"A MAN CAVE" – "A part of a home specifically reserved for adult male activities, such as drinking beer and watching TV; often a garage or den"
(Definition Wiktionary)
A MOM cave you say? We’ve all heard of THE MAN CAVE, where men go to decompress, have a beer, watch porn or...whatever. But a mom cave? I’m here to tell you– yes, yes, yes!
The concept behind the man cave goes back many years, and stemmed from the idea that when a man came home to his wife and children, he first needed to go to his “cave” to decompress after a long day. But with more and more women in the workforce, contributing financially, and frankly, just downright exhausted and needing more “me-time“, they are craving the same decompression and cave time men crave.
So when I asked moms out there what they'd want in their mom cave, the answers flew in… a massage table, flowers, a big cozy sofa to sit back and read magazines, and more. But truth be told, if you are a mom, there is really no space in the house that is entirely your own. Not since you were a young girl living with your parents or single and living on your own, have you had your very own space to call your own.
As moms, our lives are invaded (we often poop and pee with kids around)– and everything is shared. We share our bed, kitchen, den and bathroom. Even if we work from home, chances are we share the office space with our partners. I always say, the only space that is truly my own, is my car and even that always has kids in it.
Decorators and design experts are all over this new “Mom Cave” craze with different price ranges on how you can convert a closet, a corner of a room, an office, a garage, a bathroom into your very own mom cave.
Now I know what you’re thinking. I’m thinking the same thing too. Nate Berkus or Martha Stewart or Debbie Travis came into these homes with huge budgets, and made these mommies the perfect place to decompress. What about the rest of us who want mom caves on shoestring budgets, with no room in our homes? Well, obviously you can make your own cave as elaborate or as simple, as big or as small as you’d like. Sometimes it’s a matter of buying some paint at Home Depot and a coffee table or chair at Ikea - the rest is up to you.
If I actually do make this my New Year’s resolution (I’m so dying for a mom cave), here is what I’d put in mine. IN A PERFECT WORLD, of course.
All my Oprah magazines, and maybe a few People or US Weeklys as well.
A box of my organic and caffeine-free teas…. peppermint, chamomile, lemongrass. Mmmm. Ahhh. Ohmmmm.
My iPod with an incredible sound-system docking station for my music.
A small flat screen TV on the wall.
Fresh cut flowers.
A big puffy couch with a place to rest my feet.
A pretty lamp.
Pretty paint and wallpaper.
A little table for my laptop if I so choose to bring it in my sanctuary and write.
My book collection.
No telephone, or maybe a telephone just in case I want to sit and chat with my girlfriends or my mom on the phone.
Pictures of my wonderful family.
Maybe a goldfish. Don’t laugh. I think I’d like one in there!
Art on the wall.
Pretty drapes
Non-perishable snacks in a pretty bowl.
Now tell us, WHAT’S IN YOUR MOM CAVE? We’d love to know!!!
Printer-friendly version