Monday, January 21, 2008

Green Goblin Strikes Again











Sure, you guys can paint! Do it in the garage though, so you don't make a mess all over the house.
Note to self: Do NOT sit down to check email, clean the bathroom, or make a phone call while kids are painting in the garage or you might not hear them come in to wash their hands.

62 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Dawn, Oh My...Is that paint going to dry and unable to remove? Next time they paint with green paint wait till summer and set them in the middle of the lawn.LOL Kristine in Michigan.

Unknown said...

Now I don't feel so bad after seeing your mess! I kept hearing running upstairs and found my 3 year-old running back and forth through my bathroom. There was water everywhere. She was making 'footprints' (thanks to a Blue's Clues video) I choose water over green paint!

Anonymous said...

Hee hee hee! You poor thing. When I saw the Florida, I meant to tell you how cool I thought that was and how nice a job he was doing. I guess I won't say anything about paint now. That doesn't look like it will be fun to clean. Are you ever able to get the perpetrators to help you clean up, or is that pretty much not happening? I do hope you know of something to get paint off ... everything. Silicone spatula, yep, that comes off (I would assume). The rest of it; well, I'm taking notes for when my kids get older!

Good luck, Dawn!
Michelle

Dawn said...

Michelle,
They absolutely do help clean up. Austin cleaned up his Florida mess last night and hand washed the spatula. Joe and I did most of the floor cleaning today, but Jackson volunteered to help too! I about had a heart attack.

Anonymous said...

Oh you poor woman the only thing I could think to say when I finished laughing was at least it's not on the carpet.

Anonymous said...

I feel your pain! That's why my kids are only allowed to paint when dad is home (he's the artist anyway)! I hope that was washable paint!

Anonymous said...

See .. you're such a good mom, Dawn! A kid volunteered to help clean up a mess. You've officially succeeded with him. I dream of the day I get someone to offer to help (ok, my 2 year old insisting she sweep her crumbs from under the table doesn't count).

Michelle

Keren said...

I'm impressed that underneath the green paint, your floors look so clean and shiny. Also, I know this is random, but I have to comment on the fact that I have the same cow magnet that's on your fridge (my husband and I have a running joke about cows since I'm from Chicago)!

AutoSysGene said...

Oy, I would so lose my mind! Good thing you like your kids, huh?

Anonymous said...

THAT is friggin hilarious. Sorry, it didn't happen to me, so I find it funny. Coincedentally, I let my 23 mth old grandson paint for the very 1st time ever today. Those pictures are what I expected my house to look like, but he was surprisingly neat. I sat next to him the entire time and I rinsed the brush for him, but he stayed on the paper. It was fun :)
Now, honestly tell us what your reaction was when you 1st saw that mess. I won't think any less of you ;)

Anonymous said...

Did I jinx you yesterday with my comment about being impressed that you can let your kids paint unattended?

Oops. Sorry.

judee d said...

LOL. I can remember messes like that when I had littlies. Now mine are grown up with littlies of their own and they complain of these sorts of messes.
I always say it is still a clean mess. Nothing a little soap and water will not fix.
Keep smiling and healthy
love
Judy
Victoria Australia

Rick said...

Looks like you got a case of Florida melting all over your house. It's a good thing that they weren't trying to recreate Alaska!


http://organizeddoodles.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Gosh its nice to know that you too have those days.

I meant to comment on the post you did about the permanent marker picture on your table. My 4 year old got into my stash of multicolored permanent markers and wrote on everything and I mean everything. The doors one that is unfinsihed on the front of our house the steps the walls........ Hes a smart one too he wrote his NAME!!!! I noticed it when I moved a curtain in our hallway upstairs to see if it was snowing. UGHHHHHH I said to Noah did you do this. HAON (Noah written backwards dont ask he's in a phase) He said NOPE Sawyer did it. When I told him Sawyer who is 3 doesnt know how to write his name Noah didnt say another word just hung his head. Good grief!!

Dawn darling you just may be my saving grace. Its nice to know we are in the same boat. On a cheery note at least our boat is filled with beautiful artwork.

Nicki said...

OMG! How do you survive everyday?? I sure hope that's washable paint! YIKES!

Julie said...

This may be a small comfort, but at least they wash their hands!!! (And with SOAP even!)
I have to remind my kids to wash their hands ALL THE TIME - it drives me a little NUTTY.

TheFatSister said...

I'm diggin' your title to this one. I'm amazed that we moms get anything done with all the 'undoing' we do all day.

Amie said...

Oh gosh, I seriously feel for you! I think if this happened to me, one child would be out looking for a new home! ;)

Sally Jo said...

I'm glad I'm not the only mother that has to deal with stuff like that.... I only turned around for a minute and wham.... I feel you pain, good luck cleaning it up!

Lucille said...

OH MY!

I'm sorry to chuckle at it, but you did too, right?

Thank you for doing what you do. You are my shot of B12 Miss Dawn!

I needed it - especially today.

Hope you have stock in Brawny or some other good paper towel - HEY Brawny - how bout you send her some free towels? :)

Anonymous said...

It could be worse - it could have been vegetable oil (like the time my son anointed himself in the middle of the kitchen floor). He had a great time playing in the stuff but it was a full week until we weren't sliding all over the kitchen floor...

EnjoyingLife said...

Oh...My...GAWD... PLease tell me it's washable paint. ;) I feel you pain. Mine did the same on my newly painted walls with Black Permanente Marker. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser rally is magic. Just thought I'd pass that along. ;)

nutralady2001 said...

It IS water soluble, right? ........

Oh that reminds me yes am sending stuff from where I live here in Australia,just need to get organized and get to the Tourist Bureau lol

~Jenifer~ said...

Dawn,
I was just sitting here catching up on your blog and found out about Julian. I can not even pretend to know what it is like to lose a child. My Nephew died about 3 years ago after battling for 2 and 1/2 years so I was really touched and was brought to tears (even as I type). I wish this family all they need to mend and heal and still trust in God.
My prayers are with them.
Jenifer Coverdale
Dillsburg, PA

Kyddryn said...

Well...at least the little darlin' in question came in to wash hands. That's good isn't it?

I have a two-hundred-year-old farm table in my kitchen...battered, beaten, scarred and marked over the years. My ONE son has added his touch to the generations with water colors and a bit of marker. I imagine if I had more than the one, I'd never need a table cloth.

What do you use to get the paint off...everything???

miss r said...

Ditto the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser! I teach kindergarten and whenever there's paint involved the magic eraser is handy.
A tip for a busy lady like yourself, let them draw/write in men's shaving cream on a dingy floor. It's fun for them and the alcohol cleans up the floor nicely. All you have to do is wipe/mop it clean. I let my students do this on their tabletops once a quarter to clean 'em up.

Anonymous said...

How about an entire 100 ounce jug of liquid Tide dumped in the MIDDLE of the BEIGE living room carpet? The folks at the carpet cleaner places all laughed at me when I called for their help. You know how that stuff is BRIGHT BLUE? We finally rented a steam cleaner from the grocery store. It took my husband 3 hours to keep spraying and rinsing until the soap stopped sudsing up.

Anonymous said...

Hi Dawn,

My most recent "painting adventure" was with my 4 year old. He got tired of painting HIS picture and decided to paint the dog's toenails PURPLE. After the toenails, he moved onto the dog's paws. Nothing like playing "Blue's Clues" in my own house looking for all the purple pawprints. A CLUE, A CLUE... Ahhh, the memories!

It's a good thing that you keep your sense of humor! What a good Mom. : )

Thanks!
Lisa K, San Antonio, Tx

Anonymous said...

That's the funniest thing I've ever seen!!!

Shellie said...

Why does that look so very familiar?? It is spooky, oh so spooky sometimes... Then once I had to go to the bathroom while the kids were painting and by the time I got back (and I was not constipated or anything, we are talking maybe 5 minutes top) they had painted their arms, faces and the walls.

Anonymous said...

Awwwwwww Dawn you have been fibbing to us? That is at least 3 sections of floor with no kid-stuff to trip over lol. Look on the bright side though - the painter kids washed their hands without having to be told 17 times! And with soap too!!! I'm impressed lol.
Just keep reminding yourself - they will have kids of their own one day and you get to sit back and giggle

Becky said...

Oh. My. Word! I so hope that wasn't model paint. That stuff doesn't come out of anything!

What a good mom you are to allow artistic expression...I've been guilty of forbidding such things because I didn't want the hassle of cleaning up. Of course my toddler takes revenge by getting into my craft drawers while daddy is 'watching' him, and stamping blue stamp pads all over my white bedding.

But then dinner table conversation in our old age would sure be boring if not for these sorts of stories to reminisce about!

Autumn said...

Oh that's classic!! That was us on Saturday. We were building a little snowman, and my son wanted to 'dress him up' so I let him go get a scarf from his sisters room. Please wipe your feet before you go in the house. Yep, go in the house 20 minutes later and there are little puddles of water all over the floor. Of course, I didn't notice until I sank my socked foot into one of these very cold puddles.

Bronie said...

Hi Dawn!

I was actually relieved to find out that it was paint. I thought maybe Joe was treating you guys to that "special" fish again!

Anonymous said...

Mmmmmmm ...... green used to be my favorite color. Now I'm thinking transparent.

Also I'm with Keren .... I am way impressed how clean and glossy your floors are with 6 very active children running about.
You must have more than 24 hours in your day.

nomi said...

THAT was WONDERFUL! What a great way to start my morning! Note to MYSELF: never buy green paint!

Veggiemomof2 said...

I thought maybe the lime fish was coming back to exact his revenge! LOL

Mrs. Schmitty said...

At least they washed their hands!

Tammy said...

Dawn,

I can't say I would be happy with the green paint mess! But in light of Julian passing, I would cheerfully clean a million green paint messes rather than lose a child.

It's all in the perspective, and you seem to have a huge sense of humor and love!

Thank you for sharing!

Anonymous said...

It is so nice to see that all kids do crazy stuff. When mine were younger I thought I'd lose my mind!

Here's a question off the subject, possibly for your Sunday Sound Out...my husband and I are planning a baseball trip for this summer and the Cubs are on our list...what restaurants would you recommend we try in your fine city?

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

When I saw the title of the post I just knew what I was going to see. Bless you for documenting it, and not strangling the little perpetrators. I had a friend with 3 little boys who painted her brand new car with bright blue house paint. She screamed and yelled and ranted and raved everytime they tested her patience and they eventually learned to tune her out. They have all had their problems with authority growing up and even tangled with the law. If keep your cool when your children are little, your problems will be little. Choose your battles and know that your children will remember your laughter a lot longer than your anger.

C-Rah said...

Oh good LORD. What a mess. Reminds me of the time my baby brother threw baby powder all over the room in big, white, puffy clouds.

Anonymous said...

Hi Dawn! It looks like leprechauns have invaded your house....

I gotta say, I love your blog. It's the first one I read every day. You sound like an awesome family! Thank you for sharing your life w/ us, warts, green fingerprints & all!

Anonymous said...

How do you keep from beating your children on a daily basis. You would have to hide all the wooden spoons in the house from me!

Unknown said...

OMG! I guess I shouldn't complain about my kids spilling an entire bottle of bleach on our carpeted basement floor . . .

Anonymous said...

When my daughter was about 5 she painted my car! I had been painting her room (pink, purple, mint green and all the other lovely girly colors) and left the paint trays outside over night with the paint brushes in them... when the next morning I when to clean up the paint mess and found my car painted in all the girly colors! And about your nice clean and shiny floors I bet they were freshly sweeped and mopped right? That's how it is my house anyways... the messes never happen just before I clean my floor they happen just after!

Anonymous said...

Well, at least by doing this blog, you've got great documentation for laughs in the future-- because these things magically get funny later--much later, like when you have grandkids and your kids are the lucky ones who get to clean up the green paint from every surface of their homes.

Anonymous said...

How funny! Kinda looks like my house last night - my little ones (2 1/2 and 3 1/2) wanted to color so my daughter (11) was charged with watching them at the table while I did some laundrey. Next thing I know, my 2 year old has painted his hands - front and back- and his cheeks, and my dining room table (luckily with washable paints!), all while my 11 year old "watched" and "didn't see him do it". Gotta love their creative genius!

Anonymous said...

Holy cow! I'm so sorry--but that's so terribly funny! I hope it cleans off easily for you.

Okay, now I'm going to go enjoy my one child who is still stationary. (Though I hope to take things in stride as well as you do when I have a house full of mobile children one day!) :)

Happy Tuesday, Dawn!

Leah said...

OH NO!!! LOL My heart skipped a beat there momentarily as I imagined myself in your shoes having to clean that up. And then I imagined myself handing over babywipes and paper towels and making the kids doing some of the work themselves and suddenly the world seemed okay again. LOL My floors could always use a good scrubbing seems like, anyway, so some green paint might just be a good incentive. hee hee!!

And hey, at least they washed their hands!!!!

Anonymous said...

Why is having fun so messy?! All the fun artsy things, like the Florida map and the green paint make such a mess, but what can you do? I love it when my son scribbles me a beautiful drawing, even if he gets blue marker all over his face while he's at it.

Anonymous said...

Hee, hee. That reminds me of the time my nephew painted his baby brother blue, then set him free in the house. Blue streaks, blue smears, blue handprints, and a blue buttprint right in the middle of the living room. How do they think these things up?!?!?

Cheers,
Sarah

Tammy B said...

i'm sorry but i am laughing SO hard! but trust me i do feel your pain!

wencanscrap said...

Oh no...

Alison said...

Dawn, I'm so glad that other houses sport that beautiful pre- spring-is-almost-here-so-let's-make-some-"art"-look. Our footprints, handprints, and face prints (don't ask, but it did take me days to get the "permanent" marker off someone's face --he looked like a 20 month old with a half goatie) were brown, though because two of the four boys wanted to recreate the BROWN bionicle. :-) Lego really needs to start making pastel Bionicles.

Debi said...

LOL, I know it's not funny but I so appreciate you sharing this with us. You made my day!

Anonymous said...

Boy, that looks familiar. I figure I will have nice furniture and a clean freshly painted house when the kids grow up. I sure don't have it now. :)

CohoesMom5 said...

Dawn,
I have been meaning to post a comment for months but never seem to have enough time. I read your blog at work but our firewall blocks access to the picture and to the comments. So I have to save up enough energy to check out your blog at night.

I have only 5 kids and used to yell at them for every little thing. Since I found your blog this summer, I have tried to find the humor in what they do instead of just yelling. It is really hard but I am getting better at it.

I read your post a couple of weeks ago about how Clay gets the cookies from the top of the fridge. I thought to myself, "at least Markian (my 8 3/4 year old) climbs on the counter next to the fridge to reach the top." The following weekend he walks into our bathroom while I am in there to get a bandaid because his chin is bleeding. I ask him what happened and eventually he tells me - he fell off the fridge when he was trying to reach the snacks. I couldn't understand how he got to the top of the fridge until he told me that he fell off the "step" explained it was the ice dispenser. I just laughed, cleaned up his cut, thanked God that it wasn't worse, and asked if he was going to do that again. He said, "No, I'll just get a chair."

Tricia said...

That so tops the day my daughter decided to see what happens with you throw eggs on the kitchen floor. Twelve of them. But at least it was contained to the kitchen floor!

Anonymous said...

HA HA!!! That is SOOO Funny - especially since it was you and not me ;)

I'm so proud of your kids though, they washed their hands when they finished. That's GREAT! LOL!

Elizabeth Byler Younts said...

fabulous! sounds like you have a very busy household. i love the picture you have on the top of your blog, so adorable!

Gina said...

OMG... That is too funny. OF course not to you. That is something my girls would do even though they are 2 & 3. How long did that take you to clean up?

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