Like many family homes, each room within our own serves more than one purpose. We work, play, create, sleep, eat, and read, together or individually all within the same few shared rooms of our home. Quite often, we overlap in the same space, so it is no wonder that my own bedroom, opening right off the eating area, would follow suit. By day it often functions as a quiet lounge for an assortment of school work, reading, or personal work, and by evening it becomes a place of much needed personal retreat. “Your room is the best,” my children often chime. And shouldn’t it be? With so many efforts expended in a day, the bedroom is the place of origin, a space where we begin and close each day, and I have always wanted my own to be a refuge, a deep sigh.
Aside from the gentle scents often diffusing in the air, our children love our bed the most, as do I. They snuggle under layered bedding, remarking how soft and cozy the bed is, teasingly asking to trade. We recently replaced our 12-year-old spring mattress with a Casper Wave Mattress, and I realized afterward, a mattress can be like a favorite pair of old running shoes, you don’t notice the lack of support until you replace them. Or so is the case for me. The Wave, with five different layers of breathable foam, has been a dream thus far––and by that I mean, I am deep in sleep, dreaming. As a busy mother, writer, and homeschooler, that matters.
Choosing a new mattress feels luxurious, but the options can also be overwhelming. Like a few other companies disrupting the mattress world, Casper’s Wave arrived in a box, furled and tightly sealed, directly from Casper. It is somewhat surreal to imagine our King sized mattress in a box only a little larger than a mini-fridge. “A mattress is in there?” The girls kept asking. Then we opened the box and playfully helped it unfurl.
Since we hadn’t ever owned a foam mattress before (and maybe the same is true for some of you), I was concerned about the safety and heat factor. Although I am cold natured, like most people, I don’t enjoy feeling hot or waking up sweating in the night. Yuck. I was happy to learn the Wave was thoughtfully engineered, not just to appease the American Chiropractic Board (which it did), but also to keep sleepers cooler with breathable foam layers and a humidity-resistant wool cover. I was also pleased to learn that along with the other Casper mattresses, the Wave is made in the US and is CertiPUR certified, meaning each mattress is made without ozone-depleting chemicals, flame retardants, mercury, formaldehyde, phthalates, lead or other heavy metals that might negatively impact our family’s health or indoor air quality. Since our entire family spends time in our bed, that is something I certainly rest easy over.
QUICK TIPS TO CREATE A DAILY BEDROOM RETREAT
Although I’m grateful my children love our comfortable new bed and spending time in our room. At the end of the day, I want to have a clear and clean place to retreat for the night without them. For those of you who also share your bedroom space, here are a few things I keep in mind to recover my own personal retreat experience.
Clear Guidelines | Although I allow the kids to lounge on my bed, I do not allow them in the sheet unless they have bathed and are ready for bed. It keeps dirty feet out of the sheets. The kids also have to take off their shoes, and although I sometimes allow them to tumble across it (more often when they were little), they have to ask permission. Mostly I want them to remain mindful that this is their parent’s space first.
Basket for Odds + Ends | I keep a small woven basket in my room to collect all the odds and ends that meander into our space during the day––random socks, books, papers and such. I simply toss the remnants into the basket and set it on our dining table for the kids to clear and put away the next day. This is life-saving.
Layered Bedding | In addition to a comfortable and supportive mattress, I only sleep with one pillow, but I prefer to have a few extras on the bed for reading or writing or watching movies in bed with Mark. I also love extra blankets for coziness and often keep a duvet at the foot of the bed year round.
Candles or Diffuser | A glowing candle can be exactly the special touch our rooms needs at the end of the day. It shifts the air and the light of a room. During the warmer months or during the daytime, I tend to use the diffuser more often to help clean and clear the air.
Fresh Flowers | When possible, I prefer to keep a small vase of flowers or greens in our space, too. Mainly because they make me happy. Wink.
This post is sponsored by Casper. Images taken by Hannah Walls for Cloistered Away. All thoughts are my own. Thank you for supporting the businesses that help keep this space afloat.
Comments
I basket for all the random things! Great alternative to my usual, “Get all your stuff out of my room!” comment when I decide I’m overwhelmed and want it cleared out.
Yes, the basket method has helped my parenting in all stages, and even in gathering my own messes, too. Wink.
Ohh thank you. I am trying to decide between Casper and Tuft and Needle. May I ask where your bed frame is from?
I’m so glad this was helpful, Sarah. I do think you’ll love the Casper mattress. We found the bed frame at Room and Board over a decade ago. I’m sure they have something similar. My sister found a similar one recently at Target.
We bought a Tuft and Needle and it has changed our sleeping. One of our best purchases. We bought a really nice West Elm storage bed on Amazon Marketplace. Waited and searched for a long time and very happy with our sleeping amenities (except for the kids joining)