Smart Thieves, Stupid Me

What a day.  Have you ever done something incredibly stupid and something bad happens and you kick yourself because you could have prevented it?  This morning I drove Blake to school, got him out, DID NOT LOCK my car, took him in, came out to my car and tried to start it when it said “no key” (car has keyless entry).  My thought process:  “How could that be?  I just drove Blake here.  I obviously had my keys.  Did I take my purse or keys inside?  No.  Did my purse fall out of my car?  No.  Oh crap, my purse was stolen out of my car.”  (Okay, so the words that went through my head weren’t exactly that G-rated but that’s still the conclusion I came to.) 

My heart pounding because I was so incredibly mad, I ran inside and told the principal and we pulled the security cameras and called the police.  While waiting for the police to show up, the principal and I scanned the video and talked about how shocked we were that there was a really dishonest parent out there that would see a purse in a car, grab it, and get in their car and drive off after taking their kid to school like it was any other day.  But you can imagine the look on our faces when we saw a white Land Rover/Pilot style SUV drive up the entry, pull through the parking lot, stop directly at my car, someone quickly got out of the passenger side, opened the passenger side door of my car, grabbed my purse, jumped back in their car, and drove off.  Seriously????  Did that just happen?  And in all of about 20 seconds? 

Now I know it’s stupid that I left my car unlocked.   I do it every time I take/pick Blake up from school (which the thieves either saw me do before or saw me do today…I’m hoping it was just today because the thought of someone watching your habits feels extremely violating).  Randy and I, and other parents, have even left our car running in those 103 degree days while we ran in to pick up our child.  I always assumed it’s just parents around, it’s safe.  It never occurred to me that someone could be scoping out the area.  So if you have a child and ever leave your car running or your car unlocked or any of your valuables exposed because you think you’re just running in for a minute,  DON’T DO IT.  This all happened in 20 seconds…it took them no time at all.  They knew exactly what they wanted and moved quickly.  From now on, I will put everything in the trunk, take my keys with me, and lock the door.   And I’ll also try to be more vigilant in watching what’s going on around in me instead of being so consumed in my own comings and goings.  

The police came and watched the video, got a copy, and even took fingerprints (very CSI-ish!).   Meanwhile, Randy was using the Find my iPhone app to track my phone.  We tracked it less than a mile from Blake’s school and then remotely locked it but the thieves must have seen that it got locked and turned it off because we can no longer locate it anymore.   We also remotely wiped it and AT&T deactivated the SIM so somehow the phone can never be used again.  With all this technology, it’s a wonder that anyone would even try to steal a phone these days.  I could care less about my wallet being stolen but it really bugs me about my phone because there are pictures and videos of Blake on there and that just feels so personal for some thief stranger to be looking at.  And obviously it really bothers me that my car and house keys were in my purse and they know where we live from my license.   But that’s what the locksmith and house alarms are for so that’s the best we can do.   

We went to the Primrose school down the street to ask if they had anything happen that day.  They hadn’t but the same thing had happened there about a year ago.  The lady’s car was running but they only took her purse, not her car.  We also found out from our local insurance company that it happened at another school in the area.  The police and both schools said that it’s fairly common for thieves to target preschools because parents are typically running in to drop their kids off and don’t take their personal belongings or lock their car.  Smart thieves.  Stupid me.  But hopefully you or someone else can also learn from my mistake. 

Potty Training

Got this note from Blake's teacher in his daily sheet from school today:

"Blake had an amazing day potty training wise. If you would like to start potty training here at school in underwear, we are ready when you are!  I think now is a great time!"

Why does part of me just sink when I read this?  Because we're being L-A-Z-Y.  Our child sleeps all night, he knows (even if he doesn't always obey) the word no, we're in a good routine, life is good, and the thought of disrupting all that by throwing away the diapers does not sound appealing.  Wow, what kind of parents are we?  In our defense, it's not like we're not doing anything.  He sits on the potty at home and does his thing and that's great.  But IF something happens, the diaper is there.  No diaper = potential mess for mommy/daddy to clean up.  Another reason - being out and about with no access to a potty or worse(?) public restrooms.   Even though I should be motivated by the money we'll save on diapers, I really have no problem paying for convenience.  So if I bit the bullet and tried to get Blake to put on his new Lightning McQueen big boy underwear today to test it out and he wanted no part of it, who am I to rush him?

Ms. Drew

Since I went back to work when Blake was 3 months old, we have been so blessed to always have such wonderful caregivers.  First with Mrs. Rhonda, who was truly an answered prayer and cared for our baby as if he was her own, and now with Ms. Drew.  

Some people just have that special ability to really connect with children – on an emotional level where they just always know the right thing to do or say to make the children feel better, on a physical level where they really get down on the floor with the kids and play, on an intellectual level where they take every opportunity and turn it into a teaching moment, and on a friend level where the kids just want to hang out with them.  That is Ms. Drew.   More often than not, she has soft music playing and all the kids happily engaged in an activity when I pick Blake up, she picks him up every morning to wave bye to us when we drop him off, and she even offered me a hug when I started to lose it when Blake moved to her class.  


Thank you Ms. Drew for all you've done for Blake and for your incredibly sweet note that we look forward to sharing with Blake over the years:

"In the toddler room I always thought of Blake as confident, funny, and quick to learn. However, having him in my class these last few months has offered me a whole new perspective. While my previous judgements were accurate, they were lacking in magnitude. Blake wins over a room when he walks in. He is not just funny, but hilarious. He has had me doubled over laughing on more than one occasion. And he is not just quick, but that special kind of bright not found often. He is lucky to have such engaging and loving parents. I wish I could express the depth of my love for him, but this note just couldn’t contain it."

You are irreplaceable and will be deeply missed by all of us, but we wish you all the best in Ohio!