Yellow Buses

The kids’ daycare is about 20 minutes from our house. Most mornings are uneventful because the kids are still half asleep.

The afternoons are a different story. I suppose it’s a good thing they don’t want to leave daycare because they love it so much. Not such a good thing for Mommy when I have to fight with them every afternoon.

Yes, I have carried both of them, at different times, to the car kicking and screaming. Literally.

(The kids were kicking and screaming. Not me).

So, I invented a game. We have a book at home called “Let’s Go” and each page has different things that “go”.

Seems like an appropriate title for the book, no?

They have become fascinated with buses. Yellow buses to be specific.

So, everyday we look for buses on the way home. And, now I have created bus fiends. As soon as we get in the car, they both start:

“Yellow bus”?
“Please”?
“Bus, Mommy”

Most days, we see at least 4 or 5 on the way home. And the kids clap and yell with pure glee. I am suddenly the most amazing mommy e-ver!

If one of the kids spots a bus first, we all give each other high fives. It’s quite a scene when I’m reaching behind the driver’s seat to blindly slap a hand.

And, if we don’t see any buses, I have a Plan B. After all, if the kids don’t get their bus fix for the afternoon, there’s a very good chance they’ll take over the car and we’ll veer off the road into a ditch. Hey, it could happen.

The out of service buses for the county are parked at the middle school around the corner from our house. I told the kids that’s where the buses “sleep”. So, if we don’t see any buses, we drive past the parking lot and quietly drive through as the buses get their zzzz’s.

One day last week, we were about ½ way home and we hadn’t seen any buses yet. I started to panic because the kids were getting restless and begging for me to find a bus. I started calling the buses.

“Bu-us? Where are youuuuu”?

And, the kids started calling them.

“Bus? Are youuuuu”?

As if that will help? Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Finally, Christopher says, “Bus night night?” and then he started snoring. Seriously, the cutest thing ever.