Clean House?

Ya know those people that always have spotless apartments/houses? Not only when they are expecting company or something, but always. And if you drop in unexpectedly, they will without fail say something like "oh my gosh, I'm so embarrassed, this place is trashed" leaving you to to look around (noticing the vacuum lines still in the carpet, the sink without a single dirty dish, and through their bedroom door left ajar--a made bed) and wonder "if this is trashed, what does clean look like? and they must have had a serious OCD attack last week when they dropped in unexpectedly to my trashed apartment."

How do I be like those people? I mean, how on earth, really? Don't get me wrong, I clean my house, but to keep it in perpetually pristine condition like that is just an unattainable goal. When I wonder how they do it though, I start to wonder if I even want to be like them because the only conclusion that I can come to is that they don't ever actually do anything but clean and they must really be missing out on life. It reminds me of those cheesy "Isn't it about. . . Time?" commercials that show a sink of dirty dishes and then a mom spending time playing with her kids instead of washing those dishes.

My mess gives my house character right? The sink (and counter) full of dirty dishes in the kitchen means I tried 3 new recipes and cooked a really awesome dinner. The swim clothes and towel hanging up all over my bathroom to dry means that I figured out a way to still work out, even at 8 1/2 months pregnant! And the explosion of yarn and needles in my living room is just a manifestation of my latest hobby.

So my only conclusion is that these people with perfectly clean houses are either immune to the laws of entropy, or instead of having hobbies and exercising and cooking and actually living in their homes, they spend every waking moment wiping out their microwaves and dusting the bookshelves--because I swear there is not time to do both make the mess and clean it up. So next time I come by your house and it truly is a real mess--don't apologize. It makes me like you more.