Posts tagged ‘shoes’

August 25th, 2011

the snazzier the faster.

we all know it doesn’t take much to twist my arm into new shoes for…welp…anyone, i suppose. but shoes for my kids clearly take the cake.

today was a weird rainy day and my moto is when in doubt, shoes. or something like that. plus they did actually need them. i swear.

we walked into stride rite at the mall and after measuring of the feet i said to the sales lady, please bring out all the options youve got in their sizes minus anything g-l-i-t-t-e-r or l-i-g-h-t u-p.

she looked at me like a crazed, terribly depriving mother. which, i understand i may be. listen, when my children are old enough to say pleeeeease mom, there is no way my life can go on without these sketchers glitterball slash disco ball sneakers with light up teeth i may cave. until then, no bananas.

honestly, i’m a total sucker for the emotional attachment and draw of shoes so if the somewhat sparkly chuck taylor-ish ones were available in an 8 they would have walked out with us. sorry bean, not today.

but they were so ecstatic. so much so that their new shoes took naps on their floors under blankets. and went back on instantly upon waking. and were tested to see just how much faster they made them run and just how much higher they made them jump.

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which of course they quickly found out made them SO much faster and higher that they become superheros. naturally.

hope your day was as heroic as ours. and that you left a few AA batteries and jugs of water for me. while i was turning my kids into superheros the rest of the rational parents in my town were ensuring the survival of their existance post-irene. whoops.

at least our feet will look good?

ps. first time blogging from bed. not so sure where spell check is or how to do much more then type and upload photos. but i have a feeling some of those night time mind ramblings may make it onto a screen yet. that and ensure i never get to bed early ever again.

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July 26th, 2011

therapy of the retail variety.

my mom has taught me countless life lessons. all in her non-invasive, it will hit you and register with you when you need it to way.

and although i’m slightly hesitant to rank the life lesson of today’s blog among a top, anything, it is totally necessary.

you, mama, more than anyone else will understand. and approve.

life lesson #9 via mi mamalioni, christine:

when in doubt (i choose the “of what” depending on the day/circumstance)…
head to tj maxx.

last night after the kids went to bed i needed some alone time. i was also in dire need of a new hat. hey, it’s almost august and i live in new england. add fine, humidity-intolerant hair to the mix and welp, thus the dire need o’ new hat. trust me, it’s for the betterment of mankind.

mostly, i needed to aimlessly wander the polished wood aisles.

to run my fingers over and in between rack after rack of red stickered items. knowing that golden ticket anthroplogie coat or free people top was lurking, undiscovered and mis-marked for a crazy steal.

to curve my way in and around the beautiful teal end tables, floral wing back chairs, glorious wool rugs and fringed throw pillows; striking a serious twang of the my house needs a total overhaul cord.

dancing with myself through the aisle of mirrors. lingering for a moment on a handsome floor length beauty. perfect, maybe?

give it a day. or a week. if you are still thinking about it go back and get it. that’s what my mama would say.

there are abagillion and forty two more productive things i could have done for, ah, two hours last night.

but taking 13 items to the dressing room, trying on every shoe in every row from size 8 to size 9 and leaving with a simple, black hat for $9.99 is what it’s all about.

there is something about sifting through obnoxious amounts of average merchandise to find that hidden gem. it gets me every time. and if i do say so myself, i kinda have a knack; a well honed and apparently genetic pre-disposition, if you will.

mostly, i feel the need to pay homage to the great tj maxx gods. to publicly (heh) give thanks.

may you continue to thrive so long as my discretionary income prohibits spending more than $39.99 for an anthropology coat. and my overloaded brain has no other relevant place to run.

you are a part of me, like mahogany hair and eyes off sweet amethyst (thanks, jack).
and i love you so.

*if you are an executive at the tjx companies, yes, please, i want to work for you.
**photos courtesy of hipstamatic for iphone. a really cool app.

Categoryconfessions, daily nuances, material things, tradition, Uncategorized | Comment2 Comments »

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March 8th, 2010

one foot, two foot, red foot, blue foot

many days (ok, like 3 out of 7 but somehow it feels like 7 out of 7) the mornings fly by in a dizzyingly chaotic blur of oatmeal, blueberries, coffee, bottle filing, pump preparing, clothes changing, teeth brushing, showering (if i’m lucky), coffee, toy picking up and re-picking up, dishwasher loading…ok you get the picture.
 
plopping my ass in my car and shoving the transmission in reverse can’t come soon enough. morning smut radio (on front, left speaker only) goes on, quiet time bribery of a biscuit and juice goe to jackson and harper’s always handy thumb finds its way into her mouth. sweet stillness.

it’s at this time that i try and grab a quick glance in the mirror; you know to make sure my mascara hasn’t smudged all the way up to my eyebrows, no large buggers have migrated south and decided to pop out for some fresh air, nothing green is left over in my teeth from dinner the night before.

but let’s be honest. there are many, many mornings in the course of a month that the first time i really look at myself in the mirror is during the first bathroom rendezvous at work, sometime around 10am. 

i don’t think it’s completely necessary to list the dozens of highly embarrassing sights i’ve encountered during that early morning mirror greeting. suffice to say my co-workers have either a. terrible eye sight or b. some serious chuckle-restraining capabilities (thank you).

however, today may have taken the cake. i did something that i had yet, on all my days on earth, to do.

luckily for me i hadn’t ventured far; to daycare to pick up the kids and to my friend kristy’s to pick up one of jackson’s toys. it was at kristy’s  house that i happened to look down. and bust out with laughter.

i suppose it could happen to anyone.  actually, let me retract that. i suppose it could happen to anyone who has a six month old and a 22 month old and who hasn’t slept more than 4 hours straight in 6 months (not to mention 2 hours straight the last two weeks). and i should also mention that the above sneaker mishap paired perfectly with the 1″ wide by 8″ long line of dried spit up adorning my fleece coat. lovely.

got.to.go.to.bed.

Categorydaily nuances, kids, life, loosing it, parenting, sleep | Comment6 Comments »

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February 11th, 2010

new shoes on

the last several weeks jackson has been obsessed with his new shoes. new,  like 6 weeks ago new. according to many, this is totally common and the shoes will most likely remain ‘new’ until the next new pair. i’m sure this is the case, but i can’t help but think he’s got a little of his mama’s shoe fetish going on. not that i’m really in a position to call it that any more…since all of our discretionary income goes straight to daycare costs. and truly, the last pair of shoes i bought was from kohl’s and were cheap nike shox called nike reax (or something). when i got home with them justin chuckled and said nice reax (turns out they have fake ’shox’. harumph). i had a 30% off coupon to kohl’s and i’m a mother of two, so shove it.
mohawk & new shoes, january 10

mohawk & new shoes, january 10

jax in mama's nike reax, sept 09

in mama's nike reax, sept 09

by the way, did anyone notice when on earth i became a coupon carrying kohl’s shopper?   yee gads. it’s a good thing danskos don’t really go out of style (shit, do they?) and might even become cooler the more broken in (i hope?) because that’s what i’m ‘a rockin these days (ok, years).

so, jackson’s shoes only leave his feet to bathe and sleep. and if he had it his way they’d stay on for both of those activities as well. one of his favorite things to do is run fast, with a ball in hand, and touch-down (aka, fall heavily onto the floor while yelling ‘touchdoooown!’). obviously mommy, this is way better when you can ‘run fast’ with new shoes on.

i don’t necessarily  have a problem with the shoes being worn day in and day out…except for when the news claims the soles  pick up nasty things like stomach viruses (which totally makes sense) and track them around your house. eek and eww. since then i may or may not be squirtting jackson’s soles with a little dial foam every day (he doesn’t seem to mind; just makes them squeaky. which, go figure, has been a big hit). every night we take off the shoes and put them nigh night in the basket by the door. and every morning, feetsy pajamas and all, they go right back on. not that this is strange to me; i have a vivid memory of a new pair of sneaks  i got from toys r us as a kid that i actually brought into bed with me, blankets, pillow and all. i guess shoes have always been treasured treats round these parts. remember this post?

every day jackson asks for his new shoes with wide eyes and a high pitched,  ’new shoes ON?’ well, actually with the little studder he’s developed the last couple of weeks (cute but slightly concerning) it’s more like, ‘na, na, na, na, na new shoes ON?’ and it makes me think of a great song with lyrics that totally resonate with me…

 

catchy, and so true, right?

unbelievably, i’ve only bought harper one pair of shoes (totally could’t resist).  i’m really not a fan of putting babes in any type of restricting, clunky, laced thing that has no true function. jackson was in bobux booties until he was walking (which happened to be 9 mos) and harper will wear his hamidowns, i’m sure. but shit, girl shoes (and clothes for that matter) are so stinking adorable.  and really, i can’t wait to take my little girl shopping for spiffy new kicks. but i wonder, as i’m typing this, if it may not be my fairy-esque little lady who’s fired up about shoes, but her ball throwing, touchdown-ing older brother.  either way, shoes excite me. kids excite me. kids and shoes? watch out.

i once wanted to open an online children’s shoe store. thought i’d call it freckled soles. then i realized there were about 88 billion of them already out there. and then after that i wondered if i’d actually sell any or just put a new pair on every kid i’ve ever known/come across and be out of business before even starting.  probably the latter. so for now, it’s new shoes as needed. and maybe, just maybe, when the discretionary income returns (please?) so will special treat shoe shopping days. it’s the little things in life, like new shoes, that make the world go round. fortunately for me, it’s groundhog day in this household. new shoes daily without the expense.  total sweetness.

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June 11th, 2009

kicks for kids

this week i’ve been on the hunt for a new pair of sneakers for jackson. simple, one would think. not so much if your kid’s feet are equally as wide as they are long. however, anyone who knows me knows that a task like this is hardly dreaded; i have a huge adoration for shoes and think there’s not much better in life  then a new pair. i have no doubt that this love affair has been passed down to my children. maybe not genetically but definitely through osmosis. well it’s your lucky day because  this shoe-love coupled with my research-the-hell-outta-everything tendencies makes for some good info to share…

 jackson’s first pair of kicks when he started taking steps in february were from stride rite. let me say that i feel strongly that shoes are not only a killer accessory, but are hugely important to muscle development and coordination in new walkers. with tons more knowledge these days we know that the more our bambino’s feet can touch and feel the ground in these early months, the better. brands like robeez, my personal favorite bobux, and pedoodles are all great options when shoes are necessary. stores like stride rite measure their feet and give options that would best suit them; no it doesn’t work to hold your kid’s foot up to the bottom of a shoe to eyeball a good fit. i know times are tough and you may disagree, but my vote is to hit up a second hand clothing store, like once upon a child , or your girl friend’s kiddo hamidowns for all of the goods you can and then splurge a little for a quality pair of kicks.

so this week’s search for a great new pair of shoes began with a trip to the mall. i had done some perusing online and knew that new balance toddler’s shoes come in wide and extra wide sizes; one of the only main stream sneaker companies like nike, reebok, adidas, etc. that offer a solution to the super common challenge of fred flinstone. so i had found some online that i liked but i wanted to have jackson’s feet measured before i just took a guess on the size. we went to stride rite as we had in february and were really not super impressed with the selection. by selection, i mean there was one option in a 6.5 extra wide. now if i wasn’t the shoe snob that i am they would have sold me the ugly brown pair that fit my son’s feet perfectly. but i knew there were other options so i high tailed it, empty handed, outta there with my new found size 6.5 extra wide knowledge. on the way out i stopped at foot locker. they carried lots of toddler shoes, but none in wide sizes. if you’re looking for the newest infant jordans, or nike shox or any other total waste of money miniature adult style, definitely go there. they have a whole wall of them for a cool $65-$85.

the search continues…today i got a tip off from my friend heather; there is a new balance store at evergreen walk ! after a quick phone call i learned they did in fact carry two styles of size 6.5 extra wide. SCORE! jackson and i headed over to scope out our options. the pair that i wanted (had seen online) was there but of course not one of the two options. these two were so silvery/metallicy/space-agey i thought for sure they must turn into roller blades or dock your nintendo ds. sorry, super unfriendly and absolutely-no-personality new balance associate, we’ll take our business online. i have to say that i did try to support local business (albeit local chain stores) but a combination of terrible styles and totally inept store associates pushed me to make my purchase at zappos.com. really, you can’t go wrong with totally free shipping (and if you should need it, totally free return shipping)  and they don’t mark up their prices to compensate. here are jackson’s new kicks. they’ll be here by tomorrow:

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 here are some of additional findings:

  • nike shoes are the most narrow out there
  • new balance, reebok and saucony have the widest (non-wide) footbeds (too confusing?)
  • zappos.com, joesnewbalanceoutlet.com and shoes.com let you search by size and width and actually have options
  • zappos.com has a discounted site with kick ass deals for the whole fam: 6pm.com (thanks jen b. for this info!)
  • if you like more ecclectic, funky kicks here are some good options (wide or not):  simple, camper, see kai run, birki’s, geox kids or in general many of the bigger dept. stores like nortdstrom

…and just as i’m about to post, guess what? my zappos order comes in…it took less then 24 hours. now that is my kind of educated, efficient shopping AND it was almost instant gradification to boot.

 

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 cute shoes + happy kid = tickled pink mama.

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