I say, as DAR has, take off the slip covers and save them for holidays and other occasions when you use the dining room for the grown-ups (and you have to do that from time to time or you're brain will get mushy!). It won't matter if the upholstery gets a bit dirty because you have the slip covers. Use the dining room as your school room. Keep it organized as such and then you won't feel that it's always in flux. "No, that's not our dining room, it's where I home school the kids." When you have guests, you can clear out the school supplies and add candles and bowls of fresh seasonal fruits or flowers and voila! it's a dining room again. Keep the kitchen area as your dining space for family and friends. You need a big table for seven, so if you can afford it, look for a farm table with integrated leaves. Sure, use benches for the kids...you don't need to have all chairs (they're more expensive than benches). Use the round rug elsewhere (is your bathroom big enough for it?) and don't bother with a rug under the family dining table...the tile is more forgiving for clean-up.