Trutex School Uniform Review

School Uniform is a necessity, it's the clothing that your children spend most of their days in. You want it to be comfortable for them, to be hard wearing and to last but you don't want to spend a fortune on it. It isn't easy to find a brand that meets all of this criteria. My almost 8 year old, Ben, seems to have a a talent for getting his uniform as filthy as possible during the school day. If it's not mud or grass stains from playing football or cricket, it's white-board marker or his lunch, and last week it was clay!

A few weeks ago we were sent a selection of uniform from Trutex to try out before the end of term. Trutex is a  name that is synonymous with good quality, long lasting school uniform. It's the brand that clothed me during my school days and quite possibly my parents too. In fact this year marks the 150 year anniversary since Trutex first started producing school uniform, then trading as the Clitheroe Shirting Company in Lancashire.

We chose three items of uniform from the extensive selection on the Trutex website, these included the Junior Boys Slim Fit Trousers, a Crew Neck Sweatshirt and a Polo Shirt.  In line with the official school colours these were in grey and red. Although Ben is not quite eight yet he is tall for his age so I opted for age 9 in the trousers and age 9/10 in the tops. 

When the uniform arrived I was immediately impressed with the appearance of it, vibrant colours,  good quality materials and attention to the details. 

The items were all a good fit on Ben, The trousers were a little long but tucked up easily and at the rate he is growing I doubt that would be needed in a few weeks time. The waist of the trousers is elasticated at the back which is different to the adjustable elastics and buttons at the sides that I'm used to but they were a really comfortable fit on Ben and although not loose or slack there is definitely room for growth. The fabric of these trousers is thick and I can see them being hard wearing.

Both the polo shirt and the sweatshirt were a lovely shade of red that complemented the grey perfectly. The polo shirt fabric is named on the website as lacoste knit, i'd not heard of this before but it actually looked almost mesh like but was still as soft as cotton, it looked breathable and like it would be nice and cool in hot summer days (if we get any!)

So first impressions are great but uniform has to survive rough treatment in our house, from climbing trees to playing football and cricket, over the last few weeks this uniform has been through it all and has had the mud and grass stains to prove it. It's been washed and dried multiple times and I am really impressed with the results. The colour has stayed really bright on the red tops and they've kept their shape well. The fabric of the trousers has softened and is less stiff than at first but they have not shrunk and barely show any signs of wear. 

Each time the uniform has been washed, I've been impressed at how easily an array of marks and stains have come clean out.

Overall I am thoroughly impressed with this uniform from Trutex and although the RRP is slightly more than I would normally pay, looking at the way it has worn so far I can see it lasting a lot longer than the supermarket brands and therefore saving money in the long run. 

To find your nearest stockist of Trutex school uniform pop over to their website.

I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Network Research Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity

What to do this half term in Manchester?

It's almost half term and if you're anything like me you'll be looking for some fun activities to keep the children entertained these school holiday's so I thought i'd do a round up of some great activities and days out around Manchester this half term! Some free, some have great offers on and other's are more of a well deserved treat...

Half Price Bowling for kids at Dog Bowl

This half term kids can enjoy a game of bowling for half price at Dog Bowl on Manchester’s Whitworth Street West, meaning there’s no need to let boredom set in over the holidays.

From Monday 28th October until Friday 1st November kids will be able to bowl for just £2 per person from 12pm-6pm as part of the half term offering.  

Why not make a day of it and have lunch too? Kids are catered for in the restaurant with a specially devised three course children’s menu available for just £6.50 which includes a soft drink. With options including pork tacos, tortilla pizza and spanish inspired churros, the Tex-Mex menu is sure to keep the niños happy at mealtimes!

Brick or Treat at LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Manchester

The LEGO pumpkins are back! From the 19th Oct – 3rd Nov you can expect freaky fun at the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre as MINILAND is taken over by glow in the dark ghastly ghouls and frightful phantoms! Join the hunt through MINILAND and count the ghost Minifigures, build a LEGO brick Witch in the Model Builder's Workshop, and check out the LEGO bats and spiders around the attraction. There will be spooky fancy dress contests on Saturdays and Sundays with daily chances to win annual passes to the the attraction as well as other tricks and treats! There will also be scary facepainting for all children who attend the attraction over the weekends. If you want to read more about LEGOLAND Discovery Centre check out our Days out.

Big Imaginations Family Theatre Festival

From the 18 October to 3 November 2013 Children's Theatre is coming to the North West.

 The Big Imaginations Festival is part of the nationwide Family Arts Festival and celebrates brilliant children's theatre.  From the classic showdown between the Hare and the Tortoise and a re-imagining of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to the world's first projection-mapped pop up book and the spine-tingling terror of Spooky Tales, the festival showcases the best in children's theatre and fires the imaginations of young ones - from toddling two-year-olds to sophisticated pre-teens. Take a look at what we thought of the launch (Where I met Mr Bloom!) and check out the full selection of shows and venues on the website...  http://www.bigimaginations.co.uk/

The Big Draw at IWMN

The Imperial War museum North at Salford Quays is one of our favourite local museums, as well as being free the exhibitions are always really interactive and accompanied by activities for the whole family to get involved in. 

Families are being invited to take part in the world’s largest drawing festival this October at IWM North, 

visitors can take part in The Big Draw 2013 by creating their own works of art inspired by IWM North’s 

collections. Meet an artist whose work is on display, come face to face with a walkabout artist character, 

or enjoy free storytelling sessions, performances and workshops. Find out more on their website... www.iwm.org.uk 

 

So what will you be doing this half term? I'd love to know your plans...

Entering the world of Special Educational Needs...

My son is a bright, bubbly and imaginative child with a smile that cannot fail to light up even the dullest of days. The kind and caring way he plays with his younger sister makes me so proud. She looks up to him and learns so much from her 'Big Ben'. Knowing she is younger than him and he has to set an example he will often give up his favourite toys to her, if she's upset he will do a silly dance and pull faces to see her smile again. The capacity for empathy in one so young amazes me sometimes...... And his imagination, wow! An imaginary friend? No, not for him, he has a whole host of imaginary superheros, sometimes they come out and play with us and other times they stay at home and tidy his room or read his books! Every night after the bedtime story, he tell a story 'out of his head'. The protagonists are usually whoever he has been playing with in school that day and they have all sorts of adventures from visiting outer space, riding in a fire engine or flying in an aeroplane!

He is a truly wonderful little boy, however he does have developmental issues. He had a speech delay, and at the age of two only had a few words. Now at five, his language has developed fantastically and he often surprises me with the sophisticated sentences he comes out with, but he still has speech and communication problems, finding it difficult to get his words out when excited or under pressure. He also has difficulty concentrating and can be easily distracted. Non of this worries me too much and I know given time he will overcome these difficulties. Unfortunately these are not his only issues. He is hyper-mobile and  has very poor fine and gross motor skills to the point that he has great difficulty holding a pencil., In fact Elizabeth who is not yet two has better pen control than he does. He struggles with some physical activity and cannot yet pedal  on a bike.

Last month he started Year 1, and it was a big step for him, away from he 'playroom' like reception class and into a real learning environment. I was excited for him , but also nervous... how would he cope? How would he get on with a new teacher?

During last year we were often told of his difficulties and how he was developing 'behind' his peers and it was implied that he wasn't really 'trying'. This was sometimes blamed on his age (yes he's an August baby...), but instead of being offered advice and support to help him, I felt that they had almost given up on him and would just let him play with bricks in the corner, while they taught the 'smarter' children..

Yesterday was his first parents evening in Year One and although his new teacher did talk about the areas that he was struggling in, instead of sounding disappointed in him she highlighted the things that he excelled in, his kindness, his imagination and creativeness and how hard he tried at everything he did. We were also told about the extra support he was getting, met the SENCO (special educational needs co-ordinator) and given tips on how we could encourage his development at home, so instead of that familiar feeling of dread, I left feeling so proud of my gorgeous son and knowing that although he was a child with Special Educational Needs he was going to get the support he needed to overcome his difficulties.

So why am I writing this? It may sound like it, but I am not trying to to highlight my sons weaknesses, simply trying to convince myself that he does need help and support and that by accepting this I am not branding him as 'different' or dare I even say it... 'stupid'.

Having constantly fought the label of special needs (being Dyspraxic myself) throughout my own education, it's not easy for me to accept that Ben needs help, however I want my beautiful, bright son to be able to reach his full potential and I need to come to terms with the fact that to do that he will need a little more support than his friends.

This is my first encounter with SEN as a parent and I don't know what is in store over the coming months and years but I do know that I will making sure that my son has the full support he needs to fulfill his potential. Do you have experience with SEN? Please do share and let me know what to expect....

The Olympics...

 

 

Thank you to Clare at Emmy’s Mummy  for tagging me in her post and passing the Olympic torch onto My Mummy’s Pennies, and thanks to Lou from Bloggomy who started this fun meme.

As you may have seen on previous posts the My Mummy’s Pennies family have caught Olympic fever! We got very excited watching the flame pass through Prestwich the other week and are very excited to be going to watch the football quarter finals at Old Trafford in August! So here goes my attempt at the questions that are being passed around...

1) If every day tasks were Olympic events what would you get a gold medal in?

Definitely Bargain Hunting! As my husband would say I have a sixth sense when it comes to a Sale and can always find that hidden clearance shelf! It’s a trait I get from my mum, we often spend hours on the phone comparing our bargain purchases!

2) As a child (or now even) did you excel at a particular sport and if so which one?

I was not a very sporty child I’m afraid! I have Dyspraxia so I’m rather uncoordinated! (Or clumsy!) I always had an excuse when it cam to PE in school, I had ‘that time of the month’ every other week! Although as an adult my husband (who is a sporty outdoorsy type) has rubbed off on me a little and we have walked up to the top of Snowdon (While I was pregnant with E!) and I have also taken part in the Shine half marathon for Charity so if I had to choose a sport to ‘excel’ in it would be walking! (HeHe! Does that count?)

3) Michael Phelps (swimmer) or Michael Johnson (runner) – which sport appeals to you more?

It has to be swimming! Although as I’ve mentioned above I’m not the sporty type I always enjoyed swimming and have taken both my children to baby swimming classes from 4 months old, which they loved! I t was a fantastic bonding experience and it’s great to see how confident they both are in the water now!

4) How fast can you get out of bed and ready to go out the door if you miss the alarm and sleep in?

Superfast! I start work at 8, so have to be out the house before seven (my lovely hubby does the morning school and nursery run) and I’m sometimes up until 2am blogging so giving the alarm clock a snooze too many is not uncommon! I have been known to leap out of bed, shower, dress, and be out the door in 15 minutes if needed!

5) What fantasy sport would you like to see made into an Olympic event?

  Nappy Changing! That’s certainly one us women would get more medals than the men in!

6) Claim to fame time – Have you ever met an Olympian and who was it?

 Not an Olympian but  as a teenager I worked on reception for a large bank and the Liverpool football players were clients, apparently  regularly chatted to a few of them when they came in, but not being a football fan I had no idea who they were at he time!

7) What event in past Olympics can you remember most vividly?

Not an event as such but I was in the final year of primary school in 1996 and I have fond memories of all the activities and Olympic themed fun we had in preparation for the Atlanta Games that year, In fact when my mum was clearing out my old bedroom recently she found some of my old school books and among them was a collage of the Olympic rings I had done that had been on the wall in my classroom!
 

8) Tuning in at home, not for me or tickets clamped ready in sweaty palms?

Tickets clamped ready in sweaty palms! But it won’t be me going unfortunately! I ordered tickets for the football quarter finals last year as a surprise for my husband to take our two children and his Dad,  I was going to go as well until I found out his Grandad hadn’t been able to get tickets so he’s having mine! I have to admit I’m a little sad not to be going but as I’ve mentioned I’m not a big football fan and I’m really happy that my children will get to be part of it all. It’s lovely actually as four generations of our family will be going together; my children, their Daddy, their Grandad, and their Great Grandad…
 

9) Who do you think most deserves a gold medal (any walk of life not just Olympians).

Has to be my husband! (for putting up with me amongst other things…)

I am passing on the Flame onto…

Hex Mum

Mum Mum Heart

And

Tired Mummy of Two

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the Olympics this summer whether you’ll be watching at home or cheering along in person!