Hotter Shoes

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Shoes.

They are the one reliable clothing item for me; I can put weight on anywhere else on my body and feel dejected about clothes shopping, but shoes are safe. Shoes and bags.

About a month ago I collaborated with Hotter Shoes to pull together a bloggers' evening in their Cardiff branch where we were able to browse the styles, and be confounded that actually the shoes aren't old granny slippers meant for those with a preference for 'sensible footwear'.

Because while they are incredibly well designed to offer maximum comfort for your feet, they are also quite stylish and funky.

Hotter Shoes Summer 2014 [Read more…]

Clarks' Boys' Range (Review)

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A few months ago I was offered the opportunity to review the Autumn/Winter 2013 range of shoes and boots for The Boy. As I'd actually just bought him his school shoes and normal Winter shoes, I decided to invest in a pair of Winter boots for him instead.

We were booked into the Cardiff branch for a Saturday morning appointment and, despite turning up a little late, we were seen very quickly for our 'measure and fit' appointment. Due to his age and shoe size, the sales assistant measured The Boy's feet using the computerised measuring machine, which resulted in him being measured as a 10.5G. However, I did ask her to manually measure his feet with the measuring tape device as he had previously been wearing an 11F for three months, measured by an expert with over forty years experience. At this point she found that he was indeed over an 11F and so fitted him with an 11.5F.

This goes to show that a machine isn't always right, and the experience of a human being when assessing a child's foot, the size of their arch, fit around the heel and the rise of the instep is far more important to fitting a child with new footwear.

Clarks' shoes

In the end we chose a pair of traditional, brown, leather, Chelsea boots for The Boy. With a zip on the inside to enable easy pulling on, they are stylish and would look good with a variety of clothing. At £40.00 I felt that they were a good price, especially as I knew they would last him all Winter, and were sturdily made with quality materials. My only reservation is that the machine should not necessarily be trusted automatically, trust your parental instincts!

I was provided with a voucher for £40.00 to buy footwear for The Boy, trialling the 'Measure and Fit' service, my opinion is honest and unbiased.

Vivo Barefoot Neo Trail Running Shoes (Review)

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Over to Mr. TheBoyandMe for this one, as he's been lucky enough to receive a pair of swizzy new trainers to review.

It was one of the strangest offers I've had recently: "Would you like to review a pair of sports shoes?". Although I was a keen long-distance runner in the past, it's been almost 20 years since I managed any notable distance; these days, my exercise is a daily cycle ride into the middle of Cardiff. So my main concern was, "will I be able to cycle in them?"

My choice was the Vivo Barefoot Neo Trail, a lightweight running shoe designed specifically to give the same overall sensory feedback to running barefoot, but with additional features such as a puncture resistant sole for rugged terrain. Trying them on for the first time highlighted how different they felt to my normal footwear – the shoe enveloped my foot entirely giving little opportunity for it to slip around inside, but was also extremely flexible giving almost as much movement with it as without.

Vivo Barefoot Neo Trail Running Shoes

Cycling with them on was an absolute pleasure: the 5mm lugs are designed for rough terrain rather than pedals but gave me no problems, whilst the 3mm base and lightly-cushioned EVA insoles meant that more of my effort was going into the bike instead of compressing bits of foam together and, as a result, I've discovered that I'm now regularly passing 30 mph on the flat! As part of the overall ethos behind VivoBarefoot's designs they're not completely waterproof, and the one time the heavens did open I was wringing out my socks afterwards, but the shoes themselves never felt soggy or weighed down as a result.

I told TBaM many years ago that I would take up jogging when I see a jogger looking like they're enjoying themselves. This has still yet to happen, but if it does at least I've got something to wear for it!

We received this product for the purpose of this review, all opinions are honest and unbiased – he doesn't know how to lie!

UGG Classic Children's Boots (Review)

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Marmite. Peanut Butter. Robbie Williams. UGGs.

Things that you either love or hate.

My husband is of the opinion that marmite is foul. Personally I don't like peanut butter or UGGs.

It's probably a little surprising to see UGGs in that list as this is in fact a review for them, but I'm nothing if not honest. I suspect the PR is currently wondering what I'm playing at. However, the great thing about opinions is that they can change.

And mine most firmly have.

We were asked if we'd like to review some UGGs, and I decided to choose a pair of children's classic UGGs in chocolate brown for The Boy. I chose chocolate brown because I figured that they'd help hide any mud that he might decided to decorate them with; being three and a half this is always a wise move.

I knew they were sheepskin lined, and in the middle of Winter when it's cold (and dry) I figured they'd be a great choice of footwear as they'd keep his little feet nice and toastie warm. As aware as I am that it's now Spring, it's still incredibly chilly sometimes, not enough for his fur-lined wellies, but still a bit nippy on some days. As his feet have slowed in growth, I also ordered a size too large so these can last well into Autumn.

The sheepskin is of a good quality, the fur side doesn't feel synthetic or stifling as is often the case with sheepskin. The suede exterior is smooth and thick, and appears able to withstand quite a battering (UGG also sell a cleaner and conditioner which has good reviews posted on the site). The sole of the boot is quite thick indeed with a good tread on it, enough to stop little ones from slipping, and to withstand clambering over pebbles and park detritus.

UGG children's boots

And what's more The Boy loves them!

At £110 they're not a cheap option for children's footwear, and in all honesty they are beyond our current, limited budget. That said, they are an excellent quality boot which are going to last The Boy for about the next year. I have no doubt that the quality of the material will withstand life with a little explorer, and that during the colder days they'll keep his feet very warm and dry due to the thick sole. Therefore UGG boots do seem to fulfill the wise philosophy of quality lasting.

So it transpires that I am a convert to the benefits and style of UGG boots, and I may* have been eyeing up a pair for myself.

I still hate peanut butter though.

*have

We were sent this pair of boots for the purpose of this review, my opinion is honest and unbiased.

Barratt's Children's Shoes (Review)

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We were recently invited to choose a pair of shoes for The Boy from the range of infants shoes available at Barratt's.

Barratt's is not actually the first place I'd have thought of going to for pre-schoolers' shoes, and I guess that's the point of the review. I can't be the only one with the misconception that they only sell ladies' fashion shoes or men's trainers, and browsing the site, I was pleasantly surprised to see the brands sold.

In the end, I opted for a pair of Hush Puppies for The Boy.

Hush Puppies for children

These leather shoes are excellent quality with the all-important (for me) notch cut out the back meaning the hard leather doesn't dig into their Achilles' tendon causing damage. They also have two very easily adjustable velcro straps meaning that The Boy can put them on by himself and they don't tend to slip as he's wearing them. The soles aren't that rigid and allow him to bend his feet properly while walking, even more important for The Boy as he does have a tendency to 'flap' (something that would see my mother raising her eyebrow firmly in my direction, and I of course wouldn't know what she'd be trying to insinuate).

My only criticism is also a positive. Inside the box were three sets of insoles, carefully wrapped up but with no explanation whatsoever. It's only from Googling the text on the bottom of the insoles that I've since found out that they are a 3D Fitting System which allows for different width insoles to be placed. Red = E fitting, yellow = F, blue = G. Unfortunately, I had The Boy using a yellow insole not a blue one for a short while until I managed to find the relevant information. This concept is genius because many children require a different fitting on each foot; these insoles accommodate that need. It would have been good to have some paraphenalia on it though, or something obvious on the website explaining it.

These Hush Puppies leather casual shoes (Whale) retail at £32.00 a pair, which I've always found to be an average cost for quality shoes for The Boy; it's certainly comparable with Clark's and the brand is just as good meaning that I won't be automatically heading there in the future to buy his shoes.

I was given credit to purchase these shoes for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

The Footprint Of A Stegosaurus! (Review)

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I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one who has a list of things that they can't wait for their children to have? And yes, most of the things on said list are there because either I didn't have them as a child, or they came out about two years too late for me to get away with having.

Like flashing shoes.

You know the ones, the little LEDs that light up when your child runs? Surely they're even better if the light is flashing through the eyes of a dinosaur?

How cool are these shoes?

On the Dinosoles Stegosaurus shoes, the lights don't just flash in a random place. Oh no, they flash through the eye of the steogsaurus on the out side of the shoe, and the entire amber eye on the in side glows upon movement.

I cannot convey in words how much The Boy loves these shoes.

These shoes are…

dinosaur shoes

Dinosoles are a fantastic range of dinosaur inspired shoes with a variety of styles featuring flip-flops, hi-tops, skater shoes, sandals along with the more conventional style we went for. The designs are really captivating, the soles thick but flexible, the velcro is easily adjustable (although I would say parents need to check they're done up tight enough) and the quality of the materials is 'top-notch'.

As a mum who believes in quality shoes for infants, I have only ever bought Clarks' shoes for The Boy. However, I am really comfortable with the standard of the Dinosoles shoes that The Boy wears and wouldn't hesitate to buy another pair, especially when (at £24.99) they are £10 cheaper than equivalent Clarks' shoes.

The Boy was sent these shoes for the purpose of this review. My opinion, and his love of them, is honest and unbiased. Aside from the fact that they've got flashy lights; that might have swayed my opinion somewhat. Do you think they make them in an adult 8?

The Gallery: Shoes

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When I saw the tweet-out from Tara as to what the theme is this week, I was excited. Images of my baby shoes and my wedding shoes, mixed with The Boy's tiny-toed shoes, filled my blogging eye.

Only what a sodding surprise, I can't find them.

I have really got to organise this house, at some point in the not too dim and distant future.

However, today proved to be quite a fortuitous day. Opening the curtains, I saw that the meteorological situation was reminiscent of December. Autumn dropped by fleetingly on Saturday and decided to go in search of Summer in warmer climes, chillingly chased off by Winter. This morning, on only the 6th September, it was widdling it down!

I glanced at The Boy, glanced at his canvas Doodles and thought, "We need some new shoes!"

The Boy walked before his first birthday; three days beforehand. Then he didn't walk for another three weeks. I kept him out of shoes for another few weeks, and so it was August before he needed his first pair of shoes. And rebelliously, I refused to buy expensive Doodles, favouring a similar style.

The Boy's first shoes – size 5

I bought the next size up as well, and it was Autumn before I ventured into the world of Clarks. The expensive world of Clarks!

Autumn-Winter 2010 collection: size 5.5G – 6G

Sping-Summer 2011 collection: sizes 6G – 7.5F

Autumn-Winter 2011: 7.5 E!

In the 13 months that he has been wearing shoes he has gone from a 5G to a 7.5E. The gap between the last pair of shoes was 6 weeks! Now when they were only costing £15 then it wasn't too offensive to the bank balance. However those snazzy brown Stomposaurus shoes from Clarks (on the left above) cost…

He's only got little feet!

(If I don't find my baby shoes, my mother is going to kill me!)

—

Things I'd Love This Valentine's Day

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The ever wise KateTakes5 has declared that love is in the air for this week's Listography. If it is, I'm opening the window and investing in some air freshener, can't be doing with any of that nonsense!

I've read various blogs recently about romance, partners and love. Prior to The Boy, not once did I realise how much relationships change when offspring arrive. My mother has always maintained that for the first year of their life, it's about them. After that, they fit into your family lifestyle and routine. I'd agree with that, but for the fact that I don't remember what our routine or lifestyle was like before the arrival of The Boy. I think there probably was a lot more romance, but that's easy when there's no bottles to wash up, toys to tidy and sleep is not broken by "mummy, daddy, up-py" at 3.37am. It's a bit hard to look adoringly into each other's eyes when The Boy pushes daddy away from mummy if we even contemplate a hug.

Nevertheless, this list is a wish list; I know hubby loves me, but we do not have the finances for it. Therefore:

1) A money tree

Go on, call me shallow. Those who say 'money doesn't buy happiness' have clearly been in the position to experience it! I am not asking for a ridiculous amount of money, but enough so that I don't have to work. Oh and possibly so we can have a porch and a conservatory. Thanks!

2) A Links of London bracelet

Isn't it pretty?! I've bought the imitation one from the chemist and it just looks nothing like it. Pitying glances have resulted in it being passed onto my niece for dress-up. Oh but a real one would be divine.

3) White chocolate truffles

Achievable and realistic. I'm quite fond of the Italian ones from Marks and Spencer, do they still make them? Otherwise they sell them in Thorntons. Who am I kidding? I'd be happy with the ones from Lidl.

4)  Another four hours in the day

I wouldn't need a personal assistant/ironing lady/cleaner/gardener if I had another four hours. Maybe five. I'd dedicated two of them to sleep and the other time could be used to sort out the towering inferno of paperwork resting on the recipe books in the kitchen. But then of course, that money tree would mean that I could give up work and have that time. Do they sell them in B&Q?

5) …

… no words, sigh!

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