Cleaning Tip: Permanent Marker on Carpet Solution

Permanent Marker on your carpet?  My solution in a nutshell - Get USAdvantage and a scrub brush from the dollar store and scrub away.

Here's the details: I'd already had a busy morning ~ up at 5:30 to make breakfast, took Joe to band at 6:20, back home at 7, kids awake and doing homework, Mel was doing a book report comic strip for which said report she was using a HUGE BLACK PERMANENT MARKER which I didn't like, but tried to let it slide since she'd already started drawing with it and it wouldn't look right if she switched pens mid-completion, she's old enough to take care of it, breath.  Got everyone else their breakfast, made lunches, Mel also needed a "current event", then hurry off to school, Melodie forgot her book report, I drive over to the school to deliver that, come back, try to take a break for a little bit at the computer reading news...

...did I mention my husband's out of the country? 

...as I'm sitting at the computer, Hyrum walks by and casually informs me "Lily drew on the carpet" - I feel my shoulders tighten, stand up and go to assess the damage and LILY freaking drew a stick figure portrait on the front carpet with that BLACK PERMANENT MARKER that stinkin' Melodie DIDN'T PUT AWAY and I did not handle it well, I freaked out.  I screamed out loud and throw my head back and yell "AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!" and turned off the Barbie movie and told Lily NONONONONONO!! and walked around picking up all writing instruments and held their little bin of markers and crayons in my hand and almost ran outside in a rant to throw them as hard as I could into the garbage can.  Instead I got the cleaner and scrub brush, towels and a cup of water and said over and over again as I began to clean "I SAID DON'T DRAW ON THE CARPET!  ONLY PAPER!!!!"  

and I told Hyrum to get the camera, so that I can laugh at this memory a year from now.

Ugh.  WHY!?!?!  The single lines she drew came out pretty well, but that hair on her little figure that she colored in nice and dark?  That... that's gonna be a challenge.

Been scrubbing it for a half hour now.  I'm taking a break to type while I let Abi and Lily continue scrubbing.  Looks better, that Advantage stuff works really well, my carpets were already glad I bought that from the door to door salesman over the summer, but darn it, stupid permanent marker.  Ugh.  And Lily just had to color in that hair and that balloon or whatever above her head, those parts ain't scrubbing out.

Had to call my 9-1-1 emergency person for therapy - Nicole - for a listening ear as I rant and try to breath. She sweetly listened, then after I let it all out and am calming down a little bit, there was still just listening silence on her side, and feeling ashamed from what I think is my rather poor dealing with the situation, I asked "Can you feel the evil spirit in me flowing through the phone?" and we both laughed.  I said "I'm done, I'm done.  I'm ready to go" (done with earth life) but then I said "I won't kill myself..." then she said "But if you get translated tonight you'd be okay with that..." and we laugh, then I say "But seeing how poorly I just handled this situation, it's pretty obvious I'm not ready to go yet..." she said "So you just added atleast 15 years to your time!"  Breathe, scrub, spray, breath scrub scrub. 

Looks a lot better, but you can still see it, not so much in the photo though.

We'll see how it looks after it dries and maybe I'll wash it again.  sigh.


Yesterday Lily got in my makeup.  Ruined the eyeshadow, cut my bronzing powder brush with the hair scissors, what else...

...she used another small brush in the lip balm like paint and colored herself, and smashed my lipstick on our balcony door window.  The terrible two's come a few months late around here, since she's 3 1/2. Here she is enjoying a snack she fixed for herself, a carrot dipped in hot chocolate powder, made me laugh.  

It's the law of opposition - cause she's such a cutie and she's driving me sooo crazy!  Grin and bear it.