The trouble with trash

We have long struggled with our trash can. Mainly that it has a cabinet that it belongs in, fits in perfectly, is wonderfully out of sight, but somehow is never in it's home. I blame the baby locks. In order to open the door, you really have to use 2 hands, and honestly, if you are holding trash in one hand (drippy something that you are cooking with...you get the idea) that is really not possible. So the trash is often pulled out of its handy home to live, and sits conspicuously next to the fridge, one of the counters, the sink...depending on where it is needed. All this hasn't been too big of an issue (other than for my own grumbling that it is never put away) until Miss Cadence came along.

Now, understand that our house is baby proof. There are baby gates, cabinet locks, and plug in covers everywhere. There is a baby gate in the doorway to our kitchen, which often has a hot oven and MANY other dangers. Since Cadence has gotten a tad older (basically not the 9 month old she was when she started terrorizing...I mean, walking) we have been pretty lax with that baby gate into the kitchen. And this is where the trouble with trash comes in. The girl loves the trash can.

She get's that from her father, as I am sure you can imagine. If there is old food in the trash can, she tries to eat it. I can't tell you the number of times she has come wandering out of the kitchen, munching on something, when there is nothing she should be eating available. Gross. She likes to sort through everything in the trash. If not monitored, she will get in there, pull out any paper like product she can find, and then happily hide it around the house. And by hide, of course I mean she makes an easily traceable trail that eventually leads to her like bread crumbs. Clearly it would never be bread crumbs, because she would have just eaten the bread.

You are getting the idea here. A couple of days ago, she and I had a sit down talk, which was as big of a hit as a sit down talk with a 15 month old can go.

Meaning it didn't work. At all. And she basically ignored me the whole time and ended the conversation with a resounding "HI!" as only she can do.

I made the decision to just keep the trash where it belongs, which solves ALL of the trash issues. As I am sure you can imagine, the trash can is currently sitting next to the counter. Happily living outside it's home. I also made another discovery today.

Cadence likes to put things in there. Anything she is done with, she happily walks to the trash can and puts in. Not sure if she is just saving it for later, or if she is FINALLY getting the "Trash is for yuckies" talk we had. This morning, I found her fork from breakfast (obviously she was done eating, and just doing her part to clean up.). After lunch, I had a washcloth that I wiped her face and hands off with, which she then took from me, wiped her face again (cute) and wandered into the kitchen. I followed her, and watched her then put it in the trash. She then turned, saw me, and clapped.

HURRAH for Cadence!!!!

It was actually pretty cute. But just drove home, again, the need to put the trash can where it belongs. That way she doesn't throw away everything she is done with (toys, clothes, Bishop, Etc). So, off I go to put the trash can where it belongs, though a nap would be a nice before I get to that. Hmmmmm