The EU Hates My Children

I spent 6 straight hours damning the US straight to hell while desperately trying to find a one piece snowsuit in Baby's size this weekend.

Who knew?  But the US has a strong style preference for two piece snowsuits.  STRONG.  As in, one piece do not exist after toddlerhood.

I've tried to find them, but they just DO NOT exist in the US.  

Every other country that experiences harsh winters?.... YES.  

But the US?  No.   

Why?  For the love!  FOR THE LOVE!

Why is it that every other country that has cold winters sees the benefit (the superiority even) of a one piece snowsuit for school aged children... but the US is just not having it??!

WHY???!  (this has been eating me up all weekend long, folks)

Baby goes to school with a Finnish family and their kids have these amazing one piece snow suits in actual big kid sizes with foot straps to keep the legs tucked in the boots and attachable mittens (so they don't lose them!!).  Everyday I think..."Those are awesome!"...the time it takes to get in and out is a fraction of the usual rigamarole involved in two separate pieces.  And when it is -20 in the morning and you have to wear snow gear just to walk from the parking lot to school... which means we have to get fully geared up...Baby & I both want her to have one.  Desperately.

After living through the last month and a half of intensely cold weather and gazillion feet of snow coupled with the pretty liberal outdoor play policy at Baby's school... (they go out unless it is colder than -11 F)... I have been really regretting that I cheaped out this Fall when I bought her snow stuff this year (but how could I have known?!).

Baby shares a locker with the Finnish girl in her class and every single day that awesome snowsuit taunts me.

It taunts me with its badass superior functionality!

I can find the manufacturers in Finland and Sweden but do they ship to the US?  No!

There is some kind of EU trade limitation.  And it is driving me absolutely bananas.

I debated buying what may or may not have been legit castoff snowsuits directly from Chinese factories.

I debated that for about 4 straight hours.  But then I chickened out because it was still going to cost me $100 and I wasn't sure of anything.  The size.  The condition. The likelihood of receiving it.

In the end, today, I found a site out of the UK that does ship the Finnish snowsuits to the US (for approximately 5 million dollars) .  With the attached mittens.  Which it turns out are extra.

I was trying to avoid all those extra costs, but people, I need that suit.

I figure this ensures that the weather will warm up and I'll be out the 5 hundred thousand dollars for the suit and the 5 million in shipping.