A bit blurry, I was probably fighting back the tears
School uniform is the bane of my life.
When the 5 year old started school I excitedly bought lovely little cardigans, pleated skirts, whiter than white polo shirts, PE kit, pumps … as per the advice given by school. On that first day of school, she looked so beautiful, so smart … so big.
Unfortunately when she started school and for 6 months after she thought it was perfectly alright to use the shoulder or sleeve of her cardigan or white polo shirt as a serviette at lunchtime. I was washing all the time and desperately trying to dry and iron things in time for school. Still, those orange stains wouldn’t come out.
Deciding that I no longer wanted the house to look like a Chinese laundry, albeit specialising in school uniform, I went out and bought more to keep up with the dirty clothes. Then she suddenly stopped using her cardigans and polo shirts as a serviette. Now we had excess school clothing.
… Then she had a growth spurt which meant we had excess school uniform that was too small.
… Then came the summer dresses.
Now, two days away from the school holidays and the stores have started their school uniform offers. Do I go now and stock up for September and hope that I have enough, or do I wait in case of another growth spurt and risk there only being 35 grey pinafores in age 13-14?
At least I came to terms with the fact that I couldn’t sew and bought iron in labels, that should save hours of my life. I once referred to the labels I had sewn into the 5 year olds uniform as looking as if they’d been done by a blind person sitting on a roundabout … wearing mittens
Don’t even get me started on school shoes … 4 pairs in 10 months … and YES, 3 of those were Clarks.
I bloody hate school uniform.
18 Comments on "The bane of my life … or one of them anyway"
Ah yes… the joys of which I am about to be inducted into! We have purchased SC’s already but not shoes yet. I’m just sitting wondering when to plot my Clark’s visit to time it right! Your little one looks so cute! Every time I see SC in her’s (which is often as she wants to have it on all the time!), I just want to cry!
Gah, so true. Here in Ireland they only stock uniform in July. Yup, that’s it. If you miss it here you’ve had it. None of this stocking up in January rubbish. They all go to school in uniform so big they look like they shrank in the wash. Sad, but true.
This is all just starting for me as S will have uniform in nursery. I have stocked up now but he always needs to change his clothes at playgroup (water, always splashing in water!) so I’ll have to buy loads of everything! Am leaving shoes to the last minute!
We’re starting the whole uniform thing in September. I was rather hoping it’d be easier than tantrums over which shorts exactly he wanted to wear today. I’ve already bought it. Hopefully he’ll still fit in a couple of months.
First off – she is seriously, too cute!
Second – we don’t have school uniforms, but I can relate to the growth spurts and having too many clothes that now don’t fit!! Maddening!
PS I’m a big fan of M&S uniforms. Really right-on as made from old carrier bags or something, extremely well priced – the summer dresses I bought were £7, instead of £14 from the uniform shop – and the summer dresses don’t need ironing if you give them a good hard shake before hanging them to dry or putting them in the drier.
My daughter has also gone through four pairs of shoes this year and is currently wearing plimsolls to school as I refused to buy another pair with two weeks left of term. She is now a size 12 /2 aged five. Is that abnormal?
But she looks SO sweet in it!
One thing my mum could be thankful for was that I kept my uniform as clean as possible though she, like you, still had to contend with the growth spurts. There’s no easy answer to the riddle.
I need to get the boy’s school uniform locked. Not really sure how the whole uniform thang is going to play out.
We don’t have a uniform. Before my daughter started school I thought this was a bad thing as she wouldn’t look like a ‘proper’ school girl. About a week in, I realised that I am very lucky. With a 3 week old baby I could let the washing pile up and just find whatever was clean in the drawer. If she grows out of stuff, we just go to H&M or ASDA and buy more clothes. Number 2 is about to start in Sept, and I must admit I did feel a pang of jealousy when I saw his best friend from nursery in his gorgous little grey wool blazer and cap. But it cost his mum a fortune.
Clarks shoes are not the quality they once were. I bought toddler boy a pair they lasted a month took them back to john lewis they moaned, but by dint of myrudeness they replaced them. He has had the new pair 3 weeks and the soles look nearly worn through…
Im not looking forward to the school years… sigh….
I can’t even begin to rant about school uniform – three children at three different schools, crap at sewing, finding socks, bla bla – nightmare.
Can you email me your new address (again) please as you are one of the lucky Bananagram winners YAY!! Lx
She is too cute! My kids seem to think their sleeves are napkins as well.
I feel your pain
. I’m just going to order on line at M&S as like you said, by the time i get round to shopping for mia’s uniform, three days before the start of term, they NEVER have anything left in her size. And shoes well i’m affraid after two pairs of startrite shoes in her first term she is just going to have to cope with M&s own brand at £9 a pop from now on – i will have four uniforms to get soon so she may as well get used to the crappy shoes sooner rather than later…..unless i win the lottery x
wow, that’s unlucky with the shoes. My boys – coming to the end of years 5 and 7, have always made their shoes last a whole school year – maybe that’s the Ugly Sister in me. At £45 a pop it’s bad enough. As for clothes, my little one looks like an orphan. Already small, he happily stuffs himself, at age 10 and quite a bit, into age 5-6 tops. Sleeves not napkins however (that’s the only joy of packed lunch, no bolognaise sauce) but they do get bitten. Maybe the teacher keeps a wolf in the class room, and who could blame her.
The schools here have “resales” so you can buy gently used uniforms. Is that an option?
And if your school is anything like the ones here, they change their logo or color requirements or SOMETHING every couple of years that requires everyone to get all new uniforms! I think they have a special relationship with the uniform companies!
Ooh, yes. Flea started pre-school last year and we spent £150 on uniform, which OF COURSE has to be bought from the school uniform shop and OF COURSE isn’t tumble drier safe – so we had to buy in triplicate. Grrr.
Now she’s about to start at the main school, another racket becomes obvious. All of her pre-school shirts, jumpers and kit bags are embossed with the pre-school logo – which is different to the junior school logo. So even though it still fits, we have to go and buy new. Again.
(Oh, and I wrote on her school uniform in a marker pen. I’m such a bad mother I didn’t even attempt sewing even though I bought the labels)