whats changed? ( School drop off nightmare )

Being a 1st time mum is hard ... like really hard ! when they are young you have no clue what it is your meant to do doing. I thought i had it pretty much cracked with Bodhi he has always had such great range of speech so could always tell me what was wrong or what he needed.

When he started full time school in September 2016 he LOVED it ! he was a big boy in school uniform staying all day, having lunch, making friends, learning he was over joyed when he learnt to write word and read them back.

This was up until maybe 3 weeks ago..... that's when he all started... 

" mummy my tummy hurts " 

" I don't like school "

" children are mean to me " 

" I want to stay with you "

" I miss you " 

This has broken me as a parent. My happy brave and out going child has become the child who is crying his eyes out once the school gate is open, the other child now know to go in ( with out parents ) take coats off and to go into class, Bodhi .... he is clinging onto me for dear life begging me to take him home. I have spoken to his teacher and she tells me that he is 100% fine once he is in class its just getting him away from me and into class, We have sat down after school and had chats and its always something different to why he doesn't want to come to school ( this morning it was that his hands were cold )

I have tried bribes , praise , and tough love. nothing is working, When we get into the main playground he is fine running around playing with friends, As soon as his class gate opens he switches and becomes a wreck and then in turn so do i , Now part of me thinks he is doing it to make me feel guilty for sending him but on the other hand he is fine once i leave him ! its just so hard!! like really hard, i used to look at the parents of the crying children and think to myself " i couldn't cope with that " and i can't ! i dread the school run each morning and all day i keep my phone on loud in case the school phone me.

I have my fingers crossed that we crack this problem asap if anyone has any hints or tips PLEASE leave a comment i am willing to try anything ( this morning i was thinking of offering to help out at his school so he knew i was in the same building ?!?! )

I miss the Bodhi in this photo taken on his 1st day only a few months ago, If i was to have taken a photo of him this morning i would cry looking at it. 

1st day of school ( 1st time around )

When you are pregnant you can find so much information, from bump to birth and then on to toddler age you can find countless books, guides and helpful information. I have found that once your child gets to nursery age this help and information drys up! As a 1st time mum to a now 4 1/2 year old who will be starting full time school in September i thought i would share my views/tips on all the things you will face 1st time !

My starting school tips

* If you think you'll cry , try your hardest to hold it in until your child is in the class room
* Keep drop offs short and sweet a kiss and a wave is great
* make plans for the 1st day, Go shopping , get your nails done. Just do something !
* Don't ask 100 questions at pick up
* count to 10 lots School is hard work and your child will be worn out

So today is Bodhi's 1st day of real school ( I am typing this while he is at school eek ! ) Now i am really lucky that Bodhi is such an out going child and has loved going to nursery for the last 18 months so i knew he would be more then ready for school ( As am i )

We got up at 7:30 had a little cuddle in my bed then i let him have a little bit of iPad time so i could grab a shower and get dressed, Then while he ate breakfast i remembered to label this school stuff ( Whoops ) He got dressed and asked me to do his hair ! so we did this and i even gave him a tiny spray of daddy's lynxs.

He looks so grown up and ready in his school uniform , I am one proud mum. We waited for our friends up the road to knock and we all walked to school together. Once at school he gave me a kiss and ran off inside with his friends , A few of the children didn't want to go in but Bodhi told me later that they all had a lovely morning ( At his school they do 9-12 for the 1st 2 weeks, then stay till 1 for lunch for a week and THEN are full time ! ) why ?? i'm not really sure? I feel its pussy footing about a little bit. I mean you wouldn't start a new job and only do a few hours for the 1st week? Just get on with it???

Anyways , I was very happy to be joining in with the social media back to school spam this morning seeing all the happy little faces, new uniform, book bags and bright eyes. I was even more pleased when i saw my friends photo post of her teacher husband 1st day of school photo, Makes you think its not just the Children with the new lunch boxes and hopes & ideas!

When Bodhi started nursery i took a photo by the front door and asked him what he wants to be when he grows up, We have gone from Teachers - Zoo keeper and now he wants to be a Pilot ! I just want for my son to be happy and to enjoy what ever job he ends up with.

My little boy is growing up fast and i can't wait to get stuck into school life ( I am even thinking of trying to join the PTA ) 

school trip ( 1st time around )

When you are pregnant you can find so much information, from bump to birth and then on to toddler age you can find countless books, guides and helpful information. I have found that once your child gets to nursery age this help and information drys up! As a 1st time mum to a now 4 1/2 year old who will be starting full time school in September i thought i would share my views/tips on all the things you will face 1st time !

So today its school trips!! Argh ! As a mum to a very active and full on child i was in two minds about the trip 1st thing that popped into my head was that id have a WHOLE day to myself and i was thinking of all of the jobs i could get done. Then on the 2nd thing was oh I'd have the WHOLE day to myself ..... a whole day of wondering what he was doing and if he was okay. The trip was to a local petting farm only 20mins away from the school and they would be going via a coach and coming home at 3:30


The school did also want parent helpers , I didn't go for more then one reason but my main reason was that i thought Bodhi would have a better time without me as i know for a fact he is different when i am around other reasons,

* I wanted 6 hours to myself
* I wanted him to enjoy his day without Mum hanging about
* The school didn't need me it was extra help
* I had lots of stuff to be getting on with

So in the week leading up to the trip i had lots of questions

* could they snack in the day or was it only eating at lunch time?
* would they need money for the shop ?
* would they be going around as one big groups or lots of small groups
* suntan cream ?!

The day before the trip we got told to pack the pack lunches into a bag that they could Carry and to label everything I.E hats/bags/shoes and to pack as many drinks that we felt they would drink and that they could stop for drinks as much as they wanted.

drop off was the same as normal and i got home just before 9 and at 9:20 i saw the coach drive past and i spotted a little blond head sitting by the window. I had huge mum guilt that i didn't go along, this soon passed once i got stuck into my job list . I got a lot done in 6 hours but i was glad when at 3:15 i got a text from school saying that they were back and ready to be picked up.

Bodhi had a wonderful day and ate all of his lunch and was 100% worn out, He told me all about what they did and the next day in school i saw the photos and it looks like they did all have a great time.

Top tips for 1st school trip 

* pay asap you will forget and you don't want your child to miss out
* ask the questions that your thinking
* if you can go and you feel your child will enjoy you going then go !
* send them with an extra drink to what you think they will want
* ask them what they want in their lunch
* don't sit and worry all day, go out, do jobs keep busy
* don't ask 1000 question once you've picked your child up


I hope this is helpful if your child is off on a trip for the end of term! More 1st time around posts to come.

School summer fetes ( 1st time around )

When you are pregnant you can find so much information, from bump to birth and then on to toddler age you can find countless books, guides and helpful information. I have found that once your child gets to nursery age this help and information drys up! As a 1st time mum to a now 4 1/2 year old who will be starting full time school in September i thought i would share my views/tips on all the things you will face 1st time !

As you may or may not know, my son is only 4 1/2 he attends morning nursery this is part of the school he will be joining come september and i am tryingly hardest to embrace everything school ! so with this in mind when the news letter came home informing me about the upcomming school summer fete i was really excited !

The school had a really good system for donations by hosting mufti day for four fridays but rather then bringing in a £ each week the child had to bring in a donation 1st week it was un-wanted gifts i had just had a good clear out so Bodhi went in with a bag full of items that we just had hanging around being un-used 2nd week was for soft toys now this was a little harder due to Bodhi having very strong feelings to all of his soft toys! But i had a few beanie babies tucked away from way back when so off they went into school ! week 3 this week was bring a bottle again i found this week pretty hard as i was unsure if they wanted wine/beer soft drinks bubble bath?! who knew!! so i played it safe and sent him in with a bottle of posh looking fizzy juice and the last week and the day of the fete was sweets/chocolate and i sent Bodhi in with x5 little bags of sweets that were 5 for £1 from asda. I personally feel like we donated a lot ! but i didn't spend more then £1 on each week so same as if he was paying for mufti.

When the friday rolled again for the fete the weather was looking pretty good and everyone was buzzing! This was when i started to worry , how much money should i take? do i like Bodhi do everything ? how much will the bouncey castle be? all of these things i had no idea of the answers, so we went back into school for 2.30 and the hall was PACKED! like rammed ! parents queuing for the tombola and kids running around hyped up on ice pops and sweets!

I went with the idea that Bodhi would have £4 to spend ( i was thinking the bouncy castle would be £1/2 and most games/treats would be 50p ) turns out i was wrong so Bodhi went running off to play and spend his money and this is how £8 ( yeah i let him have more ) got spent in less then 10 minitues

30p - lolly pop pull  (didn't win but got a lolly )
20p - lucky dip ( party bag type toy )
£1 - coconut shy -  ( didn't win )
£1 bean bags into buckets -  ( didn't win )
£1 ping pong ball into cups -  ( party bag type toy )
£1 x3 tombola tickets - ( room air smelly thing with the sticks? - see photo )
50p soft toy tombola - ( duck )
£1 sweet tombola - ( bag of mixed sweets )
£1 bouncey castle
£1 ice pop & ice cream cone

BOOM £8! with not a lot to show for it but Bodhi was really happy and thats what counts no? so tips for your 1st time attending a school fete * take change * set a budget * tell your child when the money is gone its gone * do the bouncey castle last * take a bag * keep calm it will soon be over !

Half term ideas

I'm pretty new to this half term lark, Bodhi only spends half the day at school in nursery the idea of spending the whole week together is at first a lovely one that soon turns into fear.... Bodhi is four and half and very active and always wanting to play/learn/make and do ! This is normally filled in his three hours while at school. So last night I came up with a few idea of things we could do together that one won't brake the bank and that also mean we spend some time together. ( also the weather is shocking this week so that's really rubbish as I had planed a week of playing in the garden ! )

Build a bed cave/den - this we have done this morning , we have had breakfast and read books under the covers of my bed
Play Lego/playdoh/etc - play like this is great for popping in and out so you can still do the house work and have a hot cuppa and play eith your child
Arts & craft - use what you already have in at home to save a few ££ make art work for local family then go visit them with said art work
Baking - again just have a look at what you have in and get making ( can always look on Pinterest for help )
Netflix / DVD - great way to get some cuddles and I have sometimes even grabbed a little power nap while the boy watches toy story 3 for the 1000 time
Library - most will having events/story telling on within the holidays best to check out and find out what's on
Leisure centers / soft play - great when the weather is rubbish but may be very busy with every other child from your area
Shopping - it's a weekly thing that we all need to do , if you are taking your child with you make it fun for them or you will both get stressed, shopping lists , I spy, etc and if all else fails a bribe of a treat at the end of the shop always works for me !!
Poundshop - give your child a few ££ and let them pick a few items I really do love the poundshop can pick up a new book , DVD , toy and a snack for under a £5 ! They have lots of garden play items in stock now always if the weather improves.


If the weather improves then get out and about while it's nice !! Trips to the park on scotter/bike walk in the woods just getting some fresh air will feel great after a few wet house days, pack a picnic and make a day of it.

Meeting up with friends is also a good idea, either having a play date or meeting up at a local farm or play place. Mums can have a grown up chat while the kids run wild.

What ever you do over half term , take a deep breathe and remember they will soon be back to school !!

Baby Bodhi is starting school in September !

Today is the day that we find out about lower school addmisions, I am SO pleased to say that when my inbox pinged the email stated that Bodhi has been given a place at our first choice school. This is also the school he attends nursery at and we also live in the next street to it, we moved house in 2011 while I was pregnant with Bodhi and one of the things I loved about the house we live in is that it was so close to a lovely little school 

So you could say I've been waiting for this email for over four years ( cause well I have ! ) I don't know what I would have done if we hadn't got the place we wanted ( pleased I don't have to even have to think of that tho ) some people arnt so lucky, in our area last year the schools changed from lower , middle , upper and became junior the to secondary school meaning Bodhi will be spending the next 7 years learning at this school. 

Bodhi started nursery last Easter so by the time he starts school he will have had a year half with in nursery doing only 9-12 he has a solid group of friends and I am starting to become friends with some lovely mums ( and dads ) I am crossing my fingers that they all will also join the boy in September 

My heart is a little sad that my baby boy and my old child will be going to full time school come September.. But on the other hand I know he is ready and I am ready for it he loves nursery and really enjoys learning at the moment his favourite things are letters and writing , I can't wait to start doing home work projects , book reviews the works with him and watch him become a little man. Today is a happy & sad day