Thank you to Crocs for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Crocs’ new Back to School line. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.
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Many people may complain about back to school shopping, but I am not one. First, I love shopping. Second, I love shopping online. Third, the hippie school kids have pretty low standards (as a friend described the unofficial dress code: "They all look like they're in recovery."), so I don't need to worry about name brands or the new must-have item determined by a group of 10 year old girls. I can focus on buying clothes that hold up to tree climbing and dirt stains worse than I ever thought possible.
The kids don't even need school supplies. They need only two back-to-school items: a new lunch box and new shoes, but both require massive negotiation.
My fight with Clover over her shoes has been mentioned before. She will only wear Crocs because they are comfortable and she needs shoes that come on and off easily. I don't think it's the case in her classroom this year, but in the past two years, students were asked to take their shoes off before entering the room. With all of the in and out of the classroom, the girl didn't want to waste a second with laces. I've gotten over being upset about her one shoe devotion, but that still doesn't mean buying new shoes is easy. Clover insists on having the right color. This year, after many talks over a few days, we finally agreed on aqua.
Rocket is a little less picky, but he doesn't let me order without a small fight. I picked out a pair of banded Crocs, kind of a punched up version of his current banded pair, but he balked. We went back and forth (he wanted black, I flat out didn't), and two days later, he saw the original pair I'd picked and said those were the ones he wanted. Once it seemed like his idea, the banded Crocs were winners.
The winner!
Now we wait. The shoes should come today or tomorrow. Yesterday the kids saw a package being walked up to the door and they ran around the house like little alarms, yelling, "FED EX! FED EX! FED EX IS HERE!" I opened the door to a saddened looking UPS driver who had clearly heard the kids and sadly said, "It's okay."
The kids were still excited, arguing over whether it was her shoes or his, and they crowded around me as I opened the box, soon to be disappointed. Did I mention that I bought some shoes for myself when I was supposed to be shopping for them? Because mama got THREE new pairs of kicks.
We own nine pairs of Crocs, but it's not what you think. I have a pair of the most comfy heels that are Crocs, but you'd never know unless you saw the name on the strap. Non-clog Crocs are for kids too, including 13 new style "school approved" shoes, which means your kids can wear Crocs year-round, even if their school isn't as open minded as the hippie school. The school approved line gets a nod of approval from school administrators for being nonmarking, closed toe and heel, but also from kids, for being easy off and on, and maintaining the Crocs comfort. I love these because they're cute, but the name is especially clever:
This shoe is called Dawson's Sneak! Like Dawson's Creek. I love them! And I'm only slightly ashamed to admit that I loved Dawson's Creek.
While your at the Crocs site, enter for a chance to win a free family vacation to San Diego. For more fun, check out the interactive video, find the hidden Easter egg (for a hint, see the image on the left), and click on it to see what happens.
