Spring! Spring! Ouch, Spring.

Yesterday Spring officially sprung in NYC. The dogwoods and magnolia trees opened, forscythia bloomed in blinding yellow, beds of early-rising crocuses had colorful company at last.

Walking around my Brooklyn neighborhood, spring fever was indeed here. But the truest sign of the season in these parts can be recognized in watching the women. And how they walk.

If you weren't paying close attention, the gait seemed normal. But on closer inspection, the steady, determined New York pace is just a little bit slower, just a little more awkward. As if a toe is curled inward or an ankle twisted at an uncomfortable angle. Faces are contorted mildly, full grimaces suppressed as the ordinarily unstoppable forward march of The Busy Woman is hindered.

It's like driving 35 with the emergency brake on.

For what you do not see underneath the trendy metallic flats, the raffia slingbacks, the open-toed kitten heels, the primary colored T-strap wedges that remained in shoe boxes and tissue until this fateful 72-degree day are the blisters.

Oh, the blisters.

It is break-in-the-new-shoes season in New York.

Unlike LA or most suburbs where we can hop contentedly from car to restaurant, from playgroup back to car, New Yorkers rely on our feet. They are our vehicles, our bikes, our chauffeurs. As such, we do our best to balance style and comfort of our footwear. But sometimes finding the comfort--without the help of summer callouses and the protection of woolly socks--is a slow, painful, uphill journey. Literally.

My own personal torture device yesterday were a pair of lovingly procured soft leather Cole Haan ballet flats with Nike Air Cushioning (tm) - a sure recipe for comfort. Or so I thought. But one six block walk to the grocery store and back had me remembering the adage about NY women breaking in their feet to suit their shoes and cursing the fact that I had no extra Dora Band-Aids in my bag.

I know they'll be my happy shoes in no time. I know they'll be the go-to pair that I live in non-stop. By BlogHer in July they'll be so worn and smelly and wonderful I won't even want to change them from conference to cocktail party.

But until then, yeouch.

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One more cool thing about Spring? Mother's Day! One month away! Kristen and I have kicked our own asses digging up such amazing stuff for the Cool Mom Picks Mother's Day Gift Guide this year - we'd be beyond honored if you stopped by and checked out all the awesome suggestions from indie and women-run businesses we're trying to support.

Although if you really want us so happy that we might considering tattooing your name on our butts (I have plenty of room there, trust me), just post the dandy button code on your blog sidebar and we'll enter you in a drawing to win $400 worth of swanky mom merch like keepsake jewelry and yummy organic body butters. Find all the details on the guide.