How have your children got up to 'monkey business'? Share with Ape for the chance to win a £300 voucher

[LucyBMumsnet]

This sponsored discussion is now closed. Thank you to everyone who posted their stories below."

Children often choose their moments wisely and cause mischief as soon as you turn your back. It’s only once they’ve already buttered the carpet or themselves head-to-toe in Sudocrem that you realise they’re up to monkey business. Ape have cut the monkey business - making snacks with plant based ingredients and natural flavours - and would like to hear the stories of the times your children have got up to mischief.

Here’s what Ape has to say: “We know there are times when your kids have caused a little chaos. However, you have to admit that their antics make for great entertainment. They’re the moments that turn into memories which you look back at and laugh about. Ape snacks contain no monkey business, but we do want to hear about the good kind of monkey business your cheeky children get up to.

Perhaps they gave themselves a haircut or decided to decorate the house with streams of precious loo roll? Maybe you caught them red-handed stealing from the snacks cupboard? (We don’t blame them when there are tasty treats around!). Whatever the monkey business is, we can’t wait to hear what stories you have to share!”

What’s the most mischievous thing your child has done? Perhaps they used felt tips to draw on brilliant white walls or tucked into your birthday cake when no one was looking? How did you cope with the situation? Did it require a big clean up job or was there a lot of explaining that needed to be done? Is it something you laugh about in hindsight?

Whatever mayhem your child has caused, let us know on the thread below and you will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky Mumsnetter will win a £300 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

My youngest daughter found my lipstick and drew all over my carpet. Ruining both my carpet and my expensive lipstick.

My toddler decided to 'bath' most of our loo roll earlier this week, whilst it is impossible to get any in shops! Home rationing is now severe!

My toddler loves dinosaurs and HATES wearing shoes!

On our last trip to the Museum whilst looking at the dinosaur display he decided to remove his shoe and throw it into the dinosaurs...hitting a dinosaur fossil, it made a massive noise which alerted the staff!

To make matters worse he was laughing really loud and shouting 'mummy the Dino eat my shoe'

DD got out of her cot one morning and smeared vapour rub all over her head. Up her nose, in her ears, smooshed into her hair, the lot!
I found her grinning away but with tear streaks down her vapour-rubbed cheeks.
Washed it off as best I could, but she smelled vaguely mentholly for weeks, as did her nappies!

Dd2 was very fond of "experiments". One such experiment was to see what happens when you put a clay hedgehog in the microwave! Answer, a big bang and Mummy saying some bad words followed by tears because Mummy can't mend the hedgehog which is in a hundred little pieces!

My Son facepainted his bedroom carpet which runs through the entire house!

Sorry, not that amusing (even in hindsight) but my DS felt-penned his bedroom walls (and other rooms, too). It was about 10 years ago: I should really get over it...

DC2 takes great delight in hiding my things, for no obvious reason. In particular, my watch, keys and phone are prone to 'going missing' even though these mean (or meant, pre C-19) that we are always delayed in trips to the park/soft play/to visit friends etc. Bizarre, I hope they grow out of it!!

Ds used to get up to monkey business with the talcum powder if I ever left it out.

One day I walked into the lounge to find most of it covered in a fine layer of talc with little footprints on the wooden floor leading from the scene of the crime to the culprit.

It wasn't him tho....! Oh no.... 😂

using marmite to paint the walls was not fun!
getting a childs stool on the dogs head was not fun nor havn g to saw the pooor thing out of it.
but we do look back on them now and giggle both with relief that the dog was not bothered nor was hurt and fondness.

my 3 year old walked into tesutti with her aunt and uncle whislt i waited outside with the pram and shopping bags- my 3 year old ran out the shop holding pink sliders shouting ' mummmy do you want these?'......closely followed by the security lady who was radioing the back of the store. thankfully she saw the funny side- i couldve have died

DD drew pictures all over her wall, she did quickly write "I luff mum" at the bottom to try to avoid getting into trouble :)

We have a strict snack time in our house. One time, DS decided he wanted his snack earlier so he must have crept towards the snack cupboard, and took out a piece of chocolate. He went back to where he was. I saw him chewing something so obviously I ask him what he has in his mouth. He says 'nuffin'. Some more chewing very quickly. I start to suspect now that he's taken a snack and as soon as he shifts, I hear a crinkly sound from his trousers. I ask him whether he just lied. He just looks at me wide eyed like he can't believe he just got caught and really thought he'd get away with it lol.

My son hid and ate a whole box of chocolates. I hadn't realised they were missing and found the box and all the wrapper around the back of the sofa! 😬

My son came in with 35 pantyliners stuck all over him. "Look at my armour, mummy!"

Wrote the numbers 1 through to 20 on a dining room chair and wrote "poopoo papa" all over his bedroom furniture.

But the one we most laugh about now, though not at the time was when he was watching Tree Fu Tom on TV. Tree Fu Tom makes magic, a glowing yellow ball of magic. My son made his own "yellow magic" for Tom, by weeing in his potty and throwing it to Tom (all over the TV).

DS (then 2.5) got hold of a permanent marker and "decorated" around the whole of the bathroom. An hour before a scheduled viewing of the house.

I have never scrubbed and cleaned so much so fast.

In trying to get cereal out of the cupboard he knocked a bag of flour over and the whole kitchen was covered in a film of white dust for days!

While I was in the loft getting bags for a last minute, same day flight to New Zealand, my five yr old and three yr old got a box of chocolate almonds from the top of the fridge, wolfed them down, got naked and painted each other head to toe in face paint before leaving body prints all over the house. Face paint is the devil to clean! Great team work..

Drew all over the walls. We painted them. She drew on them again.

When ds2 was 9 he ripped the tab off a plastic tub of cornflower blue paint... The first I knew was when he banged on the window to show me his handywork... Paint over both paths, gravel, two lawns and flowerbeds.. 🤔 🤔 🤔
My neighbour heard me having the screaming ab dabs and came over... She rang her lovely son who came over and pressure washed the whole lot off. He then loaded ds2 in his van and took him for a drive while I finished calming down!!

Painting his playhouse with a put of gloss paint and a kitchen sponge - the walls were fine - the shoes and a new set of clothing were only fit for the bin

Cleaning my windows with my Jimmy Choo perfume - must have cost £1.00 per squirt - on the plus side my house smelt lovely.

At Christmas were making green hand print cards for family, I covered the floor in newspaper, but on answering my door for a delivery, they rubbed the green paint over their faces - even the whites of their eyes turned green to it was straight into the bath before my monsters returned to children again.