Of course, fighting for supervised visitation between your daughter and her father can be an easy fight when your baby daddy is as big of a mess as mine. For a while there, he really had some people fooled. He was attending his visits at Safe House pretty regularly, and almost always provided dinner during their visits. But W. is a notorious screw-up, and those of us who know him well enough knew he would screw this up eventually. As I had hoped, he screwed it up before he was granted unsupervised visitation.
At our last court date when our guardian ad litem was appointed, both W. and I were instructed to provide her with our current addresses and phone numbers, as well as $250 each. The address which he provided the guardian was the address to his mom's house, instead of his sister's house where he was living just a couple of months ago. The information she mailed to him was sent back to her office and deemed "refused." W. was unable to provide her with a current phone number other than his work number, which she called multiple times and never received a call back.
Eventually, she gave up on the information that he had provided her and asked me for any contact information that I may have had. I gave her his old cell phone number as well as his sister's phone number. I also took the time to express to her my concern that if W. were to have my baby girl for the weekend, how would I get a hold of him? What if he needed to contact someone in the event of an emergency? And where exactly would they be staying that night?
The first Wednesday in May, I received a phone call from Safe House to inform me that W. had cancelled visitation for the day. The following Wednesday, I received another phone call to notify me of W.'s cancellation. Finally, I received yet another phone call the following week to inform me that our visitation schedule had been terminated. Since everything was planned to be settled at our upcoming court date, there was no need to worry about rescheduling lost visitation time.
When I woke up the morning of our court date, I was pumped. I thought, This is it! This is the end! No more court dates, no more wondering, no more drama! This was to be the do-all-end-all of this battle. Or at least it would have been... if W. had shown up.
(C'mon... where's your surprised face?)
In a normal case with a judge, we would have been able to move forward without W.'s presence. But this complicated situation becomes even more complicated because the judge that was assigned to our case retired last month and we were stuck with a magistrate. Apparently, a magistrate would have been able to help us move forward but only with W. present.
Don't feel bad if you're lost, because I'm right there with you. This was as much as I was able to understand from what my lawyer explained to me and I'm pretty sure she was dumbing it down a bit. All I really know now is that we have been assigned yet another court date (our fifth one for those of you keeping score) with a judge. I have been told that we can move forward with or without W.'s presence. However, at this point I am losing hope that this endeavor will ever actually end--this all very well could be a conspiracy in which W. has joined forces with my lawyer to ensure that I will be forever broke and in a constant state of wondering what the f*ck is going to happen.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
How To Impress The Guardian Ad Litem Part V: Drug Testing
In a custody/visitation dispute, if one parent is accused of abusing illegal drugs, then both parents are required to be tested. Since W.'s long-term drug use is one of my grounds for supervised visitation, the court system has ordered that we both submit to a 90-day hair follicle test.
Drug testing is a real possibility in any case involving children. To be frank, this part freakin' sucks. I said goodbye to $60 and a small chunk of my hair, and I wasn't doing drugs in the first place!
So Part V of How To Impress a Guardian Ad Litem: Drugs are bad.
SEE ALSO:
Introduction to How To Impress The Guardian Ad Litem
Part I: The Initial Meeting
Part II: Preparing For The Home Inspection
Part III: The Home Inspection & Parent/Child Interaction
Part IV: Consulting The Witnesses
UPDATE:
Part VI: Do What The Guardian Tells You
Drug testing is a real possibility in any case involving children. To be frank, this part freakin' sucks. I said goodbye to $60 and a small chunk of my hair, and I wasn't doing drugs in the first place!
So Part V of How To Impress a Guardian Ad Litem: Drugs are bad.
SEE ALSO:
Introduction to How To Impress The Guardian Ad Litem
Part I: The Initial Meeting
Part II: Preparing For The Home Inspection
Part III: The Home Inspection & Parent/Child Interaction
Part IV: Consulting The Witnesses
UPDATE:
Part VI: Do What The Guardian Tells You
Saturday, May 21, 2011
How To Impress The Guardian Ad Litem Part IV: Consulting The Witnesses
In Part I of this discussion, I pointed out that witnesses are an important piece to the puzzle. Your guardian ad litem will probably request up to four witnesses who may be related to your case. Do not skimp on this part, it is very important!
I would advise you to not to list any family members as witnesses, unless they were present to witness a particular act of violence or something key to your case. Otherwise, it would be best to compose a list of other people involved in your life, maybe babysitters, employers, neighbors and mutual acquaintances between you and your ex. Make sure you ask each individual for their permission before submitting their information to the guardian.
The guardian ad litem sent letters to each of my witnesses to let them know that whatever they say is not confidential and will ultimately be shared with each party. Sometimes people don't have the heart to tell you that they don't want to be involved--so instead of calling the witnesses, she gives them a no-pressure way to back out of the situation by asking them to contact her at their convenience. She also sent letter to my babysitter, who provides full-time daycare for my daughter while I am at work.
My first witness was my boss. She has been my employer for four years and can attest to the fact that I hold down a steady job, am responsible, and am always looking out for my daughter. She can also attest that any time Jellybean has had a doctor appointment or has been sick, I have been the parent to call off work to take care of her.
My second witness was a woman that I babysit for. I have babysat her five children for the past two to three years. She has known me to be reliable and trusts me to take care of her children. She can attest that any time I have babysat for her since the birth of my daughter, I have had to bring her with me because her dad would not watch her. Even during overnight stays.
My third witness is my neighbor. She and her family have been our friends/neighbors since we moved into the area two years ago. She was more so W.'s friend in the beginning, as he got to know everyone in the neighborhood better than I did. W. has even spoken with her a little bit about the abuse he received from his parents as a child. After our daughter was born and as time went on, she was there to witness W.'s lack of interest in Jellybean, the late nights out, and the purposely not coming home until her bedtime.
My fourth and final witness is a good friend of mine. She has been my friend for the past two or three years and was one of the few people with whom I shared my problems through a difficult time. She can attest to the fact that, even when W. and I were together, Jellybean came with my everywhere because he would not stay home with her.
I noticed that my witnesses and the guardian had played phone tag for a few days before they were finally able to speak. There came a moment when I began to worry that she wasn't going to gather all of the necessary information from them. But she followed through and made sure to speak in depth with each of them. She asked questions regarding what qualities they admire about me, what they think makes me a good custodial parent, my interaction with Jellybean, any known interaction between W. and Jellybean, how Jellybean is progressing for her age, any behavioral issues they have noticed and if they think the separation has affected Jellybean in any way.
My babysitter also had the opportunity to speak with the guardian ad litem. The questions that the guardian asked Babysitter were more directly related to Jellybean and her well being. She made sure that Jellybean has been hitting her developmental marks for her age, that she is healthy, eats well and is well taken care of. Also, to assure that Jellybean is healthy and well taken care of, the guardian was sure to speak with Jellybean's primary physician, something you should also be prepared for.
A great deal of your guardian's recommendation will depend on third-party statements, so the answers given by these witnesses are more valuable than the diamond ring you used to wear.
SEE ALSO:
Introduction to How To Impress The Guardian Ad Litem
Part I: The Initial Meeting
Part II: Preparing For The Home Inspection
Part III: The Home Inspection & Parent/Child Interaction
UPDATE:
Part V: Drug Testing
Part VI: Do What The Guardian Tells You
I would advise you to not to list any family members as witnesses, unless they were present to witness a particular act of violence or something key to your case. Otherwise, it would be best to compose a list of other people involved in your life, maybe babysitters, employers, neighbors and mutual acquaintances between you and your ex. Make sure you ask each individual for their permission before submitting their information to the guardian.
The guardian ad litem sent letters to each of my witnesses to let them know that whatever they say is not confidential and will ultimately be shared with each party. Sometimes people don't have the heart to tell you that they don't want to be involved--so instead of calling the witnesses, she gives them a no-pressure way to back out of the situation by asking them to contact her at their convenience. She also sent letter to my babysitter, who provides full-time daycare for my daughter while I am at work.
My first witness was my boss. She has been my employer for four years and can attest to the fact that I hold down a steady job, am responsible, and am always looking out for my daughter. She can also attest that any time Jellybean has had a doctor appointment or has been sick, I have been the parent to call off work to take care of her.
My second witness was a woman that I babysit for. I have babysat her five children for the past two to three years. She has known me to be reliable and trusts me to take care of her children. She can attest that any time I have babysat for her since the birth of my daughter, I have had to bring her with me because her dad would not watch her. Even during overnight stays.
My third witness is my neighbor. She and her family have been our friends/neighbors since we moved into the area two years ago. She was more so W.'s friend in the beginning, as he got to know everyone in the neighborhood better than I did. W. has even spoken with her a little bit about the abuse he received from his parents as a child. After our daughter was born and as time went on, she was there to witness W.'s lack of interest in Jellybean, the late nights out, and the purposely not coming home until her bedtime.
My fourth and final witness is a good friend of mine. She has been my friend for the past two or three years and was one of the few people with whom I shared my problems through a difficult time. She can attest to the fact that, even when W. and I were together, Jellybean came with my everywhere because he would not stay home with her.
I noticed that my witnesses and the guardian had played phone tag for a few days before they were finally able to speak. There came a moment when I began to worry that she wasn't going to gather all of the necessary information from them. But she followed through and made sure to speak in depth with each of them. She asked questions regarding what qualities they admire about me, what they think makes me a good custodial parent, my interaction with Jellybean, any known interaction between W. and Jellybean, how Jellybean is progressing for her age, any behavioral issues they have noticed and if they think the separation has affected Jellybean in any way.
My babysitter also had the opportunity to speak with the guardian ad litem. The questions that the guardian asked Babysitter were more directly related to Jellybean and her well being. She made sure that Jellybean has been hitting her developmental marks for her age, that she is healthy, eats well and is well taken care of. Also, to assure that Jellybean is healthy and well taken care of, the guardian was sure to speak with Jellybean's primary physician, something you should also be prepared for.
A great deal of your guardian's recommendation will depend on third-party statements, so the answers given by these witnesses are more valuable than the diamond ring you used to wear.
SEE ALSO:
Introduction to How To Impress The Guardian Ad Litem
Part I: The Initial Meeting
Part II: Preparing For The Home Inspection
Part III: The Home Inspection & Parent/Child Interaction
UPDATE:
Part V: Drug Testing
Part VI: Do What The Guardian Tells You
Thursday, May 12, 2011
How To Impress The Guardian Ad Litem Part III: The Home Inspection & Parent/Child Interaction
In order to compose a full report, the guardian ad litem needs to inspect each home and also see how the child interacts with each parent. The guardian will typically speak with the child(ren) in confidence in order to see his/her perspective on parents and living arrangements. Our case is different for two reasons: 1) Jellybean can barely string two words together, let alone form sentences. Interviewing her would be, well, pointless; and 2) W. only sees Jellybean through supervised visitation at Safe House, so the guardian cannot witness their interaction at his home.
So on the Wednesday before Easter, the guardian visited W. and Jellybean at Safe House. I am really, really, really glad the guardian picked that particular Wednesday to visit Safe House. Being the Wednesday before Easter, every child left that building with an Easter basket from their non-custodial parent... except mine. I hope that is something the guardian noticed. Don't get me wrong--all three of our kids received Easter baskets from me and Ant, my parents, Ant's parents and even our babysitter. There was certainly no shortage of Easter baskets this year. It's just something that a supposed "dad" should do for his child. Period.
The guardian will have to schedule another date to inspect wherever W.'s grungy ass is living these days. She told me at our initial meeting that whether or not he has prepared for her possible overnight stays, for instance, by providing her a room or her own bed, will be a major deciding factor regarding unsupervised visitation and overnight stays. Her point is that if he really wants Schedule A, he better have something ready for her if/when that happens.
She did, however, have the opportunity to visit my home on the Monday after Easter. After hours of preparing for her inspection, I was confident and ready. To my surprise, she didn't examine any single room in my house. She didn't look in the kitchen to make sure that healthy snacks are available, or peek into the bathroom to be sure that there aren't cleaning products on a low shelf. In fact, it appeared that there was no sort of evaluation at all. I'm sure she noticed little things, like the cleanliness of our home, outlet covers in all sockets, etc. All the same, I find myself feeling a bit bummed out that she didn't even so much as glance at the kitchen I scrubbed for hours. Although she brought a pen and pad with her, she didn't write down a single thing. Instead, she sat on the floor with me and Jellybean while we played with her dollhouse and read almost every Dr. Seuss book in the book shelf.
I have to assume that her lack of interest in all of the things that I prepared for is due to the fact that no one is questioning my ability to take care of Jellybean. No one has even so much as suggested that I am anything close to an unfit parent, so why would she waste her time with a detailed inspection of a home from which the child will not be removed? Either that, or it was so clean upon first glance that she didn't even need to inspect the rest of the house--because, really, we went a little overkill on the cleaning.
All I can do now is wait. I will not see the report from the guardian ad litem or even Safe House until we go back to court. I understand that this is how the system works, but I can't help but feel frusterated. Sometimes I feel like, as her mother, I should be permitted to demand answers. But, the guardian ad litem and the people at Safe House are the ones who are able to give Jellybean a voice and speak out for what is best for her--so it's probably a good idea to keep my mouth shut and avoid pissing off the people who are going to help our case.
I hope that these posts will help someone, whether you are following me as I go through this journey or whether Google leads you to this article two years down the road. I feel like maybe I should add a disclaimer to tell everyone that I am no expert, just a regular mom trying to raise my daughter in the most stable situation possible. And I hope that by sharing my thoughts and experiences I may shed some light on the situation for those of you who are going through something similar. Or, at the very least, let you know that you are not alone. No matter what time it is or where you are, somewhere out there is another frusterated and confused woman who just wants to do the right thing for her kids.
SEE ALSO:
Introduction to How To Impress The Guardian Ad Litem
Part I: The Initial Meeting
Part II: Preparing For The Home Inspection
UPDATE:
Part IV: Consulting The Witnesses
Part V: Drug Testing
Part VI: Do What The Guardian Tells You
So on the Wednesday before Easter, the guardian visited W. and Jellybean at Safe House. I am really, really, really glad the guardian picked that particular Wednesday to visit Safe House. Being the Wednesday before Easter, every child left that building with an Easter basket from their non-custodial parent... except mine. I hope that is something the guardian noticed. Don't get me wrong--all three of our kids received Easter baskets from me and Ant, my parents, Ant's parents and even our babysitter. There was certainly no shortage of Easter baskets this year. It's just something that a supposed "dad" should do for his child. Period.
The guardian will have to schedule another date to inspect wherever W.'s grungy ass is living these days. She told me at our initial meeting that whether or not he has prepared for her possible overnight stays, for instance, by providing her a room or her own bed, will be a major deciding factor regarding unsupervised visitation and overnight stays. Her point is that if he really wants Schedule A, he better have something ready for her if/when that happens.
She did, however, have the opportunity to visit my home on the Monday after Easter. After hours of preparing for her inspection, I was confident and ready. To my surprise, she didn't examine any single room in my house. She didn't look in the kitchen to make sure that healthy snacks are available, or peek into the bathroom to be sure that there aren't cleaning products on a low shelf. In fact, it appeared that there was no sort of evaluation at all. I'm sure she noticed little things, like the cleanliness of our home, outlet covers in all sockets, etc. All the same, I find myself feeling a bit bummed out that she didn't even so much as glance at the kitchen I scrubbed for hours. Although she brought a pen and pad with her, she didn't write down a single thing. Instead, she sat on the floor with me and Jellybean while we played with her dollhouse and read almost every Dr. Seuss book in the book shelf.
I have to assume that her lack of interest in all of the things that I prepared for is due to the fact that no one is questioning my ability to take care of Jellybean. No one has even so much as suggested that I am anything close to an unfit parent, so why would she waste her time with a detailed inspection of a home from which the child will not be removed? Either that, or it was so clean upon first glance that she didn't even need to inspect the rest of the house--because, really, we went a little overkill on the cleaning.
All I can do now is wait. I will not see the report from the guardian ad litem or even Safe House until we go back to court. I understand that this is how the system works, but I can't help but feel frusterated. Sometimes I feel like, as her mother, I should be permitted to demand answers. But, the guardian ad litem and the people at Safe House are the ones who are able to give Jellybean a voice and speak out for what is best for her--so it's probably a good idea to keep my mouth shut and avoid pissing off the people who are going to help our case.
I hope that these posts will help someone, whether you are following me as I go through this journey or whether Google leads you to this article two years down the road. I feel like maybe I should add a disclaimer to tell everyone that I am no expert, just a regular mom trying to raise my daughter in the most stable situation possible. And I hope that by sharing my thoughts and experiences I may shed some light on the situation for those of you who are going through something similar. Or, at the very least, let you know that you are not alone. No matter what time it is or where you are, somewhere out there is another frusterated and confused woman who just wants to do the right thing for her kids.
SEE ALSO:
Introduction to How To Impress The Guardian Ad Litem
Part I: The Initial Meeting
Part II: Preparing For The Home Inspection
UPDATE:
Part IV: Consulting The Witnesses
Part V: Drug Testing
Part VI: Do What The Guardian Tells You
Thursday, May 5, 2011
How To Impress The Guardian Ad Litem Part II: Preparing For The Home Inspection
In order to compose a full report, a guardian ad litem must inspect the homes of each parent. Our home inspection was scheduled for the Monday after Easter. Which meant that our usual half-ass clean-up routine wasn't going to cut it.
Having three children under the age of three means that cleaning the apartment a week before the inspection would have been pointless--it would have inevitably be destroyed within two hours. I'm afraid when you have this many toddlers, the only way to guarantee that the house will stay clean, is to clean it after they go to sleepand tie them to chairs up awakening. So after hours of running around doing the family 'thang, we stayed up until 1:00 in the morning to scrub the place down.
I have since discussed this situation with other people who have been through the system. They have brought to my attention the fact that if a guardian ad litem comes into your home and sees it looking perfectly spic-and-span, she is probably going to know that you went through all of the extra trouble just to impress her and will assume that your home is never that clean. And, let's face it, she would be absolutely right to assume that. It is my argument, however, that a guardian ad litem will expect your family to do a little extra cleaning prior to her arrival and if you leave it looking as half-ass as it normally does, she will probably assume that your home is even less clean on a daily basis. It is up to you which side you take on this. We chose to play it safe and ultra-clean the house.
I mentioned before that I have searched the internet up and down for an article about what the guardian will be looking for specifically. The only thing I have learned after hours of searching, is that the guardian ad litem is looking for a child-friendly home in which your child(ren) will thrive and succeed. Pretty generic, I know. So we came up with our own interpretation of what that means.
Children's Rooms
The guardian ad litem will be looking for a kid-friendly home. This, of course, begins in the child's room.
The guardian wants to make sure that each child has his/her own space and their own bed. I feel like I shouldn't even have to point out that boys should have separate rooms from girls, which may not be an issue with children so young, but no matter how old they are I just find that... weird.
Baby or safety-proofing is vital. We made sure that all outlet protectors were plugged in, the blinds chords were wrapped up and out of reach, and only age-appropriate toys were at the kids' level. I wiped down the dresser and even took the time to wipe out each speck of dust between the bars of Jellybean's crib. The floors were swept, beds were made, and books and educational toys were displayed neatly on shelves.
Now, Ant went a little overboard and began reorganizing closets. I thought that was just a tad overdoing it, as I'm sure we wouldn't be judged for having disorganized closet space. But, I guess we needed a good spring-cleaning anyway and I didn't have to do it so more power to 'im.
Bathroom
I thought the bathroom would be a biggie. The tub, sink and toilet were given a good scrub down. Instead of a lock on the bathroom cabinet, all cleaners were put on the top shelf of the linen closet and the bathroom cabinet was filled with bath toys and baby lotion. A large, green octopus with purple polka dots is our spout cover, and--although the tub is clean--we spread a few toys across the tub for the kid-friendly look. I debated for a moment on putting away the naked-baby-butt-photos we have proudly displayed on the bathroom shelf... But I don't know a mom that doesn't have a few of those for public display so I just left them.
Living Room
Since this is typically where our family spends the majority of our time, most of the baby-proofing and safety concerns were already taken care of. There is usually one bin of toys left out in the open, a stack of Nick Jr. DVDs near the TV, and a thousand baby pictures covering the walls. Aside from scrubbing fruit punch stains out of the carpet and wiping a few fingerprints off the walls, this room was ready from the get-go.
Parents' Bedroom
Our apartment is oddly designed. The first floor is our bedroom (which was actually a second living room that we had to convert into a bedroom when Ant and the boys moved in) and the rest of the apartment, including the kitchen, living room, bathroom and kids' bedrooms, are all located upstairs. Yes, that is different and, yes, it is an enormous pain in the ass.
Anyway, unless your children are spending a great deal of time in your bedroom--and I really don't see why they should--then a quick cleanup will probably suffice. Since our bedroom is on an entirely different floor than the rest of our home and the children are not allowed anywhere near the staircase, our bedroom is pretty much a kid-free zone.
Kitchen
Obviously, this room is pretty important. This is where you prepare food for your family, this is where your children eat and the kitchen table is where they do many of their activities. I stayed up until 1:00 a.m. scrubbing this room down. You all know the basics, mop the floor, wipe off the counters, etc. But if you're going for a really clean look, don't pass over:
Back to the "kid-friendly look," we set out their Disney place mats and put a few colored pictures on the refrigerator.
So we didn't get to bed until after 1:00 Monday morning, but we could sleep sound knowing that we were 100% ready for this inspection.
SEE ALSO:
Introduction to How To Impress The Guardian Ad Litem
Part I: The Initial Meeting
UPDATE:
Part III: The Home Inspection & Parent/Child Interaction
Part IV: Consulting The Witnesses
Part V: Drug Testing
Part VI: Do What The Guardian Tells You
Having three children under the age of three means that cleaning the apartment a week before the inspection would have been pointless--it would have inevitably be destroyed within two hours. I'm afraid when you have this many toddlers, the only way to guarantee that the house will stay clean, is to clean it after they go to sleep
I have since discussed this situation with other people who have been through the system. They have brought to my attention the fact that if a guardian ad litem comes into your home and sees it looking perfectly spic-and-span, she is probably going to know that you went through all of the extra trouble just to impress her and will assume that your home is never that clean. And, let's face it, she would be absolutely right to assume that. It is my argument, however, that a guardian ad litem will expect your family to do a little extra cleaning prior to her arrival and if you leave it looking as half-ass as it normally does, she will probably assume that your home is even less clean on a daily basis. It is up to you which side you take on this. We chose to play it safe and ultra-clean the house.
I mentioned before that I have searched the internet up and down for an article about what the guardian will be looking for specifically. The only thing I have learned after hours of searching, is that the guardian ad litem is looking for a child-friendly home in which your child(ren) will thrive and succeed. Pretty generic, I know. So we came up with our own interpretation of what that means.
Children's Rooms
The guardian ad litem will be looking for a kid-friendly home. This, of course, begins in the child's room.
The guardian wants to make sure that each child has his/her own space and their own bed. I feel like I shouldn't even have to point out that boys should have separate rooms from girls, which may not be an issue with children so young, but no matter how old they are I just find that... weird.
Baby or safety-proofing is vital. We made sure that all outlet protectors were plugged in, the blinds chords were wrapped up and out of reach, and only age-appropriate toys were at the kids' level. I wiped down the dresser and even took the time to wipe out each speck of dust between the bars of Jellybean's crib. The floors were swept, beds were made, and books and educational toys were displayed neatly on shelves.
Now, Ant went a little overboard and began reorganizing closets. I thought that was just a tad overdoing it, as I'm sure we wouldn't be judged for having disorganized closet space. But, I guess we needed a good spring-cleaning anyway and I didn't have to do it so more power to 'im.
Bathroom
I thought the bathroom would be a biggie. The tub, sink and toilet were given a good scrub down. Instead of a lock on the bathroom cabinet, all cleaners were put on the top shelf of the linen closet and the bathroom cabinet was filled with bath toys and baby lotion. A large, green octopus with purple polka dots is our spout cover, and--although the tub is clean--we spread a few toys across the tub for the kid-friendly look. I debated for a moment on putting away the naked-baby-butt-photos we have proudly displayed on the bathroom shelf... But I don't know a mom that doesn't have a few of those for public display so I just left them.
Living Room
Since this is typically where our family spends the majority of our time, most of the baby-proofing and safety concerns were already taken care of. There is usually one bin of toys left out in the open, a stack of Nick Jr. DVDs near the TV, and a thousand baby pictures covering the walls. Aside from scrubbing fruit punch stains out of the carpet and wiping a few fingerprints off the walls, this room was ready from the get-go.
Parents' Bedroom
Our apartment is oddly designed. The first floor is our bedroom (which was actually a second living room that we had to convert into a bedroom when Ant and the boys moved in) and the rest of the apartment, including the kitchen, living room, bathroom and kids' bedrooms, are all located upstairs. Yes, that is different and, yes, it is an enormous pain in the ass.
Anyway, unless your children are spending a great deal of time in your bedroom--and I really don't see why they should--then a quick cleanup will probably suffice. Since our bedroom is on an entirely different floor than the rest of our home and the children are not allowed anywhere near the staircase, our bedroom is pretty much a kid-free zone.
Kitchen
Obviously, this room is pretty important. This is where you prepare food for your family, this is where your children eat and the kitchen table is where they do many of their activities. I stayed up until 1:00 a.m. scrubbing this room down. You all know the basics, mop the floor, wipe off the counters, etc. But if you're going for a really clean look, don't pass over:
- Dirty fingerprints on the refrigerator door. (It doesn't hurt to quickly wipe out the inside either!)
- Inside of the microwave--I guarantee you have spaghetti-o splats.
- The wall near where the children sit. You might be surprised at the splattered food you missed before.
- The wall and floor near the garbage can.
Back to the "kid-friendly look," we set out their Disney place mats and put a few colored pictures on the refrigerator.
So we didn't get to bed until after 1:00 Monday morning, but we could sleep sound knowing that we were 100% ready for this inspection.
SEE ALSO:
Introduction to How To Impress The Guardian Ad Litem
Part I: The Initial Meeting
UPDATE:
Part III: The Home Inspection & Parent/Child Interaction
Part IV: Consulting The Witnesses
Part V: Drug Testing
Part VI: Do What The Guardian Tells You
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