I tried to make my living room look like adults live here — you know, end tables, matching lamps, maybe a whiff of “HGTV energy.” It actually worked… for a while. Then one lamp met its death by blanket, and the other was taken out by my 5-year-old doing Spider-Man parkour across the couch. Now both are gone and my living room’s darker. I will never live in a showroom — I live in a house of play, laughter, and memories.