Starting School

It feels like just yesterday that I was sharing the news of my pregnancy here on the blog and yet all of a sudden we are here already - Holly's first day at school.

This morning Holly started foundation at the same school as her big sister.  For us this is a big moment. Not just because our youngest is now at school. Not just because it means the end of nursery fees. Not just because it means only one set of journeys in the morning and evening. But because there are lots of changes this September. Not least, uniform.

There have been a lot of changes at Lara's school over the summer. Holly will probably never appreciate the change but for us there are some big differences.  The introduction of a uniform was a little controversial but Lara seems to have accepted it gracefully and Holly thinks it is fantastic.  The other change is that children now have to call their teachers Mr/Mrs and use their surname when previously they always used the first name. This is proving very hard to people (not least the teachers) to get used to!

Anyway, the first morning at school went well and Holly is looking forward to tomorrow. It is fantastic to see her settle and I'm sure she will be making new friends and whirling through the classroom before we know it.

Starting School - The Dead Zone

Lara is in the dead zone.  The really weird nothing-place between nursery and school... I feel really depressed on her behalf.

Today my facebook stream was filled with smiley photos of my friends's children on their first day at school. The start of a new term.  But Lara doesn't start school until the 12th so it feels a bit like she is missing out on the start of school fever!

All except two of Lara's friends have now left nursery and I suspect both of them will leave within the week which just leaves Lara and a class full of three year olds next week.  I've kept her in nursery right up until the last day so that I can save my holidays so that I can take time off with Lara at half-term and Christmas.

As Lara has said goodbye to her nursery friends over the last three weeks I've slightly regretted this decision because nursery has changed - their focus has moved on to activities for the younger children.

I don't think it has really sunk in for Lara what saying goodbye means.  For all but one or two of her nursery peers, this means never seeing them again.  With a new school there will be a whole new group of friends.

I asked Lara last night whether she was excited about starting school and the answer was "Yes, because I will get to eat sandwiches from my lunchbox!"  Good old Lara, always driven by her stomach.

Tesco F&F - The School Run

In a little under three weeks my baby girl will start school.  While I struggle to come to terms with how quickly this has happened, I think we are both quite looking forward to it.  It is going to be a period of change for us, a totally new routine - for Lara, a new set of friends... for me, the joys of a school run (I'm still not entirely sure how this is going to turn out, given my working day).  Tesco F&F Clothing asked us to try out a few pieces from their back to school range for Lara and something to help me look that little bit more stylish on the school run (one has to look ones best you know!).

As you probably know by now, Lara's school doesn't actually have a formal school uniform (other than for PE... which is slightly weird) so I chose Lara a selection of simple school basics such as trousers, cardigans, fleeces and Polo shirts.  Lara has managed to pull of the smart-casual look of a Polo shirt really well I think!  It is exactly the look I was going for.  The jersey cardigan is very cool and I think would work well in or out of school.

I'm not sure I'm yet qualified to decide what does or doesn't make a great school uniform but I would say here are a list of my high and low lights:-

+ The pack of two pique polo t-shirts cost just £2 and for that I was expecting dubious quality but compared to other polo shirts Lara has owned (and which I already got her for school) the quality is better.
+ Lara is very tall for her age so I was really pleased that I was able to order longer-length trousers for her.  This makes a big difference because normally I have to order a couple of sizes larger than her age which can result in trousers being baggy around the waist.
+ The trousers are coated with Teflon® to try and repel stains and protect the fabric so hopefully they should last through some of the strains of foundation play!

- I didn't feel that the adjustable waist band on the trousers (standard on most Tesco uniform items) offered a big enough degree of adjustability.
- The fabric on the trousers was a bit rough and a little thin - they reminded me of clothes I wore to school and didn't enjoy.  Hopefully Lara won't hold it against me!

I liked the fact that I could order all of Lara's school uniform online with Tesco F&F for delivery to my local store.  I managed to pick up these plimsoles with a cute butterfly design on them for £3.50 along with double-pack of cycle shorts for PE, a zip-up fleece for outdoor sports and also some white socks and underwear to complete the new school kit.

And so to me - here is my school run style chosen from the F&F limited edition range (a little smarter than I would normally wear to work!!!)

F&F Limited Edition Flippy Crepe Skirt £16
F&F Signature PU Trim Peplam Top £20
F&F Sporty Wedge Trainers £19.50
F&F Signature Tights £6

My first foray into the daunting world of school clothes! #MatalanSummer

In two months Lara starts school.  For both of us this is a scary yet exciting time.  I think, after the first bumpy weeks, Lara will love school and her settling in sessions have seemed promising.  But with the new routine comes a new wardrobe... Schoolwear from Matalan!

Lara's school doesn't have a uniform.  When we first started looking at schools, I found this unsettling but the idea has grown on me. One of the founding principles of the school is that children are encouraged from a very young age to assert their independence, celebrate their differences and learn to make sensible decisions. However, having just turned 4, I'm not yet totally comfortable with Lara choosing her own clothes for school... I just don't think that a long flowing Princess Merida dress was quite what the school were thinking of.  And so, like around 60% of parents of the infant school children, I have decided that for these early years of primary school I will send Lara to school in something approximating a casual school uniform.

Because there is no uniform guide to follow, I more or less had free range to choose a wardrobe of school clothes for Lara.  Matalan asked us to take a look at their Back to School clothing range and choose some pieces to try out.  I chose Lara a good mix of plain coloured trousers, skirts and pinafores with some bright plain coloured polo shirts.

These school polo shirts have a gorgeous shape which makes them that little bit more feminine than normal. When they are paired with a plain dress or skirt they can look as smart or as casual as you want them to - they are a bargain from Matalan at just £4 for 2 t shirts!  I found all of the Matalan schoolwear sizes to come up a little small; I know Lara is very tall for her age but she did find it a little bit of a struggle to get into the trousers, dress and t-shirts even though they were all either age 5 or age 4-5; I think in future I would order a larger size because the trousers and skirt have elasticated waistbands which can be brought in.

I liked the fact that the Matalan school range featured a range of colours - grey, black and navy - and many of Lara's items of clothing have a small amount of embroidery on them to make them stand out, little butterflies in the corners.

Lara's complete school wardrobe including underwear cost just £50 at Matalan... Two pairs of trousers, a skirt, two pinafore dresses, two cardigans, 4 polo shirts, ankle socks and knickers!!! I think that any of her items could be paired with some more casual leggings or her favourite t shirt when she fancies something a bit different.  One of the key benefits to choosing to dress Lara in official school clothes is cost... these days a wardrobe of generic school clothes that you don't mind risking against the daily trials of a 4 year old is considerably cheaper than a wardrobe of 'other' clothes.

Lara is very excited about starting school and I think her new selection of outfits has added to the excitement... Everything is a brand new experience for her right now.