Friday, June 10, 2011

Gotein Winner & A Little Segway

The winner of the Gotein Protein is Joe the Runner! Email me at beth@shutupandrun.net with your address!

I realized this morning that another thing I sacrifice while training (along with showers and cleaning the house and answering the phone) is cleaning out my brush. Don’t think I’d given this baby attention in quite some time:

P1090978

OMG I could SO make a merkin out of that. (“Locks of Love didn't need it, so I'm donating my hair to Merkins of Hope." – 30 Rock).

It’s weird because cleaning out a brush takes literally one minute. So, why don’t we do it? Other things that fall into this category:

  • Changing the sheets
  • Wiping out the microwave
  • Doing self clean in the oven
  • Dusting off knick knacks on the shelves or my case liquor bottles on the bar (at least I have them long enough to gather dust)
  • Throwing away old leftovers that are moldy
  • Cleaning out the sock drawer (I can never find the matches)

I guess all of these little things add up to big chunks of time overall. And, I guess I’m lazy. Sure I’ll run 13 miles before sun-up but do not ask me to clean out my brush. My in-laws arrive tomorrow and  I’ve GOT to get a grip on my house or I might be disowned by that side of the family.

Sam comes home from Chicago today. Oh how I’ve missed my boy! Yesterday he texted me my favorite pictures ever in my life. When planning this trip, he talked my parents, both 72, into doing  a Segway tour of the city. My dad is pretty adventurous, but had a knee replacement not long ago. My mom tends to be shier about taking risks, so I wondered if she would do it.

momsegway

momsegway2

dadsegway

Aren't my parents cool? Now you know how I got this way. So humble.

Sam, 13, got to make some amazing memories the past few days. Having this special time with his grandparents is something he will never forget. We never know how long we’ll have the special people around in our lives (at least in the flesh) so we have to take them in at each and every moment.

What’s a quickie chore you don’t do even though it takes only a minute? (I always leave out the vacuum, cords hanging everywhere. Drives Ken crazy.)

Do you only clean when company comes?

Ever been on a Segway? Ever fall off? (Rumor has it my mom fell off. But she is fine so hold off on your sympathy cards).

Off to clean out the lint in the dryer,

SUAR

30 comments:

  1. I did a Segway tour in DC. My friend (a DC resident) make so much fun of me for doing it but I had a blast! I managed to not fall off though! I only clean when my future in-laws are coming to town.... :)

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  2. Wow I can totally relate.. I don't clean our oven, or refrig either.. The microwave? Uh yeah only if someone comes over and frankly we don't live anywhere near family!

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  3. I don't fold my clothes. Karen came up with a system that I do it on Sunday at the very least and well the clothes just pile up in the basket and I pick out the clothes as I need them. Takes longer to do that....just need to buckle down.

    We tend to clean a little bit every weekend (well Karen does) and this way it doesn't add up too much. Makes it easier for two people always on the move.

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  4. What about putting dishes in the dishwasher right after you are finshed?

    Instead I let them pile up in the sink.

    In my defense it would help if those that lived with me were on board with this. Silly Husbands.

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  5. I so thought I was going to win the Gotein! Segway are cool but i've never tried one. The inventor is pretty amazing - he created a golf Segway, one for offroading, but my favorite is the one that can climb stairs. Sometimes humans are really cool.

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  6. I like to stimulate the economy by hiring a cleaning crew...but I have to clean before the cleaners even come...and I don't let them touch my brush...don't need my hair being someone else's merkin...isn't that somebody's last name??

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  7. So fun! (no I am not talking about the little chores!) I bet you can't wait to hear about all of Sam's adventures.

    I definitely neglect most of the tasks you mentioned, and generally only TRULY clean the house when company is coming. Who has the time/energy for that?? I read The Happiness Project earlier this year and the author suggests that all tasks that will take one minute or less to complete be completed IMMEDIATELY. I have been trying to implement that, but those minutes keep adding up!

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  8. "Locks of Love didn't need it, so I'm donating my hair to Merkins of Hope." (My favorite 30 Rock quote, ever.)

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  9. Hahahhahha! I don't do any of the things on that list very often…I am not a stellar housekeeper :P I'd rather play with my kids or make cookies or change a poop diaper (now THAT's a necessary quickie). I did, however, totally clean the toilets in our house just the other day…on a whim …after prodding from 'the man'.
    Never been on a Segway. They kind of freak me out :P

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  10. @Brutalism: OK, that made me DIE laughing. Going to add it to the post.

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  11. Oh, I definitely only clean before company comes over. Makes my mother just shake her head.

    I haven't done a Segway tour but I see them all the time since I work across the street from that area in Chicago.

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  12. Okay, I almost peed my pants when I clicked on the link to the urban dictionary for merkin.

    @Teammarcia: I thought the same thing...isn't that somebody's last name?!?

    As for things I am too lazy to do around the house, every morning when I make my coffee, I open my little splenda packets and put them in the cup and them lay the empty packets on the counter. I never walk to the garbage can to throw them away. Geez, it's all the way across the room! I think my husband throws them away eventually. Either that or a little animal comes around and eats the paper...hmmmm. Either way, it's always gone when I get home from work.

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  13. You can self clean in the oven? Is it like using a baby wipe instead of taking a shower?

    I surprised my husband with a Segway tour of Minneapolis a couple of years ago. We had a blast and felt like absolute tools at the same time. We both stayed on for the entire time but I did almost run over the instructor at one point.

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  14. Never been on a Segway but now I want to. Dusting goes by the wayside. Yesterday I put on a shirt I hadn't worn in a while and it smelled like dust. I think I should vacuum my closet. My baseboards are a mess and my merkin needs trimming. help.

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  15. We never ever make the bed! I know, I know...

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  16. Coincidentally, I just cleaned my brush out today, too. :) (It's been months) We have a fairly new house that has a den (something I've wanted FOREVER). I like having a place to put all the "paper stuff" (mail, bills, etc.) Does it ever get there? No. It still accumulates on the kitchen countertops because I'm too lazy to walk the extra distance to the den.
    So glad your son had a good time with his grandparents. You're right...cherish every moment!

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  17. "OMG I could SO make a merkin out of that. ("Locks of Love didn't need it, so I'm donating my hair to Merkins of Hope. " - 30 Rock)."
    ==========
    LOL! this post just made my friday!!!!

    cheers,
    mary

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  18. So glad your son had a nice visit with his grandparents. That sounds wonderful, definitely memories that he will cherish forever! I clean all the time, but it's because I have 5 kids-6 if you include the husband. I always do, because he leaves just as big a mess as the kids! I don't do baseboards or dusting unless company is coming! I mean company other than family! LOL!!!

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  19. The one thing that I hate to take the 30 seconds to do is wipe out the inside of my lunch box/bag. It's one of those insulated/cloth things. It's great, but I truly hate wiping it out...mostly crumbs, but it's a crumby job...I need a life.

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  20. My hair brush looks just like that at the moment... (Don't tell my Mother. Good Lord! She's a neat freak!)

    Your parents are adorable & adventurous! Good for them!

    Sarah @ Thinfluenced

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  21. There's way too many 1 minute chores that I never do. I hate house work, cleaning or anything other than running, eating and sleeping..oh! there IS one more thing I enjoy which involves my husband. Won't mention it here.
    As for the Segway - great going for your Mom and Dad!
    Ted would LOVE to try one. I'm not so enthusiastic. I'd rather do something energizing.

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  22. I would HIGHLY recommend a Segway tour if you haven't tried one, it is a BLAST!!! We did it as a group Christmas present for 8 of us (including my late 60's/early 70's parents) and it was the best gift ever!
    I too only clean when we have people over. Sometimes I invite friends over just to motivate myself! My hairbrush looks just like your right now, and everything on your list I tend to put off too!

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  23. Mu husband thinks Segways are the wave of the future. He's retarded.

    I love that your Sam went and spent time with his grandparents. My mom lives very close and does not take the opportunity to do things with her grandkids on her own. I'm so sad that I know she will regret it one day. But as a family, we make sure to get the grandkids to her house and force activites on her, like it or not!

    Quickie chore that only takes a minute that I often skip...does s** with the hubbs count...hey, what? We aren't spring chickens any more. heeheehee

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  24. My mother always says to clean AFTER company leaves, so since we rarely have company, I rarely clean! :-)

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  25. I clean MORE when we have company, but that's not saying a lot... ;)

    That Segway picture should be their next Ad - adventure at any age!

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  26. Cleaning out my brush, huh, that's a damn good idea, thanks.

    I put off folding and putting away laundry until I am so annoyed with digging through a basket just to find a pair of underwear (I have to wear them to work...) that I just break down and do it. The rest of the house - eh, I get to it when I get to it, more so when I'm expecting company.

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  27. Our house is usually pretty messy, that is what happens with 2 little kids, triathlete mommy and cyclist daddy. It pretty much looks like a transition area in our house all the time.

    Our house is clean right now, because it is/was for sale, and thankfully sold today after being listed 48 hours. I am sure it will be a disaster in less than 48 hours since we have no more showings.

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  28. Ok I've gotten much better at my house recently (well, esp since my kids now have a chore chart which helps me IMMENSELY and yes I pay them if they do them ALL in one day so one might call it bribery I call it a ticket to my sanity...but I digress) but one thing that I struggle with is the moldy leftovers!!! Why IS it so hard to throw it away? You see that small tupperware container way in the back, have NO CLUE what's in it (and really don't want to know) and you are SURE it's been there wayyyy too long but yet you close the door and move on with your merry life. LOL Gosh and then when you finally do (like before your mom or mother in law comes and God forbid they do it for you and then you feel bad as if they think you never clean out your fridge...er...who me?) soooo nasty!!!! So yeah, that's mine in a few (hundred) words. :)

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  29. “Don't leave Paris without trying this”


    Forget the other tours in Paris. Segway Tours by http://www.privatetoursinistanbul.com Tours will make your stay in Paris a lot more enjoyable. Out of our 4 days stay in Paris, touring the city on a Segway was the highlight of our trip. I would like to recommend our tour guide Rick, he was able to make Paris a lot more fun, interesting and enjoyable. We saw Paris at a different light with cool facts and trivia. We wouldn't think of coming back to Paris if it weren't for the Segway Tours. Definitely a must try for everyone.

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