Advice from my 11 year old Twins about Starting Secondary School

Photo by Matt Ragland on Unsplash

This time last year I had two very excited 10 year old's living with me. They couldn't wait (on the one hand) for their school year to finish and to be a step closer to starting at secondary school. But of course, they were also a little sad about losing contact with the friends who were going to go to different schools.

If you've got a child about to start secondary school this coming September you'll probably relate to what I've said and will know this is a time of change, worries and uncertainty, as well as great excitement.

I asked my girls to share their experience and give me some tips on what helped them make this transition and to settle into their new school. So here are tips from my tweens to yours, hand the laptop over now -

Before you Start

*  If your school has an option to attend some summer classes to meet other new pupils and find out how the school works, make sure you take the opportunity to attend as you'll be ahead of many others on your first formal day and will feel much more confident.

*  Make sure you get the right uniform. You might want something different to what they state but it won't be worth the defaults or maybe detentions that you could end up with.

Back to School - Reasons to be Cheerful

Thursday has rolled around again, I’m not sure why this year seems to be going past in a whirl but it’s ok, that’s life I suppose. You just have to embrace every day and take what you can from it.

Last week saw my girls starting secondary school and I’m pleased to report that a week later they are still dead happy and loving being at big school. I think they’ve still being lulled into a false sense of security at the moment as they haven’t had much homework yet, but they are more than ready for the change.

Both of them have been talking about a new friend each, so I pray that those friendships grow and I’ve said to the girls they can have their friends over for dinner when they fancy. They also start at our church youth club this Friday and I hope that will be a place where they have fun and grow in their faith.

Back to School with STABILO

As a child we went on holiday every year in August and it would always be around my birthday. Some kids might have been upset at this, as it meant I never had parties but I loved being away on my birthday, as it resulted in a beach day, ice cream, the penny arcade and shopping.

I've loved to shop since quite a young age and when I was a kid the summer sales always happened around my birthday, so it was a joy to take my birthday money and buy myself a few treats. One of the things I always bought each summer was new stationary to take with me back to school in September.

It's always been a bit of a ritual for me to choose all the new things I needed for school - bag, pencil case, rubber, calculator, maths set, sharpener, pens, pencils and the like. I truly loved it and its a love I seemed to have passed on to my girls as well.

When I told them that STABILO wanted to help them get ready for going back to school, they were both very excited. The reason being, that they both received a pack of STABILO Pen 68 felt-tip colouring pens for Christmas three years ago and some of them are still working. When else, have you ever heard of well-used pens lasting for that amount of time?

STABILO is a name we know and trust as creators of cult writing instruments for more than 160 years and the company is still family owned which always says a lot about a company, so we were excited to see what they sent though to us to try out.

Starting Secondary School with Blacks #BacktoSchool

If you have school aged children and I say to you 'back to school', I bet you start thinking about shopping and getting the kids kitted out with all their new uniform and essential supplies. The obvious places to shop are the supermarkets (for cheap and cheerful tops and socks) or the high street department stores for the slightly more expensive pieces that you want to last a while, but have you thought about shopping at an outdoor retailer like Blacks?

As well as the actual uniform I expect you need a waterproof or winter coat, trainers, school bag, gym bag and water bottle. Blacks have all these things and because they are a retailer of items for outdoor activities, we are talking really high quality items. They cater for both children at primary school and also bigger kids like mine that have moved into adult sizes and are heading to secondary school, or even college.

My 11 year old twin girls move up to secondary school this year and that means I have a massive task ahead getting them kitted out. Their uniform will include a blazer and therefore any coat I get needs to be a bit larger to go over it and as they have about a mile walk to the bus and back each day they will need a good waterproof to keep them looking smart and feeling comfortable.

Miss E already has a waterproof jacket, as being a size smaller than her twin she gets the hand-me-downs but Miss M was definitely in need. So we had a browse of the women’s waterproof jackets on the Blacks site and I kept pointing her to nice jackets that were perhaps plain black or navy to go with her uniform, but no I totally forgot who I was dealing with. This is my vivacious and vibrant daughter, who likes to be colourful and to express herself, so here is what she choose, a beautiful coat by Joules. How can it be that my 11 year old has a piece of Joules clothing before I do?

Our Fabulous new Laptop Bags from Inateck

Just a few weeks ago JJ treated himself to a new laptop but not just any laptop, a super-special gaming laptop, one that cost twice as much as my regular laptop. With this in mind we said that he definitely needed to get some protection for it and something sturdy to be able to carry it around in.

We started to have a look around and settled on the Inateck anti-theft backpack with USB charging port and it was a super bargain price of just £23.99. The bag is available in a dark grey, black or blue and it has more pockets than you can ever need. Or so I thought but JJ tells me all the pockets are perfect as he can use the bag for school too and it means he won't have to root around looking for things as they can all have their specified space.

I'm pleased to say that the part where you put your laptop in is very padded and there is an elasticated strap that Velcros it in, so it can't be easily stolen. It takes up to a 15.6" laptop, which is good as that is what JJ has. Also inside is a USB cable that you can attach to a power bank, that will sit in the inside pocket and this then feeds out to a another USB port so you can plug your own cable and phone in to charge whatever gadget you want. You can see the external port in the far right photo below.

Back to School with Start-rite Shoes

My twin girls have been trying out some Start-rite shoes ready for back to school in September. They have already worn them for the month of July at school and now the shoes are put away for the next couple of weeks until they start back to school. Both of their senior style brogues and loathers have done an ace job so far and I feel fully confident they are going to last them well into year next too.

As part of Start-rites back-to-school campaign they wanted us to really put the girls shoes through their paces, so they have been to school in them, walked through the woods, scooting on their new Micro Scooters in them and playing at the park too.

Scooting Adventures in their Start-rite School Shoes

Do you think someone likes their new @startrite_shoes? She's been waiting for these brogues to arrive & now they may not leave her feet! Review to follow in a few weeks.

A post shared by Michelle Pannell (@michelletwinmum) on Jun 26, 2017 at 8:00am PDT

This last half-term has felt like it was very long and we were truly ready for it to end. So finally when that last bell rang at school on Friday I picked the girls up for a few hours girlie time.

First stop, our local town Battle where we had some jobs to do ready for our holiday. Prescriptions to fulfil, keys to be cut, summer reading challenge to be signed up for and celebratory ice-cream milkshakes to be enjoyed! Miss M opted for a bubblegum flavour and Miss E white chocolate; I'm not much of a fan so I had an Oreo cupcake instead.

5 Months Later - Hotter School Shoes Update

Pictures taken in the Hotter Store, Eastbourne

You might recall that all three of my children were super lucky back at the end of August and chose a pair of Hotter shoes each for back to school. They have all been wearing their shoes for all of Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec and Jan and I'll let you take a look at the shoes and see for yourself how they are doing.

The Pictures above were taken in January 2017 as they came off the kids feet, so without them being polished and the ones below are today with them polished ready to wear again tomorrow.

Back to School with Hotter Shoes (Review)

Last week just before the kids went back to school we headed into Eastbourne for the dreaded back to school shoe shop. Well I say dreaded but actually on this occasion it wasn't as we knew we were heading for the Hotter shop and as they only sell adult sized shoes we didn't have to worry about coming up against screaming toddlers and too-hot preschoolers who would rather be in the park.

I've been a keen Hotter customer for about five years now. I recall when they first approached me in 2011 and I assumed their shoes were all for the older ladies who couldn't wear heels anymore and yes they do cater for that market but they really are so much more than that. I have trainers, comfy boots and stylish pumps from Hotter, no heels but that is only because I rarely wear them nowadays.

Sturdy School Shoes from Hotter Shoes

Back in September JJ started secondary school and he had a new pair of what looked to be really sturdy leather shoes. Here we are just four and a half months later and they still fit him, but he has worn the leather away at the heels and they now rub. Also the insole is really worn and quite uncomfortable to wear.

With this in mind I got in touch with my shoe store of choice and asked if they might like JJ to put a pair of their men's shoes to the test. Hotter shoes are available online and from over 70 stores in the UK and I am an avid fan. I got my first pair of Hotter boots back in 2010 and I still wear them now, I also have trainers that travelled to Ethiopia with me and a couple of pairs of shoes and they all last this heavy-footed woman really well.

Dear So and So - The Back to School Edition

Dear JJ,

Love you big boy. I know you are now at the age where you think it is quite embarrassing that mum wants to give you a hug or kiss you goodbye, so I'll respect that you are now a secondary school student and let you be.

I'm so glad your first days at your new school have gone well and I hope you continue to enjoy learning there. I also pray that you make some good friends and find some interesting extra-curricular activities. It is not all about maths and Minecraft JJ, remember that.

Standing with you always, Mummy xx

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Review: Cloggs Back to School Shoes from Kickers

As part of my getting ready for back to school early scheme I ordered a couple of pairs of school shoes from the online retailer Cloggs and boy was I impressed with their service. I'd not heard of Cloggs before but then in general I'm not a massive online shopper so its not surprising. I will from now onwards be very happy to shop with them though.

Placing my order was very simple and the shoes arrived quickly and in pristine condition. The mail package even had a handle like a shopping bag so I could carry it easily, which was a bonus.

The shoes I ordered were The Kickers Kick T Brogue shoe in infant size for Miss E and these retail at £49.99, which is a little more than I might pay for her regular school shoes from Clarks or such but these beauties are made to last and Miss E feels so very special in them. She has been putting them on all summer and dancing round in them!

Back to School - Speeding up your Morning with M&S

I don't expect that I need to tell you (yet again) that I love M&S, it is my shop of choice. If I need something to wear and want it to be stylish and good quality then M&S is were I go to. Yes I may pay a few more pounds for a similar item to what I might get at the supermarket but the cut, the sewing and the quality of the fabric is just in a different league and the same is true for school uniform as well

For quite a few years my Mum worked as a shop assistant in M&S and this has left her with a wonderful legacy - the discount card! So each year around July before school breaks up my mum gets in touch and asks me what the kids need for the year ahead and then she goes and buys it and yes I do realise she is a complete angel.

There are certain items that I only buy from M&S as they are just so much better than other shops. Girls pleated skirts are one of these things. I can't stand cheap skirts that when you wash them, they lose their pleats and you have to spend time ironing them in, it takes forever and never looks as good as when you bought them. So M&S permanent pleat skirts are just perfect and my girls look really smart in them and they last so well that I can pass them on to a friends child as well. This one Miss E is modelling here is her newest buy and it cost just £9 in her size (age 9-10 years), it has an adjustable waist, uses crease resistant technology to stay smart all day long and has Triple Action Stormwear™, which is a technology that repels water, oil and releases stubborn stains keeping you dry in rain showers and helping to repel mud and release ground-in stains.

Naming their Uniform made easy with Stamptastic

I think every parent dreads having to name their child's clothes and belongings for when they start or return to school in September. First you have the dilemma of what to purchase - labels that iron-on, stick-in, need to be sewn or will you go the easy route and just write their name on the label?

Truthfully though after ten years of naming things for nursery and school I've not found any of the methods I've used to be easy and efficient. Sewn labels do seem to last the test of time - they wash well and they don't fall out but the thought of sitting there for hours putting them all in is too much for me. 

I've not yet found an iron-on label that stays put more than a few washes and I tried labels that you attached with a little plastic pin a couple of years ago and they either abbreviated the girls skin or fell off pretty quick. So in recent years I have been writing on the labels with a sharpie laundry pen but even then it bleeds on some fabrics and I don't have the most neat handwriting, which also fades after a number of washes.

Recently I've heard a few blogger friends waxing lyrical about Stamptastic, a new way to name your kids clothes with a stamp and ink. I've not seen it done before but when I was handed a card at BritMums Live, I thought why not, lets give this a go!

Back to School #TipsAndTricks

I admit it, I am one of those awful annoying people that have all my back to school stuff ready just as the kids break up from school in July!  I know, I'm impossible, I've been told before but I can't bear the idea of spoiling my wonderful six weeks holiday with the kids by having to worry about how busy the shoe shop will be when I go along at the end of August with all the other parents rushing to get things sorted.

I realise I take a risk and they might have a massive growth spurt over the six weeks in the summer, but that seems to happen less and less as they get older, so I've not been caught out the last few years and to be honest if you are buying from a reputable shop most will take your items back (if unworn and with labels/ in packaging) to swap for a bigger size if it does happen.

Start-rite Shoes - Field Test Update

You may have read my earlier post where I mentioned that Start-rite had sent all three of my children new school shoes for a field test this term.

I thought I'd show you a visual update on how the shoes are doing. I've photographed the shoes most weeks during this 7 week half-term and I took the pictures of the shoes as they came home from school on the Friday. So they have not been cleaned or polished.

First up JJ, he was sent a pair of Warrior shoes from the rhino range, these retail at £55 for his big size 7 feet.

July 2015 Update - JJ has worn these shoes the whole year and they have been fabulous. The best school shoes he has ever had!

Week 1

Innocent Alphabet Champions - K

My children adore innocent smoothies and fruit juices and they are a regular part of my shopping. How can a Mum say no to such goodness for her kids? The small cartons are an excellent healthy drink for school lunches and a little bonus for the kids is that the new 2014 Innocent magnets are now out. There are three magnets with each pack and the kids love to try and gain the full alphabet.

You can also send off for your name in magnets too which is a nice new feature. You cut out and collect the bar codes from innocent for kids products and 6 codes will get you 3 names, 8 codes for 4 names and a maximum of 10 codes for 5 names. You can check out the full details on the innocent kids alphabet webpage. On there is also details of the competition currently running, here you can design your own letter magnets and be in with a chance to be featured in the next alphabet launched, how exciting would that be?

A number of bloggers are being allocated a different letter to be the champion of and our family has been given K.  I did wonder at first why on earth we had K as I could hardly think of anything related to back to school time or fruit drinks but then I saw the reason innocent had allocated me this letter -

"because you keep the family together"

Ahh that feels so nice and I think they are right. I am the glue in our family, I do all those behind the scenes things that keep a family running well. They are not particularly glamorous but they are necessary.

Over the last week or so the kids and I have been taking some photos of things beginning with K to see which one we might use to champion our letter K, here are a few of the ones we took -

K, it has to be for kids doesn't it?

Then because it is back to school time, we also have K for Kitting the kids out with new uniform -

And lastly the thing that gets me going when the mornings get colder and darker, my trusty Kettle to make my morning cup of tea -

Disclosure - We are lucky to receive vouchers to purchase some innocent products for our part in this campaign. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

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Start-rite Shoes - The Ultimate Field Test

Back at the beginning of the summer Start-rite contacted me to ask if the kids would be interested to field test some of their Back to School range of shoes over the next term. I jumped at the chance as I was really thrilled to find a brand who didn't only want me to give an initial impression on their shoes but they want me to continue to report on how well the shoes are lasting. I'm going to be taking regular pictures of each of the three pairs of shoes so you can see how they stand up to being used (or should that be abused) by my children. Start-rite are really confident that their shoes will prove to be durable, good value for money and have room for my kids feet to grow.

First up I had a Skype chat with a couple of Start-rite staff to establish what was important to me when I am buying my children's shoes. You can read some excerpts from my interview here if you fancy. Basically I am not too interested in the shoes being fancy or high fashion; durability and value for money are probably my big drivers. Along with finding velcro front shoes for my massive footed boy (he is a size 7 aged 10 years).

I know the Start-rite name and believe it to be a quality brand but I've never bought a pair of their shoes before, I have pretty much been a faithful Clarks shopper. I've seen Start-rite shoes stocked in John Lewis and I know many independents sell them but it hadn't occurred to me you could buy them online as well. I'm generally not much of an online shopper but having now moved to the countryside it is a bit of a trek to get to the shops and thus having things delivered to my door has become much more attractive. I was a little worried about getting the right sizes but thankfully Start-rite have some really good information on measuring for size.

So first up I needed to measure the kids feet and check the Start-rite size calculator. To be honest I have avoided Start-rite shoes before as I've never really understood the sizing, it is a bit different to other shoe shops. However once you have a Start-rite foot gauge it all becomes quite easy to find the right size and we all know how important it is to have well fitted shoes for our children whilst their feet are growing.

Start-rite have three different measure at home methods available for you to choose from and their instruction is very good as there are videos to watch as well as instructions to read. It was very easy once I had the length and width measurements to use the grid and see what size shoe I needed to order for each child.

The kids were a bit nervous about what might arrive for them as they did not have any input to the styles sent but Start-rite seemed to understand each of my children very well. Miss M received a pair of 'older girl' style shoes (Dawn) as she has enormous feet for a just 7 year old. Whilst her shoes are gorgeous and just what she wants sadly they look less durable than Miss E's, so it will be good to see how they stand up to the field test. They retail for £45.

JJ received a pair from the rhino range (warrior) which were right up his street, super comfy, durable rubber soles and bumpers and importantly for him the velcro closures at the front. They retail for £55.

Miss E received a pair of the Princess Serena shoes, which come in a stylish box and with two removable charms. At first Miss E was ready to dismiss these shoes as being too young for her as they look quite chunky at the bottom with the big bumper all round but once I pointed out the charms, pretty diamante heart closure and front detailing she was happy they were pretty shoes. These retail for £47.

Of course the important thing I needed to do was ensure that each of the shoes fitted well. Again I followed the video and instructions on the Start-rite website and I was really happy to see that I had obviously measured accurately as each of the shoes were a good fit and the kids are now ready for school this Thursday.

As I mentioned before I'll be visually recording how these shoes stand up to the normal use of a near 11 year old boy and two 7 year old girls. So do stop back in a month or so and have a read of the update.

Disclosure: We were sent these shoes free of charge for the purpose of this review/ field test. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

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JJ has his first taste of designer sports brands...

I recall being a young teenager and all I wanted for my fourteenth birthday was a shiny new Puma tracksuit top to go with my Nike and adidas ones. I had the big white Nike trainers with the fluorescent laces, the pale blue dungarees and big leather belt with a 'sexy' buckle. I was not short of confidence back in those days and I certainly knew what I wanted and most of those things included big brand names - names like adidas, Nike, Puma and Sassy. I hung around with a group who liked to roll out their lino and do some break dancing and we would all gather round the boom box. It certainly was a different time but lots of fun.

Nowadays not many people are break dancing anymore and the idea of wearing a shiny tracksuit top is a pretty horrifying one but it still remains that teenagers like their big brands. It is the in thing to wear the right names and the right pieces of clothing or trainers.  I am pleased to say that JJ is not that much into brands yet, I'm sure it will come and when it does I know where I'll be heading to - straight to JD Sports where the prices are so much more reasonable than most other high street sports shops.

We started to shop in JD Sports for JJ a couple of years ago when he needed new jogging bottoms and we found that they often had deals to buy 2 pairs for a special price. We have found their products to be quality and really reasonably priced and in fact we are off there tomorrow for some new tops and hoodies for JJ as he just does not seem to stop growing.

I'd never considered JD Sports as a shop for back to school purchases but actually they have a great stock of sports clothes (of course), bags, coats, trainers, shoes, caps and hoodies. JJ was offered a new school bag and he jumped at the chance to choose something more grown up than the one he had been using.

His first choice was this adidas backpack, which retails for £30.00 and is 100% polyester. It feels like a really sturdy backpack with adjustable straps and padded over the shoulder straps for a comfy fit. Our bag is all black but there are various different colour ways. It measures 17" x 11" x 5.5".

The backback has a really large laptop section which pleased JJ a lot as he loves to take his laptop with him and there is also another large section as well as smaller pockets and a place for a water bottle. There is also a D loop so you can clip things onto the bag and a nice touch is the straps and buckles on the front which will work well for when JJ goes on hikes with the scouts as he can strap his coat on the front when he needs to.

So what was JJ's comment about his new backpack? "It is so cool Mum, I can take it to Caverdale when I start next September as it is like the big kids have. It totally is a bag for secondary school!".

There is a great selection of school bags on the JD Sports website and they start at a reasonable £10 for McKenzie and there are even Nike branded bags from £15, so you can find something for all budgets.

I was pleased to see that you can order from the web for free delivery into your local store or it is free home delivery for orders over £60. The price is £3.99 if you wanted it delivered to home and your order value is less than £60 and I was super pleased to see that all returns are free whether you post them or take them into store. This is where some stores let you down but not JD Sports.

We have been very pleased with our service from JD Sports, our bag arrived quickly, was well packaged and the actual bag itself is brilliant.


Disclosure: We received this backpack free of charge for the purpose of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

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Back to School with TU at Sainsburys

Do you hate people like me?  I know many people do and really I don't suppose it is that you hate us, it is more that you would love to be in our position.

Yes, I admit it, I'm on top of the back to school uniform, it is ready for 4th September and yes I realise the kids only broke up from school a day ago (I'm writing this way before you are reading it!) but I enjoy it all being sorted and then I don't have to think about it at all for the next 6 weeks.

My to do list at the beginning of the holiday looked something like this -

• Check plimsolls still fit
• Check what uniform we already have and is it still in good condition?
• Get new uniform to fill in the missing spaces
• Update PE shorts and joggers as they have all grown out of those
• Bin lunchboxes and get new ones that don't smell!
• Girls need new school bags as they go into KS2 and can have their own designs
• Label all new uniform
• Order new school shoes and pray they still fit in September

I'm doing well, I only have the bags and school shoes to go, the rest is sorted and that feels good. This year TU at Sainsburys asked me to buy some of their uniform for the kids and try it out. I've not been asked to review their uniform before but as Sainsburys is my shop of choice the kids have been wearing some of their uniform and I can confirm from a good 7 years experience that it lasts well.

Here is what I bought -

I went to what I would think of as a medium sized Sainsburys and there was a good choice of colours and styles. I needed to get some uniform for my girls (aged 7 years but one is bigger than the other) and my boy (aged 10 years and a giant).

• 2 pack of white short sleeved blouses with really pretty embroidery trim around the bottom - £7
• 2 packs of 3 pack white girls polo shirts - £4.50 per pack (all prices depend on the size you are buying)
• 2 packs of 3 pack unisex white polo shirts - £5.50 per pack
• Girls pleated skirt - £5.50
• 6 pack of grey knee high socks - £6.50
• 2 pack of grey boys trousers - £12
• 2 pack of girls jersey grey trousers - £8

What I liked

There is lots to like about TU school uniform. It is not the cheapest on the market but it represents fantastic value for money as it washes well and keeps its shape and colour. The girls skirt is a fabulous thick material and has stay-in pleats but it is also stylish with a little bow details at the waist. The waist is also adjustable, as is the boys trousers. I liked that there was both jersey type trousers, skirts and dresses as well as the smarter and thicker Teflon coated items.  It gives good variety in terms of children's wear preferences and also on price point. The white polo shirts are nice and soft and the buttons are easy for little hands, the seems also seem to be well stitched and put together.

What I didn't like quite so much

The fact that things are sold in two packs, I don't always want two pairs of trousers or two dresses at a time and if I do I often want them in different sizes as I have twins of different sizes.  Also the boys trousers are not a very generous fit and actually they were too snug on my larger boy. The polo shirts are perhaps a little longer than I would like, which is of course fine tucked in but as JJ likes to wear his out he will not look so smart as other shorter tops do but this is just a little niggle and will not stop me keeping them.

Keeping school uniform clean

TU asked me what my top tip was for keeping school uniform looking good and I have to be honest and say the first thing that came to mind was that I make my kids wear an apron when they have something messy for their dinner like spaghetti bolognese as I've not found any stain remover that will get that completely out of a white polo shirt.

To be honest I like kids to be kids so if they come home with grass stained knees or glue on their cardi I don't really mind, I find that if you buy a decent quality pair of trousers or skirt/ dress most things just wash out and they still look good anyway. That has certainly been my experience in the past with TU.

Disclosure: Thank you Sainsburys for providing me with a voucher to buy and review some TU uniform. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

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