I'm kind of hoping for a rainy spring

You have to agree that there is almost nothing cuter than a little kid in a pair of spunky rainboots. There's something about encasing those sweet little feet in some brightly colored rubber that just makes grown-ups swoon. Maybe it's the cheeriness they bring to an otherwise crummy day, or the fact that to kids, rainy days mean puddles! and how fun is that?

All this to say that when I had the opportunity to try out some Vincent Shoes for my kids, I went for the boots, since we are headed into the chilly, rainy season in my neck of the woods.

I admit it was tough to pass up the adorable Betty (kind of a Mary Jane/sneaker hybrid, bedecked with flowers) and the suave Joakim (leather trainers that would have looked awesome on my son) and so many others. But the Djungels, pictured above, proved irresistible, as did the girlie Blommas for my girlie. (I did wish for a way to see a larger image of the Djungels -- I couldn't quite tell what pattern I was ordering.) If you're detecting an Ikea-ish sensibility in those model names, it's because Vincent's designers are Swedes; their line of shoes, boots, and bags is exclusively for kids from infancy to eight years old.

If, like me, you are skittish about ordering shoes online (or converting European sizes to American), fear not; Vincent has a printable shoe-fitter that you can use to measure your kids' feet (and a store locator too). The fitter worked well for my 5-year-old, but not so much for my wiggly 2-year-old. I had a hard time getting him to stand in the right spot long enough to take a correct measurement without crumpling up the paper. Next time I will glue the paper to a spare piece of cardboard for sturdiness. Or wait until he's asleep to measure his little piggies.

In fact, I did get the size wrong, which meant I got to experience Vincent's famed customer service. Exchanging the boots for a smaller size was super-simple -- I just slapped on an emailed return label and that was it. The new size fit perfectly.

I love both pairs of boots. They are adorable and sturdy and definitely keep my kids' feet dry. My daughter, at least, is a huge fan of her Blommas, slipping them on at the slightest sign of precip. My son? Not so much. He's having some kind of irrational toddler aversion to them right now, which is a shame 'cause they are stinkin' cute. I'm hoping for a change of heart very soon.

I'm also thinking that his everyday sneakers are looking pretty ratty. I'm going to start browsing Vincent for replacements -- and here's a discount for us both: SPRING-DEAL-8, which gets us 20% off all full-priced items. It's good through April 30. Plus, Vincent always has free shipping on orders over $75.

This review brought to you courtesy of Parent Bloggers Network.