The Mistress Who Stole My Husband

Good Lord, will it EVER stop snowing???



Folks, if you haven't looked at the weather forecast for eastern Iowa this weekend, I am here to tell you that more snow is coming.



Yes, more snow. On a weekend. Which, basically, is the story of my life since Thanksgiving. This will make the SIXTH STRAIGHT WEEKEND OF FLIPPIN' SNOW.



The good news is, I know my husband is telling the truth when he tells me he has to work on the weekend again. That he has to steal out of my warm bed at 4 a.m., yet another morning, because of his damned job and not because of another woman.



But COME ON already. I would like to have one weekend this winter when I don't have to play the role of a single parent... when I can relax a little and enjoy my children instead of feeling trapped and overworked.



And Ted would like to have one forty-hour week, for a change. These fifty- and sixty-hour weeks are killing us.

COOL (Country of Origin Labeling)

I'm just beginning to scout around online for Christmas presents for Arlo, and I'm wondering if anyone has tips for determining which toys are made in China and which toys are not. With all the recalls and safety concerns lately concerning items manufactured in China, I think it ought to be clearly stated... but that's not necessarily the case. And you know, it's not just about safety concerns--it's also a matter of not wanting to buy in to the Chinese GDP this year, in light of the apparent lack of ethics among Chinese toy manufacturers... not to mention the probable complicity of the American companies who are hiring Chinese factories to make their toys.

Anyway... the toy that prompted my question is pictured here: Playskool's "Honeybee Hop." I looked it up on Amazon (where it's listed on Arlo's wish list), and couldn't find anything in the product info that states where the toy was manufactured, but I guess there's a good chance that it came from China, since it's a mass-produced "American" toy. I know you can usually find the "Made in _________" tag somewhere on any given toy--but is this marked on the exterior packaging as well? My inclination is to just avoid anything made in China this year, but I'm not sure if that's even going to be a simple proposition.

Your thoughts?

It's great to be outside again!

We are loving spring in Iowa City! Here's Arlo playing at the City Plaza (?) playground downtown by the public library.