I GOT BLISTAS ON MY FINGAS!

(Please tell me I'm not the only one that knows that line ... )

On top ... or should I say, under? ... reading, writing and researching for today's two thousand words or so of bloggity-blog-blog I was compelled to get down on my hands and knees and scrub my kitchen floor. It is mopped daily, but you know how it is ... gunk builds up in corners and along baseboards, cracks fill with an amalgam composed of spills and slops and drops and drips that harden into one of those 'hardest substances known to man" kind of crud that only submits to concerted efforts and toxic chemicals.

I have noticed lately, when taking on these chores, that my supply of elbow grease seems to have been depleted. I have more elbow skin, but far less of whatever the stuff is that keeps power in scrubbing motions and puts oomph behind the brush.

I know I'm not going to get any sympathy here. After all, I have a full-time housekeeper so I'm able to work and play with my kids while beds are made, ironing is done, dishes are washed and bathtubs are scoured.

Hence ... I love hence ... the point of this post:

Domestic maintenance must be considered when contemplating adoption at later ages.

Not only are we a bit less able to replenish supplies of elbow grease once menopause starts stalking us, we are more likely to be really picky about the state of our abodes.

Friends my age that don't have kids also don't have living rooms that look like the scene of a recent detonation of a Buick-sized pinata full of toys. If they choose to have slipcovers on their furniture, those slipcovers are surprisingly free of peanut butter, and visitors are very unlikely to get a half-chewed gummy vitamin stuck to the seat of their pants.

Then there's the stuff that's not so obvious ... tidy closets, medicine cabinets with shelf space, a light scent of lavender or rose instead of the occasional whiff of poop.

First-time parents considering adoption may not realize how abruptly rose potpourri becomes a fond memory of a simpler time or just how massive a collection of toys collects within days of changing titles to Mom and Dad.

Those doing a second round of parenting may have had some memory fade between batches, or assume that because they made it through one period of pandemonium, another will be a piece of cake, forgetting completely that they were younger during the first bout of bedlam, and probably a bit less picky about the state of their personal space.

So, be warned all you potential older adoptive parents out there. Bringing children into your home will result in sticky surfaces, obstacle courses where your floors used to be, and a dearth of elbow grease that just may result in your corners not being as clean as they used to be.

That may be okay, and you might find help coming in small packages ... or not.

And what about a full-time housekeeper?

Mine is 8 months pregnant and I'm not about to let her spend time on her hands and knees until she's ready to deliver ... and that will not be on my kitchen floor!