Its hard because one of Little Man's favorite things to do is color. Of course when the older 2 girls see him coloring they want to color too. Smunchkin can be trusted to color but if I try to just let her and Little Man color Monkey throws a huge fit.
I have tried giving Monkey colored pencils but she knows I am giving her something different and throws a fit about that too.
Not only does she color on everything but she eats them all, ALL!! She eats crayons and bites the tips off of markers and colored pencils. She has ruined 5 markers in the last 2 days alone. I buy crayons 2 and 3 boxes at a time only to have none a week later.
Art time is something I do to contain the older 2 so that I can try and get dishes, laundry or other cleaning done but its the reverse with Monkey.
I didn't realize just how bad the walls were today until I went to scrub them off. Little Man's 5th B-Day party is this Saturday and I didn't want our house to look like a big giant coloring book when people came over.
The markers are washable and come off so easily, the crayon you really have to scrub at and even then it just will not come off of some surfaces with vinegar and water alone. I am going to have to buy some dryer sheets or get some used from a friend (since we do not use dryer sheets in our house). If you wet a new or used dryer sheet it works just like a magic eraser to clean things like crayon off of doors.
Seriously, does anyone else's house look like this...
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| the smooth door surfaces are impossible to scrub crayon off of. The marker came off easily but not the crayon |
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| the crayon will not come off the shelves either |
Love,
one "colorful" mama,
Christy
Me! Me! Me! Does the dryer sheet thing really work? I can't get any of the crayon marks to come off, and they are literally in every room, on the walls, the fridge, the dishwasher, the cabinets, the doors, everywhere! I don't really care that they colored on our ancient kitchen table, but we are living in a parsonage, so I really need to get the walls to come clean.
ReplyDeleteThose Magic Erasers work well. Also, I have found that white vinegar works to dissolve the crayon a little. Baking soda made into a paste works as a gentle abrasive cleaner to scrub it off.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I have a little guy who like to expand his drawing area to any surface he can reach, too!
Our apartment definitely looks like that!
ReplyDeleteLOL! Reminds me of the first time I babysat my niece at my inlaws' place. I turned my back for about 15 seconds and she'd found a pen and was merrily scribbling all over the wall! They're never going to let me forget that one!
ReplyDeleteThe dryer sheet thing really does work! <3 I have done it many times. In fact I mentioned to my hubby that I think thats where the idea of the magic eraser came from because it breaks down just like a magic eraser. Used dryer sheets are better but you can use new. Since we cloth diaper I don't use dryer sheets so I get them from friends. They think I am a bit cooky asking for the used dryer sheets I am sure haha.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know I am not the only one with such a colorful home lol.
Yes, my house definitely looks like that. :)
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to drop in and say hi. I am also a mama of 4 kids 4 and under. My 4th baby was born 9 days after my oldest turned 4. All girls. It's just nice to know that others are in the same situation as you. I'm following your blog and am your FB friend, uh, "liker", haha. Hope you have a lovely day!
Thanks Jaimie! Its awesome that you also have 4 4& under! I haven't met too many people who share this in common with me without having at least 1 set of multiples haha.
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