Leonardo da Vinci called the foot “a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.”

Have your children's feet grown out of boots during a season? mine did - view my blog http://ping.fm/JbLIE

Winter Boot Blues

Socrates said, "When our feet hurt, we hurt all over." This from a man who probably never wore a supportive pair of shoes in his lifetime. However, he was onto something. Fast forward 2,4000 years and it does hold true that if our feet hurt, we are not in a good place. Never did this become more evident to me than this past weekend, when my seven-year-old son had major pain in his feet from tight ski boots.

The weekend began on a good note. We headed up to the mountains of Vermont to ski with the whole family. Two trips down the hill, and the good note was lost in the wailing moans of a pained kid. You see, we had checked to see that the ski boots he was going to wear for the season ng fit back in November, when we pulled them out of the deep recesses of the cellar. I forgot a very important truth about kids' feet though - they continue to grow - sometimes seemingly overnight!

So, there we were on the mountain, and he began to complain that his boots hurt. We tried loosening buckles, having him wiggle his foot a bit, and wondering if maybe a sock was scrunched up the wrong way, causing irritation. By the second trip down the hill, after he fell three times and was in tears, I realized it was more than a creased sock.

We got into the lodge, and I went straight to the rental area. He was sized for a new pair of boots, and they were a full size bigger than the ones he had been wearing. The look of ecstacy on his face when his feet slipped into those bigger, roomier boots, melted my heart. Poor kid. He knew they hurt, he was absolutely miserable, and it was an easy fix to get him back into a good place.

The rest of the day, he was a powerhouse on the slopes -and he didn't complain once about his feet. I learned a valuable lesson -- feet can and do grow in the middle of a season -- and I have to be sure to regularly check boots and skates, or cleats and sneakers, to be sure that they still fit. There's nothing worse than painful feet, and no child should have to live with it.

Have you ever had this happen to your child? What did you do? What did they say to let you know their feet hurt?

The Finalists Have Been Chosen

It's voting time! Now that we've made it through the presidential election, time to vote for the cutest kids' feet on the planet! Visit our site to see the five finalist gems, and vote for your favorite. The winner gets $500 cash. Voting will take place through the end of this month, so hurry and place your vote now!

Arch Angels Cutest Kids' Feet Contest Launches

Okay, get them out - those cute feet - grab your digital camera and snap some shots of those ten cute piggies! We've launched our first ever photo contest - and you have the chance to win $500 in cash! Please take a minute and look at the contest rules, at www.myarchangels.com, and enter today. I can't wait to share some of these great photos with you.

Cutest Kids' Feet Contest Coming Soon!

We've been busy at Arch Angels® headquarters. One thing we've had in the works for a while is finally coming alive. We wanted to share it with you even though it's not quite live yet.

Here at Arch Angels® we are so absolutely in love with kids’ feet, we want to find the cutest kids’ feet out there. And we want to share them with the world.

Sure, you’ve spent hours taking photos of your kids’ adorable faces, but what about those feet? Are they splashing in the puddles? Are they covered with mud? Do they have painted toenails and glitter? Take a minute, grab your digital camera, and capture your child’s feet doing what they do best – living life to the fullest!

The winning photo will receive $500 in cash plus a lifetime supply of Arch Angels® comfort insoles. That’s to make sure those feet keep doing the things they love, with the right amount of comfort and support along the way.

Stay tuned for the official launch - and in the meantime, start taking those cute pics!

Little Picassos

Life at Arch Angels headquarters has been heating up, and we're building our own little fan club. We had two trade shows to attend last month, and our in-house designers put together these banners for our booth. I personally think they're better than the professional one we paid for!




We'd love to see your drawings of your Arch Angels or pictures of your little angels. Send them to us here, or at info@myarchangels.com. More to come!