How Very Talented!

I aspire to make millions.  I dream of fame. I want to see my name in print.  And preferably not in the back pages of the news or on a most wanted list.  I will one day be published.

Turns out I have some competition in the family. I may be out done. Beaten at my own game?  No, not really. I will happily sponge off my children's millions, should they beat me to it. 

My Angel Baby is talented.  I knew this before, but I'm sure you didn't.  I am hopeful that she will hone her skills and use this productively.  At this point there are two ways it can go.

I may have the next world renowned artist on my hands or I may have the next most wanted graffiti artist.

I don't think I've ever had THIS MUCH permanent black marker all at one time.  Two walls?  Wow.  And of course, Art was just sitting there. Not even paying attention to what she was doing with HIS marker. But that's beside the point.  What you can't really see is all the extra pen and pencil lines, the smaller thinner marker lines, the highlighter marks (did you know that highlighters STAIN painted walls?).  No more avoiding the task, this is a bit too much to ignore.

I searched for my magic eraser.  Turns out it Magically Disappeared.  

Go figure.

I tried hairspray, I've heard that helps.  It does, and would be fine for a small mark, or even pen lines which are not as thick as this.  I started, and you can see that it the top left photo, but it was taking forever.

I tried baking soda.  It works for everything.  Even this.  But I don't want to spend weeks scrubbing a few inches at a time as it works just as well as the hairspray. 

So, next comes the beautiful SOS steel wool. Had to giggle as I remembered someone, some time ago, suggesting that you never use this on your walls as you will damage the paint.

Ummm.... Hello?

Isn't it damaged already?

(Seriously. Do you even have kids?)

I scrubbed and scrubbed.  This was definitely much more effective and certainly faster.  After getting the left side wall clean (and the other miscellaneous pen and pencil marks since this is not the first attack on this wall) I started at the top of the ladder on the right.  Cleaned outside the ladder, above the top rung and also up behind the top bunk where her little hands could reach but my camera can't see.  Half way through that middle section of the ladder, I got the brilliant idea to spray the hairspray WITH the SOS. 

I'm telling you...  

THIS IS THE WAY TO GO. 

Little scrub, little spray, scrub a little more, wipe clean.  Pretty much that easy too. Really wish that I would have figured it out sooner, but still happy I figured it out at all.  Now I know for next time.

And I just KNOW there WILL be a next time.  I'm just too darn busy some days to see everything.

 Side Note #1

Just after writing this first draft, I headed to the school to get the kids.  First person I spoke to had the same advice. He knew JUST the thing to do. "Go to the hardware store... this stuff won't damage your paint. Well, do you have latex based?"

Side Note #2

You wonderful readers have pushed me to my first ONE THOUSAND page views.  We're having cake.

Thank you 

Thank you

Thank you.