Since Lisa went back to work this week, Crazy Grandma Ichikawa and Grandpa Ichikawa are back in town to babysit the kids for just over a month until my current job ends. This time my parents are staying at my friend's condo. My friend, Michelle, lives just up the street from me and is working out of state until the end of the year so the timing was perfect.
As I have mentioned many times before, my mom is a neat freak. It's not so much about organization, but rather making sure things are germ free. My mom's cleanliness extends from home to vacations. Here are two examples of my mom's germaphobe quirkiness: One time my parents stayed at this very fancy hotel suite, but my mom did not like it. Why? Because there were two bathrooms. You see, every time my mom checks into a hotel she has to clean the bathrooms. So this suite with TWO bathrooms meant double the work for her. Secondly, when my parents went on an Alaskan cruise, she tipped the maid NOT to clean their room because she didn't want anyone else to mess up what she just cleaned.
When my parents were down here the last time, they rented an apartment. The day they moved in, my mom spent several days cleaning, scrubbing, and vacuuming. She unpacked her trusty non-allergenic latex gloves, clorox, and sponges to attack the nasty bacteria and germs. Crazy Grandma Ichikawa exhausted herself cleaning the apartment.
But now that they have moved into my friend's condo, it's the opposite story: it's too clean for my mom! As usual the first day she moved in, my mom unpacked her non-allergenic latex gloves, clorox, and sponges. But guess what? My mom said she didn't have anything to clean. She did the finger test along the bathroom tiles, the kitchen counter, and the toilet seat. But she didn't find any dust, dirt, or feces. My mom didn't know what to do! She was confused and bewildered. How could this be? How could another place besides her home be just as clean. Poor crazy Grandma Ichikawa found herself in a state of shock.
Now my mom says she is afraid to touch anything because she thinks SHE'S going to make the place too dirty. My mom was going to use my friend's dishes in the cupboard, but thought otherwise. "What if I crack dah dishes? Me no wanna do dat!" So my mom went to Target to buy a couple of cheap dishes and bowls to use.
My theory about this is that my mom is jealous of my friend. How dare someone else be just as clean as my mom. The nerve. The insult. The utter gall! But deep inside, perhaps my mom's jealousy is turning into uncharted territory. Maybe we're entering into a Ellen Degeneres/Portia DeRossi situation? If it does, I think I will have to start another blog: It's-Two-Mommies In a Pod.
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