Comfortable Vegan Shoes

Hands down, our favorite shoes are Crocs.

I used to be a big fan of Birkenstocks with the Birko-Flor, but they are no longer made and are difficult to find. No matter, since as comfort goes, Crocs are superior in every way. Wearing them feels like you are walking on marshmallows. These are the only shoes my daughters own. My youngest especially likes the new Croclings. There are new designs coming out all the time; be careful not to purchase the ones with leather or suede! It certainly doesn't hurt that Crocs are airport friendly, also. In fact, you just might find a Crocs store at your local airport. They make the perfect traveling shoe.

You can even personalize your Crocs with Jibbitz.

If you are looking for fancy vegan shoes, casual vegan shoes, or vegan athletic shoes, check out these sites (I've purchased shoes from each of these places):
Moo Shoes
Vegan Essentials
Vegetarian Shoes
Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe

These companies (and many more) carry great vegan "pleather" jackets, purses and belts, as well as shoes. Vegan leathers usually cost significantly less than animal derived leathers. They also stand up to wear better, last longer, breathe better, and are more comfortable. There really is no good reason to purchase animal skins.

It's great to know that big named brands such as Nike are making vegan shoes now, too. PETA makes a great "Quick Reference: Guide to Compassionate Clothing". Check it out next time you are in the market for new clothing, shoes and accessories.

Vegan ballet slippers?

My youngest is a ballerina. At almost 7 years old, she has been into dancing for years. With her interest in ballet steadily growing last year, we knew it was time to find a real (and good) dance studio. As difficult as that was, finding vegan ballet slippers was even more difficult! We tried all the normal routes as well as every dancewear company we could find on and offline. We finally found some that are not only vegan, but are of a far better quality than any of the non-vegan slippers we have ever seen.

Vegans do not wear or use products made from animals and animal products, as much as humanly possible. This includes leather, silk, and wool. Why? Read here.

Here is our source for beautiful, high quality, durable, vegan ballet slippers:
Cynthia King Dance Studio
1256 Prospect Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11218
(718)437-0101
www.cynthiakingdance.com
Feel free to tell them that Lisa from Do Life Right sent you.

Creating the Perfect "Harry Potter" Magic School Party

My oldest daughter turns eleven on Sunday. If we lived in England, she'd be getting her letter to Hogwart's about now. But, alas, we live in Arizona, USA. Then, of course, there is the fact that we have chosen homeschooling, Radical Unschooling to be precise, as the form of education in our household... Still, the magic siren has been calling to us. Our solution? A "Welcome to Magic School" party.

Ingredients for this MAGIC SCHOOL party:

• Money from Gringott's (this site has lots of high quality Harry Potter merchandise)
• Yummy candy to sell to the arriving students -- most purchased from Vegan Essentials
• Plenty of new wizards and witches to invite
• Parent/Grandparent/Older Sibling Professors (we couldn't do this without them!)
• Magic Wands and a couple of Alivan's magic wands
  
• One good sorting hat (these say suede, but it is a polyester faux vegan suede)
• Spells for all the magic we are planning
  
• Enough materials for at least seven classes
• Good imaginations

Directions: Mix together and have fun.

A few of our specific classes (with notes on the magic behind the magic):
Care of Magical Creatures -- Glow in the Dark Squidies
Transfigurations -- three forms of magical paper 1, 2, 3
Charms -- buzz magnets, water suspension magic, and static lights
Potions -- Making slime and worms
Herbology -- Planting magical plants
Divination -- tea leaf reading, crystal ball reading, magic fish
Defense Against the Dark Arts -- Making air blasters to defend against dark creatures

Our Vegan Feast includes:
NOTE: Cynthia from Friendly Feast created the menu and all recipes are hers (thus we can't share them).

• Hagrid's Special Birthday Cake
• Three Broomsticks Inn Butterbeer
• Hogwart's Express Iced Pumpkin Juice
• Quidditch Player Shepherd's Pie
• Mrs. Weasley's Home-Baked Mini Pumpkin Pies
• Kreacher's Treacle Tartlets
• Cauldron Cakes
• Canary Creams
• Honeydukes Sweet Shop Chocolate Fudge

And, of course, we have a few more magical surprises up our sleeves...
We can't tell you everything, or the magic would be gone.