This year IJ went back to school in uniform kindly given to us by Trutex . And over the last couple of weeks we’ve been putting it through its paces.
The end result? I’m very impressed with it, IJ likes wearing it and her head teacher has even complimented her on how smart she looks.
The quality of the clothing is excellent, it washes well and the sizing is consistent throughout. Normally I have to buy different sizes for IJ to ensure each item of school uniform actually fits.
I’m not sure it’s the ‘done thing’ to arrive at school with the letters V.I.P written in black ink on the back of both hands. Yet IJ has done exactly that this morning.
When I noticed this walking out of the door she reassured me there was no cause for alarm. The letters simply stand for Very Important Person. I feared they might.
I am pointing the finger of blame here at the Guinness World record team. During our recent trip to their Headquarters in London, IJ was given a V.I.P pass with her name on. She thought it was absolutely fabulous and has been wearing it with pride after I made the mistake of telling her what the letters V.I.P actually stand for.
I fear this have gone to her head somewhat. This morning she reminded me that she is a very important person and I added that so are all her friends.
“I still don’t really think it’s appropriate to have V.I.P written on your hands,” I told her.
It turns out that she has left her all-important V.I.P pass in her tray at school, so the writing-on-the-back-of-the-hands trick is simply there to remind her to bring it home.
“I’m worried someone will try to steal it and start wearing it,” she explained. “Like my teacher.”
So she has gone off to school happy in the knowledge that she will be bringing her V.I.P pass home and no-one will be able to use it for devious purposes.
But hang-on ….
I’ve now noticed that there’s a magazine lying open on her bed with a photo of JLS in concert. Surrounding the stage there are people wearing backstage passes. I have a feeling her urgency to get hold of her V.I.P pass has less to do with her teacher wearing it and more to do with her belief it will give her access to concert venues.
I’m wondering now if Guinness World Records can spare one for me …
Most parents would be delighted to see their child happily settling into their new class with their new teacher and enjoying spending time with their friends at school. And I am. Of course I am. The back to school period could not have been better for us.
Except, as I watch IJ skip into school each morning with her friends there’s a dreadful pang of guilt and dread because I plan to uproot her this academic year, take her away from everything she knows to start a new life in a different part of the country.
This won’t catch her off guard; it’s something we’ve been talking about and planning for at least six months, and there is plenty of planning still yet to be done. So she's been involved in the whole process from the beginning and, to an extent, she understands the reasons for our potential move.
The plan, ultimately, is that it will create more opportunities for both of us. Longer term it is the right thing to do and I am absolutely convinced of that. I wouldn’t be considering the idea otherwise.
But it won’t be easy.
There is a new girl in IJ’s class. She was pointed out to me this morning. We both said hello to her but she didn’t say anything back. She looked a little lost and not particularly happy.
I’m really hoping that’s not my little girl in six months’ time. I can’t help but worry.
On a brighter note, a special thank you must go to Tesco who supplied some of our school uniform this year, which came in particularly handy when I discovered that the need to buy a PE shirt and grey cardigan had passed me by. They also have me a £15 voucher to pass on to a reader, so I’ve given it to Nicki at Curly & Candid who is also a fan of uniform with adjustable waistlines.
With a wardrobe full of grey uniform, I’m hoping that wherever we do end up, they don’t be wearing navy.
You would think that preparing a child’s packed lunch would be a relatively simple exercise. And it would, in our case, if IJ was not such a fussy eater.
Ensuring the food in her lunchbox is healthy has come second to ensuring she takes in a decent amount. There are many foods she doesn’t like simply because she hasn’t tried them, and she wants to take in food she can eat quickly so she doesn’t miss out on playing with her friends.
So I battled with her for years until it became obvious that battling over food simply doesn’t work. Over time she has started trying more foods and her diet has become more varied. I don’t worry about it anymore because I know it will continue to improve.
For a while she only took a quarter of a ham sandwich to school with a bottle of water and a chocolate biscuit. She is now happy to take a more substantial sausage roll and has started to eat raw carrot.
When crisps were banned at break times I was arguing against the ban. They might be considered junk food but for IJ she simply needed the calories and fat content, otherwise she would not have been eating enough. In the end the children were allowed to include them as part of their packed lunch.
Ideally I’d like her lunchbox to look like this:
What I would like to thank Innocent Drinks for is their new juicy drink. The orange variety is the only drink IJ will have apart from plain water. For me, it’s a minor breakthrough.
So my message to anyone trying to get their child to eat healthily, especially at school – really don’t worry too much. Making it a battle ground only makes it worse.
Disclosure: As part of the Innocent Lunchbox Panel, Innocent Drinks sent us a lunchbox to decorate and a sample of their products.
A little bit more disclosure: I may have helped a tiny eeny weeny bit with the lunchbox decorating.
The Starting School Survival Guide by Sarah Ebner is a book designed to help ease every parent’s anxieties – whether their own or their child’s – and help mums, dads and children navigate the practical and emotional maze of primary education.
As a parent who initially made the wrong choices when it came to primary schools and who has found the whole education maze more than a little complicated, I wish this book had been available years ago. It is excellent and I would recommend it to all parents who are beginning to think about their child starting school and to those whose children start school this September.
Written in a style that is down-to-earth and very readable, with quotes from parents and experts throughout, the book covers everything from how to choose a school in the first place, preparing your child for that very first day and how children learn, to food at school, friendships and bullying, headlice, playground politics and homework.
Despite having a child who is about to enter Year 4, I still found a lot of the book relevant to me, particularly the school run tips, the issue of school dinners vs packed lunches, managing homework and tips for navigating the friendship mind field.
The sections I will be recommending to family members currently choosing a primary school for their three year old include:
The book also includes a helpful section for working parents and also information for the parents of children with special needs. School holidays, illness and inset days are covered and there is an interesting section on the issue of taking your child on holiday during term time.
The book is written by Sarah Ebner, an experienced journalist and editor of The Times blog – School Gate, which has been named one of the ten best educational blogs in the world by the Washington Post. As a mother of two, Sarah has vast experience of the primary school sector and includes her own experiences and views in the book which adds to its authenticity, making it as a useful and supportive resource.
The book is packed full of relevant and up-to-date information with recommended websites and books for those wanting further information. It is full of real life experiences from mums and dads and answers questions many parents will have been afraid to ask. Helpful, supportive and packed full of useful advice, it is the only book parents of children starting school need to read.
Outstanding, in a word.
I received The Starting School Survival Guide free of charge to review. It is available from White Ladder Press RRP £10.99.
