Polly Pocket Strikes Again

A couple weeks ago we had a toilet in the basement that wasn't working quite right. I called a plumber who after a little hard work and a fancy tool pulled out a polly pocket roof. All toilets and other vessels for sewage were working well, until Thursday. After the kids had fallen asleep and Travis had returned home from the church I went to the downstairs laundry to move some laundry from the washer to the dryer. I opened the door only to find about an inch of standing water on the floor. It was pouring out of the shower in that room. The basin of the shower was full to overflowing. I yelled for Travis and we opened the door to the other bathrooms. Everything with a drain was overflowing. We grabbed the shop vac and all the towels we owned and got to work. Having the strong hunch that we had a septic problem on our hands I called a 24 hour company. They said there was little or nothing we could do until morning.

The septic company came at first light as they had promised and immediately diagnosed our problem as a bad float in our sewage ejection pump. That's right folks. Apparently we have a tank that holds all our downstairs sewage. Then, when the tank is full the pump on the tank shoots the sewage out to our septic tank. All the stuff we had been vacuuming and mopping the night before? Sewage.

Immediately we were on the phone with a disaster clean up service. When they arrived I realized the gravity of our situation. They sent their whole office. As soon as the approval came from our insurance they went to work ridding our home of anything touched by the hazardous water. Just in case you are visualizing hazardous water, let me say that since the girls had just showered and I was working on laundry, the water was clear and blue but it had been in the holding tank which is used for well, other "things" and consequently had contaminated the water and everything the water touched.

By noon we had no carpet in the halls, two feet of sheet rock removed from the halls and bathrooms, the tile was in the process of being removed, and any toys, towels, or clothing touched by the water was photographed and bagged like evidence on Law and Order. Word also came that we needed to get a hotel room. They thought it would be best if we moved out for five or more days. The contaminated water was under our furnace and water heater and had therefore made its was into the ventilation system for the whole house.

So, I started to cry.

But, the tears weren't going to help, so it was onward and upward. Reservations were made, a baby shower scheduled at our home at noon Saturday was relocated, and word began to spread. As word spread, I realized why things like this happen. We felt so loved by everyone was willing to do anything to help. Keri didn't even care that we had a poop truck blocking her driveway just minutes before Kambell's birthday party! Septic pumping and a five year old tea party? Lovely combination.

Later in the day, the repair man arrived to fix the float in our sewage ejection pump. He had me come downstairs to hear how a healthy pump sounds. I looked in our pump room and there on the floor was a lime green polly pocket lounger. Before he could explain the ins and outs of a healthy pump, I had to know from where it had suddenly appeared. Out of the holding tank, and in the path of the float. Polly Pocket had struck again.



Over the weekend, the older kids cycled through Grandma and Grandpas. We weren't all together in the room until Sunday night. Thank you for rescuing us mom and dad! We were able to come home this afternoon and only had to spend two nights with all of us together in one room.

Annie passed the time with a little texting.

I passed the time by taking adorable pictures of the twins.

Justin and Megan had a terrible time sleeping without their cribs. Last night Justin crawled up and fell asleep on top of Emma.

This morning Emma woke up not feeling well. She has been complaining about her ears for a couple of days. She and Justin fell sound asleep on the drive to the pediatrician--Emma has double ear infections.



Ready to see the damage?

This is the hall leading to the laundry and half bath.

The laundry room

The hall to Jake and Emma's rooms, and the full bath

The girls bath.



They tell me in a month we'll never know this happened.

Thank you everyone for helping us through this. Angels!