Ribbit.
Last week kidlet started complaining about his feet hurting and taking his shoes off in inconvenient places (like restaurants, and then wanting to get down and run around), and we decided it was time to get him some new shoes. There's only one honest-to-God shoe store in my town, and one of the things that I am adamant about is getting good quality shoes for the kidlet. No Payless or Wal-Fart synthetic jobbies that offer scant support and just fall apart in a matter of weeks. I don't want the poor little twerp to end up with flat feet like his mama.
The shoe store carries Stride Rite, which I have to admit for the money are a really great shoe. They're sturdy and nice looking, no logos or characters or weirdness. Kidlet has two pairs of sneakers and a pair of short boots in graduated sizes, we've only had to buy him one pair each time his feet grow. They're solid enough that he can wear them in wet weather and they won't leak. I'm not totally happy with having him in rigid soled shoes, but at home he's barefoot all the time so I think he'll be okay. Unfortuantely living in Maine his Robeez don't get a lot of wear during the Winter/Spring months.
(Of course now that I've seen August in Pedoodles I really want a pair for kidlet!)
So, off we went to the shoe store on Sunday...to find that it opened at 11am. It was only 10am so we went over to Home Depot to see what sort of light fixtures they had and compare them to Lowe's and the vintage repro store in the Old Port we were perusing last week. (You see, I'm already thinking about the bathroom and a dainty 4-1/2" clawfoot iron tub.)
We returned just as they were opening the doors, and I think we made the salesguy's day...the moment the store opens we walk in, know exactly what we want, and make a substnatial purchase all before 11:30. Kidlet walked in proudly, bundled in his poofy red jacket, pom-pom hat and mittens. The salesman immediately said, "Looking for shoes for your little girl?" I corrected him as we were going to be his source of commission for the morning. I don't get it! He was dressed completely in boy clothes AND his hair was tied back, it wasn't even visible under his hat. Sigh. Kidlet's just a pretty little man. The salesguy was an older man and I don't think he has children of his own as he didn't seem to know how to interact with kids very comfortably. He wasn't a bad guy, he was just awkward. Ah well.
First off, we had him measure kidlet's feet, and our suspicions were confirmed, he's gotten bigger. His old sneakers (well, five months old) were size 6-1/2 and the shoe store guy recommended a 7 or 7-1/2 for him. I picked out a few pairs of shoes I liked and asked him to get them in the proper size. There were some adorable Merrells that I loved (I have a weakness for Merrells as I have wide feet and they are one of the few shoes that fit me perfectly) but they only came in whole sizes and were a smidge too big. Maybe this summer. They'd be great for him, though, as he's constantly tearing around and climbing on things.
After doing some looking I decided NOT to get Stride Rite shoes this time around, believe it or not. The one pair that I really liked they didn't have in kidlet's size and the others were too babyish or not what I was looking for. Instead we settled on a rather expensive pair of Ecco shoes (in the brown, not the pink), but when they were on kidlet's feet they fit perfectly and really suited him. They're really nice. I want a pair for myself!
The winter boots were all on sale so I asked for a pair to try on kidlet - he's been borrowing some boots from the daycare as he no longer fits in his pair from last year. We decided on a pair of Kamik boots, which were really nice and exactly what I was looking for (and $10 off which was nice too).
Last but not least, last year I really wanted to get kidlet a pair of rain boots but for some reason never did. I didn't see any on display in the front window where they usually are, seeing as it's Winter. As I was browsing I found a small display tucked away with the sign "50% Off Rain Boots!" with a number of cute styles to choose from. We let kidlet pick out his own, and he fell completely in love with the froggie rain boots. This is good as they're the same ones I would have chosen for him.
The salesguy was funny, he kept trying to recommend very boycentric styles to me (perhaps due to his faux pas in regards to kidlet's gender upon first meeting us?) - when I was looking for snow boots he held up one pair, saying, "These ones have a monster truck on the front!" and I had to gently steer him to the plain black pair. When Michael showed such enamored delight over the froggie boots, the salesguy commented, "You know, I think I have a pair in the camoflage in his size if you would like them." I decided to show the guy and said to him, "Let's have Michael pick them out." I brought him back over to the display and said, "Honey, which of these boots do you want? You can have whichever ones you like best." He examined the eight or so styles available and once again hugged the froggie boots, saying, "Michael like froggie!" I said, "Are you sure? Are there any other ones you like instead?" and much to muy amusement he turned and said, "This one! Kitties!" while pointing to the pink kitty boots. The salesguy stammered a little and I said to Michael, "If those are the ones you want, you can have them. They're your boots." Kidlet looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "Nah, froggies," and that was that.
I do so enjoy challenging gender roles in my own little way. I really hope that my son grows up feeling completely unfettered in regards to gender stereotyping. Speaking of which, I saw a very cute movie over the weekend called The Dress Code, which, while not life-altering, is entertaining. Shirley MacLaine irritates me but what else is new. One review on Amazon sums it up by saying, "Happily, the story ends well, with everyone accepting a boy in a dress, the nuns redeeming themselves, and the fat woman throwing away her chocolate cake." Shouldn't all movies end that way?
Anyway, froggie boots. HOW in love is my kid with these boots? He has never had an attachment to anything (except maybe the boob) like he has for these boots. He insisted on wearing them out of the store, his green pants rucked up to the knee making him look like a farmer just returned from mucking something. He wore them home, and wore them all day in the house. The handles are perfect as they allow him to put them on and take them off all by himself, a fact of which he is very proud. He even talks to them and shares his toys with them.
I have a feeling we're going to have a fantastic time splashing in puddles come mud season. I'll have to get a pair for myself.
The shoe store carries Stride Rite, which I have to admit for the money are a really great shoe. They're sturdy and nice looking, no logos or characters or weirdness. Kidlet has two pairs of sneakers and a pair of short boots in graduated sizes, we've only had to buy him one pair each time his feet grow. They're solid enough that he can wear them in wet weather and they won't leak. I'm not totally happy with having him in rigid soled shoes, but at home he's barefoot all the time so I think he'll be okay. Unfortuantely living in Maine his Robeez don't get a lot of wear during the Winter/Spring months.
(Of course now that I've seen August in Pedoodles I really want a pair for kidlet!)
So, off we went to the shoe store on Sunday...to find that it opened at 11am. It was only 10am so we went over to Home Depot to see what sort of light fixtures they had and compare them to Lowe's and the vintage repro store in the Old Port we were perusing last week. (You see, I'm already thinking about the bathroom and a dainty 4-1/2" clawfoot iron tub.)
We returned just as they were opening the doors, and I think we made the salesguy's day...the moment the store opens we walk in, know exactly what we want, and make a substnatial purchase all before 11:30. Kidlet walked in proudly, bundled in his poofy red jacket, pom-pom hat and mittens. The salesman immediately said, "Looking for shoes for your little girl?" I corrected him as we were going to be his source of commission for the morning. I don't get it! He was dressed completely in boy clothes AND his hair was tied back, it wasn't even visible under his hat. Sigh. Kidlet's just a pretty little man. The salesguy was an older man and I don't think he has children of his own as he didn't seem to know how to interact with kids very comfortably. He wasn't a bad guy, he was just awkward. Ah well.
First off, we had him measure kidlet's feet, and our suspicions were confirmed, he's gotten bigger. His old sneakers (well, five months old) were size 6-1/2 and the shoe store guy recommended a 7 or 7-1/2 for him. I picked out a few pairs of shoes I liked and asked him to get them in the proper size. There were some adorable Merrells that I loved (I have a weakness for Merrells as I have wide feet and they are one of the few shoes that fit me perfectly) but they only came in whole sizes and were a smidge too big. Maybe this summer. They'd be great for him, though, as he's constantly tearing around and climbing on things.
After doing some looking I decided NOT to get Stride Rite shoes this time around, believe it or not. The one pair that I really liked they didn't have in kidlet's size and the others were too babyish or not what I was looking for. Instead we settled on a rather expensive pair of Ecco shoes (in the brown, not the pink), but when they were on kidlet's feet they fit perfectly and really suited him. They're really nice. I want a pair for myself!
The winter boots were all on sale so I asked for a pair to try on kidlet - he's been borrowing some boots from the daycare as he no longer fits in his pair from last year. We decided on a pair of Kamik boots, which were really nice and exactly what I was looking for (and $10 off which was nice too).
Last but not least, last year I really wanted to get kidlet a pair of rain boots but for some reason never did. I didn't see any on display in the front window where they usually are, seeing as it's Winter. As I was browsing I found a small display tucked away with the sign "50% Off Rain Boots!" with a number of cute styles to choose from. We let kidlet pick out his own, and he fell completely in love with the froggie rain boots. This is good as they're the same ones I would have chosen for him.
The salesguy was funny, he kept trying to recommend very boycentric styles to me (perhaps due to his faux pas in regards to kidlet's gender upon first meeting us?) - when I was looking for snow boots he held up one pair, saying, "These ones have a monster truck on the front!" and I had to gently steer him to the plain black pair. When Michael showed such enamored delight over the froggie boots, the salesguy commented, "You know, I think I have a pair in the camoflage in his size if you would like them." I decided to show the guy and said to him, "Let's have Michael pick them out." I brought him back over to the display and said, "Honey, which of these boots do you want? You can have whichever ones you like best." He examined the eight or so styles available and once again hugged the froggie boots, saying, "Michael like froggie!" I said, "Are you sure? Are there any other ones you like instead?" and much to muy amusement he turned and said, "This one! Kitties!" while pointing to the pink kitty boots. The salesguy stammered a little and I said to Michael, "If those are the ones you want, you can have them. They're your boots." Kidlet looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "Nah, froggies," and that was that.
I do so enjoy challenging gender roles in my own little way. I really hope that my son grows up feeling completely unfettered in regards to gender stereotyping. Speaking of which, I saw a very cute movie over the weekend called The Dress Code, which, while not life-altering, is entertaining. Shirley MacLaine irritates me but what else is new. One review on Amazon sums it up by saying, "Happily, the story ends well, with everyone accepting a boy in a dress, the nuns redeeming themselves, and the fat woman throwing away her chocolate cake." Shouldn't all movies end that way?
Anyway, froggie boots. HOW in love is my kid with these boots? He has never had an attachment to anything (except maybe the boob) like he has for these boots. He insisted on wearing them out of the store, his green pants rucked up to the knee making him look like a farmer just returned from mucking something. He wore them home, and wore them all day in the house. The handles are perfect as they allow him to put them on and take them off all by himself, a fact of which he is very proud. He even talks to them and shares his toys with them.
I have a feeling we're going to have a fantastic time splashing in puddles come mud season. I'll have to get a pair for myself.
posted by Jen at
8:56 PM
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