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 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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How things change over time.... JJ's School Days

I've been thinking about starting school and how significant it is as next year JJ will move up to secondary education and have to start a new school. It's not long until September when we will start looking around the local schools and making decisions of where he might go. Scary stuff! At the moment he is just saying he wants to go to our most local one as there is a bus that goes straight there from the end of the back road, but truth be told I'm a little nervous he might prefer one of the others when we look around and I can't say I fancy him being at school 20 miles away when he is just 12. My boy is growing up!

It does not feel like that long ago that he was starting primary school. Where do the years go? I was trying to recall his first day and I'm ashamed to say I was not having a lot of success. I think that might have been due to the fact that he started in Sept 2007 when his twin sisters were just a couple of months old and my head was a little fuzzy due to lack of sleep!

First day back in September 2007.  I'm not sure Miss M is as pleased as JJ about him starting school!

JJ took to school like a duck to water, when he wasn't there it was all he talked about and at home time he never really wanted to leave. He would grab the last few moments on the play equipment or run off to greet a friend in the distance and I would be left like an old fish wife shouting JJ!

When I was tidying out the other day I came across all the kids early school reports and as I read what the teachers had to say about JJ it was like reading about a different child. This boy who was intelligent beyond his years but had little spaciall awareness and no empathy for his peers. I was taken back to all the times I had to go in and talk to his teachers as he had hurt someone without meaning to. I recall there was one time when him and another lad collided on the playground, no-ones fault but because JJ was a good head taller than all the other kids he just got a bruise and poor kids front teeth got knocked out! It is not always easy being a parent, so many times I felt guilty for the behaviour of my over zealous little man. Never did he mean to hurt anyone but that does not make it any easier.

It is a different story now, JJ just seemed to grow into his own skin. He still has moments of being over enthusiastic but he does not step on anyone any more as he crosses the carpet and he remembers to say sorry if necessary. It makes such a difference and it eases my worries as a parent.

I'm so pleased to say that things can change, not everything though mind you. I'll tell you one thing that has not really changed at all - JJ's ability to wreck his school uniform! I just don't know how he manages it, his white polo shirts always manage to get stained and end up looking years old when he has only had them a week or so. Whiteboard marker, ketchup, brio, dirt, you name it and some of the stains are so hard to get out, thank the Lord for good value school uniforms and fabulous 150 day guarantees, like Asda has.

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Back to school with Tesco (F&F uniform)

With the move to East Sussex this means a whole new uniform for each of my three children and of course that can be a costly business, I have to be honest and say I don't like to buy the cheapest uniform out there, I like to buy clothes that are value for money. Ones that I can afford but that will also stand the test of time and last the dozens of washes and tumbles they will get here in our house.

I've been lucky enough to receive some Tesco F&F school uniform for the last couple of years now and I've not had any issue with any of their items. JJ is still wearing now the winter coat that was sent to him last July and considering the warm coats only cost about £19 that is fantastic value.

This year I ordered £50 of uniform for JJ and for that amount we received -

• winter coat £19
• 2 pairs of quality school trousers £10
• 4 white polo shirts £5 for a pack of two
• 3 pairs of boxer shorts £2.50
• 5 pairs of grey socks £4
• pair of navy jogging bottoms £6

I didn't choose the value or cheapest items, you can get 2 packs of trousers for as little as £5.   I chose the ones I knew would last well. Here is JJ testing out his new uniform -

White polo shirts are always the thing I buy the most in any year as JJ (and the girls to to it) seem to get them filthy and they constantly arrive home with stains that I can not seem to remove. The 2 packs start at £2 for two and at JJ's size they are £5 for two. I like to go for the 'Buy one, give one' polo shirts and this means for each item I buy from the range Tesco give a full uniform to a child in Bangladesh, Kenya or Sri Lanka. Just another little way that we can help those less fortunate.

These polos are roomy, nice and long for tucking in and they button up really easily. I noticed they are double stitched too.

The trousers we received have adjustable waists to ensure they are comfy and are also Teflon coated to keep stains at bay, as mentioned before this is important with my kids. I didn't order any girls clothes this time but it is good to know that all the pleats in dresses and skirts are permanent and don't come out in the wash.

I'm sure you'll agree JJ looks great in his navy parker coat and he really loved the mock fur around the hood. Sadly the arms are a very snug fit and he finds it uncomfortable so we will need to change this for another coat. I think it is the trendy styling and with JJ being a larger kid it just does not suit him, in the same way skinny trousers do not either.

JJ loves the navy joggers as they are so comfy and have a cosy feel inside, he has even asked me to buy him some more for lounging around the house in.

The socks and boxer shorts are as you would expect, basic and comfy and perfect for back to school.

Delivery and returns

I placed my order online and choose the collect from store option, this meant I was able to get everything I wanted but no delivery cost was incurred and as I needed to go there anyway it was convenient. By ordering before 3pm I was able to collect my items the next day. If I had wanted my parcel to come direct to my door then it would have been free as orders are free at £50 and over or £3.95 for standard (2-5 days) or £5 for next day delivery. Tesco is also really convenient in that all returns are free too.

Save money

Of course being Tesco you can save money on your uniform purchases too by changing your clubcard vouchers into double with Clubcard Boast, so £5 becomes £10 to spend in store. Or you can use some of those vouchers that come through every month to gain double points or money off when you spend a certain amount. I receive loads of vouchers from Tesco, not sure if that is because I am a Tesco credit card customer.

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

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#TellingTales with M&S

My little M&S models

Today on Twitter M&S are launching a fun new initiative called #Telling-tales. They are urging mums and dads everywhere to use the hashtag to share the funny tales that our kids tell us about why they have come home from school so dirty. I don't know about you but my kids come home filthy sometimes and when I ask why I'm quite astounded at some of the stories I get told.

As a younger boy my son JJ constantly came home with black marker on his white polo shirts, this used to drive me insane as it was so hard to get off. When I asked him how it happened I would get told that the teacher could not be bothered to give them an eraser for their personal whiteboards and they were expected to rub it off with their hands and this was how he got so dirty. Over time I got more and more cross and finally went to see the teacher who assured me they did have erasers available to them but sadly many kids choose not to use them!  Thank goodness I went in their calm, rather than all guns blazing.

Probably my best tale teller is Miss M, she could chat for Britain. Just recently she came home covered in chalk, literally from head to toe and when I asked her what had happened I was told she was a puppy and while having her tummy tickled she had slid along the ground over the other kids chalk drawings. I despair sometimes!  I suppose though the main thing is that they are enjoying going to school and having fun, oh and ensuring they have school uniform that stands up to the job.

M&S is definitely my favourite uniform, it is not the cheapest but price is not my only priority. M&S clothes wash up well, keep their shape, keep their pleats (highly important in skirts and pinnys) and my favourite are their zipped check dresses. For the girls last school I picked up some of these second hand and the girls wore them for a couple of summers and now they have gone to a friends girl and they still look good - that is what you call lasting quality. This time around I was lucky to get them in the sale when they were just £3 each - a super bargain.

Join in with the Twitter fun... and win a really unique prize
On 12^th August (today), using the Twitter hashtag #TellingTales, M&S are asking mums & dads to share their child's most imaginative tales into how their clothes got dirty and the best six entries will win an original illustration of their child’s tale from one of six fantastic children’s artists - Sue Hendra, Ben Mantle, Ben Hawkes, Clive McFarland, Yasmeen Ismail and Mark Chambers. That is a prize that can be cherished forever.

So why don't you head over to Twitter and share your tale of what your child told you about how they got so dirty? You never know you might just win a prize and you are sure to have a good giggle as you read all the other bizarre and outrageous tales us parents get told.

Take a look at the full competition details on the M&S site.

Disclosure: I received £50 of school uniform from M&S as a thank you for taking part in this campaign. They have not instructed me what to write and I remain honest.

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