do you have a bigger table elsewhere in the house you could use short-term?

I am admittedly assuming your DH is away short-term, which I define as less than one year. If he is out of the picture indefinitely, then I would rearrange the whole house to suit my new needs and I would call in reinforcements (family and friends) to help and/or ask for the items I needed. Craigslist and freecycle would be next on my list, then the thrift store. Lastly, I would buy retail on sale at an inexpensive place. Unless you plan to have oodles of kids, the timeframe you need to be right with them is relatively short and I personally wouldn't make a big investment to achieve it.

Also, to add another thought.... I was at a friend's house recently and she added a "sofa table" to her great room for the laptop and homework supplies for herself and kids. It is an elegant response to her dilemma. (Three kids needing her attention while her oldest did his homework and she wants to keep a close eye on his computer usage.) The sofa table isn't as deep as a regular desk nor a computer station, but they can be quite long. This works well for laptops and the newer monitors.

[confustication]

Ok then, I was already leaning this way. My weekend project will be to get the computers switched around. DH is away, and while he will be back to visit, we will actually be moving to where he is, so changes I need to effect will be the changes made in the house until then. I need to look at what I can move around in my living room to make this work right, but I know I can find a way.