Every Kid Needs a New Pair of Shoes

Owen needs new shoes desperately.  He’s down to own pair and the soles are wearing down and his feet are definitely outgrowing them.  Plus they were hand-me-downs from Ryan so they’ve seen better days.  Much better days.

Owen seems to outgrow shoes so quickly.  Much quicker than Ryan did.  Or at least it feels that way.  And with the various school requirements it makes summer shoe shopping next to impossible.  They can’t have open toe shoes; they can’t have open heels either.  So what shoe options are left for this hot, humid Atlanta summer weather?

Not many.

In my countless hours of searching both in stores and online, I did come across these Boys canvas shoes.  I love them!  They meet all day care requirements with closed toe and closed heel and they are very airy which would be comfortable during the hot Atlanta summers.  Check, check and check.

You really don’t realize how tough it is to find shoes that are cute, comfortable, wear well and are closed toe/closed heel until you’ve had to search for all of these requirements in one shoe.  It’s not easy.  Oh and did I mention that I don’t want to spend a small fortune on them either?  Kids shoes are so darn expensive.  And I don’t understand why since there is hardly any material to them.  They’re small.

Another issue I always seem to have is what size do I need to buy?  It’s a little easier to determine if I have Owen (or Ryan) with me at the store and I can see how their feet fit inside a sandal.  On closed toe shoes it is extremely difficult to tell because I cannot always feel wear their toes end in the shoe.  And what if I’m trying to order the shoes online?  I always end up with the wrong size.  Always.

Start-Rite has their own shoe fitting guides with a complete video on how to measure your child’s foot.  Pretty cool if you ask me.

I haven’t tried this Click’n’Fit guide yet because I still need to determine if I can have a pair of these awesome shoes shipped to the US since they are made in the UK.   But I can guarantee that if I can find a way to order them, Owen will be sporting a new pair real soon.  Keep your fingers crossed!

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Ten Step Cleaning/Organizing Program

Our house needs some help.  I need some help.  I feel like I’m 10 steps behind on cleaning and organizing and it’s starting to drive me nuts.  No, I promise I wasn’t nuts before.  Just now.

Every day I think about all the projects I want to do and set out to do.  But, between a full time job as an association director, running a small business (My Hello Designs), being a full time mommy, a full time wife, a full time dog owner (yes, she is very high maintenance so that counts as a full time job), a blogger, a facebook addict, and a new gardener, my hours per day are limited.

Something has to give during the waking hours each day and recently that has been the cleaning and organizing aspect of my life.  And I very much dislike that.  I am a planner by nature and profession and having so much disorganization in my house drives me nuts.  It doesn’t bother Jim in the least, but it drives me crazy.

Don’t get me wrong, our house isn’t dirty.  It’s just not sparkling clean and organized.  That is where I’m hoping you can help me.  I need some great organization suggestions on the following things:

1. Mail Organization:  Currently our mail makes it through the front door and into a pile.  Some days the pile is on the table by the door; other days it makes it to a pile on the kitchen counter.  HELP!
2. Book Organization:  We love to read books.  We read them everywhere in our house – toy room, kitchen, family room, bedroom.  They are everywhere and I need a quick easy way to keep them organized versus having them scattered throughout the house.  HELP!
3. Shoe Organization:  I thought I had this one resolved. I have a basket for each kid and taught them to put their shoes in their basket when they take them off.  Now what do I do about the hubby’s shoes all over the house?!  HELP!
4. Toy Organization:  Is this a lost cause?!  HELP!
5. Dog Toy Organization:  Seriously!  I find more dog toys around this house than kid toys most days!

And when it comes to cleaning I typically buy whatever is on sale or whatever I have a coupon for.  I’m not particular, but after my new Colgate toothpaste experience last week (remember this?), I would really like to find some cleaning products that I love just as much.  I seriously LOVE my new Colgate Total Advanced Whitening toothpaste!  Do you have any cleaning products that you love as much as I love my toothpaste?  I’m looking for the following products:

1. Hardwood floor cleaner
2. Stainless steel appliance cleaner
3. Granite counter top cleaner
4. Dusting product for wood furniture

Currently I use Tide HE for laundry and I like it, but I’m not attached. I love the smell and it does what I need it to do, but I thought the same about my old toothpaste and look where that got me!  For the dishwasher I use Cascade Complete.  Again, not attached.

So, if you have any great products you want to recommend to me, I would love to hear them.  Or if you have any brilliant ideas (or have seen brilliant ideas on other blogs) regarding organization, I would welcome those.  Actually, I am sort of begging for help in that area.  My summer goal is to get my house organized and to have a garage sale to declutter.

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