"One for one - Toms"

It is that time again. My back to school ritual. Clothes shopping for all our children in the States. For two days my oldest daughter and I skipped over to the Seattle area and shopped. Once again finding name brand jeans, shirts, hoodies and shoes starting at $3.99 and up. As you can imagine, clothing as many children as we do can be expensive. So in my mind, the cost for travel is the least of my worries. Our one night stay consisted of having a Red Lobster dinner with their featured special "All you can eat shrimp" Then we went back to our hotel to label and fold our purchased goods. The two days really was a lot of walking, searching and getting my list accomplished. (Work) One of the purchases I made three times. It was "Toms" shoes. Very comfortable, practical simple slip on shoes. With every pair your purchase, "Toms" will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. "One for one" (Picture seen above) So I bought our two older sons and myself a pair. If interested, go to toms.ca. "Show it. Share it. Raise it. Fly it." Toms, there is 5 ways to get involved. Buy the shoes, put their sticker on your car, host a "style your sole" party, screen the Toms documentary, For tomorrow: "The Toms shoes story" Go barefoot on one day without shoes, stay connected and share your Toms story. So here's mine; while shopping for shoes for my family, I thought about making a difference for another child. Purchasing Toms is not only comforting to our soles but for another child with every pair we buy. One for one! Also with Toms you can write all over them with either fabric or permanent markers, make a statement and write your favorite quotes! Toms was one of the highlights for this shopping experience for me. Besides the Outlet malls, my favorite place to shop is Marshals. It's like Winners here in Canada but cheaper for name brand clothing. I'm always impressed with Marshals. At most, hoodies are $19.99 each. Hurley, Billabong, Hollister, Quick Silver, Volcum, Element, Skull Candy, DKNY are just some of the brands I purchased. For me, name brands aren't important and I won't pay the Canadian prices although I will purchase these brands if the price is right in the States. During our second day we went to Costco. I was SO excited because the cheese is half price compared to our Canadian Costco. Believe me, us Canadians are getting hosed. No wonder why some of us travel to the States and purchase clothing, milk, eggs and cheese! (Canadian cows must be high maintenance) On our return we missed the ferry by 5 minutes. We had to wait for the 8:15 pm ferry and we returned home by 11 pm. Once a year shopping in the States is like having Christmas in September. All the organized pre-labelled piles are our children's surprise. I enjoy it. When I'm away I miss our children although because my mission is for them - I feel I'm still with them. It's interesting because even though I'm having sometime away, I'm still focused on their needs. It's always a good trip. Today, everyone is happy and ready for school. Our newest son gave me the biggest hug and said, "Thank you Mom" All our children seem appreciative and not once do I hear complaints about what I purchased. The easiest shopping experience for this Mother is not taking our children but returning with their goods and just receiving a simple "Thank you" Remember, if you want to make a difference and you need to purchase shoes; think about Toms.