It's a big job.

Bending over to reach the floor is becoming increasing a) painful b) impossible c) unwise--lest I just fall head over heals to the ground thanks to my odd center of gravity.  This is not good for our general house clean up.  We went from nearly perfect clean up every day (for showings) to disaster zone status in just a week's time.  I am ready to string Caution tape around the whole living room.

I have two perfectly healthy children who are capable of picking up.  They don't.  Either because they don't want to or they apparently don't hear me.

But something had to be done last week so I made it my project to get them working.  Delegation is always harder than just doing it yourself.  I spent much of the day handing out small detailed pick up projects to each child.  Before they could enter another Land of Make-Believe, they had to leave the previous Land clean and put away.

At bedtime my husband was getting the kids ready for bed and was continuing the clean up process for the night.  Dad was carrying clothes from the bathroom (BB's) to the laundry hamper in BB's room.  Then he was picking up some Legos left in the hallway. 

Then as he went to pick up the remote control car, he said, "BB, this is your stuff, why am I picking it up?"
 BB--"I didn't put it there.  My sister did."  (Which I might as well stamp on his forehead right now.)
Dad--"Well, I seem to be the one picking it up..."  muttered a bit under his breath as he finished up.

The kids were both naked.  Hopping and slipping from the bathroom to the hallway.  (I was reading email at the computer.)  Then they were giggling and running between their rooms--doing everything to not be focused on picking their pjs and books for bed.

From BB's room we hear BB call back to my husband, with a voice full of five year old wisdom and a little lilt of emerging humor--"Being a dad's a big job, Dad.  It's a biiiig job."
My husband and I caught each others eye as my he plopped another handful of Legos in the box, and busted up laughing.

"Yes, it is.  Yes, it is."  he called back to BB.