Walk The Walk: Clark’s Wave Cruise Walking Shoe

Not long ago my great bloggy friend, Amy Hatch of Chambanamoms.com contacted me to ask whether I would be willing to do a few reviews for a sponsor, PlanetShoes.com. The deal was this: they would choose the shoes and I would put them through their paces and write about it. Here’s the latest review in the series, and it’s a keeper.

About a month ago, my second little box from Planet Shoes arrived in the mail. To my surprise, it contained another pair of MaryJanes -- Clark’s Wave Cruise walking shoes. From the first, I loved these shoes.

The Clark’s Wave Cruise really is just my style. They have a great look. When I slipped them on they felt soft and bouncy. I noticed that their soles are slightly curved, just like your foot would be in mid-step, so the leather upper doesn’t get that crease after you’ve walked in them for a while. It's like they're made to move, not just sit on a shelf somewhere. The construction is mesh and leather, so I can wear them without socks even on hot summer days.

And trust me, I’ve walked miles in mine since I got them.

In fact, I like this shoe so much it became my go-to shoe for work. The first week I wore them to school, my fellow teachers remarked on how nice they looked and my students loved the cool pewter color (which, I have to say, was an easy match for *everything* in my wardrobe.) Even after a month of wear, these shoes look and feel terrific. They have retained that “new shoe bounce” that keeps my legs and feet energized, even on days when I feel like I’ve been running my legs off.

Without reservation, I highly recommend these shoes. They are super-comfortable and look terrific. If there is one down-side, it’s that they are a bit on the pricey side. But, for me, their style, comfort, and durability make them a ‘best buy’ for Moms.

Disclosure: I received the Clark’s Wave walking shoe for free from chambanamoms.com sponsor PlanetShoes.com, as part of a special promotion.

May in the Garden

This year has been quirky in our Midwest garden, that's for sure.

We planted early -- spinach, radishes, and sugar snap peas. But the weather got so warm so fast that our early crops bolted. Our spinach harvest was about half it's usual bounty and our radishes had leafy tops but woody roots. The peas are long and leggy -- already as tall as I am. The hubs has trellised them twice already, and they are still growing!

On the upside, the peas are now in bloom and the bees are hard at work and plentiful. Our strawberries are going gangbusters and our roses are more gorgeous than they've ever been.

Yesterday, I took a little time in the garden to pull out the last of the non-performing crops to get ready for peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant. Hopefully, summer in the garden will be more productive than Spring has been.

In the meantime, we're spending plenty of time enjoying our flowers.


This rose is 'Paradise' -- it makes me wish Midwest Moms had smell-o-vision. The fragrance is amazing!



On our arbor is a blend of 'Don Juan' and 'Joseph's Coat'. Both are taller than me now, with very little winter die-back this year. I think it won't be long until the arbor is completely covered.


A new addition to the wildflower garden this year is Lupine. It's flower stalks are striking. (I think it's my new favorite.)

And I found this little flower out in the garden, too! She sure is beautiful... but growing like a weed!

So tell me... how does your garden grow this year?

- Midwest Mom

Last Chance for MaryJanes: The Simplista by Earth Shoes

Not long ago my great bloggy friend, Amy Hatch of chambanamoms.com contacted me to ask whether I would be willing to do a few reviews for a sponsor, PlanetShoes.com. The deal was this: they would choose the shoes and I would put them through their paces and write about it. I agreed – as long as they weren’t Lady Gaga glow-in-the-dark platforms ...

The first shoe I received for review was a tasteful MaryJane, the Earth Shoes Simplista.


My first impression was positive. Everything that came from EarthShoes was designed to be re-usable with minimal packaging. The shoes came in little hemp bags with tags explaining the company’s use of environmentally-conscious alternative materials – from 70% recycled soles to water-based adhesive to reduce harmful chemical runoff. I thought, “Wow. A shoe company making an effort…” I was intrigued.

When I looked at the shoe itself, the styling was surprising. Earth Shoes’ design – with the heel slightly lower than the toe – engages more muscles in your leg as you walk, thereby burning more calories through everyday wear. At first, it was difficult to get used to the appearance of a higher toe than heel. Simplistas do have a chunky look, but when I tried them on the raised toe was less noticeable. The leather was soft and I liked the adjustable hook-and-loop closure on the strap. Better yet, the Simplistas were surprisingly supportive – especially in the arch. And unlike most of the shoes I own, they didn’t pinch my toes.

I decided to give them the preschool teacher workout. After singing and dancing my way through the morning, I found that my feet and legs felt great. Three hours after we returned home that first day, my daughter pointed out that I still had my pretty shoes on. I hadn’t even noticed. They are that comfortable. In the past month, these shoes have gotten their fair share of wear and are holding up great.

As for the calorie-burning claim, I won’t say ‘the pounds melt away like magic’ when I wear my EarthShoes Simplistas. But they do make my feet and legs feel great and would be a cute, fun addition to any Mom’s wardrobe.

Disclosure: I received the EarthShoes Simplista MaryJanes for free from chambanamoms.com sponsor PlanetShoes.com, as part of a special promotion.

Life and Death: The New Pet Saga

It has been a month of high drama in our corner of the prairie this past month. We've gone from the highest highs to the lowest lows... sometimes in a span of only 10 hours.

I'll begin at the beginning. With me. As the new year began, I had some sort of mental break wherein I convinced myself that this was the year to voluntarily bring another living being into our household. Not a baby. A part of the animal kingdom.

For the first month of the year the thought of a pet hovered there in the cloudy regions of my grey matter. Then it happened. The News-Gazette ran a picture of puppies needing adoption at the local humane society.

That's all it took.

I visited. And although all the puppies had been adopted, I found a beautiful little Corgi-Jack Russell mix at the Vermilion County Animal Shelter. She was mild and quiet. I talked to my husband, and we decided to bring her home. I went to the pet store to get a carrier and leash. And when I returned to pick up my little bundle, I was told she had been adopted only 10 minutes before.

I was crushed.

Tears falling (it was so embarrassing), I returned to the pet store to give back the items I'd bought. In the meantime, my husband got us dinner reservations and movie tickets for a surprise evening out as a family. It was a good distraction; I hadn't counted on feeling so sad at not bringing home our dog.

After a few days, I felt myself again. But the pet-talk continued with my husband, and we decided to discuss it with the kids. When we asked them whether they would like a puppy or a kitten, their answer shocked us.

Neither. They wanted fish.

So, for the past two weeks, we've been setting up our tank. We let the kids make the choices on gravel and plants and a tank background. They did the setup. We waited a few days and bought fish -- 2 glowfish and 4 guppies.

We carefully brought them home and transferred them to the tank. There were smiles aplenty. It was high times in the Kelly home.

Until morning, that is, when we found all 6 fish belly-up.

Then, there was wailing and gnashing of teeth. My first-grader, especially, was hard-hit by the loss of the fish. (In fact, he tearfully explained to his teachers that it was my husband's fault for not turning on the airstone.)

So, we started from scratch, washing everything carefully and re-conditioning our tank with the help of a book rather than the thin pamphlet that had arrived with our tank. And, we learned a few things. We allowed more time for the water to be ready. We chose hardier fish. We made sure not to let the kids bond with the fish at the store, making the first purchases ourselves. We talked to the kids about cycling the tank, being clear with them that the fish may not survive the chemical changes a new tank goes through.

Still, this morning, at the end of our first night with 3 Longfin Zebra Danios in the tank, the kids were up before their alarm clock. The first question out of their mouths? "Are they still alive?" Thankfully, we could answer, "Yes." And the stairwell rang with the thunder of children's feet as they ran downstairs to look.

We turned on the light and let the children watch the first feeding. It was a thrill to see the kids so fascinated. By the end of the morning, they had found a name for our smallest Danio -- Sam.

And so begins our journey into pet-ownership... Wish us luck.

(I think we'll need it.)

- Midwest Mom

Education in Trouble

I am seriously worried about our public education system in Illinois.

Here's the situation: The state of Illinois is behind in its payments to elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools to the tune of MILLIONS of dollars. In our city, school officials are coming to realize that they may never see that money.

So, there is a giant hole -- not of our making -- in our public school budget, and now officials have to scramble to 'adjust' the costs of education. That means, educators will be losing their jobs. Class sizes will increase. And, even as No Child Left Behind ramps up expectations for results in student testing [next year, 85% percent of students must meet or exceed standards in reading and math], we will be pulling the proverbial rug out from under the teachers we expect to deliver those results.

At this point, it doesn't really matter whose fault it is -- although most fingers point to politicians in Springfield. The sad reality is that small towns like ours are in serious trouble. Republicans and Democrats in our state government have failed our children.

They continue to fail them.

And teachers, students, parents, and school administrators are bearing the brunt of the consequences.

The lack of serious solutions makes me sick.

- Midwest Mom