Last Friday, our new American Girl addition, Saige Copeland, arrived to become the newest member of our family and my daughter's doll collection.  The doll was welcomed with lots of love from my daughter and has been at her side since the box was opened.  She takes her just about every where she goes in the house (we have rules, American Girl's do not leave the house) as they have become inseparable.  While I enjoy seeing the delight of my daughter's face as she plays with her latest "friend", we discovered last night that sometimes this attachment can come at a price. :o/

Yesterday evening, as I was preparing dinner, my daughter was telling me her wonderful way of keeping track of the days with her new American Girl 2013 calendar that she received with her latest magazine issue and how she is also using the school's lunch calendar.  I was so engrossed with dinner preparations, as I listened to her telling me this great new tracking method, I had failed to see she grabbed a sharpie of the kitchen drawer and was using it to mark off the days that had passed on her calendar. Sometimes, we're just a Mom and in most cases a sharpie isn't the end of the world - especially since my daughter is relatively responsible with her choices.  She did nothing bad, just check off the calendar.  

Under most circumstances that wouldn't have been a big deal; however, last night she must've got sharpie on her hand as she recapped the lid.  Again, not a huge deal typically, but what followed next made things more complex.  

After I had managed to get dinner assembled and ready to go in the oven, I went back to my computer double check the recipe one last time to make sure I hadn't forgot anything only have my daughter frantically approach me with a horrified look in her eyes.  She says "What's this blue stuff on my doll?"  I look up and see she is standing there, putting Saige in my face.  I take the doll to examine it and discover there is blue ink covering Saige's wrist.  I immediately asked her what she had been playing with and she said "nothing".  She obviously had not realized the marker was on her hand when she went to pick up her doll and put her in her little play jeep.  She was driving the doll around when she noticed it.  Again I asked "what did you have?" and after trying to figure it out we realized she was also marked in blue.  It hit us that the sharpie was the culprit.  

In a slight panic, as the American Girl doll is not a cheap toy, I quickly turned to my computer and typed in "Remove sharpie from doll" and up pops white toothpaste and a toothbrush in a circular motion.  Immediately, I raced upstairs and administered first aid to Saige with some Sensodyne and a child soft toothbrush. To prep her for "surgery",  I covered her hair with a "shower cap/plastic disposable dish cover for microwaving ", undressed her from her clothes, and covered her body with a hand towel to make sure she didn't get even more icky.  The stain was lighter, but definitely still very much there.  I tried letting the toothpaste sit for awhile, covering it with plastic wrap so it didn't dry out, and trying the scrubbing again.  Nothing.  It was a stain.  Upset, I called my husband and he suggested rubbing alcohol.  Tried it, didn't work.  Tried magic eraser, didn't work. At this point I'm thinking this may call for a trip to the doll hospital so American Girl can fix her.  Needless to say I was disappointed that we may have to send Saige off less than a week of having her home.

Not willing to give up (my stubbornness takes over) and I again turn to the Internet.  This time, I turn up different results.  A girl had posted a video of her attempt to remove ink stains from her American Girl.  This method she used concerned me as I wasn't sure how well it would work without bleaching the doll's skin due to the make-up of the product; however, I was willing to give it a try.  After all, at this point I've concluded the doll may need a new arm already.  So I set off to locate Oxy Spot Treatment for acne.  To no avail locating finding the name brand, I was pleased when I talked to Walmart's pharmacy to discover that they cared a "generic" product for Oxy that contained the "magical" ingredients needed to remove such a stain.  I toss on my coat, tell my husband I'm off to Walmart, and out the door I go.  

On the way to Walmart it hits me, maybe I better see if American Girl has better suggestions as I'm concerned about this doll's well-being.  They tell me the same thing - acne product containing benzoyl peroxide, plastic wrap, and sunlight.  I arrive at Walmart, pick up the Equate Spot Treatment for acne, check out and return home.  Now I just had to wait until morning because part of the key to this trick is UV rays given off by sunlight.

So this morning, as I wake up it quickly hits me that I have doll surgery to perform as Saige has unexpectedly been tattooed.  

Here's what you'll need:

• Acne treatment medicine containing 10% benzoyl peroxide
  
• Q-tip
• Plastic wrap
  
• Old towels to cover the doll
• Small rubberband
• A safe spot outside to place the doll
• Sunlight

First begin by removing the doll's clothing and covering all untreated areas with a towel.  Be sure to secure the doll's hair back and if possible cover her with an old towel to reduce the risk of the product coming into contact with the fabric or hair.

Begin by applying a small amount of the acne treatment to the stained areas only.

After the ointment has been applied, wrap the plastic wrap around the treated area, trying not to "double" the wrap over the parts you are trying to fade.  If you bunch of the plastic wrap over the stained area the UV rays may not be able to penetrate through the plastic wrap to eliminate the stain.  Secure the plastic wrap with a small rubberband (I used a tiny hair band from my daughter's accessories). 

Take your American Girl friend outside and let her sunbathe. Ok, so we live in the northern part of the United States so yes, it is winter and yes we have snow.   I will admit the overcast day did have me a bit worried that this may not work as I wasn't sure how well it would work on a cloudy, dreary day.  I placed her on my daughter's plastic tea cart to keep her off of wet surfaces and so our dogs couldn't attack her.  Poor Saige, it's frigid out here, but we wrapped her up real good to keep the rest her from being exposed to the elements and sunlight. After all, we are only trying to fade the stains, not all of Saige.

This is the part that I hated most...waiting.  Saige had to stay outside for quite a few hours.  In fact, I left her outside for about 6 1/2 hours.  Now, Saige was left on my deck that is outside my family room and I kept a close eye on her simply because it is a overcast day in the dead of winter with a chance of rain heading our way this evening.  Needless to say, I didn't want Saige to happen out of our yard, but also I didn't want her to be rained on either.  After about 4 hours I decided to check on things to see if this stuff was working.  The stain had faded significantly; however, I decided to add a little more time to see if it would fade away completely. So after a long 6 1/2 hours, I decided to peek in on her.  

After I brought her inside from the cold (poor Saige - she is from New Mexico after all, so I'm sure the winter weather is a shock to her system, right?), I used a damp cloth to wipe off the ointment.  I examined the area and sure enough the sharpie is gone!  I used a clean soft cloth with mild soap and gave her arm a gentle scrub to remove any left over acne ointment.  A quick rinse of the cloth, another wipe to remove the soap, a little drying with a towel, and she's as good as new!

Although this treatment worked for us today, it is my understanding that some more difficult stains may require repeated treatment depending on the severity of the stain.  This could be three of four more times of applying the cream to your doll and sending her back outside to sunbathe.

Ta da, yes it really does work!!!  My daughter will be thrilled to see that Dr. Mom's surgery was a success and Saige has been restored to her beautiful self.  Last night, my daughter was devastated when she saw the marks and completely upset with herself for causing it.  This is the first incident we've had with a doll since she has owned American Girl dolls that required true attention.  She has a great respect and extreme love for all of her dolls and is very careful with how she plays. 

Needless to say, this accident has been a learning lesson for all of us and I'm glad to be able to share my story with other people in hopes that they too can restore a smile to their child's face and remove the "tattoos" from their dolls.  To all the other mom's out there who have encountered a similar situation with the dreaded sharpie ( whether accidental or accidentally on purpose), rest assured all hope is not lost!  

I love being eco-friendly!  Everyday my daughter packs her lunch in reusable containers.  A couple of years ago I bought a Thermos FUNtainer for her drink; however, to my dismay I discovered it was all but impossible to clean the straw and mouth-piece of the container.  I soon discovered that there was residue build-up accumulating in the mouth-piece and became disgusted to the point I was ready to abandon my eco-friendly solution for my daughter's drink. 

That day I was telling my cousin about this dilemma and she made a wonderful suggestion to me.  Use a pipe cleaner to get down in there.  I happened to have some pipe cleaners on hand from a craft project so I decided to give it a try.  Sure enough, I was able to scrub the inside of the straw and mouth piece. 

While the pipe cleaner works very well, there are times when I notice something in the straw or mouth piece that I cannot get out with the pipe cleaner no matter how hard I try.  Then I discovered for tougher tasks, using the thinner end of a chopstick works great. 

So if you're having troubles cleaning your child's FUNtainer, invest in some pipe cleaners and chopsticks!

Maybe your house isn't a monster, but I bet some days you feel like it because there is clutter everywhere, a mountain of dishes in the sink, and don't even get me started about what I like to fondly refer to as the "Mt. Saint Never-An-End-In-Sight" laundry piling up.  Yes, some days, it feels like my house is a monster that is attacking me.  It can be overwhelming to get things under control, especially if you work outside the home.  I haven't always been a stay-at-home mom, I did the career thing and the single Mommy thing for six years.  I worked 40 to 50 hours a week, came home, took care of my son, went to college, and found time to clean my apartment. It was exhausting. 

That was almost 10 years ago, and I still think my house is a monster.  Most of the time, my house suffers from the problem of clutter and the aftermath of my daughter's love for playing.  The mess is usually manageable, but last winter things got out of control because my father had a major heart attack and I spent more time at his bedside at the hospital than I did at my house.  My husband was left to manage things and while he certainly tried his best to keep things in order - like many husbands, he doesn't do it my way.

Several months went by, my dad recovered, but man was the house a mess.  It was overwhelming because there was so much to do.  I decided this was a task that would take some time and I needed a plan of action, so I set off to work.  A small stack of paper, a pencil, and tape in hand I went room-by-room creating a list of everything I could see that needed to be done and taped it to the door of that room.  There in plan sight was my list, glaring at me, telling me what I needed to do.  I set off to work, tackling one task at a time until everything on each list was done.  This didn't happen overnight, in a day, or even a week.  It took me several weeks, but it did happen and I felt accomplished when it was done. 

What you need to tame the "Monster House"

• A realistic goal (be sure to include a deadline)
  
• Paper
• Pen
• Tape (optional, but it helps to have that list staring at you as motivation)
• A plan
  
• Any necessary cleaning supplies 

Creating a Plan

• Go room-to-room and outline what needs done (i.e. remove clutter, dust, vacuum, walls washed/scuff marks removed)
• Once you have your plan, examine it to see what needs to be done
  
• Start with the smallest tasks first, they will go quickly and you will feel like you're doing making progress
• Mark off items on your list as you complete them.  As silly as it seems, marked off items can feel rewarding and give us a sense of accomplishment.
• Don't try to do everything in one day - it won't happen and will only leave you feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.
• Take breaks - yes, everyone needs to take a break.  Taming the house monster is a daunting task.
• Don't lose sight of your goals.  Although taking breaks is good, you don't want to completely abandon ship; otherwise, the monster will rear it's ugly head at you and it's not a pretty sight.
• Reward yourself! Even if nobody in your house notices all your hard work, you know what you've done.  Give yourself a pat on the back for a good job done!