Winter Boots

Zuzu's school has some serious rules. Like only grown ups can open the front door. Your Native American Naming Necklace stays at school in your drawer. If you have to go inside to go to the bathroom, you need to get a Bathroom Necklace from the teacher. And in the winter, you have to have proper apparel to go outside in the cold and the snow--including a pair of snow boots that stay at school AND that she can put on by herself.

I got Zu a pair of snow boots last year that I think she wore once. Maybe twice. So there's no way I was spending much money on snow boots.

Today I left work a little early to hit a few of consignment shops on the hunt for girls snow boots. We all know that resale shops can be totally hit or miss, so I figured I'd have to check out a few of them to find what I was looking for. Since I have no time to shop alone, I really needed to make this couple of hours count between leaving work and picking up the girls. I was on a mission.

Zu currently wears a size 8 shoe, but if I were going to buy her a new pair, I'd buy 9s, so I decided to look for size 9 boots since she could be wearing them into March, depending on how crazy the winter gets.

I started out at a resale shop near my work, which had a pair of boots in size 9 that I didn't really like (they were white), and the boots had toggles that I didn't think she could operate on her own.

The shop also had an adorable Christmas outfit marked down because it had a small spot on the front (which I rationalized by saying that this way I wouldn't be upset when Zuzu stained it, but it actually came right out with oxyclean) and a size 4 Matilda Jane sundress at a bargain price. (I know, I was looking for boots, but I'm helpless to resist MJ dresses...)

After those unplanned purchases, I swore off buying anything other than boots and drove to another consignment shop closer to Zuzu's school that had no boots in her size and was totally weak in the 3T and 4T department, so I left empty-handed.

I hit consignment shop number three, struck out in the boot department, but did purchase a Hanna Andersson night gown. Zuzu has been sleeping in this sleeveless night shirt from Wal-Mart that's two sizes too big for her. She loves it because it goes down past her knees and therefore is "like a princess dress." I knew that this nightgown would be a total score, and well worth the $6.99 I paid for it. (Side note: I don't usually buy pajamas second hand... I'm not sure why it just feels different to me. But Hanna Andersson nightgowns are like $50 because they are well-made and cute and last forever, and that's outside my kids pajamas budget, so this seemed like the time to bend my own unwritten rule).

I was feeling pretty happy about my purchases, but also bummed and frustrated about the boot situation. Even at Target they are $30 or $35, Ebay wasn't much of a deal because they are bulky and heavy and therefore shipping is expensive, and I had arbitrarily decided I didn't want to pay more than $20.

I figured I'd have to call it day and go pick up Zuzu. Then I remembered there was one other shop on my way to her school that sold monogram stuff in the front and resale clothes in the back. I stopped in, and lo and behold, they had pink Lands End snow boots in a size 8 and a size 9. And all their stuff was an extra 20% off.

But then I couldn't pull the trigger on the size 9 boots because they looked HUGE. So I wondered if I should get the 8s. But how mad would I be if a month from now they were too small? I decided Zu would have to try them on, so I picked her up, circled BACK to the shop, and had her put a boot on each foot.

I asked her if they were too tight or just right. She said that both were just right. So I had her put on the size 9s and walk in them. I asked her if they flopped like a flip flop or fit just like a shoe. She said like a shoe. I couldn't feel her toes through the thick boot, but she was able to get them on and off herself, and walked in them without falling down. I called my mom so that she could reassure me that all snow boots look enormous and they would be fine. They were 20% off $15, so for a pair of snow boots that will live at school and maybe get worn a handful of times this winter, I was pleased with my purchase.

These boots are made for stompin'.

Tonight I wrote her name on the black soles with a white paint pen and stuck laundry name labels inside her coats. It's a simple chore that always makes me feel like such a mom, and always gives me a heart-pang because I will never stop wishing that I were labeling stuff with Eliza's name.

So my quest for winter boots ended up bringing home a Christmas outfit, a sundress, a night gown, and a pair of boots. Not too bad for a whirlwind tour of consignment shops on a Thursday afternoon!