Home Study Prep

After what felt like too long, we were finally contacted by our home study social worker to set up the home study interviews. J was on a business trip to Scotland but would be getting back the afternoon! before she wanted to come visit our house. (Eek!) Now I keep my house mostly clean most of the time but I wouldn't say I am comfortable with visitors just dropping by because there is usually something that needs dusted or vacuumed ALL THE TIME. (Seriously, I will just have vacuumed our living room and five minutes later, there will be cat hair, pieces of cheerios, and just random dirt just where I cleaned. I think it creaps out from under the rugs when I'm not looking.) So anyway, J was gone and I was freaking out about getting the house ready while being a single parent of three. The weekend comes (which is the worst when hubby is gone because that's when we miss him the most). I'm finally feeling like I've got a handle on things around the house and know J will be home on Wednesday. She comes on Thursday. I've worked on picking up the little piles of things around the house, changed light bulbs, done some deep cleaning that I'd previously avoided... Then Sunday comes. I was looking forward to dropping the kids off at their Sunday school classes at church and heading to Starbucks going to my class and the service. And then it hit me. Some kind of bug wanted every piece of food out of me in any way it could go, to put it mildly. So we stayed home and the kids played around me as I moaned on the floor most of the day. They were lucky they got fed. I was not even able to keep down water most of the morning. I was so worried that this was just the beginning of a domino effect and the kids would all be next. I was feeling so weak - a diabetic that can't keep food down is in big trouble. I eventually called J and asked him to come home two days early. I felt so bad knowing I was messing up his meetings but I was also very worried for my kids that I wouldn't be able to take care of them in my condition, especially if one of them became sick too. And the wonderful husband I have simply said, "I'll make some calls." He didn't ask if I was sure this wasn't going to pass. He didn't give me reasons why he couldn't come. He just made it happen. About 24 hours later, he was landing a few miles away from me and I was just so happy he was here. By the time he could get here, I was feeling much better although still weak. I felt a little guilty that he didn't need to hold back my hair or anything like that but I think just knowing he was here helped me get better faster. And thanks be to God that none of the kids got sick. He got back Monday afternoon and we had until Thursday afternoon to get ready for the social worker's visit.
By Wednesday, I was feeling so much better and was able to do the final cleaning that only I felt was necessary. She came Thursday afternoon to do our individual interviews, family interview, and the kids' interviews (yes she even asked our 3 year old questions). She was really easy to talk to and now I know it wasn't as necessary to clean every nook and cranny because she hardly looked around - just a short tour of our house to make sure it wasn't a death trap.
There's probably more I could say about the interviews but not much pops out as a highlight to me.
We have to drive up to where she lives two times in a couple weeks to do our couple interview and then another meeting that covers some other information. After those two meetings, we will be finished with our portion of the home study and will just be waiting on her to write her report on us and then we can put all of that info into our Dossier that gets sent to Russia.
It is the day after the home visit so I was looking forward to a nice normal (and healthy) weekend with the family and guess who comes home early from work with tummy issues? :( Poor guy. At least I know how he feels!