Thursday 6 September 2018

The start of year 3

School Year 3

Leo is now in year 3, where did that time go? 

It almost feels like we get comfortable with the class and teacher and then BAM, another year has rolled around and the change is on the horizon again. 

I know that we are supposed to roll with the punches and welcome change, and I know that the children are meant to be the ones who dread the return of school... But I can't help the feeling in the pit of my stomach that materialises at the 'back to school' thought.

Let me explain why. 

Leo has always found school hard. He has overcome more than his fair share of hurdles, and do you know what? He does me proud each and every single day. But those hurdles continue to throw themselves into Leo's path, with each year at school and the demands and expectations of him becoming more, I worry about what the coming year will bring. 

At 7 Leo can see a difference between himself and some of the other children, he knows that he finds the day to day tasks that much more difficult, and that in itself is hard to bare witness too. 

The summer has highlighted a couple of avenues that I feel I need to explore for Leo, but right now I feel that to voice what those concerns are, may just lead to me prematurely putting a label on that dear boy of mine, so until those mountains can be climbed... I am just going to leave it there, and hope that I can share more in the coming months. 

Now don't get me wrong, I am not opposed to having an official diagnosis, but until it is that, official. I don't want to use any terminology that could be incorrect, because I don't think throwing these words around should be taken lightly.

For me Year 3 just seems slightly more daunting, because that means when this year is up he will be going into year 4, and then after that the very final year at this particular school, and this thought scares me so much. It scares me more than it would scare the average parent, it's not just a concern of a new school, new teachers and children, it's a deep set worry that he is going to find this even more difficult.

I guess now he is getting older too I am also concerned about overstepping my place, so some things may always have to be kept back somewhat.

Despite my concerns, September 4th rolled around, the summer holidays had once again vanished in the very blink of an eye, and I found myself walking up to the school gates just as I did on that very first day 3 years ago, only this time Leo is not holding my hand and probably never will on the school run again. On this day he confidently walked in through the gates and ran off to find his friends.

The first few days seem to have gone well and we are getting back into a routine, but I am already counting down the weeks until the half term break rolls around so that we can enjoy the Autumn weather and hopefully get out and about. 

Until next time....




Monday 3 September 2018

Autumn Appreciation

Autumn

This last week you can most certainly feel that Autumn chill in the air, and I have found myself wrapping up warmer on the school run, and even for those dog walks that up until recently have been too warm for a jacket of any sort. 

It really is pretty incredible what only a few weeks can do to the weather, It was only a couple of weekends ago that the entire family dispelled to Kenilworth Castle to make the most of the beautiful sunshine in nothing but shorts and t-shirts, yet now summer has all of a sudden just vanished into the distance, almost as though it had never been at all. 

I do love the cooler weather, but equally I hate being cold so I have to make sure that I am dressed for the occasion, and that for me involves a thick snuggly coat that is comparable to a duvet or a warm hug. It can't be argued with that Autumn is a truly beautiful time of the year, yesterday I decided to take the puppy out for a long walk to take in all of the gorgeous colours that were now starting to show on the trees.

Autumn Tree

There is one tree in our village that I always admire, the leaves have already started to turn and very soon the entire tree will be dressed in a sea of orange, almost as though it is alight in flames, before finally they will all drop to the floor and Winter will be truly here.

With it getting so much chillier I am having to start thinking about a new coat, and as it will have to be something that accompanies on walks with Lux (aka the asbo puppy), I always tend to opt for darker colours as he has a tendency of  getting me pretty mucky while we are out and about in muddy fields. 

I found this gorgeous puffer coat which would be ideal for those colder dog walks, being a dark colour means that I don't need to be as precious with it as I would if I was going to wear White, Cream or Beige. 

Image Credit: Lyst
Lyst

There are some really nice new Winter Coats in at Topshop right now.

It might only be September but it really does feel like we could be in for a rather cold few winter period, and I for one would absolutely love that. Leo has only ever seen snow when he was very young, and he has been wishing for the last couple of years that it would come back for him to build his first proper snowman, as for the dog he has never seen it before at all. 

How nice would it be to have a white christmas? Yes I did just say the C word, because realistically now is the time to be preparing for the big day. I have already started making lists of gifts that I am planning for those nearest and dearest to me, because I am determined not to be running around last minute come December. 

I am definitely going to be adding a new dog walking coat to my own Christmas list this year!