Sharpie on My Sofa

Did you know rubbing alcohol takes permanent marker out of microfiber? This is information I wish I didn't need to know.
So while I'm making dinner and playing referee to my boys this is what happens: Rett is trying to get Liam's attention, he subtly does this by throwing Jenga blocks at him while Liam is typing on the laptop in the living room. Liam knows better than to engage his brother in "inappropriate behavior" as this just escalates the situation. However, he can't resist and it quickly becomes a war of blocks.
After four days with a low-grade fever, stressed from the past weeks of looking for and bidding on houses and the anticipation of the even busier coming weeks of inspections and moving, I loose it. I yell at Liam for not handling his 3 year old brother properly, throwing in the house and insist that he pick up every block. I go back to the kitchen to check and see if dinner is burning yet.
Meanwhile, Liam is solemnly picking up the block disaster and then he yells out "Mom he's got a Sharpie!" We both lunge for Rett, who quickly uncaps the top and proceeds to run backwards on the sofa all the while wielding the pen as a sword and hitting THREE sofa cushions in the process!
In that moment I felt as though I had no other option than to take the child by the shoulders, rip the pen out of his hand, open the front door, put him on the front porch (yes, it's dark out) and insist that he not move a muscle until I tell him otherwise. I begin frantically scrubbing the microfiber sofa and not 30 seconds later Tim comes home, through the front door and wants to know why Rett is sitting out on the front porch. Then he sees the sofa. Welcome home, Honey!

January 16, 2009