Mommy Lesson Learned #1

Okay, so this is definitely not the first "mommy" lesson that I've learned...it's probably closer to number 39485...but I've decided to start a new blog series with this title, and this is the first post, so I'm labeling it number 1. 

Lately, Ella has really gotten into crayon art.  Back in November, I taught her how to make "hand turkeys."  You know...those things you used to make in kindergarten when you'd have somone trace your hand, and then you'd decorate it like a turkey?  Well, she didn't care about the turkey part, but she really got into the "trace your hand" part, with the result that I now have to trace her hand at least 25 times every day.  And that's where it all started. 

But that's not where it ended.  Oh, no, my friends.

We now have crayons all over the house.  ALL OVER THE HOUSE.  I find them between the seats of the couch, in the refrigerator, in my bed (how in the world??), in the plants, and in the bathtub.  Sometimes I dream about them.  They're taking over.  It's no longer my house...it belongs to the crayons...

Where was I? 

Oh yeah, Ella's art.  Well, she's a true artist, in that she doesn't like to be bound by traditional art forms.  For example, most people use crayons to draw on paper.  And she does that, too...but why stop there?  The refrigerator door is so blank - why not make it "pretty?"  The windows are so clean and bare...why not add a little crayon action?  In fact, why not draw on the freshly painted white window frame, too?  The possibilities are endless.

That's why we have a washable crayon only policy in our house.  You can wash those things off walls, refrigerators, windows, and floors with just a little soap and water.  Easy peasy.  Smart mommy, huh?  That's what I thought, too. 

Until today.

Today I found crayons in a new place.  The clothes dryer.  NOT COOL.  Ella often "helps" me do the laundry, and occasionally when I'm loading the washer, I find a toy or a stuffed animal stuck in the clothes...I guess she likes her toys clean.  But somehow I missed the pink crayon that she hid inside the load of white stuff I was washing last night.  I didn't discover this until they came out of the dryer...pink tie-dyed bath towels, kitchen towels, and shirts.  AHHHH! 

I couldn't figure out what to do.  It was melted onto the clothes, so I didn't know how to get it off.  So I did the only thing I could think to do.  I put the whole load back into the washing machine with hot water, soap, and bleach.  I figured it couldn't hurt, and it might help. 

Friends, it worked.  It WORKED!!  When I took them out of the washer to put them into the dryer again, the pink was gone! 

So what is the mommy lesson here? 
Is it to examine all of your clothes before you put them into the washer?  No.
Is it to keep your kid out of the laundry?  No.
Is it to limit your child's crayon usage?  No.

The lesson is...drumroll...

ONLY buy washable crayons.  They're awesome.  And don't teach your kid about hand turkeys.