Because I brought my Sharpie!
Oh yes, as it turns out experience helps even in the Mom career field. You see my son was on the swim team last year but most of the other boys in his 5 & 6 year old group were not. I learned a thing or two from last year's swim season, like bring your own Sharpie!
So when the kids were handed out their identical swim team t-shirts before today's meet, I was able to instantly suggest we write each child's name in the tag of their shirt and then whip out my Sharpie to actually accomplish the suggested task! The other moms were in awe because they could see the danger of the 14 identical shirts flying on and off as boys got ready for races and returned from races and the need for labeling them! But they were Sharpieless, powerless, really to keep their little cherub's shirt from being accidentally swapped with the kid's that spilled stuff all over his!
"Do you always carry that in your purse?" they asked! "Next year, My Friends," I told them, "next year you, too, will always have your Sharpie!"
Of course an even bigger Sharpie need was coming after the t-shirt hand-out.
That was labeling the kids' arms for their events so we knew exactly who was swimming what event and the order to line them up in. And since I brought my own Sharpie, our 5 & 6 year old boys were ready 1st for the warm-up while the other groups were sharing about 4 Sharpies among 250 swimmers!
Now aside from writing on kid arms and t-shirt tags. Here are other things I've used a Sharpie for in the recent past:
- Labeling the freezer bag for the extra batch of food I made with last night's dinner. You know "cook once, eat twice". I love that practice and it works much better now that I label the freezer bags with the contents and reheating/cooking instructions. No more wondering what exactly's inside the bag 2 months later!
- Labeling the Nerf football with our last name so I could take it to the swim meet to entertain the boys between events and still have hope of getting it back at the end of the night.
- Labeling the wrapper of my daughter's one tenth eaten cheese stick before putting it in the fridge to be eaten later when she began whining for a snack! Yes, I know, my kids regularly eat off the floor and ground, but I do try to avoid them eating after each other. I figure a preschool aged kid harbors many more germs than the floor! Keep in mind I majored in biomedical science in college so there is science to back up my theories!
- I'm sure there are countless other ways I've used my Sharpies, but they escape me now at 11:11 PM, so I'll stop with my favorite. I used a Sharpie to label my Sharpie that I took to the swim meet tonight!
Or does it? A free Sharpie would be better than that! How about a free Sharpie Stainless Steel Fine Point Permanent Marker, Black Ink (1747388)
?Some of you may follow Big Mama's blog and may remember when she posted about her daughter writing "Spring" and "Winter" on her closet wall to separate her clothes and then how the Sharpie company sent her a free Sharpie pen. Well, I may or may not have left the following comment for Melanie after that blog post, "I am jealous of your Sharpie! In fact, I am sending my kids to their rooms to color their entire walls with a regular old Sharpie so I can blog about it and get a fancy new stainless steel Sharpie!"
A few days later I got an email in my inbox from a Senior Account Executive with the Sharpie company offering to send me the new stainless steel Sharpie for free. And, she said there was no need to get my kids to scribble on the walls or anything!
Sure enough! A few days later this beautiful Sharpie came in the mail! I really can sum up my experience (and I have not been asked or told to review this product, by the way, but simply given a free marker) with the New Stainless Steel Sharpie in one sentence:
It has added some much-needed glamour to my housewifery!
Okay, this post has gotten way too long, so don't even get me started on the Sharpie Pen 1742661 Fine Point 4 Pack Black
. It is my favorite pen! It writes so easily and yet doesn't smear, a combination I have not found matched in any other pen!Now I am hugely grateful for the free product. But, my opinion cannot be bought even with a free Sharpie. These products really are super useful and work well and I would not say that if it were not absolutely true. I am grateful for good products because in my Mom line of work there is no time for things that just don't work to tackle the jobs that need to get done!
Find more Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers, What I Learned this Week at Musings of a Housewife, Tackle It Tuesday at 5 Minutes for Mom,Talk About Tuesday at The Lazy Organizer, Things I love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries
as a synchronized swimming coach -- I always have sharpies -- they are perfect for labeling black team suits, insides of swim caps, goggles, etc. :) That stainless steal one is nifty!
ReplyDeleteHow cool is that?! We have a sharpie, but after hearing what you and others have done I definitely need to use it more often. That is too neat about writing on their arm for swimming.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I agree about the value of good products.
ReplyDeleteOK... So all mom's have an obsession with sharpies. Yeah! I thought I was a closet addict. For years I have had an awesome set of sharpies (in every color) and fine point as well as wide tip. I use them for everything from labeling my kids clothes to writing letters. I love the way they write on glossy note cards. When doing a project a few months ago we exhausted my supply. My parents asked what I wanted for my birthday which was coming up the following week. They didn't believe my girls when the reply was a complete set of sharpies. They bought it anyway but also a lot of other "stuff". I think they were a bit shocked at my exuberance when I opened the box (after all those other gifts) and saw the beautiful rainbow of pens.
ReplyDeleteI love, love sharpies - they are the perfect multi-tasker!
ReplyDeleteYou totally rock! Sharpieing must be your superpower.
ReplyDeletei love to use the rainbow pack for decorating easter eggs.
How did moms survive before sharpies?? I have one in every room, one in every car, one in my travel bag, one in my purse, one in my wood shed, one in my picnic basket, and, honestly, just about everywhere! You can NEVER have enough sharpies! Lol! Great post! I'm jealous of your stainless steel sharpie!!
ReplyDeleteI'm passing on a friendship award to you. So sometime you'll have to check it out. :) Have a great day!
You, my friend, are a brilliant woman after my own heart! I was a swimmer in my younger days, and those tricks would have SO come in handy!!! Love them.
ReplyDeleteWay to go Super Mom....and thanks for the tips!
Sharpies are really one of the greatest inventions EVAH!
I have a friend who gives her daughter sharpie tattoos for a reward. So funny. Great tip!
ReplyDeleteTotally had to giggle about you labeling your kids with sharpie! I am addicted to Sharpie markers. My husband doesn't really understand, but getting one in a new color really does make my day!
ReplyDelete