What could happen?

How much damage could 3 children possibly do with 5 minutes of unsupervised time and 4 Sharpie markers?? I wish I didn't know the answer to that...

A couple weeks ago the kids were being especially rambunctious (aka naughty) and I gave each of them a long time out...to be served in their room upstairs. I didn't hear a peep and thought maybe their time out had turned into a nap (a mother can only dream) until I saw my little Isa run downstairs stripped down to her diaper and Sharpie marker lines all over her body.

I'm not a fast runner...but I full out ran upstairs to see what else had been drawn on. I gasped as I rounded the corner to my parents' bedroom and saw this on their white carpet...

I was in shock as my eyes wandered around the entire room and saw marks on EVERY surface!!! Not only had they drawn on the carpet, but had also blessed the walls, trim, furniture, bedding, television, mirrors, window blinds, clothes hamper and even some clothes with their fancy artwork!

Thankfully, my parents were away for the day and I quickly googled "How to Remove Sharpie Marker" finding lots of good tips on getting the marks out. By the time my parents saw the damage it was pretty much invisible on the carpet...it came off the mirrors, TV, and most of the furniture. The walls and wallpaper were a loss though and we've tried everything with no luck.

I'm doubly thankful that my parents had such a good response about it and saw all the little 'memories' my children left on their walls.

Moral of this story...ban Sharpie markers from homes with small children. :) (or I could try to keep all 4 children in my sight at all times which is pretty much impossible...so bye bye Sharpies...see you in a few years)