Hunters and Gatherers

I have to hide certain foods in my house.  This practice was started a number of months ago when I came home to find that someone (or a small select group of someones) hadconsumed the entire package of Hershey's chocolate bars, 6 to a package.

When the boys were young I could leave food around the house. This actually was the preferred method of feeding at the time.    An extension of the concept of feeding on demand that I learned with breast feeding.  Remember it was the late 1990's, food was abundant and we weren't in the economic recession we find ourselves in today.  It really started out of a need for sleep.  With 2 children 19 months apart you never sleep.  There is always some reason you are not getting a good night sleep.  Someone is up or you just have a big meeting in Connecticut the next morning and you can't sleep anyway for fear of not waking up in time to leave and make it to the meeting. 

I would leave graham crackers and pretzels on the floor so that the kids could help themselves.  I wanted them to eat when they were hungry and this enabled them to listen to their own bodies and not just eat when they were bored.  I actually had a fantasy, well I thought it would be a great invention actually, to have something that functioned like a gerbil feeder attached to the side of the crib.  It could dispense cheerios and water if the kids wanted it.  Unfortunately I was never able to get this concept off the ground because when I started to talk about it people looked at me strange or started laughing.  I didn't think it was funny!

So now things have changed.  I don't seem to have to hide the carrots, apples, chicken, sliced turkey or water.  But for some reason the following items go very fast if left out and available. 
Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Smart Food
Hershey's chocolate bars (no longer buying)
Tootsie Roll lollipops
Ritz crackers
Cosmic Brownies by Little Debbie
Chedder Chex Mix
Soda

This hiding of food has become challenging for me in two respects.
1. Finding places to hide the food.   My children have taken it upon themselves to look everywhere in the house.  Open drawers, cabinets etc..like they live here  AND
2. I can't remember where I have hidden things. 

Just the other day I went to go put on a scarf.  I went upstairs to my bedroom and opened up my dresser and pulled it out.   Lucky day it was for me and Sam, I found a box of Cosmic Brownies.