Favorite Color: Red

Micah has a favorite color. It's red. I know this because out of all the permanent markers he was playing with the other day, he chose the red one to draw with.

Why was I letting him play with permanent markers? That's a good question. Him being my 4th child you'd think I'd know better. In fact, a first-time mom knows this is not the brightest thing a parent could do. But Micah likes to herd things. (I think he inherited that from the corgis.) Since he was old enough to do so, he would get a group of like things together and herd them. Like Matchbox cars. He would get a handful, put them on the floor, and push them as a whole in the direction he wanted them to go. If one would happen to stray off on it's own he would herd it back into the group and keep them going. We find this amusing. He's now into carrying his herds of things in baskets and empties any basket he sees to dump things into. This creates large messes all over the house, but he's entertained and it's fairly harmless.

So he was herding golf balls and actually mixed permanent markers in with. This was huge. He can't mix things. It goes against nature itself, in his book. So I was thrilled that he was taking big steps, crossing borders, and all that.

I didn't realize that he could get the lid off them. That's where I messed up. Because he did. He chose the red one, and used it to write on my white bathroom rug. Niiiiiiice. He also wrote on the magazine basket and the candle stand. Thankfully he missed the wall and floor. Because it's a permanent marker. I tried wipies, alcohol and the wonderful Magic Erasers. Nothing.

And as I was determining what to do about my once-white rug, I heard flushing. He flushed the marker down the toilet! Sneaky little bugger. Hiding the evidence. But I'd just caught him in the act, so he was totally busted.

Later that evening he managed to find more markers. He chose red. He drew a long line on the living room carpet. It's permanent.

27 comments:

Lori said...

fun! try using hair spray and then washing the rug in the washing machine... I know it sounds strange but it works. When I was teaching I can't tell you how many times I wrote on my pants with permanent marker. Just make sure you spray it really good (oh and the cheaper the hair spray the better)

just think of it as him using his creative expressive side...lol

Burgh Baby said...

Oh no! Not the carpet! Maybe, with time, the red will fade. Or maybe not.

Y'know, I disposed of all of our permanent markers about a year ago. I couldn't convince Mr. Husband that it was REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT that he learn to put them away when he was done, so I got rid of every last one. That, of course, meant I had to use a crayon to write on a package the other day, but oh well! ;-)

Tootsie Farklepants said...

Oh. no. I shudder. Considering I just had my carpets cleaned this morning and the family is lucky that I'm letting them walk on it in their bare feet.

Jennifer said...

it *should* come off in time. Lots of time. I have children that are like drug sniffing dogs. I will hide the permanent markers somewhere - even I forget where they are - and they will find them in no time. They can smell where they are. Even if they are new and in packaging still, they sniff them out.

Be glad he didn't get them on the wall, it doesn't come off the wall. I know. I have tons of "people" on the wall in the girls room. Mickey drew a piture of Jordan on one wall - about 3 feet tall, and on another wall she drew another 3 foot drawing. Of the family. Each and every last one of us. Including my mom, and her husband. And the cows in Honduras. And my in-laws. Oh yeah, and cousins. Thankfully not all of them. Just 10 or so of them. *sigh* I think I will buy some stock in Kilz paint.
~Jennifer

Pam said...

I have no idea how to get that out....maybe just give him the marker again and let him finish so it looks like you bought it that way. Okay, I know you can't really do that...but I had no other ideas!

by the way- the mixing- I know it is HUGE. Having had many special needs students, I am chest puffing proud of Micah that he MIXED two 'obsessions"- yeah, yeah, yeah!

Tanya said...

Thats so funny and cute!

Bluepaintred said...

ohhhh. aerosol hairspray might help...

and uh... maybe putting the markers up a bit higher LOL

AutoSysGene said...

Ouch! Was it a line around a dead toddler? ;)

Hairspray will take out a lot of stuff give it a try. It took out a black oil type stain on my new carpet. Shocked the living daylights out of me.

Anonymous said...

Wow! I just don't even know what to say. Egads. And, how can you get really upset at him?!

The Sports Mama said...

Well, I'm not sure if it will work with permanent marker or not, but 409 works wonders getting ink off of walls and such.

jessica said...

oooooooooooooooooooohhhh.... this post needs PHOTOS!

my parents spilled red kool-aid back in the early 80s on their OWN CARPET (after continuously preaching to us about no food or drink in the living room)... anyhow, the kool-aid came out. after a loooooong while.

Momisodes said...

Oh no! I'm so sorry. I wish I knew of a way to get it out. Think you could replace the permanent markers with washable crayola ones?

Cynthia said...

Oh no...I hate to say, I got some good tips from your other commenter's...I hope one of them work for you:)

Cecily R said...

I have zero words of wisdom. Big shocker. I like the suggestion that you just give him the marker and let him finish the job. YOu can tell people that the carpet is a one of a kind from an up and coming artist...

pb&j in a bowl said...

Ouch! I'll ask my husband if he knows any tricks. We own a carpet cleaning company, maybe he knows something. I'll get back to you.

Madame Queen said...

Ay yi yi! Red? I guess it would be worth a shot to try some of the suggestions above. Once I trimmed a stain in my carpet with some scissors, but I guess it depends on the type of carpet you have. Ours was kind of thick and you couldn't really tell where I had trimmed it.

Unknown said...

I once heard if you put dry erase marker over the permanent and then use a Mr. Clean magic eraser on them it works. Never done it myself but who knows?

Micah sure keeps you on your toes!

Christina

Maria said...

Why? Why? Why? Is that what you're saying? Who knows why? It sounds like he was very busy, though:)

Debbie @ Three Weddings said...

It sounds like a small price to pay for such a huge achievement for Micah! Just think of it as a permanent (sorry, not pun intended) reminder of this wonderful milestone.

I'm more concerned about the toilet. Did you get the marker out? I dropped a toothbrush in my toilet one time and I thought it was flushed away. Not so. Months later when we were having problems with it my friend's dad had to take the toilet out of the house to get the toothbrush out. He said we were lucky we didn't have to break the toilet. He's never let me live that one down!

Anonymous said...

Hairspray, the wonderful yet little known permanent marker remover.

Andrea said...

I used the magic eraser with a lot of elbow grease and got black permanent marker off my bathroom wall!! I thought my husband was going to kill me if he had seen what our two year old had done. But it came off. So did some of the paint, but my husband can't tell so I won't tell!!
I love Toddlers!!!!

Cheffie-Mom said...

We live in the country now but then we lived in the city which made it even more classic! LOL, I love the picture of your son with the boots. I have no clue what the attraction is...but it makes for some great pictures hehe

caramama said...

I can't believe you keep permanent markers in your house with 4 kids! You better find them all and lock them away like you would a gun--storing the ink separate! They are dangerous!!

So sorry about your carpet and things!

Spammon said...

You're probably screwed on the rug, but hairspray is the secret solution to remove marker. It has to be SD Alcohol 40.

Jennifer @ Fruit of My Hands said...

Fun fun! My DD loves markers too and we've had some fun with that this year.

Shellie said...

Time to redo the whole house in red?

Wineplz said...

I'm sorry...I kinda laughed when you said he found another red permanent marker. ;)

Maybe get him some red carpet remnants that he can love all over since it seems he wants all your rugs and carpeting to be red?