I LOVES me some Vibram Five Finger toe shoes!!!!



Photo credit: Dylan



 Last week I inherited a pair of black and very pink Vibram Five Finger (Vffs) shoes from my mom who found them to be too WeirD.  I had resisted the allure of these wacky hobbit-foot lookin' things since first seeing them on the trails about 2 years ago.  Just another b.s., gear-head, gotta have the latest marketing ploy, I figured.  Although I did often sidestep my shyness to ask folks on the trail what they thought of them.  Most of what they had to say was very positive:  VERY comfortable(SO hard to believe by looking at them!), stabilizing, less wear and tear on the feet and knees.  OK....people are really digging them.  But about that high price for such little "shoe"?  What about all those fancy hardcore running shoes made to pad and protect those arches and knees? 



A lot of my questions have been answered through my own research, as well as some of my savvy and satisfied runner clients who wear the VFFs.  The most basic jist is that our bare feet had evolved over time to efficiently handle intense bipedal propulsion...so why the superfluous and expensive need to pamper and coddle our feet in a most un-natural way?  How to protect our arches?  USE YOUR ARCHES!!!  That's what they're there for!  Hmmmmm.....Who's creating the b.s., gear-head, gotta have the latest marketing ploys?!?!?!

If you Google the pros and cons of VFFs, you'll find a lot a great information about the shoes as well as the "barefoot movement".  I found tons of positives about wearing VFFs- from people who just wear them around the house to weight lifters to marathon runners.  Here's an informative and interesting article



My own take?  They're AMAZING!!!  The first day I slipped them on right at the post office.  I was blown away by how comfortable they were!  I felt selfconciously barefoot and duck-like walking through the parking lot-my own perception, I'm sure.  The drive home hearkened back the days of summer driving without shoes as a teen.  Once home I embarked on a 5 mile trail run with my new pink terrestrial locomotors.  I immediately fell in love with the freedom of being near barefoot and feeling the rocks, roots and uneven terrain under my feet.  I was hyper aware of my toes..nice and splayed out...working harder to grip the earth.  By the end of the run, I had no soreness in my feet or that puffed out feeling I get in my knees.  So far, so good.  The next day?  Not so much.  My calves-specifically the soleus and flexors-were SCREAMIN'!  But, apparently this is a GOOD thing.  All those muscles that have been coddled for so long in my running shoes-you know, the ones that nature has evolved so beautifully over millennia- have totally weakened!  On a side note, it wasn't until yesterday that I found the tiny card in the shoe box warning people to slowly break in the shoe.  They recommend wearing them for only a couple hours a day for the first TWO weeks!   OOOPS!!! 



Since then I've run 2 more 5 milers, hiked an 11 miler with the fam, weight lifted, and did the Elliptical.  So far, despite the sore calves, I'm very happy with how well my "trouble spots" are adapting and strengthening in the VFFs.  And again, I just love feeling so free, back-to-the-earth, and relatively unencumbered in these fekkin' things!  The only cons so far are that if you are graceless like ME, you have to be extra careful not to stub your toes or scuff your feet-pulling toes underneath-because you WILL feel that!!!!!  Also, if you don't like attracting attention-especially when you are concentrating on a hard run-you may not want a pair of these!  I've been asked about the shoes on EVERY outing so far-multiple times!  While researching pros and cons of the VFFs, one of the few but BIGGEST cons was unwanted attention!

I'll report back in a few weeks as I continue to adapt to these shoes.  Oh......and I didn't even consider WINTER.  Hmmmmmmm.........

No, SERIOUSLY!!!!











Review: Georgian Wood Toys

WHY IS MY NEW HEADER BLURRY?!?!?!? ANYONE?

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After deciding to start Lo a collection of wood figures, I was torn between those that I found made by Buntspechte and those made by Georgian Wood Toys. I like these manufacturers better then Ostheimer and Holztiger mainly for the reasons stated in my Buntspechte post -they are less "boxy" or "squared" and have more endearing expressions. The wood figures that I make myself are made in the same vain as Ostheimer-mainly for lack of better woodworking tools- so I no longer see a need to purchase any from them.

Georgian Wood Toys are made by a group of people connected with the Waldorf School movement in the Republic of Georgia on the Black Sea and are distributed in North America by a small bookstore in Seattle. The Georgian figures that were designed before 2008 are quite colorful, expressive and are much more rounded then the Ostheimer ilk. While I prefer those aspects in wood figures, once I saw the animals that were designed after 2008, I lost interest in most of the older Georgian figures(despite their greatness)! These unique, simple, new figures are even more rounded than their predecessors and are devoid of detail. They are so gorgeously sculpted and buttery smooth, leaving everything up to the child's imagination. I only purchased 2 of the newer figures as I couldn't resist the monkeys and that whimsical snail! You have got to visit the site to see more of these wonderful post 2008 pieces. I think you'll also enjoy reading the very interesting history of Georgian Wood Toys.

I have to admit that Lo was at first perplexed by the lack of detail in the giraffe and unicorn- I found her poised with a marker in hand to add her own! AAAAAAACK!!!!!! I told her there would be no decorating the wood toys! I hasn't taken her long at all to get used to them. I often find the unicorn in her bed in the morning! I still stand behind the theory that simple toys without manufactured expression are catalysts to unbound imagination...


*Photo courtesy Georgian wood toys

Review ~ Bundspecht wood figures via The Puppenstube

Guess where I'm going today????!!!!!!!!! Run over to We're Not That Stupid to find out!

On to the toy review.
When I was a little girl, I just LOVED playing with little animals. My first collection consisted of these weird clear plastic animals like this one(remember these?!?!)

that I collected from the Ben Franklin's near my Grandma in Connecticut. From there I graduated to a collection of adorable Hagen-Renaker Hand Painted Miniature figures at a gift shop by my other Grandma. Those things saw the love, man. I played the bejesus out of them-each one wound up with chips and missing appendages but we continued to play together for years. I think I still have 2 or 3 at my Mom's house... A few years ago I saw them in an Anchorage shop and decided to start a collection for Dea. We didn't get too far! Those things disappeared so many times in the bowels of her room! We still have 3 of them. A mama kitty and her kittens-the ones that were my favorites when I was a kid. Here they are, all chipped up!

I had thought of starting a collection for Lo, and still might, ... But these figurines would have to wait a couple 3 years until Lo's a bit older or else she'll have them pulverised in no time. Very loved but destroyed!

I shifted my focus to wood. Lo enjoys playing with the wood animals that I make her, and I love making them, but I wanted her to have something of a more collectible quality. Something that could hold up to rigorous play and still look good. We have some Ostheimer woodland animals that I've always thought were great, but I had also been seeing both Buntspecht and Georgian wood toys online and at Lo's school. The Puppenstube, an online store featuring handmade dolls and Buntspecht toys, keeps popping up on various blogs I read like A Small Tribe. I went over to the Puppenstube take a look and was very impressed with what Christine has to offer! A nice variety of animals, people, trees and buildings(not to mention her dolls and knits!). I also perused the official Buntspecht site.

I decided to order any array from both The Puppenstub and Georgian Wood toys. The figures you see below are the Buntspecht and I'll post about the Georgians another time. These were birthday gifts for Lo between Huz and myself and my mother. Christine was great about notifying me when certain animals had arrived in her store and her processing and shipping was fast! Definitely check out her site!

What impresses me about these toys is the minimal details and coloring. They are so smooth, rounded and organic. They just feel so "right" and natural in your hands. They are painted with just a wash of colors-everything else is left up to the imagination...

Lo is ADORING these new additions to our toy store</, <> livingroom!

badger

I just love the mother and daughter bathed in colors like a typical Waldorf water color painting!

Wolf pup. Can't wait for the Mama to come available!

Review ~ CROWNS by Susanna Wallis Design Shop

We had so much fun with Lo's Birthday gifts this year! In keeping with our tradition of giving gifts handmade by US, I wanted to take it a step further and patronize some talented artisans and shopkeepers that I have stumbled across over the last couple months. These next few posts will showcase some wonderful handcrafted or non-box store treasures!
The first is Lo's amazing birthday crown made by artist and author, Susanna Wallis of London. Susanna has been selling her crowns and wands since 2004. Her other talented work includes felt wall hangings, cards, collages, mosaics, restyled vintage treasures and more. Susanna has also authored the wonderful book , Beginners Guide to Needle Felting .

I first saw this crown on Waldorf Mama's site. It looked as though it was made of a fabric in a rainbow gradient and was I planning on attempting to make one like it for Lo's birthday. I think the birthday crown is a lovely tradition and Lo really enjoyed wearing one in her Waldorf class last year. When I followed the link to Susanna's Esty shop, I was delighted to find that her crowns are hand felted- with silk and merino fibers! This one was just so pretty that I went ahead and bought it! RunninL8 as usual, I ordered it alarmingly close to Lo's party and I was quite relieved when it arrived so promptly! And it was wrapped beautifully with a tiny flower and lavender sachet! As you can see in this detail photo,

Susanna has blended gleaming and enchantingly curly silk fibers in with the wool adding to the lovely texture. The crown holds it's shape very well when worn and is so light and warm to the touch.

I could have taken the pan to my head when I realized after the party as I was cleaning up that I had FORGOTTEN to give Lo the crown! Bang, Bang, Bang! I gasped and brought the little package out of the hiding spot in our bedroom and handed it to Lo. She unwrapped it and I explained that it was her special Birthday Girl crown. I apologized for forgetting about it and told her she could wear it for the rest of the day! Then I could have taken the pan to HER head! Let's just chalk it up to the after party let down and energy loss...she was thankful, but just not that into it! I couldn't believe it! She sighed and said it was a "kings" crown. My eyes rolled. You have to understand that we are going through quite the girly pink foo-foo phase HARDCORE right now! Went through this with Dea and we all survived.... Her indifference to the crown is in NO WAY a reflection on the craftwomanship of this gorgeous piece!!! It's just that my kid is stark ravin' mad.

I'll wear the fabulous thing!!!! I am, after all, QUEEN. But I think I may have to pick up Susanna's book and learn how to make a pretty flower to add on the crown to make it fairy princess worthy. ~Rolling my eyes again.

She's coming around! ;)

THE Quintessential Waldorf-esque Book!

I have read many of the standard Waldorf recommended books i.e. Children at Play, You Are Your Child's First Teacher, Beyond the Rainbow Bridge, etc. All are great- but my beyond doubt favorite is Heaven on Earth, by Sharifa Oppenheimer.





It is so beautifully written-a smoother read with a more modern and applicable feel then Children at Play. I found this book to be almost poetic, and it just reaches out to stimulate all your senses! What I really appreciate about Heaven on Earth is that it is not a step by step guide book to change. Reading this book is the empowerment and encouragement of a gentle yet powerful evolution. Along the way, the author enfolds you in a wonderful symbiosis as she works with you to journal ideas and inspirations from the readings. This has helped me immensely as far as organization and planning goes in the evolution of my own family's lifestyle.

It's a very comprehensive read with great side bar notes that have helped me retain the info(I have Attention Deficit Disorder). They are also very useful for quick reference.
And the black and white photos in the book are just fabulous and really capture the essence of childhood.

Inspiring!