Astute readers might notice, if they catch sight of a calendar, that I missed Sunday Surf this week and that it is not, in fact, Sunday any longer. We spent the weekend cleaning and running around, and the days were gone before I knew it.

Some proof. After I went to bed crying that our place was such a mess, Sam stayed up till 6 a.m. getting the place this good, though we still had hours of work left to do. And we haven't touched the upstairs yet. Yes, it's sad we're that messy. But isn't he a sweetheart? Look, we have carpet! And countertops! Who knew!

But I have a few, urgent-ish links to share with you, so I'm not waiting till Sunday to get them all out there.

This will be a links list where I post just things that pertain to me. I know! How special! I'll save my other links for Sunday. Assuming there's no cleaning this weekend! (Well, maybe just a little. To keep up the new appearances.)

• First of all, I have a guest post up, if you want to read an actual article! "Answering Objections to Nursing in Public" from Nursing Freedom. It's funny, too, if I'm allowed to say that about my own article. For instance, it has this little-used and astonishingly witty phrase:
  

  "I don't think your butt's appropriate here."

  Have you ever been confronted when nursing in public? What are your favorite comebacks? If you could, go comment on the post and I'll chat with you there!
          (P.S. I'm in trouble in the comments over there for not putting pants on my baby. So be forewarned: I am a Bad Mother.)

• Secondly, I need to plug my BlogHer- & GE-sponsored giveaway: "Energy savings in the home! GE Energy Smart LED bulb $50 {2.28; US}". There aren't many comments, so you have a good chance to win one of two $50 lightbulbs. All you have to do is leave a simple tip on the post about how you deal with your home energy use (or wish you could). I've been enjoying reading through the tips and taking notes on what we can do, too!
          I did a little more research today and found that LED bulbs are made without mercury. They're also reportedly much harder to break. That makes me feel better about them than CFLs, which are challenging to dispose of, and to clean up if they break. So I think you'll really like your $50 lightbulb if you win. (Did I mention this bulb costs 50 dollars?!) Head on over to the post by Monday, February 28, to enter.
          I also said something in that article about how I wish we could do solar panels for electricity and look into solar hot water heating, but we live in a condo. Well, just for eco-kicks, I was searching online for anyone in the same predicament, and I came across this article: "Can Do—Even in a Condo: How to Go Solar" from Natural Home. The process and terminology still seem a little scary to me, but it's inspired me enough to think about gathering some quotes and information from a local solar company. If they think it's possible and get me the details I need, then maybe I could go to the HOA with a good proposal and get some other residents excited about the possibility of buying in. I'm not even saying we can afford it at this point, but it's worth starting with the estimates and feasibility, right? If anyone else has experience with solar panels in the Pacific Northwest and/or solar in a shared building, let me know! In the comments on the giveaway post, EricaDavid mentioned Sungevity, which leases solar panels with no money down, but only in California, Colorado, and Arizona. Cool, though!

• This is really random, but BlogHer is testing out a new remnant ad inventory, and I volunteered to be part of the test. If you're on my site and see anything questionable in the big BlogHer ad (under the BlogHer Publishing Network header in the first sidebar), can you let me know? I've opted out of WHO Code-violating ads in the general inventory, but this remnant inventory is an unknown. We can complain about specific ads and have them pulled from the inventory if enough of us find them offensive but can't opt out of ads or categories on an individual basis. I just want to make sure I shouldn't opt out of the test, so if you see anything sketchy, let me know! You don't have to do this, obviously, but I wanted to let you know the test was going on and that I'm not able to preview every ad. Thanks!

• "Support breastfeeding in public on Rachael Ray!": Just a reminder to send those emails and Tweets to support NIP and get a breastfeeding promoter (a la Dionna, co-founder of NursingFreedom.org) on the show.

• All right, I've admitted I have problems remembering to boil my DivaCup each month in a timely manner — and then to pay attention to the boiling while it's happening. But the comment from Amber on the DivaCup giveaway page takes the cake:
  
  
  Sorry for laughing with(!!) you, Amber. I just totally know this could have happened to me. I hope you get your replacement soon!
          For anyone else who needs a new or replacement DivaCup, make sure you enter by Monday, February 28!
          And here are all the giveaways going on (it's a lot!):
  
  • HAVE KIDS, WILL TRAVEL: SafetyTat Temporary ID Tattoos for child safety = 2 winners! {3.16; US/Can}
  • Sacred Rose Organic Herbal Tea = 4 winners! $18 ARV {3.15; US/Can}
  • NPN: Respectful Parents Respectful Kids book $18 {3.13; US}
  • GREEN YOUR PERIOD / NPN: Lunapads Organic Cotton Sampler Pack $39 ARV {3.12; US/Can}
  • NPN: Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion $18 {3.3, US/Can}
  • GREEN YOUR PERIOD: The DivaCup reusable menstrual cup $39.99 {2.28; US/Can}
  • GE Energy Smart LED bulb $50 {2.28, US}

• A little Carnival of Natural Parenting news:
  
  • We've updated our Carnival themes through November 2011, so you can plan ahead for what you want to write.
  • Our submissions for March are due Tuesday — write us a natural parenting Top 10 list. I love the creativity we're getting with this topic! Feel free to go in any direction for this one.

• I've started some answer posts to "Ask me anything," but the door's still open.

Preschool was canceled today, so I'm glad to see the snow outside is finally sticking. Snow really is pretty — at least, when I don't see it as often as I once did.

If you miss the links to read, remember you can find shared items during the week at my public Google Reader recommendations feed. I've got plenty saved up for the next Surf!