This is how three 2-year olds while out on a walk with one dog, stop to inspect a spider spinning a web.
And this is what happens to our beautiful solid cherry Ethan Allen dining room table, when the mother of those 3-2 year olds take a moment to update her blog and the 2-year olds get a hold of a Sharpie magic marker 
I didn't take a self portrait, but imagine me - with smoke coming out of my ears - while 3-2 year olds run around saying "OH-OH!!" and Charlie denies having ever seen the magic marker before. While I'm writing this, I'm nursing Henry. And when I stopped to ask Charlie how in the WORLD I'm going to manage when he goes back to work in a couple weeks, Henry started laughing.
My 7-week old baby was laughing at me with a look in his eyes that said "Oh lady, you are in SO over your head!!"
So, the point of this post is to show you how three small children walk one dog.
And to see if anyone knows how to get indelible marker off of a solid wood table without ruining it - or sanding it down and re-finishing it?
And to find out if anyone has any good tips for how to keep tabs on 3-2 year olds that doesn't involve duct tape?
If you've got any good fast & healthy recipes, I'd love to hear about those, too.
Now I am starting to doubt my own attention span.
I will email you some awesome recipes! Henry knows what's up! You are in for some fun times!
ReplyDeleteI would call Ethan Allen and sob until they gave me a good tip. Actually, I would probably just Google it.
ReplyDeleteYou need a North State SuperYard XT playyard. It's big enough for three 2-year-olds and some toys--especially if you buy the extension panel, which doubles the inside area (at which point it takes up the WHOLE living room, instead of merely half). I use it for the twins, and I try to keep their best toys in there so they don't mind being in there as much. Sometimes when I'm nursing the baby and the twins are getting out of hand, or if I need to attend to something in the kitchen and the twins are tearing apart the rest of the house, the play yard is like a gift from the angels.
Healthy shmealthy.
ReplyDeleteMake some Oh Henry Bars (that we all know you named your son after) and enjoy your afternoon!
LOL....
Linda (Chicago)
Once we had to get permenant marker off a big screen TV and formica on the countertop. We took a dry erase marker and used it over where the permenent marker had been used and then took a dry cloth and wiped it away. It took both the dry erase and permenent marker off. I have never done this on a wood surface before so I am not sure if you would get the same outcome. Just FYI. Good Luck!!
ReplyDeleteKristi
Walmart sells a product called OOPS. It is a multi purpose remover and it is very strong. I would recommend that you take a little and dilute it before trying it. You would need to be very careful and use it sparingly, so as not to go down too deep and take the finish off the table. I have used this product to remove many things and it is the only thing that I can think of that might help.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny that he laughed...they know, even that little. My little one did the same thing about 2 months old! It was hysterical. So sorry about your table. I hope that you can get it out. I don't have any miracle cures, because with wood it is SO hard to do anything without taking the finish off. That is what they'll tell you, to strip it and re-finish it. (I'd think).
ReplyDeleteMr Clean Magic Eraser works on permanent marker on coffee tables. I have lots of experience with that lol, Toddler loves coloring and about every surface in our house has at one time had permanent marker on it, the Magic Eraser has worked on all of them.
ReplyDeleteI would try to Magic Eraser... oh man... good luck!
ReplyDeleteOk Jen... Google 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks' and lose yourself in fresh yummy healthy but not non fattening foods... cause she is feeding cowboys and girls. Then mosey on over to her regular blog, you'll want to move to Oklahoma too!
ReplyDeleteHugs
Ruth
Have you never heard of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (and forget the urban legend that they are harmful - they aren't). It should do the trick nicely.
ReplyDeleteI thought every multiple mom had them!!!
Mr. Clean magic eraser. It even took silver spray paint off our red truck, LOTS of siver spray paint. Give it a shot! Good luck, your kids are so funny. Little Henry laughing at you! "ya your not gonna handle anyting MOM"!
ReplyDeleteI hope they are not harmful, this morning I caught my youngest daughter Mr. Clean Magic Erasering her teeth!
ReplyDeleteUse this stuff for the table: http://www.lastotallyawesome.com/faq.html. You can get it at a dollar store. It's cheap, and it works like nothing else. I just looked at my bottle, and it says you can use it on wood. I'd try it. I've used it for many years and cleaned up plenty of messes with it. It's gotten wax out of carpet. Good stuff. And if you don't need it now, get a bottle to keep on hand. It works miracles.
ReplyDeleteI can vouch for the Magic Eraser... I have used it for exactly the same thing myself.
ReplyDeleteThe Magic Eraser is the first thing that came to my mind too... its a miracle thingie...
ReplyDeletehaha at-- but imagine me - with smoke coming out of my ears - while 3-2 year olds run around saying "OH-OH!!" and Charlie denies having ever seen the magic marker before.
ReplyDeletewow. sorry. :(
p.ss. they are super cute!
Two things you can try- Mr. Clean Magic eraser and Motsenbocker's Lift Off #3. We have had a Sharpie incident with my new solid wooden desk and we recently had a nail polish incident that involved almost every surface in my bedroom.
ReplyDeleteOh no!!! Ack!!! Oops will take off the finish would be my bet. I have seen it in action. Don't know what the Magic Eraser will do. I would throw a table cloth over it and call it snuff. My bet would be to strip and redo! We had our triplets when our oldest two were under 5. After awhile of many uh oh's I gave up on keeping anything nice in the house. Stripped the carpet out and went junk furniture looking. It's worked so far! Because if it gets broke or whatever, no biggie! Chances are it came from the garbage in the first place! Here's a memory for you...when my oldest was a wee 3yrs we had a brand new refridgerator delivered to our home. Less than 48hrs later he had drew a huge choo-choo all over it. Yep, in permanent black marker!!! Never could get it off, sighs! Loads of magnets hide it!
ReplyDeleteMrs.Carrot
No advice on the table but I do have another Sharpie tale...my son was 10 days old, I broke my ankle carrying him down the stairs and had a nice cast on my lower leg- my 2 year old took a Sharpie to the entire stairwell walls...I had to paint with special primer and then paint 2 coats to cover it...(did I mention I also had a 4 year old and no help what-so-ever?)
ReplyDeleteThey all lived....that was 15 years ago...but I have many more grey hairs than the average mother :)
My kids just laminated all my stamps. I had a Sharpie on my desk too. I guess I should consider myself LUCKY??????
ReplyDelete(They only get smarter and sneakier from my advantage point of being one year ahead of you. I have NO IDEA what you are going to do!!!!!)
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser...
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful!
Another thing that comes to mind is rubbing alcohol. Baby wipes used to have alcohol in them and would clean up anything but I think they quit putting alcohol in them...
Good luck getting that thing cleaned!
Trina
Oh Henry is an Old Soul :) Sounds like you are in for the ride of a life time...buckle yourself in :)
ReplyDeleteTam
RUTH!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe Pioneer Woman recipes look awesome. I am so glad you recommended them!
I love reading this blog, I save it for my last read.
ReplyDeleteFor the table I second the dry erase marker suggestion, I have tried it of various things and it always works. Most recently a pink tote I got for free that had 'Christmas" written on the side and on the lid. No idea how long the lettering had been there but 4-5 tracings with the dry erase marker and the tote was free of any marks. I haven't tried the Magic Eraser, but I have heard good things about it.
Tina
sharpie makes a product that will remove it, you have to call them and pay them a lot of money and then they will send the secret magical stuff.
ReplyDeleteat least that's what someone told me once when I was trying to get some marker out. I didn't call~ the defaced furniture matched better with it on :) but you could try and see if it's true.
Mayo works on water spots. You slather the wood with mayo, put some plastic wrap over it. Give it a day or two to soak into the wood and it lifts out the water mark. Maybe it would do the same for marker?
ReplyDeleteI can't believe nobody's suggested hairspray yet. I've used hairspray to remove sharpie from my oak dining room table. Hairspray works well with removing pen ink to.
ReplyDeleteNancy, IA
You're most welcome!
ReplyDeleteRuth
I second the hairspray! It's also good for removing crayons (and other things) from walls!
ReplyDeleteSunscreen takes permanant marker off almost anything including the bottle when you try to label them... I worked in daycare and we had to use paper-backed stickers to write the children's names on the bottles of sunscreen!!!
ReplyDelete