The Difference Five Years and One Three Year Old Make

Our first home study for this adoption process is tomorrow evening.  Five years ago, as we were preparing for our very first home study ever, I was a wreck.  There was much cleaning and scrubbing and dusting and vacuuming and lamenting the uncleanliness of our almost 120 year old home.  This time, eh not so much. 

I did spend parts of the weekend sorting thru the Hoarders-style mountain of clothes in Annie's room, sorting them into sizes and totes, and having Chris relocate them to the basement.  There was some effort put into cleaning off the dining room table, and generally straightening the piles of correspondence, books, art projects, and to-do lists scattered around the house.  But for the most part, we are in take-it-or-leave-it mode.  And that is OK with my normally OCD self.

Chris and I work full time outside of the home.  I spent last week out of town for work.  I leave again on Wednesday for three days.  I'm home for a week and leave again for a full week, this time out of state.  

I have a sweet little three year old who has needed some extra attention from mama since I got home on Friday. Instead of frenzied vacuuming, there have been snuggles, Target trips complete with popcorn, longer bedtime routines, giggles at made up stories, and family time.  

So yes, my house could be cleaner and there could be less clutter and cobwebs.  And yes, I could have spent more time wiping tiny fingerprints off of windows and mirrors.  But there will always be time for these kinds of chores.  

Tomorrow evening, our case worker will come to our less than immaculate house and she will see streaks on the mirrors and spots in the carpet and probably a dust bunny or two. But she will also see a family that loves deeply and spends time on the most important things - each other.