Shoe wars.

My daughter has officially become tacky. When we go shopping for clothes for her, she is no longer drawn to simple, easy frocks. She doesn't gravitate toward anything smocked. We butted heads in a store last week when she didn't want to try on an adorable dress.

When we're out, no matter what lovliness surrounds us, she goes for anything with tulle, hearts, peace signs. Lace is good for her, too. Sparkles, even better. The more going on, the better. When we went to a Kelly's Kids show last week, I walked out having purchased this:

It wasn't my first choice. Not by a long shot. But Ava loved it, and it was better than some of the other things she's pointed out lately. I'm trying to give her a little leeway on her clothing, but I have to do it in baby steps. There's just too much tacky out there. And while I know it doesn't really matter what she's wearing, I do like for her to look age-appropriate. And let's face it, dressing my kids is a little bit of a hobby for me. 

One place I think I'm going to have to stand firm, however, is on shoes. Last year, in a moment of weakness, I got talked into these:

Are they horrible? Well, no. But they are just BUSY. Really busy. And they don't go with everything. And I just don't like them. That's the bottom line. I. Don't. Like. Them. Period.

So, I wasn't at all disappointed when they started getting too small last spring, and Ava picked out a cute pair of New Balance kicks to replace them. 

Now, though, it's back to school time, and guess who wants Twinkle Toes again? I just don't think I can bring myself to purchase another pair. I'm trying to talk her into these Converse Jack Purcells from J.Crew:

I think they're a great compromise. Still sparkly, but not so busy. Miss Inflexible is being pretty insistent on the Twinkle Toes, but I think this is one battle that Mommy is actually going to win. 

I'll let you know how it all turns out.

xoxo,
Carter