Back to School Shoe Shopping

I loathe shoe shopping.  For me and for my girls.  We all have sensitive feet and nothing really ever feels good.  When I'm buying shoes for Sidney and Ava, I always know that it could be a big waste of money because after a week Ava will complain that the shoes no longer feel good and Sidney will have huge blisters on her ankles and heels.

We are now facing another hurdle.  Ava's new school has very strict rules about shoes.  The two that are going to be tough are: 
    1) Ava must wear socks and 
    2) the shoes have to be color-less (i.e.; only solid white, black, gray or brown)
First, Ava hates socks.  She honestly hasn't worn socks in over 3 years except for a couple of times this past winter when she went out to play in the snow.  Second, finding a color-less shoe limits our options considerably.

Knowing that Ava will need a lot of time to get used to these socks and shoes, I started the search at the beginning of summer.  There is one brand of shoe, Tsukihoshi, that Ava loves.  

If you have a kid that doesn't like tight shoes, I highly recommend Tsukihoshi,.  This particular style (with the large Velcro strap) especially.  I found a couple of pairs that should work for school (Ava chose the gray pair). Keep your fingers crossed for me...today is Ava's first day of school!!

Also, I recently discovered Brooks tennis shoes for myself.

These shoes fit like a glove.  I could sleep in them and be comfortable.  I loved them so much that I bought two pairs.  Check them out if you have bad feet like me.

And if you have any other good shoe recommendations (kids or adults), please share!