Mommune?

My husband and I own two homes.  Sounds upper crust, doesn't it?  It's not.  It's actually pretty crummy.  We own and lived in a historic beauty near downtown Racine and Lake Michigan for about five years when the owners of another house, just one mile south, got transferred.  We made the leap and bought the new place, hoping for the best but not realizing how horrible the housing market would become. 

The new (though actually older) house is a better fit for us.  Plenty of bedrooms, bathrooms, room to spread out, and a library that makes a wonderfully private home office - something my husband and I both need.  Still, two homes comes with its obvious disadvantages.

Financially, it has not been easy.  We did have renters, for awhile, but the elusive buyer that every homeseller is looking for is yet to be found. We've made some lifestyle modifications and are doing fine.  In fact, this little mess has actually helped us to re-evaluate the concept of want verses need as it applies to a lot of frivilous spending.  In the end, it will all work out.  Someone else will surely love this old gal as much as we did, won't they?

The thing is, as much as I love the new house and believe moving was the right decision, I'm attached to the other place and feel badly that it is not being used.  Recently, I had an epiphany: Grand old home + fireplace + good book or laptop + glass of wine or cup of coffee - children = great place for mom to get away! 

What was I thinking?  Isn't "a room of her own" every woman's dream?  Forget the shared home office situation, I'm setting up shop over there!

I sometimes brainstorm alternate uses for the house.  Afterall, we're paying for it, might as well use it.  This morning, I was thinking that if this were the sixties, that place would make a great commune.  Then it hit me - a mommune!  Imagine a sort of club house for moms.

Any interest in a lovely, quiet place where moms can come together and make themselves completely at home?  Where we can gather around a fire to read and discuss books, write, create, inspire, and re-energize?  Where small groups can connect around issues that matter to them?  Where monthly programs address our shared concerns, joys, accomplishments and challenges?   Where we can mentor a new generation of moms and tackle the issues that threaten our city and our families?

I'm getting excited as I envision moms from all walks of life drawn together by what connects us, not categorized by what sets us apart.  Single moms, married moms, divorced moms, working moms, stay-at-home moms, new moms, older moms, grand moms, step moms, gay moms, straight moms, adoptive moms, birth moms, teen moms and more.  Forget about the mommy wars. 

Think of the variety of clubs and organizations that exist.  Why not a group designed to promote and support mothers and the issues that matter to us?  My second house just might be the perfect place for such a movement to take shape - a place where you can get away and get involved at the same time.

Is forming an active, intergenerational community of moms the answer to personal burnout and community reform? Is the "Mommune" the mother of all ideas or is this mother simply sleep deprived?