Money grows on trees

In the last two weeks, we have lost a couple pairs of socks, a couple hats and almost lost a shoe while strolling down the streets of Wuxi. Sal strips his clothes off with ninja like precision and stealth. Off and away they go, un-noticed by his mama as she pushes right along.

We've been stopped a couple of times by someone yelling "ting ting ting!" and I'm getting used to turning around to find them holding his bear beanie and running it towards me for the return. Other times it's a friend who notices that "Sal only has one sock on...." I have attempted to trace my steps back a block or two to look for the missing sock-sometimes successful, sometimes not.

Maybe he just finds it funny when the Chinese grandmas shout at me because he doesn't have clothes on, or maybe he thinks money grows on trees.

I'm beginning to think the latter, as we have also had some kitchen pantry items go missing.

Namely, a tub of coconut oil and jar of peanut butter.

A brand new tub of hard to find, somewhat expensive coconut oil (I'm not bitter or anything).....

I searched high and low for my coconut oil, and am convinced there is only one place it could have gone. Right into the makeshift trash can that lies next to the pantry shelf where Sal Likes to play. Same place the peanut butter went missing from.

This morning, my suspicion was confirmed as I caught him tossing a brand new bottle of mustard into the box. I caught him in time, and saved the mustard from an early death, but I am pretty sure he tossed my oil and our peanut butter in there.

He may just need to get a job so he learns that money does not, in fact, grow on trees. Or, since he is still just a little guy, maybe I just need to make the pantry off limits all the time. Out of sight, out of mind, right?


We thought we lost the hat pictured below, only to find it on our walk home!