Why it’s important to keep the pantry door closed

We have a pantry closet in our kitchen. Inside, our microwave rests on a shelf, and we have assorted foods, cloth grocery bags, and baby stuff on the shelves. The floor is generally sparkling water and beer storage. There’s enough room for one adult to stand inside; and plenty of room for a baby to make mischief.

Last week I was cooking dinner for Travis and I (veggie and tofu curry) while cooking some O food for the week (sweet potatoes, broccoli, etc). Owen was playing in ‘his’ cabinet in the kitchen – the one without a latch, filled with things for him to play with. In seconds, he had invaded the pantry, grabbed a bottle of beer, and dropped it. It didn’t break, thank goodness, but the top popped off, shot across the kitchen, and beer went everywhere. I’m not exaggerating, the beer was EVERYWHERE in our kitchen. All over Owen and all over me. His high chair, the table and chairs, the fridge, dishwasher, oven and cabinets all had beer on them. There were also numerous toys, such as O’s music table, shape-sorting cube, some stuffed animals covered in beer. The ceiling was spared (for the record, my mom is the only person who has spilled beer onto the ceiling of our house, but that’s a story for another time). Owen was a little perturbed by being covered in smelly brown liquid.

Where to start cleaning? Clearly, with Owen. He had a bath and went to bed at 7:15 pm. Then I changed clothes and set to work on the kitchen. All told, it took 1.5 hours to clean up.

What’s the moral of this story?

Keep the pantry door closed.