Thanks for the ideas! I'll probably be giving Bedo's a call tomorrow. The hair spray did nothing but I think that it's because of the type of leather (not super shiny but not suede either, somewhere in between) I moved the cushion to where it isn't quite as noticeable but I'd still love it to disappear!
Thanks again.

So I just discovered that my 5 year old wrote her name in an ink pen on our leather couch. According to her she did this a few Thursdays ago (which probably means sometime last week) Any ideas as to how I get this out? We have a chocolate brown leather sofa (not a super shiny finish) So far I've tried a baby wipe, Method leather cleaner wipes, and alcohol hand sanitizer (we're out of rubbing alcohol and nail polish remover, so I thought that I'd give it a shot!) Helpful recommendations would be great (esp. if you've tried it with a dark sofa and it worked for you!)

Thanks so much.

Maybe you just are finally a voice of reason on some threads. When you post people think "yea, that's what I was thinking" or "yea, someone finally knew what they were talking about" and so no one else posts after you?

If it makes you feel any better, I posted quite a few threads on the old site that didn't even get a response. I was the thread starter and killer

Okay, so this is going to make me sound like the meanest mom out there, but here's what I did...

My oldest daughter (4 at the time, now 5) was complaining about eating her veggies this past summer. We were members of a CSA so we had a TON of veggies that we needed to eat. My husband, the total carnivore of the family, would tend to cater to her and just let her eat the corn and potatoes. Well, with him overseas (and not around to complain) I decided that we'd be vegetarians for as long as it took for her to stop complaining about the vegetables. I made meals with tons of veggies, tofu and fruit. She'd devour the fruit and tofu but wouldn't touch the veggies. As per the rule in our house, no dessert or snacks of any kind unless you finish your meal. It took a few days but I think that she was desperate for ice cream and finally started eating her vegetables. I kept it up for a few days after that and ever since then whenever I get a cross word about dinner from her, I just simply ask if she'd like a week of vegetables.

Sounds mean, I know, but it worked for us. (Plus, I actually lost two pounds that week - hmmmm maybe I should try that again...)

I think that I remember reading something about one of the pumpkin patches having some sort of pirate ship. Perhaps that's what you're thinking of? (I only get the Sunday paper too, so it was probably in the Sunday Source)
I don't think that it has a pirate ship, per se, but Clemyjontri Park in Mclean is awesome! I've never seen a park like it and both of my girls (5 and 15 months) LOVE it. Here's the link: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/clemyjontri/
Sorry I couldn't help more!

I'm in the same boat. I had something pretty traumatic happen to me as a teenager and I'm still working through it. My mother is still working through an event that happened to her over 40 years ago. My husband is currently working through some PTSD as a result of his time overseas. I'm a little unsure where the line is drawn between PTSD and, for some, a lifelong process of dealing with things that have happened.

For those a**holes saying that you should "grow up" here are a few quotes for you:

"Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something horrible and scary that you see or that happens to you. During this type of event, you think that your life or others' lives are in danger. You may feel afraid or feel that you have no control over what is happening.

Anyone who has gone through a life-threatening event can develop PTSD. These events can include:

* Combat or military exposure
* Child sexual or physical abuse
* Terrorist attacks
* Sexual or physical assault
* Serious accidents, such as a car wreck.
* Natural disasters, such as a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, or earthquake.

After the event, you may feel scared, confused, and angry. If these feelings don't go away or they get worse, you may have PTSD. These symptoms may disrupt your life, making it hard to continue with your daily activities."

"PTSD symptoms usually start soon after the traumatic event, but they may not happen until months or years later. They also may come and go over many years. If the symptoms last longer than 4 weeks, cause you great distress, or interfere with your work or home life, you probably have PTSD."

Source: http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/index.jsp

I think that it is so great, and important, that you're now in therapy to work through this. I didn't understand the extent of my pain until I made it to a therapist. My husband practically forced me to the therapist after he saw that what I'd gone through (years before I'd even met him) was impacting my daily life and our relationship. Mind you, this was a good ten years after the incident. Some people can make it through rapes, natural disasters, combat, car accidents, etc. just fine and are able to process and "deal with" what happened, but for others of us, esp. those who suffer from PTSD, it takes time, and sometimes therapy. (In my humble opinion, if you think that you have PTSD you should get yourself to a therapist ASAP!)

Okay, I'm getting off my soapbox. Sorry this is so long. Good luck, OP. Please don't feel childish about having a hard time getting past whatever it is that happened to you. If that makes you childish, then so am I, my mother, my husband, my husband's best friend, one of my close friends, etc.

Also on that note...if you do choose to say something (that you might think is helpful) to someone with a loved one overseas, please don't go overboard. My DH is overseas and will be throughout the holidays and well into next year. This is my first time facing the holidays alone, well with our two kids. I've been a bit depressed but am trying my best to hold it together, especially for the sake of my girls. I've had a number of people actually make me feel so much worse, though I know they were trying to help. They just went on and on about how hard it must be, how lonely I must be, how they don't think they could ever do this, yada yada yada...The first few words of encouragement ("I'm thinking about you" "Let me know if you need anything" (and really meaning it) or as the OP mentioned, a genuine smile) were great, but the ongoing, long depressing conversation that tends to follow isn't so helpful. Be encouraging, uplifting. I know (and so does anyone else going through this) how hard it is...don't need to be reminded of that.