Always Crack Your Windows!

We had a scary experience today.
After a quick trip to Walmart with Ash and Fin (yes, I do now shop at Walmart) I dumped the stuff in the car and wheeled the kids down to a furniture store to look for bar stools and waste a few minutes before I had to pick up Jaxon from day camp.
When I came back 10 or 15 minutes later, I noticed the sliding passenger door on my mini-van was still open (gasp!) and the people next to me were loading in their groceries. Well, that was stupid, I forgot to shut the door with my key when I left.
So, I loaded Asher into his carseat, buckled him, tossed in my purse, shut the door and went around the van to put Finley into his seat. Unfortunately his side was locked. So, I went back around to Asher's door, which was also locked. (I had locked the car without shutting the door before I went to the furniture store)
"No way!," I thought. I've never done this before and it's 103 degrees outside.
Asher was already crying about something else, so I just went as fast as I could into Walmart and asked for help. The nice old lady told me she would get security to help me. I asked for a hanger because my windows were cracked and I thought I could pull the lock up. They didn't have a hanger, but I saw a feather duster with medium length handle (not long like a broom). I ran back out to the car and shoved the straight end into the 2 inch gap of my windows and realized I couldn't hook it over the lock to pull it up.
But, I did see the lock switch and I managed to get the handle over there to push the switch up, unlocking all doors at once.
Hooray!
Asher was hot and sweaty. He was still fussy, but I gave him his water and turned on the A/C.
By this time, an onlooker was glad to see me get the car open and said to his 2 year old daugher, "I'm going to teach you how to unlock the car." It's a good idea, especially if they're not buckled in.
As I was leaving, the old lady and security guard were walking through the parking lot looking for me.
I honked, stopped, got out, and gave them back the duster with a big thanks.
Then they informed me that the fire trucks were on their way. "Really?" I asked.
Yes, because they don't waste any time when a child is locked in the car.

Whew, it was a little scary, and I will remember to always keep my keys with me until I sit down and start the car.
A little blessing and a reminder to always keep the windows cracked.