Free milk, and a free rein on packed lunches

Conversation with my neighbour re milk has been preying on my mind. She mentioned how last year she was the only parent who'd not paid for milk for her son at school, and he went two weeks without it and it was a bit shaming. This year she'd got it into her head she had lost an invoice for her daughter's milk, and got her husband to call the school. Talking to me, she decided she probably hadn't had an invoice, because they won't have milk while they're part-time.

Okay, I went away and thought 'hang on, they're in for alternating mornings and afternoons, and they have milk in the mornings, so surely they WILL have milk while they're part time?' Today I was looking in the prospectus for something else, and it says they're entitled to free milk until they're 5, forms can be collected from the school office.

Argh.

One - when trying to figure out what I need to do for the start of school, an obscure paragraph in the middle of the prospectus is not my first port of call.

Two - getting things from office = not so practical when school is more-or-less closed for six weeks.

I know schools are not literally shut for the six plus weeks of the summer holidays (my mum was a teacher) but I wonder if they forget that we don't ALL know this, and that even parents who do realise this DON'T know when there will be people in school who might be able to answer questions. And supply forms for free milk. I feel we've been rather left hanging for the summer, and think a little extra contact wouldn't go amiss.

On the plus side, the milk people have a freephone number, and even better, a website (coolmilk.com) so I didn't have to drag myself and Daughter (not dressed yet) the enormous distance (200 yards?!) to the school for a form. Apparently they may well not deliver on the first day of term anyway, so she may not miss out on much.

Another bonus was talking to the other Reception teacher, so I got info without making a blithering prat of myself to Daughter's teacher (I always make a blithering prat of myself over the phone). She was very helpful and reassuring. Best thing of all ...

... there are NO rules about what can go in packed lunches. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's nice to be treated like a responsible grown-up (even when you secretly suspect you're not one at all). Yes, she said they encourage a healthy lunch, but no absolute bans. The one thing she said was not to send too much, and to remember that at first she will come straight home after lunch!

I am much reassured. So homemade flapjack will not be classified as an unhealthy cake and be banned, and the occasional Mini Roll (mm) might just find its way in there. Excellent.

Daughter has actually had a practice packed lunch today. She had:

- one round sandwiches (Laughing Cow on Best of Both bread)
- teeny packet Mini Cheddars
- carrot sticks
- apple
- cereal bar
- banana milk

We concluded that a whole round of sandwiches was too much (although she often will eat this much if she's starving and there's not a lot else on offer); carrot sticks went mostly untouched (tough - they're still going in); not much apple was eaten (will look out for teeny apples, and send grapes or suchlike when possible); couldn't open cereal bar (pre-open it); banana milk barely touched the sides.

Daughter declared this an excellent packed lunch, and wants exactly the same every day. Laughing Cow sandwiches every day, even though she'd originally requested ham (but we didn't have any in). No pitta, no bagel, no roll or wrap, just white(ish) sliced. I told her she'd get bored. She begs to differ.

We then practised packing it all up again and not leaving the Klippit (on the Mini Cheddars; she can't open packets), ice pack, box (carrot sticks) or sandwich wrap behind.