FACT: I do not have OCD

Is it bad that I light up with glee when I visit a friends home and spy laundry shoved into a closet or dirty base boards? It’s true I do. It makes me feel NORMAL. Maybe they will forgive me the disaster that is my house when they come by unexpectedly, In hopes that they too, live a dirty little life when company is not expected. The land of Arizona is much different than Northern Idaho where I hail from, obviously. In Idaho you can bet that only 1 in 5 houses look to be showrooms for Better Homes and Gardens where in Arizona it’s more like 4 out 5. Do these people get paid by Ashley Furniture to display their furniture? I swear! It’s very discouraging! The people of Idaho are much more laid back in their style of furniture and cleanliness, they seem to LIVE in their homes rather than to put them on display to keep up with the Jones’. I love the simplicity of the Idaho life. But alas, I live here in Mesa, Arizona. Home of the perfect cookie cutter house. I can pop in on just about anyone I know and their homes are immacualte! What the??....I can not help but wonder where do these families find the time and energy after a long work day, shuttling kids, dogs, etc. to keep up with cleaning? Frankly, it’s the last thing on my list. Now, could I miss an episode of the Kardashians and do the dishes, sure. But why? I want to enjoy the cable I pay for when I get the chance, is that such a crime? I want to spend Saturdays and Sundays playing with my kids and vegging out, not scrubbing toilets and dusting! Belive me its quite a sight when we invite people over, a feverish dash to get the place in shape so they won’t be the wiser, though I am willing to bet most can see right through our veil of clean. It’s not hard, you can spy the milk stains on the couches from a mile away, the soy sauce spilling down the shelves of the refrigerator, the dusty fans and the nail polish spills on the tables, yes I said “spills” YIKES! I never wanted to be the Mom that freaked over a messy room or spilled milk. My stepmother was this woman to the enth degree and I always vowed to be nothing like her. Did I mean for things to get this lax? Eh, maybe not. Don’t get me wrong, we aren’t hoarders for heavens sake. We do clean up and keep up with the mess behind 4 kids most days. We employ the usual parental tactics, yelling at the kids to help, making chore charts, threatening phones, iPods, dishes for life and the like. But, at the end of the day after homework, dinner, baths, kids’ bedtime stories, and some late night TV (exhausting just saying it all) Do I clean the kitchen or go to bed? BED for sure, every time, hands down. I am proud to say A&E will never have a show about me being some freaky OCD over-cleaner or a crazy hoarder of trash but they will always have me as a viewer to watch the shows about them!!