Misfit's Helpful Hints - Part 2

The helpful hints kept coming. In fact, one reader emerged from lurking just to give her opinion. This gal has the CPS inspection process down to a science. I will refer to her as "lurker" since she's not a regular poster.

Loretta, I'm sorry to hear you're having to deal with CPS again. All the cleaning you have done sounds great and I'm sure you had planned to do that sooner or later anyway. (I'm going to do it too one of thesedays. ) It depends on the caseworker assigned to you but most of them don't mind clutter unless it's a safety hazard. They judge cleanliness more on sanitary or unsanitary than on whether or not you can write your name in the dust on your coffee table.

I would guess the first place they will look will be in your kitchen and specifically inside your refrigerator and your food pantry. S/he will want to see an adequate supply of healthy nourishing food. If you're running low on milk, eggs, fresh fruit etc., you'll probably want to make a quick run to the market. Or borrow some food from neighbor Dan's refrigerator. heh

Another suggestion -- if you haven't already done so -- make sure you have some of the children's 'artwork' displayed on the refrigerator door and some family snapshots also. If you don't have any artwork handy, give them paper and crayons and let them get busy now. Display as many photos as you can of the children when they were obviously happy and having a great time. Frame them and set them on the coffee table if you can. It doesn't matter if they were at the pool or a family cookout or whatever as long as they show them to be healthy and happy. Make sure you have some of your son but let more of them be your daughter or the two of them together. And of course, a few that includes you would be nice.

Saturate a cotton ball or two with Vanilla extract and hide them somewhere in the kitchen. It gives the house a great smell that suggests you have been baking. :-) I'm sure everything will be fine but I'll keep you in my thoughts anyway if you don't mind. -Posted by Lurker at August 22, 2004 07:22 PM

Make sure there is fruit out in a bowl -- it shows easy access to food. -Posted by feistyALgal at August 22, 2004 07:34 PM

I heard putting some cinnamon on a burner and heating it for a few minutes to make the house smell like something has been baked. -Posted by Barbara at August 22, 2004 07:40 PM

Oh, heck, this place is so clean, I'm not worried about it. The fridge is empty, but I have an excuse. I just got back from a trip. Besides, I never buy a lot of groceries, I don't have room. I shop like the French, about three times a week. -Posted by loretta at August 22, 2004 07:46 PM

Loretta -- I would strongly advise at least put a few things in the fridge -- even if you have a good reason (you just got back from atrip), the case worker may still have a problem with that. -Posted by feistyALgal at August 22, 2004 07:51 PM

I shop like the French too Loretta but I think I would put a few basics in the fridge for the meeting. -Posted by Nan at August 22, 2004 08:15 PM

Sheesh! Never mind what I had to remove from the bookcases - forensic science, criminal law, how to murder people, arsenic made easy, three ways to get away with moidah...the whole thing. I had to put up the "Cat in the Hat' and all my cookbooks. Oh, I look so domestick now!! -Posted by loretta at August 22, 2004 08:28 PM

Well if that vanilla doesn't get rid of the dead body smell, throw a couple of Bounce sheets underneath the chair and couch cushions! Put a little bleach and water in a spray bottle and do just a little"touch up" in the a.m. If you've got a vacuum cleaner that uses bags, stuff a Bounce sheet in there too! Don't know how it works with bagless ones, haven't tried it yet. -Posted by lighthouselover at August 22, 2004 08:29 PM

Hi Loretta, I just got caught up on the comments, and wanted to wish you good luck today! Every time my wonderful friend in a small Vermont village had Social Services sent to her home by her mean-ex, she baked bread before they arrived, and they always gave her glowing reports! An easier way to create that ambience would be a package of ginger bread -just add water, stir, and bake! -Posted by Vermonter at August 23, 2004 11:42 AM

Loretta, I would recommend putting some food in the fridge. CPS just made a little surprise visit to Mrs. Chokeman's house at the request of the police (just this past Friday). The first thing they did was check for food. They also asked her for two personal references...just FYI. They spot-checked the other rooms, and that was it. I was one of the aforementioned references and they have yet to call me thus far. -Posted by Surfie at August 23, 2004 12:31 PM

You'll all be happy to know I went and bought $67 worth of groceries (and I'm not done, yet.) I bought apples and bananananas and salad mixes, cereal, oatmeal, chicken, a few boxes of Stouffers (hey, it's the good stuff) and lunch food. Oh...and a big BOX O WINE and some pints of cheap Smirnoff flavored vodka (they make it down the street) and Zig Zags and a couple of cases of Little Debbies. -Posted by loretta at August 23, 2004 01:20 PM

I am always joking about drug paraphernalia and booze, because it is so funny to me. It's a running joke in my life, so don't take it seriously. -Posted by loretta at August 23, 2004 01:33 PM