Because a few of you have asked...

Because people have asked....

My kitchen countertops

They say kitchens sell houses.  Well ours was awful.  Its a picture of a picture, but check out those old beat up linoleum countertops.  And worse, the later added in dishwasher countertop is tile.  So we needed a cheap solution to update things a little without spending much time, $ or energy!

I did quite a bit of online research.  Then I discovered this product at Lowes!  Giani Granite!!

It went a little something like this.  It was about a 3 day project for me with drying times.  And it was awesome because it was a project I could do!  Leaving Jeff free for other projects.

My practice spot.  Instructions said to fill any cracks in countertops with wood filler.  I took it to the extreme & used that to fill the tile lines & smooth the transition between the 2 surfaces.

I have seen online where people did a similar thing with regular primer, regular paint, sponged acrylic paints & sealed it with 6 or so coats of polyacrylic.  Maybe that can be done even cheaper yet?  But I liked that this was a kit & had a 2 coat sealer that is an automotive grade product.  I tried to do the backsplash with the same product & didn't like the results.  {My sponged paint ran}  So I painted that linoleum to match the walls & sealed it with 3 coats of polyacrylic. 

I am pretty happy with the results!!

This picture is before I painted the cabinet fronts & did away with the gray trim, but look at the difference in the countertops!  Cost just $70!!!

We have been carefully using the countertops now for a number of weeks & don't have any issues.  I think if someone is looking for a temporary update this is a great solution.  I can't speak to the long-long term durability.  But heck, for $70 if you have to re-paint it in 4 years its still worth the cost! 

Boys & potties

If we are at home & they are running around sans pants...  they pee & poop in the potty a lot.  A random pee on the floor, but very minimal.  Lots of the pees are like just enough drops to see it in the little potty, but that counts right?  If we're out & about... diapers.  And they do pee in them.  They did SIT on the big potty at my friend Kerry's house & try to pee though.  Does that count as an accomplishment?

If left in panties... they dribble.... and then want to go pee in the potty.  So I'm pro my friend Kerry's belief that comando is the way to go.  Panties give them too much "security" like diapers to just pee wherever/whenever.

They get so excited about getting some pee in the potty, they jump off to celebrate & I don't think fully get their bladders empty.  So they pee ALL.THE.TIME!!  (Plus they know then they will get jelly beans, which is a blessing & a curse that way!)  And Livi has a re-found (annoying) need to pee often & use the little potty too.  (Or I try to slip her a jelly bean everytime the boys pee to keep from having to wash out her 3 forced drops of pee every 10 minutes too.)  And she knows she gets FOUR jelly beans if she poops on the potty... which we have had a little success with this week too.

Definitely not doing any potty training boot camp, or ditching diapers for strictly panties just yet.  Just letting them play with their new found abilities & see where they go with it.