There are plenty of things that can ruin a perfectly good room in your home. Sure, a bad color scheme is rough and old, worn down furniture is the pits, but my biggest design pet peeve is loose wires. It's something ALL of us deal with, especially considering nearly everything in our homes is techy these days. First it's just the table lamp, then it's the new flat-screen TV. Soon the wires from your DVD player, iPad docking station, and light-up wall art are just TOO much to handle. Someone, CONTROL THE MASSES!

So what's a plugged-in momma to do? Hide them! Don't fret, there are loads of ways you can camouflage the wires in your home that are easy and don't have to cost a fortune. Check out 5 easy, cheap solutions for hiding all those messy wires:

Ah, the holidays. The decorations, the wrapping paper, the baking, the celebrating, THE MESS! If there's one time of the year when it's especially hard to keep your home tidy, it's right around the holidays. We're so busy, and there's so much going on. Should we get an extra hour or so a day just to maintain order?

If you're feeling less-than-ready for your next holiday party or for visiting relatives, there's still a few things you can do to make your home look tidy enough. Hopefully you've invited real friends who don't judge. But just in case, here's a few tips for whipping your house into shape before the holiday guests arrive.

I think most people who know me would say I'm organized and maybe the slightest bit anal when it comes to my house (my minivan is a completely different story). I hate clutter, and while my house isn't always without it, for the most part you could walk in on even the worst day, and you wouldn't see too much out of place. It's what you wouldn't see, however, that's complete and utter chaos.

I have these places within my home that are not like the others. They are the places that make me cringe when anyone dares go near them, and make me laugh out loud sometimes when I see how out of control they are. The neat freak in me sometimes wants to deal with them, but there's another part of me that likes these little random reminders of the slob I once was (just ask my college roommates). Here are the five big ones.

I've written about my husband's most irritating household fails, and I've documented some of my own less-than-stellar habits, but really, adult-created messes are nothing compared to the Tasmanian Devil effect children have on a home. Thanks to my boys, I feel like Sisyphus on a daily basis: there goes my (laundry-shaped, LEGO-studded, peanut-butter-encrusted) boulder up the hill ... and here it comes, right back down to where it started.

It's hard to single out the most maddening kid-caused chores, because there are SO VERY MANY OF THEM, but I walked around the house recently snapping pictures of a few things that drive me straight up a wall, every single day of my life. Maybe you'll recognize some of this brain-melting kid clutter -- or maybe your house is Martha-perfect at all hours of the day. (If that's the case, for the love of 409, don't tell me.) Behold, the most irritating kid messes that eternally plague my house:

Folks, I have seen the inside of Octomom's new house. And I have to say... Wow. Nadya Suleman allowed Rumor Fix's cameras inside her new house in order to dispel the rumors that she lives in squalor. And guess what? Sure looks like she doesn't live in squalor. At all. Am I really going to have to write a post where I say glowing things about Octomom? Yes, yes I am. 

The truth is, I'm impressed! It's actually clean and tidy. It looks sane. And orderly. And not at all what you'd expect from someone with such a messy tabloid life. Nadya totally looks like she's got her shizz together here.

You don't have to have to dedicate an entire room to create an aesthetically pleasing and functional home office space. There are tons of cool, creative inspirations out there to help you make the most out of the space you've got, no matter where it is. Sometimes it's as simple as setting up shop with a well-designed desk and a few carefully placed treasures like the office pictured above.   

Scroll through to see 5 more fantastic home office inspirations below:

I would dearly love to be organized. I go to friends’ houses and think, “Everything has its place.” By contrast, in my home, everything has its place, and that place is … everywhere. I'm a sucker for articles on sites like Houzz.com about getting clutter under control, but they always show magazine-ready rooms bathed in gentle morning light with hardwood floors and plenty of room. When Remodelista starts putting out a weekly newsletter called “closet-sized rentals with ugly carpeting made to look kinda cute despite themselves,” I will jettison the self-flagellation and sign right up. And then sometimes, I just get snarky and sit around thinking up obnoxious comebacks for perfectly nice organizing tips. Cue my mom: “If you spent this much energy following those Flylady tips, your house would look like Gwyneth Paltrow’s!” Maybe so. But this is what you get from Sister Slacker-Snark. So enjoy.

There are days when I look around my apartment -- cluttered, disorganized, and half-decorated -- and think, "There's no other home as crappy as mine." Then I log on to Ugly House Photos, a Phoenix-based website that displays real-estate sale photos that should never have been uploaded ... and I feel a tiny bit better. Before you judge me, you’ve got to see the hilariawful images (and snarktastic quips) of one Mr. Leif Swanson. He’s a realtor himself and couldn’t believe the dumb mistakes homeowners made when trying to sell their homes. "The first impression is ruined by a bad photo," he says. In other words, if your dog is pooping on your front lawn ... wait 30 seconds before snapping your picture. Trust me.Ogle some of Swanson's best (er, worst) and see if you don’t find yourself snickering as much as I did.