Hey gang! Sorry it's been a few days since I last blogged but life is a tad bit busier around my house now. The babies are home with me for the summer and boy is it DIFFERENT! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my little ones, but preschool did give me 8 hours of free time. Now, that's about 1.5 hrs, if everyone gets a nap.
I've been doing some thinking also. If you follow me on twitter then you've seen my ode to my dream mom cave. I live in a modest sized home of 3 bedrooms & two bathrooms. Mom and I each have our own rooms while the children share a bedroom. There's no den or basement so that leaves a large "family room" that no one sits in. The reason no one uses this 18'X20 (it may actually be even bigger than that... don't have the measurements in front of me) is because I've desired a formal living room for YEARS.
Back in 2004 when I purchased my current living room furniture, I was single and SOLO; no kids, no man and no problem keeping my ornate investment in tact. And then came Matthew in 2006... and 19 months later, his sister, Caitlyn.
When I was seven months pregnant with Cait, I purchased the home we're living in now and to be honest, there wasn't a whole lot of thought put into the design element of our new space. The first three years felt like we were still apartment dwellers. It wasn't until last year that I decided I wanted to take a stab at making my this space my own.
The first room I tackled was the living room/family room. After all, it was already fully furnished. All it really needed was some well placed throw pillows and curtains, right? RIGHT?
Wrong.
I'm ready to admit defeat now.
I think it was the Nate Berkus show that helped but there was a dad on the show who was part of a large blended family. As large as the family was, their space was premium but this didn't deter him from reserving for himself a "man cave". Ouch. lol!
As much as I would LOVE to have a "mom cave" I realize that's next to impossible to achieve with small children. I also realize that although we're no longer crammed into an apartment, that doesn't mean we shouldn't be making full use of the space we do have.
An ornate, untouchable living room may be Southern, but it just ain't working for me.
So here's what I'm thinking...
As large as the current living/family room is, there may be a way to create zones so that the children and adults both have a stake in the space. With modular furniture pieces and ample storage options, concealing pint sized clutter and cleaning up afterwards would be a snap. Having a common place to gather is essential for the harmony of the home. Right now, everyone floats to the place where they're most comfy.
My children absolutely LOVE my bedroom. lol! I don't know why this is, but I tend to think it has more to do with me being in it than the space itself. But I desire for my bedroom to be my MOM CAVE. I feel this is a reasonable notion seeing as to how all of my clothes are in here and so is the house's second bathroom. lol! Essentially, if I can create a family room that is family friendly for ALL (less formal and uptight... *sigh*) PLUS come up with a co-ed bedroom design that is fun, funky and vibrant for the babies, they'll be way too engaged in the other two spaces to bother mine!
That's the dream, anyway.
Since I'm not yet made of money (but working on it) this will require brainstorming, creativity and patience. Rome wasn't built in a day. The perfect design that shouts "That's Melissa!" but is approachable and comfy won't happen in a day.
My #1 requirement of all furniture that enters my home is that it MUST be comfortable. I don't believe in pieces of furniture that are strictly chosen for their design but offer absolutely no comfort. I chose my current sofa and matching chaise (now I know that matchy matchy is out of style so don't judge me... lol!) because besides being STUNNING on the showroom floor, it was 100% comfortable. The pillows were oversized, the seating was firm, and I was in love. Still am. I love my sofa immensely and I think it's held up well over 7 years, despite two highly energized children. I'm leaning toward an L shaped sofa plan or possibly a slightly smaller sofa with the addition of more chairs, replacing the sole chaise. Not sure.
I'll post pictures once I get into full swing and trust me, this design will be done on a DIME. Only discounted, re-purposed and craigslist items for me. I absolutely LOVE craigslist. If you haven't at least browsed craigslist you have no idea the deals you're missing. So far, I've purchased three items of furniture from craigslist and a child's bike. It's GREAT! Of course, use caution. Never go to pick up items alone and whenever possible, always meet in a public place with plenty of witnesses nearby. Better safe than sorry.
I'm looking forward to this summer. I'm not one of those overly organized moms who writes out schedules for her children to follow. Can't you tell? lol! I'm a go-with-the-flow kinda mom, very laid back. I'm firm when I need to be but I prefer to let things happen as they will. We may do some traveling soon and that should be fun. We were able to travel last year and I was so thankful to be able to take them places none of us had ever been. Looking forward to the same this year. It's ridiculously hot outside so we're not out there much, but here and there, we enjoy some water play. Most of all, we're spending a lot of quality time with each other.
Looking forward to an exciting summer.
I'll keep you posted on my design ideas.
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