When I outlined some of my Marriage Truths, I mentioned the importance a Man Cave can play to help maintain a happy home.
- A Man Cave (also sometimes mantuary) is a male sanctuary, such as a specially equipped garage, spare bedroom, media room, den, or basement.
(Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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
(Source: en.wiktionary.org/wiki/man_cave) - A place in a home that helps to ensure harmony between a wife & a husband.
(Source: Wife – The Hubby Diaries)
There are many, many days where hubby has retired to his man cave to do all those “man things” that I have no interest in.
Things like:
- A Lord of The Rings marathon
- A Guitar Hero Jam Session
- Watching 4 football games at one time
- A showing of Black Hawk Down that’s so loud it shakes the house
- An up-close-and-personal afternoon with John Madden (the video game of course)
My hubby happens to fall into the category of incredibly lucky when it comes to man caves. He was actually chosen for a home renovation show called “Man Caves”. This is a show where a team of designers came to our house and literally made over our basement into a Media/Poker Haven for hubby.
Now is the moment when I should mention .. or perhaps grandstand and dance around the room with my tongue sticking out… and say that the only reason hubby even knew about this show was because of my addiction to home improvement TV. Which ironically enough, is one of the exact reasons he needs a man cave to “escape to” in the first place.
So I forced hubby to apply for his dream room and he was like a giddy, little school boy when he was chosen to get the “Ultimate Man Space”. A Vegas Style Poker room
I’ll share some pictures so you can see why hubby has considered moving into our basement full time. (Thank you Man Caves team.. you did an amazing job!)
Hubby jokes that this room is for MEN ONLY and, as much as he needs to put on a show for his buddies, he & I both know that it’s as much a room for me as it is for him. It allows him to get away from me and it allows me to send him to the basement. It also gives him a space to display all that absurd stuff that’s “important to him” (also known as stuff that I wish would disappear!)
Here’s where the harmony comes in…….
Most women are aware of the “stuff” a man brings into a marriage that has absolutely no place in an adult home. Many women try to relegate these items into a box that’s stuffed into a closet so no one will see it. An alternate solution is indeed a Man Cave. It’s a win/win. Hubby gets to display his crap (uh… ooops.. I mean important personal items) and I don’t have to look at any of it! Trust me ladies, as long as there are some cleanliness ground rules, a man cave can save the rest of your home!!
Here are few items that now have a home in hubby’s man cave:
The Video Game System — along with all the controllers (there’s no way that the Guitar Hero drum set & guitars would ever “live” in my living room)
His Dancing Hamster – you can read more about this here: “Here Comes the Dancing Hamster”
Sports Memorabilia – autographed pictures, mini football helmets and other misc crap (uh.. I mean, meaningful personal items)
A Couple of Old Toy Cars – apparently collectible & sentimental??
Some Odd Figurines — can you call a ‘man” collectible a “figurine”.. I may have just broken a man rule??
Crumpled Snack Wrappers & Empty Beer Bottles – (oh wait… those items don’t belong there….. Or do they??? At least they’re not on my coffee table!)
So, as you can see, providing hubby with a room all his own, has helped to ensure harmony at my house! And, hubby has learned that if he wants to bring something into the house that is ugly, stupid or childish… there’s no question where it will wind up. AND…… even after creating a place where I can banish dumb items, and a place where I can hide stuff from visitors.. there is still one rule that prevails.
Hubby thinks this rule is that NO GIRLS ARE ALLOWED in the Man Cave.
But.. the real rule is…. I STILL ALWAYS HAVE VETO POWER!
If the item is TOO dumb, or TOO ridiculous.. it still may not be allowed in the house.
And, since I have to pass thru the Man Cave to get to the laundry room… hubby has to live by this rule or he may never, ever have clean clothes again! (Again — I think this is a win/win…)
Either that OR he should learn to multi-task while he’s in the man cave and he should do his own laundry… But, since we know Men are Like Toasters, I doubt this will ever happen.
Neverending veto power for me… there’s no better way to ensure harmony! 🙂
That basement looks cool. I’m in full support of man caves.
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Are you INSANE! Do you realize the *danger* you have put the rest of us in?
All of us women out there who fantasize about an over-sized laundry room with hanging drying space, and a dumb-waiter which speeds your clean, ironed washing up to your 2nd floor bedroom, about a pale-oak-panelled, houseplant bedecked, surround sound fitted yoga room or a special room, with display shelves, for our shoes are now that little bit further from our dream because you are proof that, somewhere out there, a woman has ceded her basement to her husband!
My husband keeps talking about the basement being his man cave and I keep telling him he can buy a shed at Home Depot.
I tell him to be grateful he gets any man space. In England the man cave is the local pub and, if he wants to go there, he has to walk there in the rain.
At the most, I’d give up HALF the basement.
You are a saint. And your husband should massage your feet fort-nightly, do all the dishes daily and book you a massage once a month.
In the meantime, I am going to make sure Fluffy Bear NEVER sees this post…
😉
IBC
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I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. 🙂 I guess I didn’t think thru the repercussions this could have on the expectations of other men!! And, I’ll be showing hubby your response…. I think he needs to hear from other people that he should do extra chores and that I’m owed massages!!
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Unless I am mistaken as of last weekend, the Hamster of Victory was still perched atop the TV in “your” HGTV veiwing room.
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Where is the *man cave* at my house? Anywhere Mr. Snoots wants it to be. Forever & ever amen. I screwed up 32 years ago when I mistakenly let him think he had the upper hand…. Dammit!
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Liz~ It’s not too late… take back your space!! Either that or no clean laundry or dinner or (fill in your chore) for Mr. Snoots! Carve out a “man zone” and move all his “stuff” into it! It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done!!
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I found this through the (not sure the name is right) “young people these days …” site you gave an award to. So – your system does work of linking people around on wordpress.
Anyhow, I have to say Calvin and Hobbes had the ultimate man-cave. Maybe a tree-fort would be a bit impractical after a certain age, and a wife/girlfriend may take offense at the club name GROSS (Get Rid Of Slimy girlS). But that still takes the cake.
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GBSP ~ thanks for stopping by! Believe it or not, when we first found our current home there was a huge tree house in the backyard and hubby was over the moon about it (and we don’t have any kids!!). So, at least for men, there actually may not be an age at which it becomes impractical!
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Ha. That’s funny … But I can believe it. I can’t watch the Star Wars with the ewoks without thinking how amazing it’d be to have giant bridges connecting trees.
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Man Cave – I want I want I want……
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Bajanpoet ~ LOL! I’m telling you it’s a recipe for marital harmony (perhaps you can use this argument to convince your wife??) Best of luck to you!
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[…] extra cash to buy a video game…. or a beer…. or a stupid sports trinket to clutter your man cave (ok, that last one was probably something I would likely say… not something the coupon would […]
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