Anyone remember that Staples commercial where a dad is gleefully flying around the store, filling his shopping cart with school supplies while his two children look on sullenly?
Dana and Alex are, however, happy to be back in school. The kids went back on their buses for the first day of school yesterday. Alex actually giddy with excitement as he climbed aboard (the pic here is where he's getting off the bus to come home... notice the comparative lack of enthusiasm).
It was wonderful to see his driver and aide are once again Cheryl and Patricia. The special ed kids have to be on a bus (short bus) with an aide and they're not allowed on or off by themselves since either they can't (wheelchair) or, like Alex, there's the possibility of them running into the street (which he did try once but I grabbed him in time). And there are frequently drivers on our stretch of road who do not stop for a stopped school bus (lights flashing, stop sign out, etc.) and will even go around the bus to pass. #@!$%! Note we are also in a 25mph school zone (which no one pays attention to either). Other houses along the route have filed complaints but the police won't do anything (though one officer openly admitted they know "it's a bad area") and will probably wait 'till a kid gets killed before something is done.
Dana's driver this year is Michael. She was hoping it would be Dirk, who likes to make origami animals and things for the kids, but I'm just happy it isn't last year's driver, Elizabeth Ann, who was downright nasty, seemed to ignore the schedule and come and go when she felt like it. It pissed me and a bunch of parents along the route enough that we took the kids off the bus and just drove them to school ourselves.Ok, ok. Other parents have to worry about school shootings, gangs, etc. All we Redding moms have to complain about are the bus drivers.
Rant over.
School's in session and I have (I hope) more free time! Yayeee!
