Sunrisen, I, too, am married to an attorney, and I'm a SAHM....sort of. I do a lot of work for him, manage rental properties we have, etc. So I know what you mean about how hard we moms work. You've gotten lots of good input here. One simple thing is meeting halfway. If your max is 3200 sf and his is 5,000, then halfway is 4100. If we were in person, I'd smile warmly at you and say this as gently as possible.....you sound a teensy bit unyielding about this issue. ((hugs)) (and we are also hardheads, so I understand) We have two sons, and our 3300 s.f. home was not big enough for me, personally. Sorry, it just wasn't. It was comfortable, but I needed more space in some areas that it lacked (like a larger family room). Size of homes is definitely a fiercely personal issue....we are getting ready to build, and I've heard people very passionate on both sides of the fence. Prior to the recent crash of the economy, some of us have lived through a decade of decadence, for sure (for many people) and I think some of us are rebelling against that, and the stresses it brings, and want to simplify. I agree that good income is one thing, but net worth (is the income managed well?) is entirely another. If that is an issue that's bothering you deep down, then I agree, you do need to be pushy about it. It does sound like something is causing you to feel so strongly about limiting the s.f. .... explore your feelings and determine what that is. It sounds like the difference in the s.f. you two want, is not that big. Not big enough to cause stress & arguments. I'm on the side of more square feet, but I grew up in very loving, but small home, and I feel trapped when I don't have enough space. To me, comfort is all about adequate s.f. I certainly understand others who feel differently. My inlaws built a 5000 sf retirement home 15 years ago. They are near 80 now, and still love that house. They have 4 grown children, and built 3 bdrms besides the Master. Usually only 2 families come from out-of-town to lodge with them, but they need all 3 bdrms and more, several times a year. (The overflow kids stay in a bonus room.) The space is somewhat wasted, granted, but not to them. They want the space WHEN they want it, and can afford to keep it the rest of the time. One bit of advice I have---keep a cleaning lady. I have had cheaper ones & pricey ones. I have always had an easy time finding a good cheaper one. (esp. now, with so many people out of work) I always find someone to clean for me for 4 hours per week at $50. This is a huge help to me (I just don't ever vacuum or dust or clean bathrooms). It's handled weekly for me. This is sooooo helpful when you have young children. I haven't always been able to afford that, so I'm ultra-appreciative that I can now. If your husband wants a bigger house (but not willing to budget for a cleaning lady) then I agree, limit the s.f. and put your foot down. (I know a couple in this situation, husband bought a 6000 sf house and promised the CL to SAHM, but refused to deliver. Talk about resentment!) Lastly, I hope you can read this with an open mind and heart. It really does matter to some professionals, the image that they portray. And I mean it matters in a business sense. It took me a while to realize this, but my atty. husband kept insisting on a certain prestige item, which I thought was silly. After he got it, I began to see how much it mattered to SOME clients. Ridiculous as it may be to me, it does matter to some degree with a sales impression, etc. I think it's a mistake to discount that. If you're a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, weekly facials and Fraxel and skin treatments matter a whole, whole lot, and money spent on that is a necessary part of doing business. It's the same with some professionals, and it does matter in climbing the corporate ladder or certain other parts of professional life. It's a game you play sometimes. Your husband may feel a pressure to have a certain kind of house, and you giving in on this issue may relieve that pressure! So what? Not that big a loss to you, if you can afford it. I've been (very happily) married 22 years, and I can assure you that relieving pressure for a husband is one of the greatest gifts you can give him, and will endear you to him tremendously. My DH and I are very down-to-earth, we care very, very little about what society thinks, and yet there are still some things that he does, to maintain a certain professional image. Simply put, it makes us money. He owns a company that deals with people's money, and he has to give certain impressions. (reliability, solidity, and financial competency) It's hard to ever argue with meeting halfway in a marriage....(Again! as long as it's truly affordable for the family)....but I, too, wouldn't focus on s.f., but what needs the family has. We have found, that as our children age, that we don't want the kids having computer or TV in their rooms. We have designed a big craft room for me, with space at a long desk for their laptops and homework. This way, they are supervised when on computer, and they will not be tucked away upstairs in their rooms all the time. You might want to think about a space like that (depending on the age of your kids). We also need a lot of craft space for school projects....so this room will meet a lot of family needs for us. Best of luck with it! And pls do share the things you find helpful as you build.

Google is your friend: http://www.legoland.com/Plan-your-visit/accommodations.htm

Beth, I have been so delighted and educated with all these posts. I love the evolution of your wonderfully charming home! You are an amazing woman! I share several of the decorating dilemmas you've mentioned. My "living room" is about 2' more narrow and 2' shorter than your area. I'm learning a lot from your post. The repurposed gun cabinet idea is absolute genius. Please share a photo when you've installed the shelves and contents. Regarding the non-glare glass for your larger artwork. The price of non-glare glass has become simply ridiculous. I have an entire hallway lined with (Gasp!) a family gallery wall. It includes photos from more than 100 years ago to this year's school pics of the great-nephew. Color, colorized, sepia toned, black and white, all mixed together and mostly in their original mismatched frames. That just about breaks all the rules, but I love my wall. Several of the older photos - Mom's 1954 graduation photo; MIL's 1952 wedding photo, etc. - had plain glass. I can't tolerate the glare either. I made a note in my iPod of all the frame sizes that needed replacement non-glare glass. Every time I'm at a thrift shop or yard sale I check out the "frames" area. You can often find large pictures that may be in horrid frames, but they will have non-glare glass! I buy the frame, take out the glass, and toss the rest. I found one very large print of ballet slippers framed with non-glare that was big enough to cut down into several pieces. It made one 8x10 and three 5x7 pieces of non-glare glass for my wall, all for $1. With their permission, I took the glass out at the shop, tossed the faded print, and re-donated the empty frame back to them.

I think we're going to have to have an electrician come in and rewire the house or something. The bathroom, the two fan lights in the kitchen, and the lights in the main room in the basement go out all the time. Doesn't matter what kind of bulbs we put in there, they burn out. Yet the light over the sink is on pretty much 24/7 and it's been replaced like once in 16 years. For the last long while, we quit buying the "good" bulbs b/c if we get three months out of them, that's a good length of time for us, but the cost is outlandish to replace that often for bulbs that rarely are used. The cabinet door goes to shelving in the hall. If we didn't have the shelving, we'd lose quite a bit of storage, so we can't take the shelves out to put a hamper in there.