Most of you have probably heard about our "Great Flood of '15". But for those of you who haven't seen my posts of complaints, here's a recap and a funny story to go along with it.
Keep in mind as you read this that there may be some grammatical errors because ServPro is currently nailing down the 70 bazillion staples and nail that are still left in the subfloor of the kitchen.
A few weeks ago our washer broke and flooded the laundry room, pantry and kitchen area. Luckily, we were home and were able to clean up the water quickly. We found out that the Samsung washer we had is junk and even after the repairman fixed it three times, it broke again. That resulted in another flood. The water got under/behind the cabinets, under the vinyl floor, basically everywhere except on the nasty carpet we've been wanting to replace.
ServPro was on the scene quickly with their green fans (12 of them) and then the "fun" began. My kitchen has now been emptied into the garage. They came on Friday and ripped up the vinyl and under lament. All the cabinets are out, it's a mess. Even though they hung plastic blocking off the rest of the house, the tape didn't hold so all the dust is everywhere. The people who lived here prior to us had cats and it stirred all that up I think. Needless to say, my eyes feel like they have been dipped in sand and I can't stop sneezing. My poor son is the same. In the midst of this, RJ's grandpa passed away so we stayed in a hotel this weekend (where we also came upon more green fans) but as soon as we came home the itchy eyes and sneezing returned. It is not fun.
Today we have to pick out new flooring and a new washer. I think we are also getting a new fridge since the other one is old, doesn't match and is already in the garage. (super excited about a new fridge!!). When we tore up the floor, we realized that the sliding glass door was also leaking so we are now replacing that too.
I'm already tired of eating out and not having a kitchen. I'm stocking up on microwave meals today because that's about the only thing left in the kitchen. I'm pretty much over it and now know for certain that I could never handle a major renovation. I hate chaos and not being organized and my kids do too.
So through it all we've tried to be positive. In the big scheme of things, what's two weeks or so without a kitchen. Our insurance company and agent (Todd Jacob, State Farm) has been great and very prompt with all of their help. ServPro has been fine although they aren't happy that RJ just informed them they needed to vacuum instead of sweep due to our allergies. But they have been on time and very quick in removing what needed to be gone. It could have been much worse.
My son is very picky and does not like to eat out or even eat carry out. He likes to eat his mom's food at his house. The dust is driving him crazy and he's a bit OCD about his food, etc. He's having a hard time eating at a card table in the dusty living room. The first night we were without a kitchen he was getting ready for bed. The kitchen is blocked off completely so we have to go outside and through the garage to get to the fridge. It's bedtime and he brings out his water bottle that he takes to bed with him. We were out of bottled water but he usually just fills it from the kitchen sink anyway. I told him that I would just fill it from the bathroom sink. He informed me that he did not drink bathroom water and asked me to just leave the water in there and add ice. I just laughed because I didn't really think there was a difference. I walked out to the garage to get ice and without even thinking, emptied his water bottle in to the grass. Oops! But then I realized that he was already in bed waiting so there was no way he was going to know! I filled it with ice, snuck in to the bathroom and filled it with water.
I tucked him in and put his water bottle by his bed and he asked if I just left the water in there and I lied and said yes. I mean really, why cause unnecessary drama? I start to leave the room and hear him taking a drink. And then I hear it....
"Mom...you are a liar! This is bathroom water!"
I just started laughing. I have no idea how he could tell a difference but he did! Needless to say, he got a quick speech about all the unfortunate kids in the world who would love to have bathroom water. Now he's been drinking bathroom water every night.
Sometimes we just have to laugh and make the best of a bad situation. Granted, I've complained and whined through it some days but that's not going to make it any better. Yes, ServPro is hear and have been pounding hammers for 37 minutes straight and I'm sure it will continue for quite a while longer but on the bright side, we have insurance to cover it. And when it's all said and done, maybe I will make a toast in my new kitchen with a glass of bathroom water!
