HELP...I need you: Crayon vs. Dryer

I know I told you I would post more laundry ideas soon....and I planned on it.  Just not this soon...and certainly not this one.  No...this was a new discovery...as of this morning.

The morning was going well.  Very well.  I didn't have any specific plans for the day....no appointments, no pressing errands, no immediate needs....just a day to catch up and clean up and I REALLY wanted to get a workout in.

I decided, first, to fold a bit of laundry.  I mean, Roberto has become the major laundry folder in our home as of late (because he's awesome) and I usually leave it for him.  But...I wanted to be "nice" and get a head start on it.

Imagine my surprise horror when I opened up the dryer to find this...

Wanna closer look?  How about this....

and this....

and how about this one?

What the heck?  At first I was really confused.  Then after a little time and investigation on my part, I discovered the culprit.  Crayon.  BLACK CRAYON!  Someone must have had one in their pocket.  And you know what...I wish I could blame it all on "them"....but I can't....because it's my job to check the pockets before I launder the clothes, right?

Arrrrggghhhhhh!

The articles above are just a few of the casualties.

The whole entire load is COVERED and you know what....we're not a small family....and we don't have small appliances.  When we purchased our washer and dryer we purchased the LARGEST they carried.  They hold a lot of clothes at one time....and we never run a less than packed load. Yeah...lots of clothes....*sigh*

I panicked at first...then called my mom...then searched the web...then ran to the store...and now have spent the better part of my day experimenting with different methods of getting crayon out of clothing (and the dryer drum as well).

On the bright side....at least I can blog about it.

(UPDATE:  SOLUTION:  How To:  Get crayons out of clothes)

Like I said, I have been experimenting with different methods (even looked up cleaning treatments on Crayola's website).

So here's what I'm going to do.

When all is said and done....and hopefully wax stain free...I'll share my finds with you.  You know, tell you which method worked best...with the least amount of work...and at the lowest cost.  Sound like a deal?

I have met with success so far.  There is life after melted crayon......thank goodness.  I was really worried.

Although I have to admit...I have not actually tried to tackle any articles of clothing that actually matter to me (like my favorite sweater and my more than favorite skirt, oh...and several of Rob's nice work shirts).  Instead I've been using "test" subjects( like boys underwear, pants that were showing signs of serious wear anyway, and a few pairs of Rob's holey dress socks).   

Wish me luck.

I've got a long (and scary) way to go.  And you know what...I could use your help.

Got any ideas and/or experience on the subject.  Wanna share?

UPDATE:  FIND THE SOLUTION HERE.  How To: Get Crayon out of Clothes


 P.S.  Today I linked up to Family Time Tuesday blog carnival.  Go check it out.  And don't forget to vote for T.O. on the Top Mommy Blogs by clicking on the banner below.

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HELP! I need you!---creating jeans that fit

This post is the first in a serious of posts entitled, HELP!  I need you!, where I, Melanie, am asking you, my readers (old and new) for help on a project/task/or parenting issue.

Let's face it....I'm just not as smart as I profess to be.  And I need help and advise from the outside.

Problem of the day:

 

Fall weather is now settling in...shorts are being put away...pants are coming out to play. 

For me, in a house full of testosterone this presents two problemas.  #1 holey knees  #2 fitting issues (either too short, too long, to fat, too skinny,...you get the idea).

After publishing the post Eclectic Fashion in our home of XY's, I was directed to an awesome blog, Living Locurto, where I found a tutorial How to Sew Monster Knees (both very cute and very doable).  I'm sure I'll be trying out this tutorial in the next few weeks, since that is about how long it will take for the newest crop of pants to go from the "someone must really care about you" to the "no one seems to care about you" stage.  I'll post pictures.

Until then, I am currently dealing with problema #2.  

That is why I need YOUR HELP!

In the latest batch of "we feel bad for you because you have a million (4) clothes destroying boys" (aka gratefully received clothing donations from friends and neighbors who are either a. very generous or b. trying to save themselves a trip to Goodwill, DI, Salvation Army, etc, and choose to drop them off here instead.  Either way, we are thankful for them)....anyway....in the last batch of these were a few pairs of jeans, big enough for G-McBabe (#1) that are still in very good, very useable condition.

Sort of.

They are definitely long enough....but are so HUGE in the waist (G has his daddy's superman build---broad shoulders, narrow waist).  G refuses to wear a belt and they do NOT have an adjustable waist band (that should be a crime, don't you think?).

So....to the point.  What do I need your for?

Ideas.  How do I make these pants into something usable for my 8 year old without the use of a belt, also keeping in mind that I HAVE a sewing machine but am not as savvy as to it's usage as I would like to be (aka I'm not much more than a beginner.)?   

Any ideas?

Please come to my rescue...(he is wearing the same two pairs of pants over and over and while that may be enough for some kids, it is not enough for him).

Feel free to either leave a comment (directing me to your totally awesome tutorial idea) or e-mail me at testosteroneoverloadXY at gmail dot com.  Thanks!

P.S. You don't have to have an idea to leave me a comment. I love hearing from you regardless.

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