fab find: shoezooz

It's one of those nifty little ideas. A simple one. One that makes your harried, chaotic morning just a little easier. One of those ideas that you wish YOU had thought of first.

Is this scene familiar: You're ten minutes late and every time you turn around your toddler has taken off her coat. You call over and ask her to pick-up her shoes so that you can put them on. She INSISTS that she can do it herself and begins tugging furiously at the shoes, frantically trying to pull them on... to the wrong feet. When you try to intervene, you're pushed away. After all -- she can "do it herself."

Shoezooz to the rescue.

Animal puzzle stickers. One for the left foot. One for the right foot. Now toddlers can easily identify which shoe goes one which foot without the tears, tantrums, or insistent cries of "I can do it myself" followed by toe-tripping when their rainboots are inevitably on the wrong feet.

Told you you'd wish you'd thought of this idea yourself...

"There is nothing cuter than a toddler waddling around with their shoes on the wrong feet," said Kirsten Mackin, public relations manager for Shoezooz. "Except when it's your kid!"

Creator Ellen Lichtman couldn't agree more. Created to help her then-three-year-old daughter be more independent, Shoezooz was a reaction to her daughter's tenacity and Ellen's need to get out of the door.

Her daughter was elated -- and empowered -- when she could put her own shoes on properly. Ellen thought other kids would be, too.

Shoezooz designs are meant to have a modern edge and feel current. Ellen didn't want a cutsie look. She wanted something fun, fashionable and practical for the modern pre schooler. We think she scored a home run.

What do we love about this entirely mom-run, Mt. Washington-area business? That Ellen and Kirsten are involving their daughters in the entrepreneurial process. Ellen's daughter helps brainstorm possible retailers for the product, and Kirsten's daughter helps monitor the company's social media activities. Seems fitting since Ellen was the inventor of Shoezooz (and her daughter Lilah would like to be one!), and Kirsten runs the marketing arm of the business.

Did we mention their daughters are elementary-aged? Pretty darn (cool).

What's next for Shoezooz? They're branching in to new markets, as parents with differently abled children and occupational therapists are excited to try their product. A company committed to starting locally, Shoezooz is also going global. They just negotiated a deal with a distributor in Africa and are in discussions with a national educational store chain.

You can nab your own pair of Shoezooz from aMuse Toys, Trovh or Soft and Cozy Baby. Or you can hit up the (cool) progeny play date at The Mt. Washington Tavern Grilled Cheese Cook-Off on Sunday. Ellen and Kirsten have been kind enough to help us stuff the goodie bags - - and the first 30 families to stop by and say 'hi' to us will be getting their own pack to try!

(cool) tip: You can also find shoezooz on facebook!

Disclaimer: Shoezooz provided us with a pack of stickers to try with the Bug. We love them! If we didn't, you wouldn't have heard about their product. I also had a wonderful opportunity to sit down with these two fabulous ladies over coffee at the Mt. Washington Starbucks. Truly a delight. We all bought our own drinks, so no - - they didn't sway my affinity for their product with high octane caffeine, either.