Stuff Parents Need - Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

How Do I Get Followers on Pinterest?

April 11, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 36 Comments

Are you on Pinterest? The odds are good that you are! Pinterest surpasses Facebook and Twitter and Google searches for ways that people find my site. I know Pinterest has helped me to find tons of great blogs. And tons of great ideas. If you are on Pinterest, I hope you will leave a link to your Pinterest URL in the comments so I can be sure to follow you. And I hope you will follow me!

Part of the fun of Pinterest is following people who pin awesome stuff. Perhaps you pin awesome stuff, yourself, but you are left wondering how to get more people to follow you. I know bloggers are always asking the question, “How do I get followers on Pinterest?”

Today I’d like to show you one of the ways I’m having success getting QUALITY followers, and a way that I’m finding quality people to follow back.

For the past two weeks I have been using PinWoot.com, and I have seen a steady climb in my Pinterest followers! PinWoot is an online resource that brings together pinners who wish to increase their followings. For that reason alone, I believe the overall pool of folks on PinWoot is high quality. There are all individuals and bloggers who want to attract more followers, and that means that they take Pinterest seriously.

PinWoot.com is absolutely free to us. When you sign up, you are given a certain number of “seeds.” Those seeds are what you offer to others in exchange for following you on Pinterest (following for seeds takes place right on the PinWoot website, which makes it extremely easy). You can decide if you want to offer potential followers anywhere from 1-5 seeds for following you. I am currently offering 3 seeds and seeing steady traffic, though I have also experimented with offering as few as 2 and as many as 4.

When I find myself low on seeds, I just go earn some more by following others on the site. You can click on the pinners’ links to check out their Pinterest pages before agreeing to follow them, or you can just make a decision based on the types of things that they list as interests in PinWoot.

Using PinWoot.com takes me no more than 3 minutes every day, and as a result I have gained some terrific new followers and found some terrific new accounts to follow. Everybody wins!

Please sign up for PinWoot if you are looking for ways to get more followers on Pinterest. I think you will be really pleased with the quantity AND quality you get from PinWoot! And don’t forget to leave your Pinterest url in the comments so I can follow you!

If you sign up for PinWoot using my affiliate links above, I get extra seeds. No money. Just extra juice to earn more followers. PinWoot.com did not sponsor this post.

Celebrate the Best of Procter & Gamble (Big Giveaway!!!)

April 10, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 256 Comments

When it comes to beauty, grooming and household care products, I get REALLY easily overwhelmed. The shelves at my local stores are always packed with different options in all these categories, and it can be tough to know which products will really work well for you for the money you will spend on them.

Procter & Gamble, which is the parent company over MANY different brands on the market, recently shared with me a box of some of their most loved products. And when I say “most-loved” I’m not saying that just P&G loves them! These products have won in total hundreds of awards and recognitions from leading magazines over the years. They are stand outs in their fields, and today I’d like to show them to you. Here they are!

Here’s the breakdown of awesome:

Bounty Basic Paper Towels
Cascade ActionPacks
Charmin Freshmates
CoverGirl LashBlast Volume Mascara
CoverGirl Outlast Double Lipshine
CoverGirl Perfect Point Pencil Eyeliner
Dawn Hand Renewal with Olay Beauty
Febreze Car Vent Clips
Gillette Fusion ProGlide Irritation Defense Shave Gel
Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power
Gillette Hydrator Body Wash
Olay Total Effects Body Wash
Pantene Classic Care Solutions 2-in-1
Pantene Hairspray Flexible HOld
Swiffer Dusters 360
Tide PODS
Tide To Go
Venus Olay Razor

There are quite a few items in this package that I haven’t yet tried. I’m especially looking forward to trying out the Dawn and the CoverGirl Lipshine. I’m already a big fan of the Tide To Go and the Gillette Fusion products. What about you? See anything on this list that you already own? See anything you’d like to own?

Be sure to join the Twitter Party happening on April 18 at 9pm EST for your chance to win some of these fantastic P&G products. Simply follow the hastag #PGmostloved. You can follow along more easily through this custom tweetgrid: http://bit.ly/XXeAIX. Be sure to follow @PGeveryday on Twitter, as well.

That’s one chance for you to win these great products. Here’s another!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win all of the products featured above. Woo hoo!

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received complimentary products through SheSpeaks.com in exchange for sharing this information with you. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Replacing an Air Filter: How To and My Replacement Choice

April 10, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 6 Comments

So this week I decided to get educated about a car maintenance issue and work on replacing an air filter in my car. It was the PERFECT way to dip my toes into auto matinenance because it was ridiculously easy. No, seriously. It was!

What prompted me to do this? My allergies. I live in one of the top 12 WORST cities in the nation for allergies, and I am definitely feeling that right about now. The inside of my house is not too bad thanks to the air purifiers we have, but I also spend a fair chunk of my day in my car. The air in my car is just as pollen-filled as the outside air. But FRAM, a company that makes air filters, has just released the FRAM Fresh Breeze cabin air filters, made with Arm & Hammer Baking Soda that are specifically designed to help keep pollen particles, as well as road dust, out of the air you are breathing while inside the vehicle. And all this for right around $17. Heck yes!!!!

But I had a second motivation for replacing an air filter, as well. As a mother to two girls, I think I am especially sensitive to instances where I see stereotypical gender roles being enforced or played out. After having a great conversation with my daughter about what boys can’t do (grow babies in their bodies) and what girls can’t do (NOTHING!), I was feeling pretty darn smug. My daughters are going to be SO independent!!!

And then I realized something: while I’m being a good role model to them in theory, I am making some BIG mistakes in practice. There are certain chores or problems that I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS leave for Tim to fix. Now, I’m mature enough in my views of how to run a household that I know a division of labor is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it is just more efficient to know that you are in charge of x and someone else is in charge of y. But some of these tasks that I never do aren’t because I’m just trying to be efficient. It is because I don’t know how to do them, and I assume that Tim, as a guy, does. Car maintenance is one of those chores.

SO LAME OF ME!!!!

I recently spent some time hanging out in an aisle I don’t think I’ve ever visited before in Walmart, and I found the exact air filter I needed to help me breathe a little easier. If you’d like to see my full shopping experience, check out my Google + album.

Once we got it home, Tim and I installed the air filter together. And now I’m going to show you how we did it! Please keep in mind that every car is somewhat different. We have a Toyota Corolla, and here’s how it works on our car:

1. Remove the glove compartment. I didn’t even know this could be done! But all it takes is unscrewing a few screws. So simple.

2. Remove the old air filter. All you have to do is pull it out. You will see it just sitting there. Think of removing it as similar to taking food out of the oven. Just slide it out!

3. Get grossed out by how nasty your old air filter looks.

4. Get even more grossed out when you take a closer look.

5. Insert your new FRAM Fresh Breeze air filter. Again, it is just like putting a pizza in an oven. Super simple.

6. Put the glove compartment back in. All done!

Taking just a few minutes to change out our air filter is already making a difference. Everyone in my family seems to have allergy problems (even poor little Layah!) so I’m relieved to have fresher air in the car while we travel in it.

My plan is to replace it once a year. It should be replaced every 15,000 miles, and that isn’t quite how many miles we usually put on the car in a year (we live close to where we work and go to school!). But I’ll just go ahead and replace the air filter every spring now, as soon as I start to feel the effects of all that pollen in the air. That will be all the reminder I’ll need to take action! And hopefully the air filter won’t look as nasty as the one I just replaced. We’ve had our current car for almost 3 years now, and we’ve never replaced the filter. And who knows how long ago the previous owners replaced it, if ever! GROSS!!!

Right now FRAM is offering a $3 mail-in rebate off the purchase of a Fresh Breeze air filter! I’ll certainly be filling it out! Don’t forget to print your form, too. And be sure to follow FRAM on Facebook to keep up with other great offers they have to help keep your car in great shape.

Confession time: Do you know how to change your air filter? Did you even know you had an air filter? How long has it been since yours was changed???

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and FRAM #cbias #SocialFabric. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

One Seriously Fun Place to Shop Online: 10DollarMall.com (Giveaway!)

April 10, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

Since I work from home and am rarely in a situation where I need to look super polished and trendy, my clothes and accessory shopping habits are much different from when I had a 9-5 job. While I still like to look cute, I buy roughly 80% of my clothes at my favorite thrift store. And because I have 2 small kids, trips to the mall are not only difficult to coordinate, they are also not much fun, so I rarely go. The up side to this season of life is that I am saving quite a bit of money!

But isn’t the internet amazing? I can shop online for cute and trendy clothes that my wardrobe might need to lok more updated, and I can do it at 4am when I first wake up and have a bit of quiet time to myself. LOVE THAT!!! I do love to shop online, and I’m always looking for places that have killer deals and reasonable shipping costs. I think many of you are always on the lookout for the same thing.

That’s why I’m so excited to share a great find I’ve made for clothes: 10dollarmall.com. This place has a ridiculously huge selection of trendy clothes and accessories for men and women, and even some things for kids, and NOTHING is more than $10! Many things cost less! I also appreciate that the shipping is very fairly priced. If you spend $50 or more, then shipping is simply 10% of the subtotal.

I recently had the opportunity to spend $75 total on the site, which means that I found $just under $70 worth of stuff, and used the rest of the money for shipping. I was shaking my head in disbelief at how many awesome things I put in my cart. And honestly, after I submitted my order, I said to myself, “Yeah right. I’ll believe that I actually got that much stuff for $75 when it shows up on my doorstep. Not holding my breath.”

But it really DID show up, and it is SO much fun! Here are some of the highlights:

Totally adorable shirt that is perfect for spring! I’ve also got on some cute dangly earrings that match!

girls' hair accessories from 10dollarmall.com

TONS of clips and hair ties for my girls!

An unbelievable amount of jewelry!!!

In addition to the items pictured above, I also got some really cute crocheted gloves that I’ll use next fall, and I got an athletic cut shirt for my husband that looks fantastic on him. It is a really cool deep teal color. Love it! He loves it, too, because it is super soft.

What else can I say, folks? 10dollarmall.com is an AMAZING resource for fun jewelry, dresses, shoes, and all sorts of other stuff. Yes, of course, there are some things that are probably not going to be your style. But it is worth spending a little extra time on the site weeding through all the options, because you WILL strike gold if you keep digging! And you can sort by size to help you hunt faster, too!

If you are on the hunt for online clothes bargains, and especially for some trendy stuff to bring your wardrobe up to date, please check out 10dollarmall.com. And want to know something REALLY awesome? If you refer your friends to get signed up and they spend at least $10 on the site, you get a $10 credit back to the shop. There’s NO limit on how many credits you can earn! So spread the word and earn some spending money!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a $50 certificate to 10dollarmall.com!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I received a complimentary gift card for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

Dining with Kids: Piccadilly Cafeteria Experience

April 8, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 7 Comments

Recently, I had an interesting conversation with a single man in his early twenties who recently moved to Chattanooga. He was looking for restaurant suggestions. I quickly let him know that once you start dining with kids, the things you look for in a restaurant are radically different from what you are seeking before. Pre-kids, I wanted a quiet place to eat with a beautiful atmosphere, and a decadent and inspired cuisine.

Now that I’m dining with kids, here’s what matters to me when choosing a place to eat:

1. Will other families likely be there?

2. Do you have a kids’ menu that my kid will actually try?

3. Is it affordable?

4. I will be taking my kid at least twice to the bathroom. Are they clean?

5. Do you have spill-proof cups for kids? Because a drink WILL be knocked over during the meal.

6. Can we get in an out FAST in the event of a baby meltdown?

I was recently contacted by Piccadilly Cafeteria, a restaurant chain largely based in the Southeastern U.S. that has a cafeteria-style approach. You go through a line to order your food, pay before you are seated, and then head out to the dining room with all of your food to enjoy your meal. I have never in my entire life eaten at a Piccadilly Cafeteria, so I thought it would be fun to give it a try and see if it can be a fun place to go out to eat with kids.

My entire family went out to eat together, and we brought along a mom friend of mine and her daughter, who happens to be BFFs with my daughter. As we were trying to find the restaurant (which was inside the mall in our city), my friend Stephanie observed that her directions information (I think perhaps on Google Maps?) noted that this restaurant was NOT kid friendly. I was very surprised to see that listed, especially since Piccadilly is currently promoting a fantastic special, which is that after 4pm kids’ meals are only $.99! And let me just say that the kids’ meals are very generous, including a meat, two sides a drink AND a dessert. Yes, for under a buck! Seems pretty kid-friendly to me!

The first thing I noticed, even before we got inside the restaurant, was a meal deal that was being promoted: chicken fingers or spicy cajun chicken plus 2 sides and a bread for only $4.99.

So let’s do the math really fast: if 2 adults purchased the chicken meal deal, and 2 kids got the $.99 kids’ meals, and everyone drank water, then a family of 4 could go out to eat at Piccadilly Cafeteria for just $12 plus tax and tip.

THAT IS AWESOME, PEOPLE!!!!

Now, I will say this: I have mixed feelings about bringing kids through this cafeteria line. It is very stressful, especially if you have never come to the restaruant before, to keep the line moving quickly and to understand exactly what you are supposed to be choosing for your meal. Tim and I actually both messed up and got one more side than we were supposed to, which made the overall cost of the meal creep up a bit.

But on the other hand, doesn’t this just look like a dream if you are a kid?

I will also say that I noticed the staff was particularly accommodating to us since we had children. The servers were very patient and very sweet to the kids, and extra staff was on hand to help us get our trays over to our tables. We were also rung up very quickly once we reached the end of the line. Three adults and two children ate a FEAST at Piccadilly for $31. We had those 2 extra sides, 2 extra desserts and a few drink orders in the mix. Check out what that money got us!

Yeah…just $31! We even had some leftovers that made it back home with us. And here’s a closer shot of the kids’ meal:

Her meal also included a pudding, which I forgot to include in the picture (had to keep it away from her at the start so she’d eat her dinner!). And yes, she is eating her mashed potatoes with her fingers. Gotta pick your battles, people.

My overall assessment of dining with kids at Piccadilly Cafeteria is this: it is a very kid-friendly place. They have very generous kids’ meals and they do offer some healthier choices than the chicken fingers, though I wouldn’t call their options “healthy” exactly. Their staff is very accommodating and helpful and the price was most definitely right for any family on a budget. Eating out at Piccadilly Cafeteria was fun and affordable. I’d love to see some coloring sheets and crayons made available for the kids, but other than that, I think it was pretty much perfect!

Have you ever eaten at Piccadilly Cafeteria? Would you consider it to be a kid-friendly restaurant? Do you know of any other places where you can get a meal like this for the price?

I received a gift certificate to put toward my meal expenses at Piccadilly Cafeteria in exchange for sharing my honest opinions, which I have provided.

The Time I Saw a Classmate Being Bullied and Did NOTHING

April 8, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 38 Comments

This article is sponsored by takepart.com. The story and opinions shared here are strictly my own.

The story I’m about to share is hardly the worst case of bullying anyone has ever heard. But what happened to my sixth grade classmate that day in 1991 most definitely WAS bullying.

I wasn’t the bully. But I was definitely the coward.

I honestly don’t even remember the boy’s name who was being bullied. I’m sure that’s an intentional move by my subconscious to try to erase what happened from my mind. But thankfully, I still remember it. It is shameful to me, but also a reminder that has really stuck with me, and caused me to speak up when I see people treated with a lack of respect and kindness.

The boy in my class was from a poor family. He wore the same 3 shirts and the same pair of jeans, sometimes multiple days in a row. He often looked like he hadn’t had a bath in a few days. For those reasons, he was an easy target for bullies. Some of the boys in the class would frequently loudly exclaim that it wasn’t fair to have to sit near him because he smelled so bad. And on the day I was a total coward, someone had made fun of him, to his face, and in front of the entire class while the teacher was outside of the room, for being so poor. He response was this, “My family may be poor in money but we are rich in love.” Most of the kids laughed. I remember feeling really bad when I heard him say that. Like something inside of me said, “This is so wrong.” And then, very quietly, I started to laugh with the other kids so that I would fit in.

My parents raised me better than that. But I buckled under the pressure and did what I absolutely knew was wrong.

And I still regret that decision. But I know that I can take that regret and turn it into something much more positive. I am proud to say that I made much better decisions when faced with people being unkind to others in middle school and high school. Not saying I was perfect, but definitely much improved. I suppose flying in the face of what is truly right can mark you for life that way. I’m so glad I learned my lesson. And I’m so sad that it came at that boy’s expense.

photo credit: las – initially via photopin cc

I want my daughters to understand in the cores of their being the way that people should be treated: with love. And I don’t want them to have a story like mine as their “lesson learned.” It all starts with me, their parent, teaching them how to treat others, and being a role model for how to treat others. It also includes me teaching empathy and understanding, which are critical life skills and ones that will not only serve my daughters well, but will also be of value to the people with whom they interact throughout their lives.

So what can you do to help stop this epidemic of bullying that is ravaging our world? My greatest hope is that you will be the change you wish to see first and foremost. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Value respect in your own home, and teach your kids to be respectful of others.

But you can also make a difference in the next 2 minutes by signing the Take Part Pledge. By signing it, you are standing up for what is right and letting your voice be heard as one who is committed to making a positive change in our schools, and in our communities. Please take a moment to sign the petition below. And after you sign it, PLEASE take a few minutes to talk with your children about what you just did, and why it matters. That conversation could be transformative in their lives. I just had a talk with my daughter, and it pretty much blew me away. Even at 3 1/2, she is tuned in to when others feel left out, and I pray that she feels a conviction to show love and offer true friendship to those individuals. Sign now and then talk to your kids, please. You may be amazed by what they have to say.

[embedit snippet=”takepart”]

Let the Journey Begin: Reynolds Real Moms!!!

April 8, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 9 Comments

I wanted to take a moment to send out a huge and very heartfelt thanks to all of you who read this blog. I know many of you took the time to vote for me for the Reynolds Real Moms contest, and your support really meant the world.

It also really made a difference, because here’s what just got posted on the Reynolds Facebook page this afternoon!

What an honor it is to be part of this campaign. And it is all thanks to you!!! We are going to have so much fun learning great new tips and tricks this year. I can’t wait!!!

Here are the other winners. Definitely take a moment to follow their blogs, as they are not-to-miss!

Utokia from She’s Got Flavor

Karen from 365 Days of Slow Cooking

Emily from Clever Housewife

Whitney and Ahsley from Shanty 2 Chic

Let the journey begin!

White Cloud Introduces the GreenEarth Line (Sweepstakes Announcement!)

April 7, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

This post brought to you by White Cloud. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm a big fan of going green, especially when making the switch to something more eco-friendly doesn't present a hardship to my budget.

That's why I'm absolutely thrilled to hear that White Cloud, a paper products company sold exclusively at Walmart, has just launched the GreenEarth line. All the GreenEarth products are made with 100% recycled fibers and have been ceritified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Be sure to check out the White Cloud GreenEarth products page for all the details on this new line.

I'll be headed to Walmart tomorrow, actually, and I have these products at the top of my list (I need to buy new toilet paper since 2 weeks ago I accidentally purchased single ply stuff…it has been NO fun trying to use that stuff up!). White Cloud is a brand I already know to be affordable and to also be quality, and now they can add eco-friendly to the mix. That's the perfect trifecta for me! Click here to Find a Store Near You!

Since April is the perfect time of year to think about how your family can go green, I thought I'd share with you a few ways we reduce, reuse and recyle around here, all without overly burdening ourselves or our pocketbooks.

1. Switch to recycled and recyclable disposable products. We use mostly cloth diapers, but I'm not interested in giving up my toilet paper, personally. But I can make the switch over to more environmentally responsible choices with ease thanks to White Cloud's GreenEarth line.

2. Recycle your food containers. We go through a LOT of cardboard boxes, aluminum cans and plastic containers, all of which held food we purchased. Almost all of them are recyclable. Get a large plastic tub to hold your recyclables while you wait for the next curbside pickup or while you wait until you next head over to the recycling center. Committing to doing this only takes a few extra minutes every few days. We've been doing this in earnest for the last 6 years, and while it requires dedicating some additional space in your home or in your garage to garbage collection, it has substantially reduced the amount of trash we are putting in landfills.

3. Talk about the changes you are making with your kids. You are already setting a great example by your actions, but make sure your kids really understand the impact of your decisions by explaining it to them. This will also help them get more excited about what you are committing to as a family. Our oldest goes out with dad to transfer our recylables to our larger bin outside, and she LOVES to watch the recycling truck pick up our items every other week. It is so important for the next generation to have environmental stewardship engrained in them at a young age, as that increases the likelihood that they will continue (and hopefully improve upon) the practices as an adult.

In addition to sharing about the ways my family is going green, I also wanted to share something I know you love: a great sweepstakes! Check out the White Cloud “Living the Green” Pinterest board and then follow the White Cloud Pinterest page. Then you just need to create yhour own "Living the Green" Pinterest board and repin at least one pin from the White Cloud "Living the Green" board back onto your board. Be sure to use the hashtag #Livingthegreen in your pin's caption so that White Cloud can find you! Finally, you'll visit mywhitecloud.com/promotions and complte the sweepstakes entry form. Click here for Sweepstakes Rules and Regulations. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Ends 4/30/13. Click here for Official Rules.

There are a lot of fantastic prizes up for grabs, and I want Stuff Parents Need readers to win them! Good luck, everyone!

The Very Best Shoes for Early Walkers: pediped (Giveaway!!!)

April 7, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 118 Comments

Paying a premium price just to have a name brand is totally not my style. And paying for quality isn’t even always my style, especially if we are talking about something that is trendy or that will be worn out very quickly.

But when it comes to shoes for my kids, that is an exception. The name brand still isn’t important, per se, but the QUALITY of the shoe is absolutely critical. Little feet are growing feet, and they need really good support. This is especially true for the early walking stages.

And that’s why my little girls exclusively wear pediped shoes as their first shoes.

You can see Darah’s first pair of toddler shoes on this post.

And you can see the shoes that Darah wore and wore and wore and wore all this year at school here (they were perfect since they had velcro…she could take them on and off herself!).

And now I’d like to show you Layah’s first pair of shoes:

Our little walker is CONSTANTLY pulling off her socks and we don’t even dare to try shoes. But on Easter morning, I put these on her feet and she happily kept them on for 3 full hours before even attempting to take them off. That is a dream come true, I tell ya!

I used the fantastic baby shoe size guide for pediped to select the shoes. I’m so glad I used it, because my assumption would have been to get the size M (12-18 month) shoes for her since she’s almost 11 months old. But it turns out, the size S (6-12 month) shoes would fit her with some room to grow!

Layah is modeling the Daphne shoe from the Originals line. If you aren’t familiar with this line, here’s some additional information about what makes it such an excellent choice for standing and walking babies:

“Perfect for beginning walkers, all pediped® Originals feature leather soles for ultimate flexibility and lasting quality. Our updated Originals® soles feature a diamond leather tread that is more slip resistant yet still crafted completely of high-quality, non-toxic leather that allows little toes to move, grip, and feel the floor.”

I have been singing the praises of pediped shoes for a few years now, and I continue to believe without a doubt that they are worth much more than their cost (the Daphne shoes are $37, but there are other models in the line that are less expensive). They are the best foundation for little walkers! They also happen to be having a spring pediped sale right now! Go check it out!

And if you have ever thought yourself, “I wish I could have some shoes as thoughtfully and beautifully made as these!” then yo uare in luck! Check out Brian James Footwear, the new women’s footwear line from the founder of pediped. Woo hoo!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the sponsor’s choice of shoe model in the Originals line, and you get to choose if you want a boy or girl style!

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received a complimentary pair of shoes for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.