Mommy Shoes

I'll be the very first person to tell you that I am not in very good shape. In spite of trying to do 20 minutes of pilates five days a week and walking to and from school every school day, I'm still not where I would like to be. Last week, there was another day when Peter was running late and we had to run to school, and my ankle hurt for the next four days. Somewhere in that time it occurred to me that my shoes might be contributing to the pain.

In the past, I have tended to wear cheap shoes. When money has been tight, and the kids have been growing out of their shoes every six months, I don't want to spend a lot of money on myself, and so I go to Payless and pick up a cheap pair of shoes... which end up falling apart in six months. Last winter I wore my hiking boots - my one pair of expensive shoes - almost every day because they were sturdy enough not to fall apart, and they helped keep my feet warm when I was trudging through snow on the way to and from school. But they are heavy! I felt like I was wearing weights on my feet every day.

So about a week ago, I decided I was going to spend a bit more and get a really good pair of shoes. I did a bit of research first, trying to figure out what kind of shoes I wanted to look for. I learned that there are a lot of different classes of athletic shoes out there.

• Sneakers are soft shoes with a rubber sole that are made for casual wear. They can be worn for sports, but they are primarily worn for comfort.
• Tennis shoes are similar to sneakers. They are light, with soft soles and are primarily designed for playing tennis in. 
• Walking shoes are medium weight shoes designed for walking. They are more flexible and have greater stability than running shoes.
• Running shoes are light shoes designed for running. They are reinforced for forward motion, but not so much on the sides. They have more cushioning than walking shoes, and tend to have thicker soles than walking shoes as well.
• Trainers or cross trainers are heavier weight shoes that are designed for a variety of sports. They have more reinforcement for side-to-side motion than running shoes. 

So here is my problem: I want a good all-purpose shoe! So many web sites say that you need to have the right shoes for the right activities. As a mom, I need shoes that can do it all!

• Shoes have to fit well. I have wide feet, and so my shoes have to be wide enough to fit, and still short enough that my feet don't slide forward and back in them.
• They need to stay fastened. I don't want to be constantly retying my shoes.
• Shoes have to be comfortable! I need to be able to wear them from 6:30am until 9:00pm and not be dying to get them off at the end of the day. 
• They need to be light weight and have some flexibility to them, but sturdy enough to offer good support and not fall apart in just a few months of daily wear.
• They have to be versatile for a variety of activities. I need to be able to walk, run, dance, play tennis, volley ball, frisbee, hide-and-seek and tag in them. I need to be able to drive, play piano, crawl and stand around in them. 
• They have to have some style to them. I don't wear clothes that are neon yellow or florescent pink, and I don't want shoes in those colors either. I'd prefer a solid color; a black, brown or navy blue that would hide the dirt would be good. Most of all, I just don't want people to see me and think, Here come MaeLyn's shoes!

Anyway, I ended up buying a pair of Sketchers (Flex appeal with memory foam). These trainers fit my feet and are really comfortable, fairly light weight and flexible. I found a pair that was almost solid black so I like the color. So far I'm happy with them. I guess we'll see how long they last.