It’s a random kind of week when you’re not talking about holiday-related stuff, for sure. But first, an urgent matter:

Friends, this is not good news. I’ve been reading for the past week or two about how the new Consumer Product Safety Commission Act is going to impact people who make toys and clothes, basically anything intended for kids. Cool Mom Picks has a site dedicated to the issue and some simple steps for getting involved. If you need some tips on writing or calling your elected officials, just ask! (That’s actually what I do for a living…)

parenting

Treehugger breaks down how much energy you save by washing clothes on cold. I think we get stuck on the idea that kids/baby clothes need to be washed on warm for some reason, but I’ve been doing cold for some time now and not seeing a difference. Now that it’s generally 20 degrees here or less during the day, I’ll do “warm” loads more often or that’s some really chilly laundry!

eating

11 winter salads, and each looks super good. (From TheKitchn, via Re-nest) #6 is one of the sides at a stellar restaurant in our neighborhood. I ordered an extra helping the last time I was there, so maybe it’s time to make it myself. They say the ramen noodles aren’t essential, but I disagree!

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I’m looking forward to a glut of organizing and housekeeping posts around the ‘net right after Christmas to bring in the New Year. You can expect huge savings on plastic storage items at the big stores, but I’m going to be thinking about repurposing items around the house to accomplish the same tasks.

Have a storage headache you want dealt with? Maybe I can help. Leave your quandary in the comments!