The offender:Â
This little sweetie has fast hands and knows how to use them. She gets into everything, grabs anything within reach (or gets herself in reach by finding a stool), and helps herself to any and all items that look interesting.Â
The problem:Â
Our pantry door. More specifically, our way-too-easy-to-open pantry door. She thinks it’s her own personal 7-11. She brings me cookie and cracker boxes all the time. She uses the larger containers on the pantry floor to stand on to reach higher shelves. It can get maddening. Don’t get me wrong – I know that adopted kids can have a “thing” about food and they need to know it’s available. Lainey is well fed, and is rarely refused food unless it’s just not time for more food – and I don’t think she needs a cookie 1/2hr after breakfast :)Â
The solution:
It’s not pretty, I know. But sometimes taking one little thing that drives me nuts AWAY is worth gaining a little ugliness. Our pantry door is hollow, so screwing a latch into it doesn’t work. Quick and cheap solution is a removable hook, rubber band, and a hook screwed into the door frame. It works…so far. As long as I keep the stepstools away from her.  ;)
May 8th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Aw, Mom!!!! What’s wrong with cookies after breakfast? Sounds like she’s on to a good thing if you ask me! :) No — I’m guessing Lainey’s been in the family long enough where it is okay to set some boundaries — nothing wrong with getting a little creative.
Always love visiting your site to see all the photos!
May 8th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Hi Donna!! Just a thought, we have bi-fold doors in Laila’s room and I didn’t want her to accidentally pinch her fingers. At Babies R Us, in the safety aisle, they have bi-fold door locks. They don’t screw into anything. They sit on the top of your door and when you want to lock it, they slide over the fold part of the door and don’t let it be opened!! Of course one has to be tall enough to undo it to get in there so I don’t know if it would work with the other kids but thought I’d let you know what we did. Thanks for all the great pictures!!
May 8th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
What a cute offender! :-) I love it…..her own personal 7-11! LOL! My kids are NOT allowed to go and just help themselves either. They have to ask. I think by letting them eat as much as they want whenever they want, they never learn self control. Ahem….I’ll get off my soapbox now. :-)
May 8th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Miss Lainey sure is a smart girl, isn’t she? I love the pantry lock. Great idea!! Fortunately, mine are past the age where they go help themselves. They (usually) ask first. Now the teens? Nah, they just eat!
May 9th, 2009 at 6:32 am
I bet that it’s pretty hard to say no to any of those little faces around your place.
Good luck on keeping that Sanity thing going!
May 9th, 2009 at 6:35 am
Too funny. My pantry is like a 7-11 as well, except the offender is me.
May 9th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Love it love it love it- and who care what is looks like- it WORKS!!!
May 10th, 2009 at 11:10 am
I agree…if it works, IT WORKS!!! Like I’ve said before, that Lainey Q. is a smart cookie!!!!
May 10th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Offender and Lainey just don’t go hand in hand. She is way too cute to ever be “offensive” about anything. Love the solution. Who’s great idea was that one???