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It is evident from my blog posts that I love shoes and I live by the philiosophy that a girl can never have enough shoes. However the Man on the Pad suggested that maybe, just maybe I did have enough shoes and I should be saving my pennies for the already growing Christmas lists from the children, so I stopped coveting the latest heels and heeded his suggestion. Unfortunately for the Christmas lists, not spending money on shoes for myself, didn't translate into not buying shoes for the girls.

I have found bargains and not so bargains but I have bought through cash back site Kidstart, so that my spending is not only keeping great shoes on their feet but saving money for their piggy banks too! Unfortunately when you get your child's feet measured, it usually means they have gone up a size and need new sizes in every style! I don't know many children that have only one pair of shoes but how many is too many?

 

This is for both girls, just in case you were wondering that I do indeed have some strange shoe addiction.

I think the answer is the fact that we need a new shoe storage cupboard for all the shoes and boots in our house, especially when I have just been introduced to a gorgeous website called Strawberry that has the most adorable range of shoes called  Catimini ......... amongst other things. 

Ooops maybe he had a point after all ........

 

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The very lovely Kate Takes 5 started a linky called Listography just after Christmas 2010 and this was back in the days before I was blogging regularly so I never had the pleasure of getting involved but I was delighted to find out that she had recently revived it because if there is one thing I love, it is a list. 

So the challenge is to create a list about the Top 5 things .... and this time is is "Life Lessons", so here we go, here are mine ..

1. Don't worry about things you can't change.

One of my other half's favourite sayings is that worrying won't change anything and he is right. He also says that worrying is like a rocking horse, it will give you something to do but won't get you anywhere. Again, he is right. So sometimes, when you are staring at the ceiling and unable to sleep, it can be easier to write down your worries and go to sleep. Being tired and worried is never going to help either!  There are lots of things that will always be beyond our control (and that is difficult for a control freak like me to admit) but there really is no point worrying about them if you can't change them.

2. Spend more time with your friends and family than with your work

I love my work but I love my family more. This may sound like an obvious observation but it is amazing how sometimes work can take over and that precious family time gets shorter and shorter as I "just have to check an email on the phone" or "just take a call". I am always reminded of my Nan saying "on your gravestone it will say "beloved daughter and mother" ...... it is not likely to say "great worker". 

3. Laughter fixes most things

I love laughing. I love laughing till I cry (or need the toilet) 

Laughter is the best medicine, it can make you feel better, it can diffuse the most tense of situations and it creates less lines on your face than frowning. Who would want to be grumpy?

4. Girls can be mean

I spent alot of my childhood trying to be something to pretty much every friend I ever made but in the end, you have to accept you simply haven't got the time or inclination to pacifiy everyone, especially those who don't deserve it. Girls can be mean and it takes a while to understand that you just need to find the strength inside yourself to make your choices about your real friends. It is empowering when you do.

5. People will remember you

My final lesson is given entirely to the legend that is Coco Chanel:

“Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.” 

What would your life lessons be?

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It is a new month and we have a new competition with our friends at JellyEgg. It is also no secret that we love shoes and whilst our usual choice of footwear is more about heels than hybrid, we are delighted to share this new range of creative footwear from Keen.

Keen

 is a fantastic footwear company and they are all about living a HybridLife, the mantra that they follow in their business.  Keen has a commitment to creating solutions in their product practices and design footwear that enables everyone to ‘play anywhere without a ceiling’. (We LOVE this philosophy)

 

We love that all of the footwear by Keen is designed with play in mind and each pair can be worn walking up mountains, around deserts or even city streets.  There are many choices of footwear available from Keen as they cater to men, women, children and babies which means that your entire family can be kitted out in suitable, fun and stylish footwear. 

The fabulous folk over at JellyEgg are giving you the opportunity to win a pair of Keen shoes from their extensive range. So it could be anything from a pair of toddler shoes at £29.99 or an adults pair at £114.99. If you win, the choice is yours!

They would make a perfect Christmas present, wouldn't they?

What are you waiting for? All you need to do is enter below :

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

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We know it is not quite the 5th of November but this weekend will see lots of bonfires and firework displays and whilst it is an exciting time for children, it is always useful to have a reminder about safety too.

So we are pleased to share this infographic from the Army Cadets which is a good reminder (and looks great too).