Tag Archives: playing

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.

Daddy’s Girl: #MySundayPhoto – 05.10.15

Sorry for the bad timing of my Daddy’s Girl post when it’s really Mother’s Day. If it’s any consolation, I give full credit to my beautiful wife for this picture.

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Avery was just having a blast rolling all over our bed, and Going Mom was there to capture some good shots of the wild-child in action.

Thank you, Kelley, for the picture and for being such a wonderful wife and Mother!

Can you remember bouncing on the bed?

Is bed jumping against the rules in your house or fully supported?

OneDad3Girls

My Last Run Before 13.1 and Splash Pad Fun

Sunday brought us beautiful weather here in the South, and Going Mom had a great idea to go to a splash pad with Avery. I was planning on going for a run in my Soft Star Dash RunAmoc Shoes. They have a bullhide leather sole instead of the typical rubber sole you find on most shoes.

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Definitely not what you’d picture a running shoe to look like, but they are awesome for the barefoot enthusiast! And not just for running, these things are comfortable around the house and would easily pass for work shoes in the office. Desk jockeys, rejoice! I’ll have a review posted after running the Mother’s Day half-marathon I signed up for.

I haven’t run over 10 miles in over a year, so I’m interested in seeing how I do. Stay posted to find out. My wife will be running the 5k and my mom (G-Ma), will be with Avery watching and cheering us on. Then we’ll go out to enjoy a Mother’s Day brunch together. Big weekend ahead!

But back to this past weekend, running and a splash pad. Kelley drove with Avery to a splash pad a few miles from home and I ran to meet them there. This was Avery’s first splash pad experience, so she was a little unsure of what to make of it at first.

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I showed up not too long after they arrived and Kelley told me how Avery seemed more intrigued by the surrounding grass than the colorful water-spraying structures. Makes sense….NOT! So I decided to swing Avery around one of the sprayers.

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What kid doesn’t love water sprayed in their face? Seriously though, Avery actually got a kick out of it.

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Her smile and laughter is worth more than any sum of money I could imagine! So I continued my earning the riches with more swinging in the water.

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You can see how smart I was by keeping my leather running shoes on while splashing in the water. For some reason, leather soles with no tread don’t provide the best traction on wet surfaces. Hmmm, probably why Soft Star even warns about this! Just had to test them out for a thorough review!

I took a break from swinging Avery around the water streams and my wife took over for a while. First she had to catch the little grass lover who is too quick for her little legs!

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Then back to getting swung around for more toddler soaking madness.

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I swear, that smile, it’s infectious! That goes for my wife’s too! There’s no doubt fun was had by all.

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Of course, Avery seemed a little lost when we set her down to have a go in the pad by herself.

Ummm, Mom....Dad....a little help here?
Ummm, Mom….Dad….a little help here?

Once more, we took turns throwing our daughter around the water like any awesome parent would. First I played helicopter with her as the propeller….

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….and then Going Mom reenacted The Lion King with our girl “Simba”.

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Circle of life, gotta love it. Also gotta love these two….a lot, which I do.

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Avery was getting cold and slightly fussy so it was time to head home. Kelley drove, I ran. With the run there and then back, I totaled about 7 miles, give or take a few tenths of a mile. As expected, traction was limited, but I enjoy running in the Dash RunAmocs thus far.

Once home, the fun didn’t stop there as I had a full-grown lawn to mow. No problem there since mowing with our EGO Power+ Mower took all but 25-30 minutes and I was done. Great way to wind down the weekend for sure. We never watched an episode of The Walking Dead after our date night, but snuck one in on Sunday.

Getting close to the yet-to-be released on Netflix Season 5, what are we to do?! Besides pay for it, I refuse, even though Kelley is threatening to buy it and watch alone.

Oh yeah, Happy Cinco de Mayo……if you care.

Ever take your kids to a splash pad?

Would you wear leather-soled shoes to go running or just in general?

What do you think wait for The Walking Dead Season 5 to come out on Netflix or give in and pay $27 for instant gratification?