We were sent a set of Shoe Buddies to check out right before the 6 year old started kindergarten.  It just so happens that a family member gifted our little school girl with a brand new pair of Skechers Twinkle Toes.  The lace-up kind.  Oof!  Ok, I thought.  Now is as good a time as any to teach her how to tie her shoelaces.

It was a great thought.  It really was.

I just didn’t realize how time-consuming it would be in the mornings and how difficult a time she would have during the day at school after taking them off and putting them back on.  Sure, kids learn how to tie shoelaces and that’s great.  I encourage it. However, I don’t find anything wrong with having a little help when they’re just starting out.

Cue 1-2-3 Shoe Buddies.  Once I “installed” the system onto her laced sneakers, I was able to finish packing her lunch while she got her shoes on just in time to make it to the bus stop.  It’s quick and easy for her, all she has to do is loosen the Shoe Buddy, slip her foot into her shoe, pull her laces tight again and slide the Shoe Buddy up into place.  She feels pretty cool being able to do that all by herself.

Shoe Buddies are available in ten or so different styles.  They would make a great stocking stuffer for a toddler, as their price point is around $6.  A suggestion for the company…offer customization!  Customized Shoe Buddies would rock.  Just sayin’.

This post is more than just a review of my daughter’s new pair of Chacos.  This is a post about my baby and how she’s starting Kindergarten next week.  Full-day Kindergarten.  Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been getting recorded messages from the principal, which have contained bits and pieces of information about my daughter’s upcoming school-year.  School-year.  Wow.  Yeah, it’s still all kind of sinking in.

Last time I had to think about back-to-school anything was when I was still in school.  It’s been a while, people.  So here we are, this is back-to-school time, right?  Well o.k., then.  I’m on it.

Now that I got all of that off my chest, we can talk about shoes.  I was contacted about the brand Chaco earlier this summer.  Not only do they have awesome (durable) shoes for kids, they also have excellent footwear for the big people.  They even have dog collars and leashes.

When I write reviews, I spend time getting familiar with the brand and the people behind it.  I’m getting all kinds of warm fuzzies from Chaco.  They’re the outdoorsy type and I like that about them.  Encouraging adventures, being active and whatnot.  Can’t go wrong with that.

My little darling has the kicks shown above (and also shown below).  She’s wearing the Loyalist Youth EcoTread that were sent to us to review.

Here are the facts about the kid’s Loyalist EcoTreads:

• Stretch Polyester + Suede Leather Upper
• LUVSEAT™ Adjustable Instep Fit
• Muddy + Soapy Water Approved
• EcoTread™ outsole features 25% recycled rubber. Non-marking

The ChaPU™ midsole creates the contoured LUVSEAT™ platform, providing lasting arch support and alignment.

(The above information was obtained from Chaco’s website)

non-marking / no whining!

There are a handful of styles to choose from for the youngsters.  A couple of shoe styles for men and women that caught my eye are these ones:

(Left: Women’s Woodstock Vibram® Gunnison; Right: Men’s PedShed Vibram® Gunnison)

I’m just focusing on Fall styles in this post.  Chaco has an array of flips and sandals that are hugely popular for outdoor activities.  You’ll hear more about them from me this coming Spring.

Now for the really good stuff.  I’m giving away a gift certificate with a value of $110.00 to Chaco’s online store.  Entering is always easy and I generally give you more than one chance to enter.  So, here is what you need to know:

Entry Option 1: Leave a comment on this post.  Tell me about the most extreme outdoor activity you’ve ever attempted.  Maybe it was walking down the street and hey, that’s alright with me.

Entry Option 2: “Like” Chacos on Facebook. Afterwards, come back here and leave ANOTHER comment on this post letting me know you’ve liked Chacos on Facebook.

Entry Option 3: Tweet!  ReTweet my Tweet about this giveaway.  Come back, leave another comment on this post telling me you’ve reTweeted.  Here is the link to my original Chaco giveaway Tweet.  Make sure you’re logged in to your Twitter account, click that link and hit “reTweet” when you get to Twitter.

Entry cut-off is Sunday, August 28th at midnight PST.  I will choose a winner at random after the cut-off and that person will be contacted via email.  The Chacos gift certificate will be mailed to the winner.  Giveaway is open to those within the continental U.S.  There you have it.  Good luck!

*Update: Congratulations to our winner, Jennifer, commenter number 110!

Wide leather cuff from The Vintage Pearl – $35 (They also have non-personalized items in stock, for last minute gift ideas)

Boo Box from hatchcraft – $19-$29 + (Two sizes: 4″ prints and 7″ prints. Excellent for photos taken or edited with the instagram or hipstamatic apps, among others.)

R-102 Digital Rucksack from Kata – $100 + Excellent storage for the DSLR shutterbug daddies.

Fuel™ X2P High Performance and Forceflex™ Safety Eyewear from 3M (with TEKK Protection) for the outdoorsy/handyman daddies.

Barefoot Trail Glove from Merrell – $110  for the outdoorsy/runner daddies.

Is your man an iFreak?  GorillaMobile products from Joby are a must-must-must-have.  Totally affordable, totally cool.

GorillaMobile for 3G/3GS / GorillaMobile for iPhone 4 / GorillaMobile for iPod touch

GorillaMobile Ori for iPad 2 & GorillaMobile Yogi for iPad 2

The Zhip is a hands-free retractable zip cord and stand for your iPhone/iTouch, Android or other smartphone.  We have one, it’s awesome. It comes in very handy for watching mobile-sized videos…anywhere.  Extremely affordable, get a couple of them.

Crosley iSolo Universal iPod® Dock available at Target.  Beautiful!  I want it for myself.  It’s affordable as well, with an MSRP of $89.99

I love Merrell’s slogan, “Let’s Get Outside”.  Oh, how I would love to do just that! It has been cold and rainy in the Midwest for what seems like weeks.  Our cabin fever didn’t really start until now.  We have nice day teasers here and there but we’re still waiting for the warm weather to settle in for the season.  On a lighter note, it’s nice to see everything turning green again.

So, as we anticipate warmer weather and our chance to get back outside to explore, we look at shoes online.  Merrell has awesome new footwear available and I would very much like to show you a few of their new styles now.

First up, because I was sent a pair for review, are the Mezame Ballets:

(Click the shoe to go to the product page)

I have had these shoes for about 3 or 4 weeks now and darn it if they aren’t my favorite pair of shoes!  Aside from the compliments I receive on them, they are very comfy.  They are part of Merrell’s Mezame collection, which have incorporated flippable footbeds.

The Mezame MJ is the other pair in the collection that I think are the bees knees:

(Click the shoe to go to the product page)

The footbed has a smooth side for general exploring and after you’re on your feet for a while, flip the footbeds to the “nubby” side for a nice little foot massage.  Awww yeah, ladies. I’m telling you, Merrell doesn’t mess around.  They are pretty serious about shoes.

I asked the hubs to take a look at the new men’s arrivals and he’s digging the Primed Mocs:

(Click the shoe to go to the product page)

Me too!  I think they’re pretty sweet.  He doesn’t have a pair, so I’m not sure how they fit but they look comfy.  Another pick of his are the Moab Waterproofs:

(Click the shoe to go to the product page)

Pretty cool.  I could see him hiking around in Montana with in these.  Are we going to Montana?  Hmm…

Children!  Don’t forget about the children!  Merrell has them covered, too.  One of the new kid’s styles that caught my eye are the Chameleon Arc Jump Junior’s:

(Click the shoe to go to the product page)

Oh, the cute!  I almost can’t stand it.  Here are another pair that I like, the WaterPro Scout Juniors:

(Click the shoe to go to the product page)

I can’t get enough of tiny feet.  A great feature of Merrell’s kid’s shoes is that they are adjustable and very durable.

There you have it.  Those are our picks.  I would highly recommend heading over to Merrell and let your feet feast upon comfort.

*Congratulations to our winner, commenter number 110 – Erica!

Spring is here and slowly but surely, the weather in this beautiful country is warming up.  You know what that means – it’s time for your toes to come out!  You should paint your toenails with some Piggy Paint and then get yourself a new pair of shoes.  The shoes?  We can help you with that.

We’re pleased to host an incredible giveaway courtesy of Naturalizer.  One winner will receive a $100 shopping spree at Naturalizer.com!

Huzzah! You are so very welcome.

You ask, Why?  What’s the special occasion?  Here is the answer:

“Feel Good” is the philosophy of Naturalizer shoes, and their new charitable program is no different. Designed to help women feel good by being able to buy shoes and give back at the same time, the Friends of Naturalizer program will donate $1 for every shoe and handbag sale (up to $20,000) between April 7-11. During this time, anyone can vote for the charity they think should get the $20,000: World Wildlife Fund, Boys & Girls Club or WaterCan.

Now, pay attention!  There are several opportunities to enter this giveaway.  This is important stuff.  This is $100 toward a new pair of SHOES we’re talking about here, people!

To enter our $100 Naturalizer giveaway you must do the following:

1. Edit 4/13: Voting has ended – thank you to all who voted! First, vote for the charity or cause that means the most to you. You can click here to vote.  (Psst…it’s easy voting, just one click to get to Naturalizer’s site and then one more click to cast your vote – no registering or signing in.)

2. You can enter for a first time by “Liking” Naturalizer on Facebook.  After you go and “Like” Naturalizer, come back to this giveaway post and leave a second comment letting us know that you’re totally a fan of Naturalizer on Facebook.

3. You can enter for a second time by “Liking” ParentSphere on Facebook.  Why?  Well, because we like offering giveaways like this one and the more fans, the merrier!  After you go and “Like” ParentSphere, come back to this giveaway post and leave another comment letting us know that you like-like us on Facebook!

Edit 4/13: THIRD ENTRY OPPORTUNITY! You can score yourself a fourth entry if you have a Twitter account and you scroll to the top of this post and click the little green “retweet” button.  Come back to this post and leave a comment letting us know that you’ve Tweeted about the giveaway.

We will choose a winner on Friday, April 15th.

This is $100 for shoes, people.  We don’t mess around.

Here are the specific prize details:

The winner of the giveaway will receive a gift code for the Naturalizer site with $100. The code will cover the shoes, tax and shipping and will be good for any pair of the spring line (excluding the specialty Naya brand). The code will expire June 15, 2011.

*This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada

Lastly but not least, we weren’t compensated for offering this giveaway, nor were we given product.  We just like honest-to-goodness awesome giveaways and support for charities.

Shoe-la-la! is a brand new children’s book written by Karen Beaumont.  It’s a fun story all about dressing up and being glamorous and best of all…shopping for SHOES!  If your child enjoys the Fancy Nancy and Pinkalicious children’s books, she’ll love this story.  I am looking forward to checking out more of Karen’s children’s books.

Our review copy of  Shoe-la-la! couldn’t have arrived at a more perfect time, as I *just* re-arranged my preschooler’s closet and turned it into a “rock star dressing room”.  She’s totally eating up all things glitz and glam these days.  It’s fun for her to flip through the pages of Shoe-la-la! and join Emily, Ashley, Kaitlyn and Claire on their sing-song rhyming, shoe-shopping adventure.  The story encourages individuality and creativity and you will see why as the girls’ adventure comes to a close.  No spoilers here!  Pick up a copy of the book and you’ll see what “perfect party shoes” the girls decide to wear.

We are giving away three (3) copies of Shoe-La-La!

We make it pretty easy to enter – just leave a comment on this post.  Tell us about your “perfect party shoes”.  Maybe they’re flats.  Maybe they’re stiletto’s.  Either way – it’s your own style and we want to know!

This giveaway will end on Wednesday, January 19th at midnight PST and three (3) winners will be chosen at random.  Anyone within the continental US can enter.

Good luck!

1/21/11 Update: Congratulations to our three winners: Summer, Melissa T and Alice H!

*We were provided with a copy of Shoe-la-la to read and talk about.  The opinions expressed about this book are our very own!

Merrell Huron (Men’s) in Green Tea

Merrell Siren Tansy (Women’s) in Sweet Pea

We just returned from our trip to the Dominican Republic and I have so many things to talk about!  First, I’ll start with what kept mom and dad’s feet happy on our 6 day international adventure.

We were each sent a pair of Merrell shoes from the Summer 2010 collection (pictured above) to give a test run (or stride, in our case).

We did a lot of walking through the airport and then around the Iberostar Bavaro resort property in Punta Cana and can testify to the durability of the above pictured sandals.  We didn’t have much of a doubt that Merrell shoes would provide support and comfort but finding out first-hand was the icing on the cake.

The sandals kept us safe on the wet, stamped cement walkways of the resort.  I was able to remove the heel strap from my Siren Tansy’s and wear them in more of a “flip-flop” fashion.

What is attractive about these sandals?  Several things, actually.  Mine have an antimicrobial solution added to the footbed (non-slip, anti-odor), Q-Form® (women’s stride alignment technology), Vibram® Siren sole (stability and traction) and they’re girly, to boot.

The men’s Huron have cement construction for durability, a microfiber footbed, Merrell® air cushion in the heel and, they look pretty darn good on him.  They were perfect for our al a carte dinners at the resort where the men had to wear pants and a more “dressy” sandal.

Both of these sandals are lightweight and c-o-m-f-o-r-t-a-b-l-e.  It’s a no-brainer that we’ll be wearing these around the Walt Disney World parks this coming week and at the cabin on the lake later in the summer.

You can purchase Merrell shoes online or find a Merrell retailer near you.

PS: If you purchase from Merrell online, shipping is FREE all summer.

I have read many reviews about the resort we’re visiting in just a few short weeks and found out that the walkway around the resort is extremely slippery.

Now, I have a very excitable little 4-1/2 year old who bounces her way around just like Tigger in an episode of Super Sleuths.  So, I went on a mission to find a pair of shoes that would help her stay on her feet but that were also “beach-worthy”.

Honestly, I didn’t have to look any further than Vincent Shoes because I know how comfortable and durable their shoes are.  I looked at Tor, a style of sandal that is perfect for the beach and slippery surfaces.  This is a lightweight sandal that offers my kid some protection from wiping out.  I’m sold.

This sandal has a clear, rubber, slip-resistant sole with a padded heel strap and Velcro closure.

Tor is perfect for the beach/pool/lake-side with its “water-friendly” uppers/foot-beds and they’re easy enough for a four year old to put on and take off.

(We received a pair of Tor sandals to check out and talk about here.)

We can attest to their ability to grip surfaces.  However, the true test will be on the walkway at the resort.  I really don’t think we will be let down.  Another noteworthy pair of beach-ready sandals are Moa.

Moa also has the clear, rubber, slip-resistant sole.  However, I opted for Tor, as they provide a little more protection around my preschooler’s feet.

Since it is that time of year…egh-eghhhm…time to hit the beach…we’ve teamed up with Vincent to offer ParentSphere readers a nice giveaway.  Leave your entry comment on this post for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Vincent’s online store.

I will choose a winner from the comment section of this post (using Random.org’s number generator) on Friday, May 21st.  You have until midnight PST  (you must be located in the continental US) to enter.

Here are all of the ways you can enter (pay close attention so you can maximize your chances at winning).

You can do any or all of these things.  That means, you have four chances to enter.

Entry chance option 1:

Head over to Vincent and check out the fashionable Spring/Summer styles and then come back here and leave a comment on this post letting us know which style you like best.

Entry chance option 2:

Tweet about this giveaway.  Then, come back here and leave a comment with the link to your Tweet and your Twitter “handle”.  I’ll make this part easy, you can copy and paste the following text for your Tweet (it fits, I checked):

I’m getting my kids ready for summer by entering to win a pair of @VincentShoes over @ParentSphere  http://bit.ly/d67L2p

(Make sure you mention @VincentShoes and @ParentSphere in your Tweet!)

Entry chance option 3:

Follow Vincent Shoes on Twitter.  Come back and leave a comment letting us know you and Vincent are Twitter buddies.

Entry chance option 4:

Become a fan of Vincent Shoes on Facebook.  Come back and leave a comment letting us know you’re a fan.

*If you plan on taking advantage of all four chances to win, make sure each of your entry comments on this post are separate.  Don’t post all of your chances in one comment.

You can do everything at once or maybe, s p r e a d out your chances a bit and stop back four different days for each of the above entry chances.  Just an idea!

Good luck!

Our preschooler is rocking an adorable pair of shoes (style: Annie – Pink Potpourri) from the new Flex line from pediped.  We’ve been a fan of pediped for the past 3 1/2 years and are thrilled that they now offer shoes for the older kids, too.  We’re totally set for Spring with these colorful, rubber-soled Mary Janes.

Styles from the Flex line come with an extra 2MM insole, so you can make a custom fit for your kiddo.  You can read about the features and benefits of pediped Flex here.

There are so many different styles (45, as a matter of fact) in the new Flex line, you’ll have to click over to the pediped site and see for yourself.

We also have a pair of Betty’s, which unfortunately, the little lady has just grown out of.  These shoes got a lot of wear and were easily one of our favorites based on comfort and style.

Vincent is offering 50% off on ALL regular priced items through tomorrow, Tuesday, December 16th.  So, I can easily purchase Betty in a bigger size and we’re all set for the Spring.  Although, there are so many ridiculously cool styles to choose from, I may go with something different, since I already know the comfort and quality craftsmanship is there.  Here is what you need to know to get your 50% off:

*Enter coupon code HOLIDEAL at checkout

As much as I want you to stay and mill around on my site, I MUST tell you to get over to Vincent Shoes online and take your pick from their many styles of babies and kids shoes.  While you’re there, check out their Closeout Cubby for up to 75% of select styles.  The pickin’s are getting slim, so don’t wait around for too long!  (Click the button below to be taken to the Cubby)

*The special 50% off deal above cannot be used with items listed in the Closetout Cubby sale.

Also, ground shipping is FREE on orders of $75 (net after promotional discount) and up.