Self-cleaning toddlers

Well, LittleBit surprised me yesterday. After a couple months of very laid-back "do you want to sit on the potty chair?" (we haven't pushed, because she's had constipation issues for so long, and hasn't seemed interested).......

Yesterday morning, when she woke up, she told me "no more diapers, I want panties". So I put her in panties, thanking the powers that be for hardwood floors, since she would surely be soiling them any minute.

She has been using the potty and staying dry ever since. Yep, LittleBit potty-trained herself. All on her own. Not too shabby. Her sister was trained at 2 1/2 as well, but it had been after several months of trying.

Can it really be this simple???

I LOVE MY BATHTUB - and I haven't even used it yet!

I can't wait to use my bathtub. I ordered it Friday. It will take about 4 weeks to make it, and then I have to wait until my house is built, to actually use it, LOL. The company that makes it will hold it for up to 6 months, before shipping. My house should be done by the beginning of August, and my builder has promised me two-weeks lead-time, to notify the tub company (to ship it to his plumber for installation).

This is not just any tub. I have ordered a Sanijet. If you've stayed in luxury hotels, like the Mandarin Oriental, Ritz Carlton, and various others, you may already know about Sanijet. They are the ONLY PIPELESS whirlpool baths on the market. Why pipeless? Well, if you are a germ freak, like me, you already know that most whirlpool baths (water, or airjet, it's the same issue) CANNOT ever be totally clean. Mold grows in those pipes. Even if you clean them all the time. even if you run bleach through them.

Having been a germ freak forever, I have never enjoyed jacuzzis, whirlpool baths, etc. And I am very tall (and not too skinny anymore), so I don't enjoy your average tub/shower combo. My sweet hubby was surprised to learn I would actually LOVE to take baths - if only there was a bathtub that could be kept clean (and still have the jets, so I could use it for arthritis therapy).

My sister V told me about Sanijet. She is doing a house remodel, and hoping to put one in the new bathroom. I was skeptical, until I visited their site, and saw their Pipeless technology in action. Be sure to watch the videos. They are priceless.

So sweet wonderful Hubby of mine, told me I could order whatever I wanted. He specifically said NOT to get the cheapest (but please not the most expensive, either), because he wanted it to really be a bath I would love. He wants me to sleep at night (which is hard, when your legs hurt so badly), and to have the bath be my Oasis - my break from the stresses of the world, noise of children, etc. Plus, he knows that a long hot soak before bed is the best thing for arthritis pain relief.

Hubby is a WISE MAN. He knows a Happy Mommy makes a Happy Home. He spoils me a little rotten. I had to make him SWEAR he will tell me "NO" when I start asking for new furniture, for our beautiful new house!

His reply? "No".

We have a CONTRACT

We signed a contract a couple weeks ago. Those "similar floor plans" I mentioned earlier? Well, I decided to contact the builder, just for grins, to see what a new build would cost. I wanted to have some negotiating room, if I ended up putting an offer on one of those houses.

Turns out, the cost to build is less than these sellers are asking for a resale! We took the stock plan, and customized it: bigger kitchen, large covered patio, larger garage, third bathroom on the main floor, separate laundry room (instead of the washer and dryer in a hall closet - the large laundry closet is now an over-sized coat closet), and slightly larger master bath, to accommodate a special-order tub I want (More in another post).

So we found a lot (These are not building tracts - you have to find a lot somewhere, then hire a builder to put a house on it. Suits us fine - then we aren't living in cookie-cutter land!), and signed a contract with the builder. He negotiated the lot price, for what we were willing to pay for it, and added it as a line item to our house contract (with no markup on land). We cut out a few things we could do later (namely solid-surface counter tops), in favor of keeping things we want NOW (you can't change the size of a kitchen after it's built, unless you REALLY like throwing money away).

We're so excited! 2400 square feet, all on one level. 4bed/3ba/4car garage. On a full acre. And still less than what the re-sale house would have cost.

The best part? We have not had to compromise ANYTHING on our "needs" list. It has seperate living and family rooms, etc....

Our builder closed on the lot last week, and is ready to break ground! I'll be down there in a couple of weeks, to register MiniMe for school. I promise to take pictures of the progress!

So, we're hosting Thanksgiving this year. And you're all invited.