Fridge Fun

You may be wondering why I am taking pictures of my child inside the refrigerator. The answer is very simple: This is Charlie's new favorite place to be when I am preparing a meal.

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Normally, making dinner is my least favorite part of the day. It means that I have to attempt to do the food preparation, cooking, and serving of our dinner while a very angry 18-month-old pushes me away from the counter and hits my legs in protest. It is just such a special time of the day for us. I have tried distracting him with his own set of cooking utensils, toys, books, and as a last resort, the TV. All of my attempts have failed, and we seem to have the same struggle night after night...until recently.

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A few days ago, while getting supplies for dinner out of the fridge, I must have left the door open accidentally. I went about my business chopping and peeling veggies for dinner, when I suddenly realized that something was missing. There was no feisty toddler hovering by my feet, and it was quite in my kitchen. Now, all moms know that quite is never a good thing if your child is awake. In fact, it usually means a disaster is about to happen. I quickly whirled around half expecting the kitchen to be on fire, when I noticed Charlie sitting quietly on the floor with three bottles of salad dressing. He was just looking at the labels and examining how the liquid inside the bottles moved as he turned and twisted them. Was this really happening? Was Charlie really entertained by these bottles?

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YES!!!

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Forget the fancy toys that are in every corner of our home. He just wants to play with the stinking salad dressing bottles. The past few days have been the same routine during dinner preparation. He goes to the fridge to let me know that he wants in, and I open the door and let him into his new wonderland. I have even moved all of the plastic containers to the two lowest shelves so that I don't have to worry about broken glass. I don't know how long this craze will last, but maybe I should try out some new recipes while I have a little extra time on my hands.

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***DISCLAIMER***

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I realize that leaving the refrigerator door open for extended periods of time is not good for the environment and is wasting energy. I am all about conservation - conservation of my sanity that is! I apologize for not using energy wisely, but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do.