Our first home was adorable.

Three bedrooms, 2 baths, and a 2-car garage all packed into 1,423 square feet. We bought it new in 2000 for about $180,000, and watched with delight and anticipation as it took shape-- first the frame, then the stucco, then the drywall and the carpet.

We scrimped and saved in the months before our move-in; on many a Saturday night, our only entertainment was driving to the fledgling subdivision and shining our headlights on the house, peering at the progress, dreaming about the memories to come.

I was happy to finally move back to Southern California, but leaving our house was heartbreaking. It was humble and simple: the smallest, least expensive model in our little community. But it was all we needed, even after our baby girl arrived and seemingly filled it to the rafters with toys and swings and high chairs.

SoCal is a whole different animal when it comes to real estate. Our little house, which we sold for $350K, would sell for at least $650K here. Needless to say, we're renting, saving, and watching the market carefully before we decide whether or not we can even afford to buy a home down here.

But in the meantime, I can't help but look at listings and daydream about my ideal home. I would want 4 bedrooms-- one for us, two for our daughter and the other child we plan to have, and another space to serve as a playroom/office/guestroom, as my husband works from home. I would want one large living area that preferably spilled into the kitchen-- I love open floor plans. No need for a formal living room, as that would go unused and just cost more money to furnish. A walk-in closet would be nice, as would a yard big enough for a swingset. 2,000 square feet should be more than enough. The sad thing is, something that simple would set us back at least $750K in our current neighborhood...yikes.

Given our current living situation, I can't help but gape in disbelief when I see stories like this one. It seems that even as our families are shrinking and foreclosures are rising, Americans just can't get enough of big-ass houses.

One in five American homes has at least four bedrooms now, up from one in six back in 1990.

That didn't seem too unreasonable to me, until I got to this part:

Evan and Valerie Astle are having a 5,700 square-foot house built in a new subdivision near Ogden because they want more space for their three teenagers. They have been renting a storage unit while living in their old, 2,100-square foot home.

That won't be a problem in the new house, which has four big bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms and a three-car garage.

"Our kids have more stuff. They need more living space," said Valerie Astle, a grade-school teacher. "Our (old) house was fine when they were small, but we've just outgrown it."

From "I Don't Know How She Does It" by Allison Pearson.  The lead character, Kate Reddy, working mom of two, fantasizes about life in the country as she takes a bath:

Climb into the scalding blue lagoon and lie back with my favorite reading matter -- in recent years, let's be honest, my only reading matter.  Better than any fiction, Jameson's "Country Property Guide" is a glossy brochure crammed with photographs of desirable properties for sale around the British Isles...

The pictures are fabulous but what I really love are the specifications.  On page 18, there is a house in Berkshire with an annex study with a barreled ceiling and gardens full of mature fruit trees.  What is a barreled ceiling?  I'm not quite sure but I want one.  And mature fruit trees!  I picture myself wafting through a wood-paneled library where there would be freshly cut blossoms in tall vases on the way to the country kitchen boasting a blend of traditional cupboards and up-to-the-minute appliances.  Standing next to the Aga, I would write the dates on the labels of the jelly made from apples picked from mature fruit tress in extensive gardens while my children played contentedly in the recessed nook upholstered in tasteful fabrics.

"Kate's porn."  That what Richard calls the Jameson's brochure when he comes across a copy  stashed guiltily under my side of the bed.  He's got a point.  All the mouth-watering pictures, laid out for my viewing pleasure, allow you to take possession of those lives without ever having to go through the trouble of actually leading them.  The more depressed I get in my own house, the more consuming my property lust.

Fathers may be more important than mothers regarding whether a child becomes overweight or obese, according to a study by the Centre for Community Child Health at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute:

The study looked at nearly 5,000 4 to 5 year olds and investigated the relationship between their body mass index (BMI) status and the parenting styles of their mothers and fathers.

The study found that fathers who had permissive (allowing children freedom without limits) or disengaged parenting styles were more likely to have heavier children. Conversely, fathers whose parenting was more consistent (setting clear limits, following through with instructions etc) were less likely to have a child with a higher BMI.

Ok, here's the real shocker:

I'm surprised by the results of this study as I often connect mothers with weight problems in children.  I have to say, it is a relief to see that fathers have such an influence and a responsibility.