Staying Sane during Kitchen Remodel

[Anonymous]

We are set to begin a complete kitchen renovation in about 3 weeks. I'm dreading it but it needs to be done. The layout is staying the same but we are getting all new flooring, cabinets, lighting and appliances. We also have a toddler. Do you have any tips on how to navigate the next couple of months while our kitchen/house gets turned upside down? I can't seem to wrap my head around not having access to a stove, oven, and kitchen sink for weeks on end!

[Anonymous]

You need to make a "kitchen" somewhere else in your house so your toddler understands the designated eating area. Put together a corner with a little table, mini fridge, toaster oven, crockpot, and microwave. Eat lots of low prep meals- salads, paninis, slow cooker soups and stews, fruits and chopped veggies for the toddler, instant rice packets, sweet potatoes and other veggies steamed in the microwave, sausages in the toaster oven.

-Nanny who lived through an entire home gut job piece by piece over 11 months working in the house everyday with toddler triplets

[Anonymous]

Move out to an Airbnb if you can afford it. Even if it’s just for segments (like demo). It’s not terrible if you have space and your kitchen is t in the middle of the house, but this is a difficult time of year to do it. We grilled a lot and used our deck as our dining room but it was summer.

Regardless, you’ll live through it and forget afterward when you have a nice kitchen.

[Anonymous]

I posted above about moving out but assuming that’s not in the cards, any reprieve you can give yourself will be nice. If you can take the toddler and go visit family for a week, this is a great time to do it. We worked at home and having guys in the house all day was the most tiring part. Ate a lot of takeout and cold sandwiches. Cooking is not too bad, cleanup is annoying. Get a dishpan for the temporary kitchen so you can carry dishes to a sink. Or use paper—but I found that depressing after a couple days.