Woe is us....can we have a great big group hug?

[LenaGardner]

Updated!!!

So, we went to the store and got wash basins to do the dishes in, playtex nursers for the babies and various foods that don't require pots and pans.

We had solved most problems besides the toilet. Robert came up to the house an hour after we got home and said he was going to turn the water back on because all the water had gone down in the basement. He asked us not to bathe, wash dishes, or do laundry till Saturday still but we could flush the toilet and see what happened....if he had no flood we could use the toilet as usual...and nothing bad happened (I really think it is a washing machine issue anyway). So...we are atleast having a potty!

__________________________________________________ ____________________________________
Well crap. When I posted the "I'm bored, whatcha doin' today" thread...I didn't realize the full scope of what OUR day was going to be like.

We live in an older house, but hallelujah it is lein free...a home that has been in our family but it has so many issues!

We've just found out we are going to be without water until Saturday

We have a basement apartment where a distant relative lives, an 80 year old man...and he came up yesterday and said that every time we used water it was coming up through his drains...his bathroom was flooded.

So, he turned the water off for the evening but the full scope just hit us after a few morning phone calls...Daddy can't come fix it until Saturday and Robert isn't turning the water back on till then. it's not just about buying bottled water...that's not the problem The problem is where to drain it.


SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO................................... ..

Luckily (luckily? hmmmm) 4 of our 5 kids are in diapers.

They all had baths yesterday.

I did ALL the laundry yesterday.

And I did all the dishes last night.


BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT.

We are off to Wal-Mart right now to buy disposable bowls (we had sposie plates and silverware onhand already) and Playtex nursers (b/c we wash a LOT of bottles around here.) A LOT.

And we are going to buy food that doesn't need cooked with pots and pans. Like the mashed potatoes and macaroni and stuff that comes in its own throwaway bowls? And like, sub sandwich stuff. And I think we're gonna order pizza tonight.

The kids can have wipe baths and Tab and I are going to go to our stepmom's to shower.

Toilet...yeah, not sure what the heck that is going to entail yet...but I do know that "more business" (thanks LeeAndra for that term) will involve an outing to a relatives house.

W.
T.
H.


UGH. My day is no longer boring. That's all.

[ColleenSwerb]

Awww man Lena, that stinks!! Thank goodness for diapers though, otherwise you might be screwed! Lol!

[jessica31876]

We had to go without water for about a week maybe a little longer in 2004 during the hottest part of the year when the hurricanes hit Florida. It is not fun at all. We had lots of rain water though so we were at least able to flush the toilet and we bathed with water my husband got from the neighbors in water bottles. We never expected the power/water to be out for that long though so we had no idea how bad it was really going to be in preparing for the storm. Hopefully the time will pass really fast for you. I can only imagine how tough it is with four little ones in diapers!!

[kscwgirl]

ugh Lena that sucks. Hope it's an easy fix.

[Jennifer]

Oh no!!! That's terrible...so sorry, Lena.

[iJenny]

awwww man! Lena that totally sucks for you and tab and the kids!! Hope it gets resolved soon!!

[Paula]

Wow Lena! That stinks big time!

[alansrock]

This sucks, when we were without water for 4 days on base in Arkansas we went and stayed with a friend who had water because it was just easier. Anyone you can go stay with until Sat???

[lizzyfizzy]

oh sweet mother of pearl. that blows monkey chunks.

[~Julie~]

Ugh that stinks Lena. I hope you can survive till the water comes back on.

[pbumbaca]

Major Bummer! Sorry Lena and Tab!

[juliemarie]

Sorry to hear that girls, but I guess its better than no electricity... (at least thats how I'd look at it)

[Laura_A]

Oh man, not fun.

DH was a plumber before the Army and he said you should try to narrow down the problem a little more. Chances are you don't have to go without water to the whole house.

Try to find out where the water is coming up in his apartment. Then, go upstairs and run water from each faucet/toilet until you figure out what part of the house is backing up. If it doesn't start backing up immediately, the backup could be outside of the house.

Also, I can't remember where you are, but if it's really cold there, it's not a good idea to turn the water off... it will freeze and bust the pipes.

DH is happy to answer any questions you have if need be.

[KristinCB]

i'm so sorry girls i hope the next two days are bearable and that things get fixed fast on saturday!

[LenaGardner]

Originally Posted by Laura_A

Oh man, not fun.

DH was a plumber before the Army and he said you should try to narrow down the problem a little more. Chances are you don't have to go without water to the whole house.

Try to find out where the water is coming up in his apartment. Then, go upstairs and run water from each faucet/toilet until you figure out what part of the house is backing up. If it doesn't start backing up immediately, the backup could be outside of the house.

Also, I can't remember where you are, but if it's really cold there, it's not a good idea to turn the water off... it will freeze and bust the pipes.

DH is happy to answer any questions you have if need be.

Thanks girls!!

Yeah, Laura...thanks for the tips!

I've TOLD them they shouldn't turn the water off but our aunt insists (our aunt kind of runs the family...you know the type) that the pipes will be fine as long as the heat is on. I don't buy it, but we'll see I guess.

We're not dealing with reasonable people. Daddy and Aunt T and Robert have it in their heads that we will be fine until Saturday.

They believe that when Daddy put in our washing machine he had the water draining into the septic tank and it's too much for it...he's moving the drain for the washing machine somewhere else I suppose on Saturday when he comes down (he lives 2 hours away).

IDK...they are a bunch of backyard plumbers but we really can't afford a "real" plumber...we are dealing with replacing our breaker box next month and we bought a new toilet last month....yknow how it goes.

[Sharon Kay]

You poor thing! I am hoping you are surprised and it gets fixed before then...wow that would be hard dealing with the kiddos until then! Good luck!

[newfiemountiewife]

Ack! No water has got to be the worst! I hope it's resolved quickly!

[MamaK]

I'm trying to remember the last time we had the water turned off and what to do about the toilet.... isn't it possible to say, fill up the tub with water and then when you 'go', add a bucket of tub water to the toilet so you can flush? The toilet water system shouldn't be linked to the drains, its just with the water turned off the toilet has no way of refilling water, right.

[emilyscout]

Oh Lena, that totally sucks. I hope you are able to sort it out quicker than Saturday!

[Shawna]

Ugh that really sucks Lena! I hope your Dad can get it fixed up quickly!

[LenaGardner]

thanks again girls! I updated in post 1!