Back to North Carolina-This year was so different from the previous year. I didn't put up a gate at the top of the two stairs which separate the hall from the living room. The boys were VERY good about not turning off and on the television, disconnecting the satellite, etc. We didn't have any episodes of breaking champagne flutes or any other dangerous situations. The boys loved playing in their bedroom or the living room. I was able to breathe a little and even found time to eat by myself. One morning, I enjoyed my breakfast while the kids were playing in the bedroom. I had started feeding them first, and then I would eat my breakfast later. This particular morning I talked to my mom after I finished eating. It wasn't a fascinating conversation at first. Then Robert made his grand entrance. He flashed me one of his huge, squinty eye smiles. He's so darn cute. Then I realized he had his hands behind his back. Immediately I gazed down and saw green marker all the way down his legs. Panic hit. I asked him what was behind his back. He proudly showed me the green SHARPIE that did not have a lid on it. Was I going to be so lucky that he only drew on himself? Not a chance!
I think that my silence and stuttering caused my mom to start panicking. I am not sure why I didn't just hang up the phone at that point, it would have been easier on us all. I immediately ran back to their bedroom, while smiling at Leigha and Matthew for sitting so nicely on the couch, to find Noah. There in the room stood Noah, covered with green marker, too. The wagon caught my eye first! My mom had a little wagon that had blocks on it. Someone drew on the inside of the wagon. Oh well, it wasn't very expensive, I could live with that. My eyes quickly darted around the room, checking for artistry. I wish I could have seen the look on my mother's poor face at this point. Just when I thought it was over, I looked behind the door. On the wall was a circular swirl of green marker, about the size of a door knob. I also noticed a little on the woodwork behind the door. My mom was handling the news pretty well, it was a room that needed to be repainted anyway. At that time I decided to send Leigha around the house, just to make sure this was an isolated event. That's when I heard her yell. My mom spent a long time redecorating two rooms in the house. She did the guest bedroom and the dining room. Leigha walked into the guest bedroom to see that they had hit that room (more than likely it was Robert!). That's when my mom said she was on her way home from work. They hit the sheets, the wood bed frame, dressers, pictures, mirrors, walls, and the carpet! Just imagine what lovely thoughts I was having at that moment!
They took the marker and drew on the wallpaper to the left of the door. This is one of the first visible areas in the bedroom.
Then I looked down at the carpet and let some words out of my mouth that Noah was too scared to even repeat it (that's a first!). Did I mention that this was a PERMANENT green marker?
Just when you don't think it could get any worse, it does. I closed the door to look at the carpet to make sure there wasn't anymore hiding. I wasn't ready for this, though.
At this point I am pretty much freaking out while trying to run around the house and figure out what might take PERMANENT marker off wallpaper. I think they call it permanent for a reason, a very GOOD reason. Everything that remotely removed any color also removed the paper. My mom told me she was on her way home, it was that bad. The boys had been sitting in the hall, more still than they have ever been in their lives. I had already yelled, screamed, scolded, and took pictures. My mom tried a few things, but she wasn't having any luck either. She just kept asking why they didn't ruin the room that needs to be redone. That would be too easy, Mom! Luckily my mom found some scraps of wallpaper in a closet. That means that she can take down the affected areas and patch them. I think there was a massive amount of relief at that point. She calmly talked to the boys, said how thankful she was that no one was hurt, and went back to work. I, on the other hand, was still mortified. When my mom returned home from work, she picked up Robert and walked him into the bedroom. She closed the door and asked Robert what he thought her wall looked like now. He smiled a beautiful smile and proudly said, "PRETTY!" Not quite what my mom was looking for, but it did make her laugh. It's not an answer that shocked me too much. When I told Noe what had happened, he told me to tell my mom just to build a frame around his artwork. A few days later I took the kids to go visit Crista for the weekend. During that time my mom removed the blessed artwork from the walls while my dad was at work. By the way, my dad does not know about any of this- so don't tell him! When we returned to the house, Robert went in to the room while my mom was in there. She said the look on his face was priceless. He was crushed that his artwork was removed.
I think that my silence and stuttering caused my mom to start panicking. I am not sure why I didn't just hang up the phone at that point, it would have been easier on us all. I immediately ran back to their bedroom, while smiling at Leigha and Matthew for sitting so nicely on the couch, to find Noah. There in the room stood Noah, covered with green marker, too. The wagon caught my eye first! My mom had a little wagon that had blocks on it. Someone drew on the inside of the wagon. Oh well, it wasn't very expensive, I could live with that. My eyes quickly darted around the room, checking for artistry. I wish I could have seen the look on my mother's poor face at this point. Just when I thought it was over, I looked behind the door. On the wall was a circular swirl of green marker, about the size of a door knob. I also noticed a little on the woodwork behind the door. My mom was handling the news pretty well, it was a room that needed to be repainted anyway. At that time I decided to send Leigha around the house, just to make sure this was an isolated event. That's when I heard her yell. My mom spent a long time redecorating two rooms in the house. She did the guest bedroom and the dining room. Leigha walked into the guest bedroom to see that they had hit that room (more than likely it was Robert!). That's when my mom said she was on her way home from work. They hit the sheets, the wood bed frame, dressers, pictures, mirrors, walls, and the carpet! Just imagine what lovely thoughts I was having at that moment!
They took the marker and drew on the wallpaper to the left of the door. This is one of the first visible areas in the bedroom.
Then I looked down at the carpet and let some words out of my mouth that Noah was too scared to even repeat it (that's a first!). Did I mention that this was a PERMANENT green marker?
Just when you don't think it could get any worse, it does. I closed the door to look at the carpet to make sure there wasn't anymore hiding. I wasn't ready for this, though.
At this point I am pretty much freaking out while trying to run around the house and figure out what might take PERMANENT marker off wallpaper. I think they call it permanent for a reason, a very GOOD reason. Everything that remotely removed any color also removed the paper. My mom told me she was on her way home, it was that bad. The boys had been sitting in the hall, more still than they have ever been in their lives. I had already yelled, screamed, scolded, and took pictures. My mom tried a few things, but she wasn't having any luck either. She just kept asking why they didn't ruin the room that needs to be redone. That would be too easy, Mom! Luckily my mom found some scraps of wallpaper in a closet. That means that she can take down the affected areas and patch them. I think there was a massive amount of relief at that point. She calmly talked to the boys, said how thankful she was that no one was hurt, and went back to work. I, on the other hand, was still mortified. When my mom returned home from work, she picked up Robert and walked him into the bedroom. She closed the door and asked Robert what he thought her wall looked like now. He smiled a beautiful smile and proudly said, "PRETTY!" Not quite what my mom was looking for, but it did make her laugh. It's not an answer that shocked me too much. When I told Noe what had happened, he told me to tell my mom just to build a frame around his artwork. A few days later I took the kids to go visit Crista for the weekend. During that time my mom removed the blessed artwork from the walls while my dad was at work. By the way, my dad does not know about any of this- so don't tell him! When we returned to the house, Robert went in to the room while my mom was in there. She said the look on his face was priceless. He was crushed that his artwork was removed.
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2 comments:
It looks like the boys took your previous title "Going Green" literal. What a mess!
Oh My Gosh!!!! I just read this to Robert & showed him the pics and we both were stunned!!! Thank goodness your mom had extra paper. I guess next year there won't be a chance of any markers around?
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