Wednesday, 28 September 2016

Best and Worst Linky #67

Beautiful Things


Run, Jump, Scrap!

Hi everyone and a huge welcome to the best and worst linky run by my lovely friend Sarah who blogs over at Run Jump Scrap and co-hosted by myself. If you're new to the linky we're delighted for you to join in, please do have a read of the rules. If you're a regular then thanks as always for the support. Sarah and I split the commenting now, it is working well doing it like that. You should have received a comment from one of us so if you are missing one please do drop us a tweet or email. We've had some great posts over the last few weeks!

This is the linky where you can tell us about the best or worst things that have happened in the last week or even the last year, this could in the form of a blog post, a photo or even a video. It can be an old post or a new post, we don't mind we just want you to share it with us. We want you to share your babies firsts, the crappy day at work you've had or a makeup disaster basically the good, the bad or the downright ugly! We want to share your excitement and tears, highs and lows no matter what it is.

Each week we will both choose our favourite posts from the week before and feature you on the next weeks Best and Worst, we will also feature you on our Twitter feed. 

So as always, on with the linky........please have a little read of the rules and we look forward to reading this weeks posts.

We are continuing to notice that some people aren't getting the comments they deserve, linkys only work if people spend time to read other blogs and comment on them.

My featured post from last weeks link up was from the fab muma on the edge about how she hopes she's raising 'Brownlee Brothers'- this was such a great post, if you haven't seen the video footage of Jonny being helped over the finish line by Alastair then do go and have a watch it is truly remarkable, they show such a united sibling front, it's incredible to watch.

Rules
  • The linky will open at 6.30am on a Wednesday and close at 23.55pm on a Friday
  • You can link up one or two posts each week
  • Please comment on the 2 posts before yours and have a nosey at the host's too. We've noticed that some people have just been link dropping and not commenting on the 2 in front, please do return the favour so everyone gets some comments and linky love, thankyou.
  • ***Please add the badge to the bottom of your page so everyone knows where you have linked up***
  • Tweet your hosts @helsy_1983 and @RunJumpScrap once linked up so we can retweet you. When tweeting and commenting use the hashtag #bestandworst so everyone knows where you have come from
Best of Worst





    

Monday, 26 September 2016

To the 2nd Time Mum......

So with my lovely friend Sarah from Run Jump Scrap ready to pop any day (come on love pop her out!) it got me thinking about how life is with 2 and how it differs from being a Mum of 1. I look back to when I was pregnant and wonder what advice and words of wisdom a 2nd time Mum would offer to me to prepare me from going from one child to two. So that leads me nicely on to this post.....if I was to share some words of wisdom (all the lols....moi wisdom?!) what would I say? Well it isn't really about what I would advise it's more reflecting on the last 18 months and offering some reassurance to those 2nd time Mums and Dads.


Well read on........

You thought one was hard work??? Two brings a whole new meaning of being busy (and I can't even imagine what more would be like). Gone are the days of sitting down and relaxing.....you may as well get used to slurping a cuppa luke warm or cold (if you can locate where you put it) and being pulled in different directions by demanding babies/children.

It's tough splitting your attention, the eldest who is much more aware of what is going on suddenly becomes a limpet and needs your undivided attention ALL of the time which can be tricky if you're trying to feed or change baby but do you know what......once the baby is sorted it's ok to give the eldest more of the attention, I remember having to do this alot with Elarna and giving Alfie lots of attention to begin with, to be honest Elarna was more than happy sitting in her bouncy chair. 



It won't be plain sailing and although there will be moments of sibling bliss there will also be moments of pure hell. One cries, the other cries, one screams the other screams, they tag team but I guess this is preparation for the teen years?? Gawd. You'll stare adoringly at these wonderful children you made and then all hell will break lose and you wonder what you're doing with your life. The jealousy, oh the jealousy was and is somewhat of a learning curve. It will happen, it is normal but it does improve.

Getting a half decent photo of them both together is practically impossible and if you try to get a family picture, well that is like a major, major mission. We still, to this day have very few pictures of all 4 of us together.  You can try and hopefully achieve but chances are one or all will be looking in the wrong direction! 


It's ok if breastfeeding doesn't work out. I lasted barely 24 hours - not because of having 2 to look after but I was exhausted and didn't want to put myself through what I did when I breastfed Alfie so I sacked it off and do you know what I did what was best for my relationship with Elarna and the mother/son relationship I'd worked so hard for with Alfie. So even if you last 24 hours don't beat yourself up about it!

Don't feel guilty if you don't leave the house in the first few days. It took me several days to be brave and venture out. After recovering from (yet another) night labour, a 2nd degree tear and learning to manage with the 2 and adjust routines accordingly, getting myself ready, Alfie and then Elarna was tricky but we got there in the end. Who cares if you don't venture out for a few days, it doesn't really matter does it?

Don't feel bad if you don't do what you set out to do in the first few weeks or so. I had loads of jobs that I wanted to do and didn't do any of them. I didn't get out walking or really go anywhere too far in the first few weeks, not half as much than I did when it was just Alfie. Controlling a hyper toddler and pushing a pram with one hand is hard on the wrist. Plus I couldn't be bothered with any extra stress!

Baby number 2 is easier they say. They kind of have to be and just slot in with life as it is. I wasn't up in the night with Elarna as much as Alfie, she was and is a good sleeper bless her. I never really felt bad about not having lots of night time snuggles, to be honest I was glad for the rest as Alfie was and still in non stop ALL day. It's ok to not feel bad if you don't wake baby up and wait for them to wake up, after all don't wake a sleeping baby!


Things do change when you have another baby. The routines that you have and what  you are used to suddenly goes out of the window and the status quo changes. It's hard to begin with, I remember my head feeling so many emotions and as I was on the brink of post natal depression after Alfie I knew I wanted things to be different with Elarna......and they were thankfully but it hasn't been without its challenges. Even now and in the future having more than 1 child poses its own stress and new experiences. I learn something new weekly and am still just finding my way in mothering 2 kids. 

So to the 2nd time Mum, things will be fine, things will be good and you will embrace motherhood once again. Keep your head up and smile!



Best of Worst

Wednesday, 21 September 2016

Best and Worst Linky #66

Beautiful Things


Run, Jump, Scrap!

Hi everyone and a huge welcome to the best and worst linky run by my lovely friend Sarah who blogs over at Run Jump Scrap and co-hosted by myself. If you're new to the linky we're delighted for you to join in, please do have a read of the rules. If you're a regular then thanks as always for the support. Sarah and I split the commenting now, it is working well doing it like that. You should have received a comment from one of us so if you are missing one please do drop us a tweet or email. We've had some great posts over the last few weeks!

This is the linky where you can tell us about the best or worst things that have happened in the last week or even the last year, this could in the form of a blog post, a photo or even a video. It can be an old post or a new post, we don't mind we just want you to share it with us. We want you to share your babies firsts, the crappy day at work you've had or a makeup disaster basically the good, the bad or the downright ugly! We want to share your excitement and tears, highs and lows no matter what it is.

Each week we will both choose our favourite posts from the week before and feature you on the next weeks Best and Worst, we will also feature you on our Twitter feed. 

So as always, on with the linky........please have a little read of the rules and we look forward to reading this weeks posts.

We are continuing to notice that some people aren't getting the comments they deserve, linkys only work if people spend time to read other blogs and comment on them.

My featured post from last weeks linky was from Maddy who blogs over at The Speed Bump I think when you are a blogger you often have wobbly moments about giving up and stopping blogging so I really enjoyed reading this post. Have a read!


the-speed-bump-4


Rules
  • The linky will open at 6.30am on a Wednesday and close at 23.55pm on a Friday
  • You can link up one or two posts each week
  • Please comment on the 2 posts before yours and have a nosey at the host's too. We've noticed that some people have just been link dropping and not commenting on the 2 in front, please do return the favour so everyone gets some comments and linky love, thankyou.
  • ***Please add the badge to the bottom of your page so everyone knows where you have linked up***
  • Tweet your hosts @helsy_1983 and @RunJumpScrap once linked up so we can retweet you. When tweeting and commenting use the hashtag #bestandworst so everyone knows where you have come from
Best of Worst





    

Monday, 19 September 2016

The 1st Week at School!

So we are survivors. We got through the first week at school.....whoop!! Go us!! It was always going to be a funny week, we're finding our feet, Alfie's finding his and a whole load of new experiences for us all to get used to. Don't worry..... I won't be doing weekly updates, imagine how tedious that would be but I did think it would be nice to round up his week and I'll probably do sporadic updates throughout the school year.

If you read my starting school post you will know that there were some natural anxieties and concerns from myself with this big step. My hubby thought I was being silly but I'm fairly confident in saying that I'm sure I'm not the only one that was a bit anxious for the 1st week. I really tried not to let this rub off on Alfie and I don't think it did, I'm actually really proud of him as his first week has gone pretty well......it didn't start off overly promising though I have to say!


Monday - Unfortunately I was attending a funeral today so was unable to do the first drop off, I wasn't overly concerned though as the first 2 days were only a couple of hours from 1:15 - 3:15. Elarna was at nursery so we had a few hours with Alfie before he went for the afternoon. Alfie was absolutely fine in the morning and seemed to be quite looking forward to going. We had been talking about starting school for a while in the run up so he knew what to expect. Hubby text me once he dropped him off and it was reassuring to read that he was fine, no tears and was more than happy to be left to play with the other children.



Tuesday - Today was to consist of a 3 hour session at school including lunch, he had to be there from 12:00 - 3:15, Tuesday is my day off so I was looking forward to being able to take him and pick him up. Elarna is also at home with me so she would be joining us for the school run, Daddy had the week booked off work so he would be able to help out too (thanks goodness!). One of the main things bothering me is faffing about with Elarna and getting Alfie to school on time. As it is such a small, village school we have to park a little way from it and walk through the church yard to get there, this is all well and good but I'm definitely  going to have to put Elarna in a pushchair when I'm on my own to make it a bit easier.  Anyway, I digress, so we dropped him off with no issues and he met up with his buddy (this buddy system is really good I have to say) and we left him to go into class. When we picked him we were actually spoken to by his teacher to inform us he had eaten nothing at all (not good but we weren't overly surprised as he can be a bit unsure in new situations), we were a bit disappointed to hear he hadn't eaten anything but felt we perhaps needed to encourage him a bit for the next day. The teacher felt he was maybe a little over whelmed. As he hadn't eaten at school he was an actual little devil when we got him home......definitely didn't want this happening again. 



Wednesday - Today I was at work so it was down to Daddy to take him, today was an 8:40-1:15 (with lunch) day.  No tears again on drop off (phew) and when hubby picked him up he was told that he was like a different boy to the previous day! He ate all of his lunch, sat with his buddy and a new friend he'd been talking too and then played out on the field with the bigger boys and girls. Yey!! Much more reassuring to hear he'd had a better day.

Thursday - This session was the same length of time as Wednesday and as this is also my day off I was happy that I could do the drop off and pick up. Today the drop off was a bit different to when I dropped him off on Tuesday, we arrived at 8:30 and had to wait for the playground gates to open before taking him into the classroom. He was a little bit more subdued and reluctant, although I think I made things a bit more difficult for him as I was faffing around with trying to take his communication book out of his book bag and put it in the tray while Alfie was trying to show me where to put his book bag in said tray! He then showed me where his water bottle belonged and then his teacher asked him to pick his name from the table and put it in the pencil pot which he did. When we were about to leave he came to the gate and wanted cuddles from Daddy and me which we did but he was starting to look a little upset. We pointed him in the direction of the sandpit and dinosaurs and made our retreat quickly. We could see as we were walking away that he was ok though which was good. When we picked him up he was fine, had eaten lunch and seemed to have had a good day. 



Friday - Today would be Alfie's first full day at school, 8:40 - 3:15, I felt he was ready to tackle the whole day definitely. We were starting to see little friendships form and hearing some names of boys and girls he had been talking too. We hadn't heard  much of what he'd been doing during the day, he didn't seem to want to disclose that ha! So my husband dropped him off and today there were a few tears, not sure why perhaps the end of the week and a bit tired? Who knows. They have a little commendation assembly at 2:55 so I text hubby to remind him to pop along which he did. Apparently Alfie sat with his buddy (who is a girl and looks like she is keeping in check, ha!), he was a bit fidgety according to Adi and there was a bit of bum shuffling going in but his buddy looked like she was telling to him sit still which I thought was cute! His day had once again well though and it seemed like a good end to the week.



Overall the week has gone well, thank goodness - it could have been awful I guess but I'm so pleased it seemed to go pretty well. He's been tired in the evenings and over the weekend which is to be expected. Next week will be my first time doing the Tuesday and Thursday drops off by myself, I'm hoping it won't be too stressful getting them both sorted on my own so we'll see how it goes - watch this space!

How is everyone else getting on with either their children starting school or starting back? Please tell me the tiredness and crankiness improves over time!

Thursday, 15 September 2016

School Trips Away!

Before Alfie started school we had a short meeting the week before with the head, his teacher and other parents about the structure of the EYFS (early years foundation stage) - while we we there the headteacher was telling us how the school felt bizarrely empty as the year 6's were on a residential in France, I have to admit I took a double take for a moment, surely they were far too young to be on an extended trip away from home - then I realised that they were around age 10 and I'm fairly I was about this age when I went on a French trip for several days. I absolutely loved my French trip, even to this day I have vivid memories of my time away. I remember taking in the sounds and sights of northern France, discos in the evening and staying up chatting with my girlfriends. I still have the photos and look back at them fondly as it was my first time away so far away from home. I had such a great time. At this moment in time I'm still in a weird bubble about Alfie being in school and can't see past next week let alone year 6 but it did get me thinking about school trips, residentials and school sports tours.

I know my husband would be more than keen for Alfie to go on a longer school trip abroad or skiing in the future, I am to, I think it is hugely beneficial for them and offers independence and responsibility which is key at this age before transitioning into a high school but I would of course be anxious!


Absolute Travel

I think it's something that we will talk to Alfie about well in advance when he is due to go to get him fully prepared. The more I think about the more I am enthusiastic about a trip away, children must absolutely love being able to be slightly more independent while having a unique and memorable trip away. Some of the trips that are on offer through absolute sports travel are fantastic. These range from sports trips, activity days, day trips, ski trips and trips abroad.




There are lots of things to look forward to at school but trips and residential breaks are absolutely something to embrace and experience while at school. 

* Collaborative post.

Wednesday, 14 September 2016

Artistic Garden Space

How much love and attention do you lavish on your garden? Is it something you only really think about in summer or do you dedicate time to maintaining it all year round? Whether you’re green fingered or not, spending some time and money on your garden could really pay off should you decide to sell your home in the future.
Research by Barclays Mortgages found that 44% of house hunters would offer a whacking 20% lower than a property asking price if the outside didn’t look up to scratch with a well manicured garden being rated as the ultimate kerb appeal by 69%, but what should you do if a traditional lawn and flowerbeds just aren’t ‘you’? Today’s post looks at ways you can express yourself by creating an artistic outdoor space to be enjoyed all year round.

Tap into topiary

Not a flowery person? Topiary – the art of cutting evergreens into shapes ranging from simple globes to elaborate animal characters is truly a form of living architecture. Just a few standalone or joined plants can transform a space and give it a real wow factor, though getting started with a topiary project can be pricy. If you choose to buy a ready reared plant that will simply require trimming and pruning you can expect to pay thousands for the privilege. These can be purchased from the likes of Levens Hall in Cumbria, which is also a great spot for sourcing topiary inspiration thanks to its world renowned collection. It is however perfectly possible to rear and train your own topiary bushes, check out this Martha Stewart video to get you started and put a pair of hand shears on your garden centre shopping list.

Rock a rockery

You could be forgiven for thinking rockeries are a bit of a gardening relic. They did have a bit of a moment in the 80s when they became a convenient way to style piles of rubble into something that was seemingly a little more purposeful. However, rockeries have actually been tipped as the next big outdoor trend with some extreme examples catching the attention of the judges at the Chelsea Flower Show over the last few years. When it comes to creating layered garden spaces and breaking up different sections, a rockery can be practical as well as pretty. Plus, as an environment where alpine plants can flourish, with a little planning you can make a rockery into a year round attraction. Choose plants with interesting foliage as well as summer flowers to guarantee colour in your garden all year round and try and incorporate interesting shapes and texture too. You’ll find plant recommendations on the Royal Horticultural Society website.

Stun with sculptures

If moving rocks or pruning plants sounds like a lot of effort but you like the idea of having a garden that stands out and adds interest throughout the seasons, what about adding some sculptures? Go beyond the trusty garden gnome and birdhouses and think big. From wicker and log sculptures through to stone carvings, installing art into a garden with meadow-like feel could help you achieve a secret garden effect or you could plan a display to sit alongside a plain lawn for a more formal, minimal feel. Choosing a sculpture that combines a water feature adds an additional sensory element.

Liven up with lights

The right lighting setup can bring alive even the smallest of spaces, highlighting any green fingered efforts or illuminating landscaping, sculptures and water features. From subtle underwater lights to solar light stakes and pretty LED fairy or festoon lights, your lighting display can be as laidback or ornate as you like. And, in addition to providing interest for all seasons it will ensure you can enjoy your garden display at night as well as during the day. Those with bi-fold doors looking out onto their garden space will be able to enjoy the sparkle and twinkle of your light installation from the comfort of indoors too. Take a peek at the designs at Vufold for viewing inspiration. You may also benefit from a visit to the upcoming light show in Bradford City Park, which combines light and sculpture for a stunning outdoor show.


Would you like to unearth your inner Edward Scissorhands and try out topiary or would installing a twinkling garden light display appeal to your artistic side?

* Collaborative Post.

Best and Worst Linky #65

Beautiful Things


Run, Jump, Scrap!

Hi everyone and a huge welcome to the best and worst linky run by my lovely friend Sarah who blogs over at Run Jump Scrap and co-hosted by myself. If you're new to the linky we're delighted for you to join in, please do have a read of the rules. If you're a regular then thanks as always for the support. Sarah and I split the commenting now, it is working well doing it like that. You should have received a comment from one of us so if you are missing one please do drop us a tweet or email. We've had some great posts over the last few weeks!

This is the linky where you can tell us about the best or worst things that have happened in the last week or even the last year, this could in the form of a blog post, a photo or even a video. It can be an old post or a new post, we don't mind we just want you to share it with us. We want you to share your babies firsts, the crappy day at work you've had or a makeup disaster basically the good, the bad or the downright ugly! We want to share your excitement and tears, highs and lows no matter what it is.

Each week we will both choose our favourite posts from the week before and feature you on the next weeks Best and Worst, we will also feature you on our Twitter feed. 

So as always, on with the linky........please have a little read of the rules and we look forward to reading this weeks posts.

We are continuing to notice that some people aren't getting the comments they deserve, linkys only work if people spend time to read other blogs and comment on them.

My featured link  up this week comes from naptime natter - sometimes being a parent you can feel judged alot of the time and if it comes from a health professional it can really make you wonder. This post is well worth a read so please go and have a nose.

Naptime Natter

Sarah's featured post if from jakijellz - so are you a talker or a texter?? I'm definitely a texter but always on the end of the phone for a natter if needed!

jakijellz

Rules
  • The linky will open at 6.30am on a Wednesday and close at 23.55pm on a Friday
  • You can link up one or two posts each week
  • Please comment on the 2 posts before yours and have a nosey at the host's too. We've noticed that some people have just been link dropping and not commenting on the 2 in front, please do return the favour so everyone gets some comments and linky love, thankyou.
  • ***Please add the badge to the bottom of your page so everyone knows where you have linked up***
  • Tweet your hosts @helsy_1983 and @RunJumpScrap once linked up so we can retweet you. When tweeting and commenting use the hashtag #bestandworst so everyone knows where you have come from
Best of Worst




    

Tuesday, 13 September 2016

EasyMat - Review

Anyone who has weaned a small child will know that it is a messy, messy business. There is no way that you can expect a toddler that is learning all about food, experimenting with different tastes and textures to be clean and tidy. It just doesn't happen. Over the course of 2 children I can't tell you the amount of feeding aids, utensils and varying other food related items I have purchased to try and see if anything helps with the weaning journey. I have never been successful with bowls and plates that promise to suction in place and not be chucked on the floor, it can be quite the challenge and every time my kids have managed to unstick them and lob them on the floor! 

Step up the EasyMat from Tots R Us. At first I have to admit to being dubious, was this another silicone mat that promises to stick but then come unstuck within minutes and ends up on the floor like all the others........


You can purchase the EasyMat through Amazon for £19.99 although it currently retails for £14.99, they are available in a choice of 3 colours (lime green, pink and blue).......naturally I chose the pink. The plates are also supplied with a soft silicone spoon (which I love!). On first impressions I really liked it, I love the happy face design, it's ever so cute and the spoon and actual silicone mat feel a lovely quality, really soft and smooth. It's also a pretty decent size, it just about fits Elarna's high chair (Mamas and Papas Liquorice) and once she stops using her highchair tray it will be really handy to use on the table. 



As you can see from the pictures Elarna was very excited to test it out! This was before that I had actually suctioned it down as you can see that the suckers are upwards and not adhered yet. The EasyMat promises unmatched steadiness and no more thrown bowls/plates. They also advise that it's easy to clean and and offers durability using well manufactured silicone which is FDA approved. 


So what do we love about it? 


  • It looks fab, the happy face is cute and the pink colour is so pretty.
  • The size, it's such a generous size and the depth of the sections is excellent meaning that plenty of food can be put into it. 
  • The spoon. It's a really good spoon, Elarna has found it really easy to use as you can see, it was easy to grip and food stayed on it well. 
  • It washes well. There has been no staining and it looks fresh and new even after several washes. 
  • We are going to use it alot, when Elarna is older this will continue being used on the table at mealtimes. 
  • Elarna likes it, she's an independent little girl and she is starting to want to use a spoon herself and she seemed to really enjoy being able to visualise her food and pick and choose what she wanted from the mat. 
  • It's very robust.




What weren't we so keen on?

  • Well it didn't stick as well as I'd hoped but I think this is due to it not quite fitting onto our high chair.  Plus my daughter is feisty and she was determined to get it off the tray! When I used it on a normal table it stuck much better and it was more difficult to prise off.
  • The price, if I was being picky! I don't think I would want to part with £19.99 for it, £14.99 is much more reasonable and I could justify this as long as we used it every day. 
  • It is a little awkward to store, although it is suggested to stick it to the inside of the cupboard door - I tried this but my cupboard then didn't want to close so I opted to roll it instead which works much better.




Overall we have really liked using the EasyMat, it's been a welcome addition to our feeding utensils and Elarna really loves it as it does help her with independence. We will continue to use it as she gets older and because it is made of silicone it's easy to transport should we wish to take it away or on holiday with us. 



As mentioned above you can purchase the EasyMat from Amazon for £14.99. The lovely folks from Tots R Us are offering Beautiful Things readers a fabulous 20% off ( please use code  S849TWZX ) so there is no better time to purchase your EasyMat. 

Have you heard of EasyMat? Would you give it a go?

* Please note this is a collaborative post and we were provided an EasyMat free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Best of Worst

Monday, 12 September 2016

The Big Step.....Starting School *sob*

The day is nigh. It's nearly time. I can't quite believe it. How has my son suddenly become old enough to be going to school. A school boy for goodness sake ok, ok I know that reception is pretty similar to pre-school and the same curriculum but still..........he's going to school, wahhhh.

The uniform is laid out, new, smart black shoes are awaiting little feet, the book bag is empty....... but just for the moment, labels are to be put in and the lunchbox is ready for a packed lunch. I have to admit to being in complete denial about this in the last few months, even when I put the school choices down I felt that this day was so far away it would never arrive and now, on the 12th of September my boy is heading his way into school. The next step in his life. 

From lunchtime Alfie will be a school boy, although over the next couple of days he's only in for a couple of hours but by Friday he is in full time. 


We've had the meetings, the settling in sessions and we've had the home visit from Alfie's teacher and teaching assistant. We've had the reassurances that all will be ok, he'll be fine and he's ready for school. He's still so little though, he's barely 4 and still my little baby boy. I remember holding him as a newborn, snuggling him and never even imagining that this day would be here so quickly. I'm not going to be one of those mums that sobs at the gate though, I'll save my tears for the car - if I cry, I'm not much of a crier to be honest, I'll be anxious but will try not to show it. I do think he's ready and I do think he'll do well but it is a HUGE step for such a little person and a pretty big step for me too.


I have such mixed emotions about it, I'm excited with a big dollop of worry mixed in too, he's only ever been used to going to nursery and pre-school twice a week, this was something that was important to me when he started as I knew that I didn't want him in childcare full time from a very young age. He has come on leaps and bounds in the last few months but school still feels such a huge step for such a young child. 


We forget that 4 years really isn't that old. They still so reliant on us. In other countries they don't start school until much later so why we do we have them in school when they still only 4? There is so much pressure on parents that they must be toilet trained, out of nappies and able to dress themselves, able to use a knife and fork and can feed themself. Alfie can do this but some children may not be able to and if they can't then what?

Although Alfie is fairly good at dressing himself and managing independently, when it comes to things such as eating I do get a bit worried while he's at school. He's such a slow eater and often needs prompting to use his knife and fork and to eat a bit quicker so I wonder who is going to sit with him and encourage him to do this? Obviously I'm aware he won't starve but I am a bit concerned that he won't eat much in the time that they have. He's also starting a school where he knows noone, he's got to make all new friends again which I feel awful about. He's made some solid friendships at pre-school and due to the situation of his current nursery/pre-school the children in his room are just going to a variety of different school and sadly the one little boy that was supposed to be going to Alfie's school is now going elsewhere. 


I know he'll be fine, I know he'll make new friends and I know he's going to love school but I am really going to miss my 2 days in the week with him when it is usually just myself, Alfie and Elarna. It's going to take us a while to get used to school runs, juggling a child at school and a toddler at nursery as well as working. It's also going to take me a very long time and a whole lot of resentment having to go away in school holidays and pay the astronomical prices!! It's also going to be really strange just having Elarna to look after! 

I anticipate a rough few weeks, lots of changes ahead and things for all of us to become accustomed to. I expect tears, tantrums and confusion, I'm ready for it and I'm ready to help Alfie take the first few steps into this new and exciting adventure. 

I'll be ready to hold his hand and say a brief goodbye as he starts in his new class. The last 4 years have been incredible, I hope we've set him up for school and I hope he flourishes. I'm excited to see what the next few months hold for him and to see how he grows while in reception.

So to anyone who is in the same scenario, good luck and I hope your child settles in well. Any tips or advice?
Best of Worst