Thursday, May 22, 2008

Mother Knows Best

Posted by Mo at 8:51 AM

Since before Devan was born, my mother has been promoting Stride Rite. She has sworn by them more than any other baby item, method, tactic, etc. "Once she starts walking, you need to get her some good shoes" she'd say. My response was always the same "I'm not spending $50 on shoes for a child who will outgrow them in less than six months". I can't even remember the last time I spent $50 on shoes. It was probably when I was 16 and I had nothing better to spend my paychecks on.

My Mom was aware of my strong feelings against wasting so much money on something so frivolous as shoes, but she stood firm as Stride Rites biggest advocate. Last year, shortly after Devan began walking, we went to the mall. Stride Rite was having a sale. My Mom bought her 3 pairs of shoes. One of the pairs were sandals. At the time I wasn't totally fond of them, but we were planning a trip to the east coast that summer and these sandals looked like the best for the trip. Waterproof, supportive, and easy to get on and off. I ended up loving the. She wore them ALL summer long. I was actually sad when she outgrew them. Here is a shot of her showing her sandal to her great grandmother last summer in FL:

Here she is sporting her sandals as she got a free ride on top of our luggage in Charleston, South Carolina:

And playing in her pool at Grandma's last summer:

She literally wore them every single day until she outgrew them. Well, summer is basically here again and I was determined to find a pair of sandals just as great, for much less. First, I bought these at Old Navy. They are similar to her pink sandals from last summer, but cost me only around $7.
No good. Way too strappy and bulky. It was a pain getting them on and off her feet. So I thought, maybe she was ready for real flip flops. I found these for 99 cents I think:

No good either. She's still not quite ready for flip flops. So next I thought I'd try these, similar to flip flops but with the extra elastic strap in the back so they won't slip off her feet. I found these at The Childrens Place and spent $5 for two pairs:
(This particular pair is actually from Old Navy). No good!! These are even worse than normal flip flops cause once the elastic band in the back slips off, you have a huge mess. I was getting so frustrated with carrying Devan everywhere I went because she couldn't walk in her sandals that I finally gave in. (For the record, I'm sure once she gets older the flip flops will be fine, but not right now). In two days I had gone to Target, Walmart, Sport Chalet, Payless, Famous Footwear and a few other stores looking for the perfect summer sandal for her. No luck.

I drove straight to the mall and found the Stride Rite store. I was SO HAPPY to find they had her pink sandals from last summer! But, they also had a similar style. I asked Devan which one she wanted and she pointed to these:

She loves them. I love them. They are super easy to get on and off, comfortable, waterproof, supportive and Devan can't get enough of them. She wears them all day long. She'd wear them to bed if I let her.

It's true. Mother knows best.

 

8 Comments:

1. Haro Family said...
   10:13 AM  
   You are hilarious! You and your shopping deals--I love it. I, too am always looking for the perfect sandals for my kids. They are hard to find! And now I have to go 9 miles plus to go shopping. I had it way too easy in CA being across the street from 2 malls.
   
   I have been reading your blog for months, but this is my first comment I've posted! I'm sorry! I just realized how fun it is to receive comments since I just created my own blog.
   
   I totally want to know how your lives are going in Orange County? How is Jon's job? How is your new apt and ward? We miss you guys tons!
   Ruth said...
   12:00 PM  
   My mom is also an advocate for Stride Rite. We are lucky to have found a Stride Rite outlet close to us, where we can sometimes find shoes for $15! My sister (Lisa) was telling me about a friend who works for Stride Rite or something and sells the shoes at the end of the season at a steep discount. Maybe next time you are in town, you can ask her about that or your mom can ask her...if you are interested in a deal, of course. ;)
   sheri said...
   1:40 PM  
   Oh yeah...I've been a HUGE Stride Rite fan since Kyle was born. And for what it's worth...Kyle still refuses to wear flip flops. He hates the thing in between his toes and they're always too slippery. He's a crocs kids. Well, knock-off crocs.
   sheri said...
   1:41 PM  
   Oh yeah! Totally forgot...Camarillo Outlets has a Stride Rite.
   Mo said...
   3:21 PM  
   Ruth- I think I remember hearing something about someone with stride rite shoes. I'm gunna ask my Mom. Thanks!
   
   Sheri- I totally looked at crocs. They don't have Devan's size! They come in size 6-7 and 8-9. Theres no 7-8! Although I haven't looked at generic brands. I'll have to remember when I'm out.
   J-Dub said...
   7:08 AM  
   It's all about the Rainbows. I love themmmmm.
   
   http://www.rainbowsandals.com/Default.asp
   Anonymous said...
   7:33 PM  
   That's what Magic said!!
   Anonymous said...
   7:48 PM  
   I think you should send your blog to Stride Rite. Maybe they would pay you for the advertising. Or give you a life-time supply of sandals for Devan. I am glad you finally understand that mom has been around awhile and really does know a few things. :)

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