Ever wonder what a keeping room really is? A room to keep the kids?

Ever wonder what a keeping room really is? A room to keep the kids? Well, a keeping room is an area just off the kitchen. Keeping rooms date back to Colonial times when families would sleep in that area when the rest of the house was cold. Since that area could be heated by the kitchen stove, it often provided the only heated place in the house. Today, a keeping room is called by many different names, depending on geographical location, such also commonly referred to as the family room.