Category Archives: Going Reviews

Soft Star Shoes Child Rambler Review: Growing Happy Feet

Soft Star Shoes have become a family favorite in the ‘Going’ household. First, I became a proud ambassador, then I reviewed their RunAmoc Moc3’s, then they sent Avery the awesome pair of Child Ramblers that I’m reviewing today, and I have a review of their Dash RunAmoc shoes coming soon!

All of this, plus Going Mom just received the coolest Mother’s Day gift from the coolest husband ever; a pair of Soft Star Shoes Solstice Sandals. So, yeah, we’re rockin’ the Soft Star life over here and our feet couldn’t be happier!

Soft Star Shoes has a neat design-your-own area for their adult and kids’ shoes, but I went with their Flamingo/Nutmeg color combo since my wife and I liked the colors and figured they’d go with more of the clothes Avery has.

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Before they wear shoes, kids have a natural movement pattern and are able to move around freely. Giving feet freedom is important since the early years of a kids’ life is when their body is rapidly changing.

Shoes that allow freedom for feet to grow and develop naturally is of the utmost importance, and that’s exactly what Soft Star Shoes provides. Check out their informative link with healthy footwear tips and research-based info on why the right shoe is so important for your little one.

The Ramblers have a minimal design that allows feet the freedom to move around, are slip-resistant, handcrafted in the USA with high quality materials, and flexible without arch support that forces feet into a “molding”. How flexible, you ask? This flexible…

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And their rubber soles allow for play on all types of surfaces, indoor or out, without the need to be concerned about slipping.

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The ease of putting them on your child will depend on two big things; their age and the current weather. At Avery’s age, she does everything she can to NOT help you get her dressed, and if it’s hot/humid outside, that only makes it worse.

Thankfully, the elastic ankle closure on these makes it easier to get on and off than most other shoes we’ve tried. Once they’re on, they stay snug but comfortable. She never complained about having them on, even for extended periods. I’d like to think it helps that she looks up to (literally) and wants to wear Soft Star Shoes like her Daddy.

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The Ramblers fit her feet quite well with a little room to grow. When she is ready for bigger shoes, Soft Star has plenty of sizing options including baby (0-12 months), child (1-5 years), youth (5-12 years), and adult (12-150 years). The fact that she keeps them on while in her stroller on the way to the playground says a lot, trust me!

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When playing, Avery can easily run around and even kick the soccer ball without issue.

The shoes we tried before these would all be off in a minute, so it’s obvious these are her favorite, even if she can’t say it yet. Hey, actions speak louder than words, right? And she knows what shoes to grab when getting read to lift weights with daddy.

She sure does make me proud! After wearing her Ramblers outside in the dirt, mulch, and grass, as well as inside our home, they still look brand new. No threads coming undone or huge scrapes, even after climbing up and down the concrete at the playground.

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She tripped on the cracks in those rocks more times than I can remember, but the shoes still stayed on and showed no signs of wear. We love Avery’s Soft Star Shoes, and besides being difficult to put at first (you figure it out fast), these are the only shoes we use now. Avery seems happy to roam about to discover new things in her Ramblers, like how sticks taste.

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Or just what in the world Daddy is trying to show her now….

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The soft natural leather, non-toxic colors, and hardy but flexible soles make for an awesome shoe for kids or adults and will ensure happy feet stay happy.

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A big thanks to Soft Star Shoes for sending our precious girl these lovely shoes. I can’t recommend these shoes enough, and think their entire line has something for everyone. Check out their site and get your family’s feet ready to play hard, play safe, and keep it natural this summer.

After you find your perfect pair, make sure to take plenty of pictures and enter their monthly Fan Photo Contest to win $50 towards your next shoe purchase.

Now, excuse me while I test out my Dash RunAmocs with Avery.

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Have you heard of Soft Star Shoes?

Do you have any of your own?

Try out their Design-Your-Own feature and let me know what style and colors you like best.

Kore Essentials Trakline Belt Review: A Perfect Fit

No belt holes, but it’s still a belt?

This was my initial thought when I first heard of Kore Essentials and their Trakline belts. They have zero holes, are made of 100% full grain leather, and can be adorned with several unique, fashionable buckles that are solid stainless steel or high-grade alloy.

I love being limited to how my belt fits based on the one-inched spaced holes it has and how ragged it looks after wearing it a while. Said no one, ever.

But this is the case for those primitive belts with holes. Thanks to Kore Essentials, that’s all changed. Their Trakline belts are not only appealing to the eye, they’re high quality pieces of wearable waist art that will last virtually forever!

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There’s a reason they are the #1 rated men’s belt on according to customers on Amazon.com, and it’s not because they smell pretty. Actually, the leather is quite pleasant. 🙂

Here’s the 411 on why the Trakline Belt is better than those other belts, direct from the Kore Essentials site:

FUNCTION
NO more belt holes to stretch out, wear out, or punch out yourself. Instead a hidden track sewn into the back of the belt and unique,
patent-pending buckle create a precise fit every time you put it on. The track features 40+ sizing positions (1/4″ increments), making
Trakline belts 8X’s more adjustable than a tradional men’s belt (5 one-inch holes). A discreet tab under the buckle allows you to easily
adjust, or remove the belt fast. Honestly guys, it feels like the belt of the future.

FASHION
We’ve designed a limited collection of classically cool men’s belt buckles for work, play and dress. At last, a mens belt that’s smart, stylish,
and simple to use. Makes a desirable gift for fathers, dads, grads, groommen and any guy looking to upgrade.

FORM
Our men’s belts are constructed of premium Full-Grain Leather (the best grade of leather). Full-grain leather improves with age, conforming
to your actual waist shape. The stainless steel buckles are handformed, 16 gauge, solid stainless steel and the alloy buckles are a high-grade
zinc. We built our belts – to last.

SIZING
Trakline belts fit any waist size from 24” up to 44” (XL sizes to 54″). Try on the belt, then trim off the excess leather (using household scissors)
to attain your optimal size range. Then the 10″ track creates a precise fit as your waist fluctuates in and out every day.

GUARANTEE
If you don’t completely love yourTrakline belt, just send it back within thirty days for a full refund. And of course all our products come with a
one-year, warranty against defects and breakage, to keep you happy.

MISSION
We set out to redefine those basic, essentials items you use each day. Our approach is pure >> blend innovation with superior materials to create
unique, more exciting products that exceed expectations

Annndd, if that weren’t enough, it doubles as a bottle opener! Sold. Where were they when I had a date night with my wife and spent forever trying to open our beer with my crappy, worn out belt with holes?

No funny thoughts.....
No funny thoughts…..

Yes, we were in the car, no, nothing like that. We ate and drank before in the parking lot before going inside to see the Imagine Dragons in concert. It was a great time, but could’ve been better if I had a better belt like the Trakline.

Thanks to the wonderful Karl and all of the Kore Essentials team, I am now the proud owner of their black genuine leather belt with stainless steel Evolve Buckle they sent me to review.

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It comes with a handy belt hanger (that plastic thing that looks like a giant two-prong fuse), that allows you to easily hang your prized pants-holder-upper right next to your pants!

The included instructions on how to measure and trim the belt to your appropriate size confused me at first, but then I realized it was just the user….me! Essential-y (see what I did there?), if you have a good idea of your pant waist size, you can go with that number and trim off the excess leather that’s conveniently marked.

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Then just clamp the buckle receptacle in place and you’re good to go. Being the goof that I am, I failed to take a picture of the full process, but lucky for you (and me), Kore Essentials has a handy dandy video to watch if needed.

After trimming off your excess leather, do NOT throw it away! It’s a little known fact that things not intended to be toddler toys, are in fact, perfect toddler toys!

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Avery loved running around with this quality leather strap and completely ignored her actual toys for a full day! Even Going Mom was impressed.

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I made use of my fancy new belt for a date night with Kelley last weekend and simply loved how perfect if fit around my waist. No in between holes where it’s too tight or too lose, it was just right. Hence the boyish smile I had when posting my attire on Instagram.

The shirt was tucked in to give a good view of the belt, but I quickly had to un-tuck after the picture was taken. We never had to open a beer bottle that day, but it was nice knowing I could if I needed to!

One of the great things about the belt is how easy and fast it is to adjust. After gulping a liter of water, I needed to loosen up a little, and with the Trakline, I could even do it on the “fly”. Bam, I’m on fire!

I love having a belt I can count on and quickly get on and off, and this belt allows just that. Plus it looks good, will last me a long time, and it looks good. Wait, did I already say that?

Intrepid & Eclipse gunmetal buckles

 

This would make a perfect gift for the upcoming Father’s Day holiday, or as a “just cuz” gift to the man in your life. Head over to the Kore Essentials site and pick one or a few belts and use code SAVE15 to save 15% off your order.

EGO Power+ Mower Review: Cut The Grass & Gas

Disclosure: EGO sent me their Power+ Mower to review on Going Dad. I was not compensated for this post, and all thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.

The Going Family received our EGO Power Plus Lawn Mower about a month ago, and we’ve used it every weekend since.

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Right out of the box, it’s basically ready to kick some mow your grass! No gas, oil, or air filter that you’ll frantically check every time the pull-string motor doesn’t start. Those of you with gas mowers, you know what I’m talking about; I was there too. Just a clean, battery powered mower with plenty of power and convenience.

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It’s everything we wanted in mower, or is it? Avery helped me look it over and even helped with the mowing, here’s what we have to say.

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Looks and Lights

A blogger friend of mine said it looked like something Luke Skywalker would use to mow his lawn (if it was more than just sand), and I agree. It’s futuristic bright green battery cover and LED headlights set it apart from other push mowers. I can’t find anything I don’t like about the looks of the EGO and think Avery agrees too.

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One of Avery’s favorite words for the time being is “lights”, so it comes as no surprise to see her fascination with the LED’s on the EGO. She’ll push the button to turn them off and on forever until one of us stops her. And who can blame her? Those things are cool!

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But they aren’t cool without a purpose. One day, I found myself spending time with Avery and my wife while it was light out and wound up running out of daylight before I could get started mowing. Luckily, there was no need for concern since I had super bright LED’s to lead me on my grass cutting path and help me dodge the stinky “dog bombs” in our back yard.

Cutting Power & Noise

Unlike the typical cordless mowers that seem to struggle just to propel their blades against air, much less your lawn, the EGO Power+ Mower is impressive. My first time to use the EGO was also the first mow of the season where we scalp the grass using the lowest setting. Our yard wasn’t terribly overgrown or anything, but there were many thick, patchy areas on their way to overgrown status.

There was slight hesitation when the 20″ deck went over the really thick areas or made contact with the dirt from our uneven lawn, but it forged through and scalped just as well as any gas mower I’ve used in the past. The cut is clean and even across our yard too, which I’ve owned many mowers that do a crappy, choppy cut which makes an overgrown lawn look elegant.

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Now I use a higher setting which is a breeze to adjust with just one handle that glides effortlessly from the lowest, 1.2″ to the highest setting, 3.5″.

The noise level on this thing is nothing like that of gas mowers (30% less, as a matter of fact), and found it easy to talk over the mower if needed. Sure, you’ll know when the motor is running, but it’s a welcome sound compared to the loud, relentless drone of a gas mower. Avery never once seemed timid from the noise and had no problem chasing after my wife while she was mowing.

Battery

Ahhh, yes, probably the most complained about aspect of cordless mowers, the battery!  Well, no complaints here. Even after the first mow on the lowest setting and with the lights on 50% of the time (due to Avery pressing the button), the 4. 0Ah 56-volt Lithium-Ion battery was still showing green with plenty of juice left.

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It takes me about 30 minutes to mow the front and back with the EGO, and without recharging, am able to almost finish mowing again the following week. The light finally turned red on me after I finished the front and had made a few rounds in the back. But no worries, the battery charger has the battery fully charged and ready to finish the job in 30 minutes or less.

I was happy to set it on the charger and go for a quick walk around the neighborhood while waiting. To go along with the futuristic looks, I feel like I’m handling a mini nuclear reactor each time I slide the battery on its nuclear charging station. It’s fun to pretend, right? I mean, for the kids…..

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Functionality and Storage

You know those mowers with handles that fold down using thumb screws in a pivot that quickly bends out of shape? Yeah, EGO’s design team knows that sucks, and made adjusting the handles a cinch. First, there’s a lever on the side that allows you to quickly fold or unfold for storage or mowing action, respectively. Once you select the angle, the handle is extended using the bright green clips on each side.

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The down side is there are only two handle angle settings for mowing, and it must be fully extended for use. If you try to lower the handles while the motor is running, it will start to shut down until you extend them again. Trust me, I tried.

I’m 5’10, my wife is 5’6, and we were both able to easily mow despite the lack of height and angle options. Even Avery doesn’t seem to mind.

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The only time it gets annoying is when I’m trying to turn while next to the fence line or do a 180 degree turn in the narrow area on one side of our house. It’s not even close to being so annoying that I wish we had something else though, and as long as I don’t try and throw it like Thor’s hammer, everyone comes out just fine.

Once you’re done mowing, just undo the clips, push the handle down, and fold it using the side lever to set it to storage mode. Then, my favorite part, you store it vertically! This is the best way to store a mower and don’t know of any others that do it so well. Having a home gym in my garage means space is precious, so this is a welcome feature and absolutely LOVE IT!

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Wrapping It Up and Where To Buy

The EGO Power Plus Lawn Mower has a lot going for it. With it’s cool looks, light-for-a-mower weight, highly powerful 56 volt battery with insanely quick recharging speeds, and easy storage, there’s not much to complain about. My biggest issue is the one length setting which can make maneuvering in tight places a pain, but like I said, it’s not a big deal to me. Being able to adjust the length would still be nice though.

I have no problem mowing our entire lawn on one charge, but if you have a bigger yard, you might want another battery for non-stop mowing. Or just wait the short 30 minutes for a recharge and go back to finish what’s left. The best thing to do is start with one and see if you really need an extra battery. I can’t say enough about how pleased I am with the power on this mower, and love not ever worrying about gas or changing the oil and filter. Cars are enough.

The mower comes with a bag or inserts for mulching or side discharge. I used the bag for the first mow and it worked just as a bagged mower would without issue. But we are firm believers in mulching since letting fresh grass clippings rest across the yard allows important nutrients to be retained in the grass for a better, healthier lawn. Whatever you choose, EGO gives you the accessories needed to easily adjust to your liking.

Overall, I’m convinced this exceeds that of a gas mower and will end up saving money and tons of stress in the long run. The EGO Power Plus Mower currently sells for $499.00 at The Home Depot which I consider a fair price considering the long term savings. It also comes with a 5 year limited warranty which is one of the best I’ve seen. The season is just getting started, so if you’re in the market for a new mower, consider going “green” with EGO and experience the #PowerBeyondBelief.

Here’s an informative info-graphic showing Gas vs. Electric mowers when it comes to saving money and keeping our planet clean too.

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Don’t try and save a $100 now and regret it later, I suggest giving EGO a home in your garage, it won’t take up much room, and be happy with your eco-friendly mower. Thanks to this mower, I can finish mowing in no time and get back to other things like being a husband and daddy to my two favorite girls! Now if only I could get Avery away from the thing….

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