Then disaster struck. Disaster. DISASTER! Dallin was done playing downstairs so he came upstairs and quickly told me that Tristan was drawing on the walls downstairs. My eyes got big and I got worried and I asked which ones and Dallin responded "All of them". Oh. My. Gosh. I quickly ran downstairs and told Dallin to take care of Warren. I got to the bottom of the stairs and very sweetly and nicely Tristan offered me up the PERMANENT MARKER in his hands. I could only see a little spot way over on the other side of the basement where there was one mark and I was upset but I could handle it. So I asked him what he was doing and he said "Drawing on the walls". I said no, that isn't a good thing. I started walking forward and as I got out into the open area I literally screamed. AHHHHHH! It was ALL over the largest wall in the basement. The one you want to look flawless because there is lots of light on it and nothing covering it. And now there was a loooong mark from one side of the room to the other and then lots of swills and loops and doodles underneath it. I know Dallin did the long mark because Tristan couldn't reach that high.
So, back to the story, I screamed. Then I took a breath. Took the marker away and quietly told Tristan to go upstairs. He quickly obeyed. I walked around looking at the damage. Not only was that wall covered but they had taken the marker and run it up and down in the corners of the room. Not cool. And they got a pen so that both of them could draw. Also not cool. And they marked up every wall in the room. Thankfully the rest of the walls only had small marks but still! I could not believe it. My kids have never drawn on the walls except Tristan did once last summer in June or so. And they have had plenty of opportunities to do it but never have. So I was not expecting it. and it stinks because we had finished painting the walls and were all done with them. We only had trim left to do! Gah!
I went back upstairs and asked them to go in their room while I called Chris and they quietly obeyed. They must have known how upset I was because they don't often obey that request. I called Chris and was feeling a bit upset but was proud of myself as well because I had not yet caused physical harm to my children. Or put them on the side of the street and told them to start walking. Go me! After I talked to Chris I went and found the denatured alcohol and rags and grabbed Warren and the other two and we all went downstairs. As a punishment they had to wipe the walls down. Not that rags with water on them was going to do anything but it was the principle of the matter. After a while they started having too much fun for a consequence though so I had them sit in time out chairs and they got to watch me for the next half hour scrub the marks off of the wall. Then Warren wanted lunch and I was tired of doing that so we went upstairs and told them I was done with them and they couldn't be in the same room as me for a while. So I made lunch but Warren was so tired that he fell asleep before I even finished making it, put him down, fed Dallin and Tristan and put them down for naps. Then I went downstairs and finished rubbing all the marks off of the walls. The marks were completely gone but you could see where the alcohol had rubbed the top coat of paint right off so it needed a topcoat of paint. I quickly got everything out and painted over it and now all traces of their escapade are gone. I am glad that I didn't do something to my children that I would regret but I still wonder if they know how upset I was at them. Here is hoping to no more set backs with the basement!
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