Two in School with Pep and Co

There are only three weeks until I have two school boys.  Archie will be joining his big brother at our local infant school and he can't wait.  He had outgrown the nursery by the time he left and he is excited for the new challenges, although I think once he remembers that it is everyday he may change his mind.  Archie has the same teacher that Dylan had in his first terms and I think she is going to be in for a shock.

Two school boys means two sets of uniform, two little blue book bags, two pairs of smart black shoes and two to get out the door on time five mornings a week.  School uniform can get really expensive and we are very impressed with these bits from Pep and Co which are ridiculously cheap.

It took me £3.20 each child AND a kinder egg to bribe them into their school uniform in the middle of the holidays and they then refused to take it off for the rest of the day.  The polo shirts start at £1, the trousers from £3 and the jumpers from £2.  Archie could buy his trousers and polo with the money I paid him and still have change!

Of course no amount of money would actually persuade them to stay still or pull a nice smile for the camera, so I have funny thumbs up and some zombie poses. The trousers look a little long on both boys so definitely don't size up unless you are happy to turn them up as well. I am hoping the boys finish their growth spurt by early September so that these fit a little better. 

The trousers have an adjustable waist which is good news for those with slim kids like Archie and the polo shirts have a really great fit.  Pep and Co have expanded their range and many items are 100% cotton as well as having  Teflon® and Always Smart® technology in the fabrics to make them easy care.  As I know all too well what a white polo shirt looks like after a 4 year old has eaten a school lunch in it, this is excellent news!

With the Pep and Co uniform you can definitely get More for Less which is going to make the sting of four after school clubs a bit easier (we have been letting Dylan pick two each term so Archie will get to do the same).  It is available in 289 Pep and Co stores including selected Poundland stores.  You can find your nearest store here

 This post is in collaboration with Pep and Co

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The First Day

I feel lucky in a way that we are one of the last to start - I have watched all Dylan's friends pop up on facebook looking smart in a new school uniform and heard off for their first days.  Some have run in and not looked back, some have had to be peeled off of parents, and nearly all of them have come home exhausted after their half days.  I have managed to fit in a couple of last minute family trips - the last we can really take during term time and I have spent every day with this boy who is on the cusp of change.

I have had to watch them all though, knowing we are on a countdown until I help him put his smart black shoes on the right feet, and pack his water bottle into his new book bag.  I knew our day would come, and now it has.  My baby boy, who I am sure was a newborn just last week is now four and it is time for his next adventure.

I know things may not change all of a sudden, but I am under no illusion that they won't.  His friends that I carefully chose for him have gone to other schools, and he will be able to pick his own.  I won't know what he is doing for the most part of every day. He will be exposed to words and stories and actions that I can't control, he will learn things that I don't teach him, he will run to someone else for a cuddle when he gets hurt instead of me.

My baby boy has just turned four, he is still so young, so full of innocence and trust.  I have tried to explain the foreverness of his life, that infant school will be followed by Juniors, then secondary then either more education or work.  It will be seventy years before he can contemplate spending every day as he does now - carefree and with no concept of time.  

I think most of my apprehension around him starting is selfish.  He has been by my side for four years, my little buddy.  I love that we can do what we want, stay out late when the weather is nice, jump in every puddle and then run home to put on a onesie and have hot chocolate.  I am not known for punctuality and I am dreading the 9am and 3pm school run every day.  I will miss him and I know that his little brothers will too.

I hope he enjoys school.  I hope his teacher recognises what a wonderful little person he is.  I hope he makes friends easily, that he likes the lunches, that he can get changed into his p.e kit on his own, that he comes out telling me all about it.  I am so proud of him, my biggest baby boy.

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