I'm Pretty Keen on These...

These are quite possibly the best shoes known to kid-kind.  

They rank pretty highly in the man and woman-kind category as well, but in the realm of kids...I give them 2 seriously hearty thumbs up!  In fact, I'll even go ahead and raise my third thumb to these...ok ok, so I don't have a third thumb.  I was just going for extra emphasis.

Tid bit has had a pair every year since he turned one.  Little Bit is now wearing Tid Bit's first pair.  And, we've had them in several colors... because happily, they are available in tons of different colors.

What are these magic shoes you might ask?

Keen Newport H2's that's what!

I'm going to go ahead now and provide a big fat bummer of a disclaimer by saying that in no way shape or form am I being compensated for this smashing review.  Keen didn't send me a new pair for myself or my kids to test.  Noone called and asked what I thought about them.  Not a soul.  This is plain and simple my opinion about a product that I think is quite frankly fantastic.  So there...if you were wondering what's in it for me...here's your answer.

  Absolutely Nothing!

Bummer... but...moving along.  I might lose a load of readers with the following comment, but if you want me to really be me, the following statement allows me to remain true to myself. 

I am not a fan of Crocs. 

And moreover, I have never been a fan.  While I realize that they make some cute ballet flat style ones now, and Mary Janes....the plain old kind that the free world wears...the clunky looking slip on ones...yeah, I think they're ugly.   I don't even feel swayed by the rainbow of colors they come in either.  And, I think they are impractical for kids.  They don't stay on well on a jungle gym.  Dirt and mulch and rocks creep in from any one of the massive gaps around a kids foot....and oh yeah, I think they're ugly.  Wait...I already said that.  If Crocs would like to send me a pair to change my mind, I'll be happy to try them...but not this style please.  I still think they are ugly.

You may be asking why I'm hating on Crocs...and I'm really not a total hater. It probably all stems from the confession that I jumped on a bandwagon of ugly, yet comfortable shoes once upon a time... and I still look at them in my closet and 99.9% of the time I choose something else.  And you know what.... they are ugly...and thus, I really hardly ever wear them.  Yep.  On the right.  Those are the ones.  If you have them and love them...it's probably because you must significantly value comfort over even remote stylishness. Whoever tried to make them stylish was clearly one of you.  Either that or you legitimately wear them on a boat....and for that I salute you for dressing for the part.  Anyways, I digress.

All of this is really meant to say... when it comes to dressing my kids, there are times when one shoe can, in fact, cover pretty much all of our bases.  And the Keen Newport H2 fits that bill.  They are about as cute as a water shoe can possibly be.  They can be worn in the water...think hiking up a river, or playing in a creek.  I happen to be of the opinion that they are even better for kids than any other river sandal because they have a tough rubber toe cover to protect your baby's little piggies!  You can wash them in the washing machine...or probably even in the dishwasher if you really wanted.  They are rugged and tough.  Kids can run in them, go to the pool in them, hike in them, wear them to school, in the mud, in the sand.  Seriously, these are the 4-wheel-drive of kids shoes I am sure.  And...they are velcro, so they can put them on themselves....or you can do it quickly.

Really, if you're in the market for a good pair of shoes that will survive the toughness that your kids will dish out, these are the shoes for you.  You can find them all over the internet or in most good outdoor stores too.  Buy a previous season's color for an even better deal.  They run about $50, but I promise you they are well worth it.  After all, they are supporting the cutest little people you know.  It's like investing in a good bra...some things are just worth supporting well. (But that's another post for another day!)

As you can tell, I'm Keen on these shoes, and I'm pretty sure you will be too!

- Logan