Marcus & Bus Driver Drama

The bad news - Marcus was stalked by his bus driver. The good news - he's become an instant celebrity at the high school!

I'm not sure how it all started, but I definitely know how it ended. On Wednesday I received a phone call from Marcus' principal informing me that he was now aware of the actions committed by the bus driver toward Marcus and that he would personally be driving Marcus home after school. Pause here to giggle at the thought of ANY high schooler being driven home by the principal for ANY reason.

A few days ago Marcus mentioned that his bus driver seemed to have taken a special interest in him. She was sharing stories from her "glory days" as she called them...even mentioning her nickname from college (Foxy!). She brought a photo from the glory days to show him, as she'd gained quite a bit of weight since then. I thought it was a bit odd, but combine the fact that I under-react with my warped sense of humor - I let it go. A few days later, Marcus reported that she wrote down her email address and Facebook name (while driving the bus with her knee and writing on a post-it!). This was a bit more concerning, but I understand that Facebook is "the" method of communication these days. It just seemed odd that "Foxy" would want to communicate with a high school Freshman outside of the bus route period. So my weird-o-meter kicked in a little bit, but Marcus wasn't concerned at all. That is...until "Foxy" sent him Mardi Gras beads on Facebook and requested that he throw some back at her! This was the same day that she changed up the bus route a bit, so that Marcus was the last one off the bus. There was also some confusion regarding whether or not she sent him a Playboy bunny icon gift online. We're 50/50 on that one, but that little nugget does come into play later in the story.

The day after the bus route change and Facebook incident, Marcus was retelling the events to some wide-eyed friends at school. A teacher overheard and forced Marcus to report the incidents to the administration. That's when I received my phone call and the principal drove Marcus home. My favorite part here is that the principal was having Marcus show him the original bus route and the route "Foxy" switched to. As they were driving along, they spotted her dropping off kids and both ducked for cover in the principal's truck! Can't you just see it!

So - like a rumor in the...well...halls of a high school, word got out that Marcus had been seduced by his bus driver. Instant fame. People were gathering around him in the halls and begging for the scoop. And remember the confusion over the Playboy bunny icon? Somehow word got out that the bus driver had actually sent Marcus photos of HERSELF in the magazine! Oddly - I think "Foxy" would be pleased. In reality - that's not even CLOSE to what happened, but the story was even better that way, and Marcus didn't mind the added attention.

"Foxy" has a new bus route after a short internal investigation. Marcus said that his new bus driver resembles a drill sergeant, and she informed him that it was unfortunate that he was sexually harassed. After all - sexual harassment is illegal. Uncomfortable first conversation, don't you think! In the end, Marcus is a rock star, I'm amused, Blake is proud and Marcus' mother is traumatized. And my blog is definitely not boring today!

The People Pleasing Mother

I'm admittedly a bit of a people pleaser. I think that most of us are - to some extent - except for my husband. He's the polar opposite. He enjoys upsetting people and creating enemies. Isn't that a great trait for someone who's job involves dealing with hundreds of difficult customers each week?

Anyway - for some reason someone in Mason's preschool class isn't particularly fond of me. I really don't know why - she just doesn't reach out to me like she does most of the other moms. She laughs and jokes with them, but barely nods my way. My friend, Jana, says that 10% of people REALLY like you, 10% REALLY DON'T like you and the other 80% are ambivalent. Well...I strive to be an overachiever, so I'm determined to move this person into my top 10%...or AT LEAST a little higher in the ambivalent group.

One of my ongoing plans involves working very hard at making really cool projects for the class. For instance - on Kansas Day I got up at the crack of dawn and made a sunflower cake for the class. Here's a pic:
My next plan involves forgoing the standard paper Valentines and helping Mason make these incredible, over the top Valentines. Aren't they the cutest thing? "I Dig You" written on plastic shovels with bags of chocolate tied on.What child won't be completely thrilled to receive such a treasure? This will surely prove to this person that I'm a mom who goes the extra mile. You know - it just dawned on me that maybe she's irritated with my continued elaborate showings. Maybe she thinks I'm showing off. Oh dear - time for plan B. Anyone? Help!

Random Wednesday

Random Funnies...

Mason: "Mom, do moths eat sweaters?"
Me: "Yes."
Mason: "Well then I'm never going to buy a moth because I have a sweater!"

Mason: "After you sing (karaoke) Gunpowder and Lead, I wanna sing Jesus Loves Me."
Talk about diverse musical performances!

The scene in my car today caused a few passersby to do a double take. We were at a stop sign and I was massaging my temples. In the backseat Mason was playing a harmonica. Imagining how we looked to people driving by definitely caused me to giggle.

Picture Day

Yesterday I took Max to get new pictures taken. The first 4 or 5 shots were fine, and then - out of the blue - he began to scream uncontrollably each time the photographer took a picture. I'm not sure if it was the flash, the sound of the camera or if Max has an early ability to detect bad people, and the photographer leads a double life. Whatever the case, we got some precious pics...including one of a "throw myself down and scream" tantrum. And personally - I think it's my favorite!

Max Turns One!

My baby turned one on Sunday! What a precious little boy. He is incredibly cute - people actually stop us in public and comment on his "cuteness". He's walking a little more every day. He toddles around taking about 4 or 5 steps at a time...a little more adventurous each time. He only has two teeth - just the bottom ones. My mother in law keeps reminding me that the longer it takes for them to come in - the longer it'll take for them to fall out! I guess that's good. He must have Blake's teeth. One of my favorite things about Max is the way he high-speed crawls toward his daddy when he comes home from work each evening. Once he hears Blake's voice, he kicks it in to high gear and gets those little legs moving superfast! So cute! Here are some pictures of Max enjoying his first piece of chocolate cake. Happy Birthday, Baby Max! I love you.

Van Full of Somebody's Kids

In my last post I shared my joy re: the kiddo's return to school. While I love the little darlings, I was sure anticipating that first day after the holidays

Boy Moms Still Rock

I am certain that moms of all girls don't hear or see the following things that I have seen and heard over the last few days:

1. Mason (yelling): "Mom - come feel how cold my butt is."
2. This morning three of my boys (Blake included) had a Vicks Vapor Rub fight. They then tried to eat breakfast, but everything had an odd, minty aroma.
3. After taking all three boys to the doctor, we were headed for the door (finally!) and just when I thought we were all out the door, Mason remembered he hadn't chosen a sticker from the little basket. Max was crying, Marcus was impatient and Mason decided to take his time and browse through E-V-E-R-Y sticker. Marcus got irritated and left just as Mason paused...and passed some very loud gas. And as if that wasn't enough, he looked up and sighed a very long, loud "Ahhhhhh" of relief. I thought the entire waiting room was going to lose it. Fortunately I was wearing my "Boy Moms Rock" t-shirt. At times like that, it illicits a certain amount of understanding and sympathy from onlookers.
4. My van always stinks. Between Mason's crumbs and candy goo, Max's crackers and cheerios and Marcus' "teenager-ness" my van reeks. Boys smell bad.
5. I absolutely love my boys.