Dining table woes

I'm definitely a beginner when it comes to DIY and custom design in my home.  Case in point:  My new built-in dining area:

I love it.  I had planned it for months, and finally saved up the money (CASH) to buy everything and pay my contractor.  Several problems came up after it was installed though.  One was the bench seat.  the whole thing fits the wall space so perfectly but it never came to mind that I was building a custom size bench for which there were no ready made cushions available.  I mentally tried every option.  Buying foam online and cutting it myself. -still pricey-  finding a similar size cushion and cutting it down. -almost as expensive-  not to mention the two to three yards of heavy duty/kid proof fabric i would need to buy.
SOOOO, i ended up finding this website.
OutdoorLivingYourWay
 If I allowed myself to not be a spoiled brat and require banding and corded trim, and if i kept it at only two inches thick(this is just for kids after all), then it only ended up being $72 for a perfectly fitting, perfectly sewn cushion with outdoor fabric.  The shipping was super fast too, so I will definitely use them again.
NOW, the new problem is the table.  Our sweet little $200 round table from craigslist only allowed one person to eat from the new bench and I was determined to make it useful.  I measured it out, and in order to center the light, and provide enough clearance to enter and exit the bench on both sides, the perfect table looked to be 43"x72"
So began my new problem: finding a table that size that wasn't a million dollars.  I looked for weeks. craigslist, eBay  overstock sites, big box stores...nothing.
I decided i could maybe make a table top out of butcher board (hello, Pinterest).  So, off Jeff and I went o Ikea, and i bought two lengths of wood counter top.  weeks went by, and the project never got started....
Then my girlfriend was moving into an apartment and downsizing her furniture.  I saw the table online, right shape.... Asked her to measure, right size!  She has 3 kids too, so like mine, hers wasn't perfect, but we decided to switch tables.  the table had a wobbly leg and the chairs all needed to be reupholstered but i was excited cuz it was FREE.  It was fun thinking about new tablescapes:

pardon my horrible time of night photo

I started ripping apart the backs of the chairs, and ordered a sweet peacock fabric i found for just the backs of the chairs:

Then the whole project went south again... the wobbly table was starting to enrage my poor husband.  Any time you tried to scoot away from the table it would be on the verge of falling over.  The table's legs were another problem.  it was almost impossible to slide onto the bench, and then the kids would try to scoot the table out (refer to problem #1) and the whole thing would be wonky again.  the 43" i thought i wanted for the width did not allow two people to have space at each end, making the bench almost useless.  On top of that!  i went online to order some plain black fabric to redo the rest of the seats and that was going to cost well over $100.  This was supposed to be a bargain!!! :(

I decided it was once again time to cut my losses and start over.....