As soon as the girls and I walk in the door after work and school I spend at least 15 minutes wandering around the house, gathering up abandoned shoes and placing them by the back door, loading breakfast dishes into the dishwasher, and picking up rejected outfit choices off Miss C’s bedroom floor. She is already insistent that she change clothes every time we leave the house, so can you imagine what it will be like when she’s in high school?

Last Friday I had had it. Even though the girls help me around the house it just seems like I am constantly nagging them to pick their dirty clothes up off the floor and put them in the hamper in the laundry room. We live in a one-level, ranch style house so it’s not like I’m asking them to take the elevator from our third level down to the basement because the live-in butler is off for the weekend, you know, the one who helps me run our 5,000 square foot McMansion. Come to think of it, I could put a butler to work, despite not having a big house.

I had three loads of laundry to fold and I recruited the girls to help me put their neatly folded stacks away. Maybe they couldn’t get excited about picking up dirty clothes, but perhaps they could get into putting away clean clothes. I cranked some dance music and we went to work. Sorting socks to Lady Gaga was kind of fun. Who knew?

Miss A trotted eagerly to her bedroom after I handed her a small stack of clothes and yelled back, “Mommy, don’t come in my room! I’m going to surprise you. OK?”

About 10 minutes later she emerged, beaming with pride. She asked me to close my eyes, grabbed my hand and led me to her bedroom. I knew this was a big deal.

She had taken all of her gowns and pajamas out of her drawer and neatly folded them.

This Friday I think I’ll show her the joy of toilet scrubbing to Selena Gomez.