January 2009Monthly Archives

Thanks for the encouragement about my health woes, everyone. The foot/ankle issues are finally starting to clear up, thankfully! I still haven’t made a decision on whether I’ll do my scheduled 5k race on Sunday or not. Part of me really wants to for several reasons:

1. I’ve not done a race in a few months.
2. Several of my friends are also registered for it.
3. I’ve already paid for it anyway.
4. They have a cutest little surfboard finisher medals.

Ok, so maybe reason #4 is the one I’m thinking about the most right now. I already have the one from last year’s race. I think it would be a shame not to get this little matching friend for it, don’t you?

Aren’t they adorable? Yes, in case you are wondering, they are made of real wood.

Right now my plan is to go on Friday afternoon and pick up my bib/race packet at the Expo. I’ll likely make my final decision on whether I’m up to actually doing the race on Saturday night. If I am feeling up to it, I’ll be sticking to all walking and won’t be doing any run intervals. I figure there’s no need to tempt fate when I’m just getting back on my feet (pardon the pun).

I saw this on LOLCats today, but it sums up my day pretty well. I’ve got a pretty nasty cold/sinus infection and seem to be sneezing more than not.

I’ll really be glad when January is over. This has been a very rough month for me health-wise. I started out with the flu the first week, developed a case of gout in my ankle mid-month, and now this nasty cold/sinus infection that started on Saturday. This is NOT a good way to start the new year. I’ve already had more sick days in January than I did in all of 2008 combined.

Here’s to hoping the rest of the year will be healthy!

I just thought I would share a new veggie burger I found with you all. It’s a new flavor from the good folks at Boca Foods. It’s the new Boca Savory Mushroom Mozzarella veggie patty. I’m generally a fan of Boca products and this one did not disappoint either. So, now I have another variety of veggie burger to add into my rotation.

Here is the description of this product from the Boca website:

“A tasty blend of real oats, mozzarella and three kinds of mushrooms with savory hints of thyme and oregano.”

For those interested, here is the nutritional breakdown per patty:

100 calories
2.5g fat (0g trans fat)
4g fiber
13g protein

I came to the realization a couple of weeks ago when getting ready for a friend to come visit that I’ve gotten very lax with my house cleaning. I don’t mean that I’ve let my house really get “dirty”, but I just don’t stay on top of everything to the level I once did and I’ve let things become cluttered. I grew up in a house with two pack rat parents, so I’m not a big fan of cluttered.

I think a lot of this started a couple of years ago when I started having issues with my back which ultimately resulted in my spinal fusion surgery in April 2007. I reached a point where even the most basic of household tasks was simply too much for me. Once I was healed from my surgery, I guess I was far enough removed from the habit/routine of daily housework that I never really got back to it.

Well, the time has come for me to turn that around. I don’t want to find myself in a position again where I feel overwhelmed by the amount of clutter in my home. There are many things I have that I simply never use and I need to just get rid of them.

I already have a pretty good pile of stuff in my garage ready for the Salvation Army to come by and pick up on Friday. So far this includes things like my old sofa, microwave oven, a set of china, stainless steel cookware set, clothing I no longer wear, etc. I really want to add some more to it this week by sorting through my bookcases and culling down my book collection as well.

Another change for me will be getting back to an organized cleaning routine. I figure since I switched over to using Method cleaning products last year that it was about time to return to a method for my cleaning, too. I found some great lists on the Real Simple website which I’ve adapted for my own use. Here is what I’ve come up with for my daily and weekly lists:

Daily Routine:

Kitchen (five minutes)

• Wipe down the sink after doing the dishes or loading the dishwasher (30 seconds).
• Wipe down the stove top (one minute).
• Wipe down the counters (one minute).
• Sweep the floor (two minutes).

Bathroom (three minutes)

• Wipe out the sink (30 seconds).
• Wipe the toilet seat and rim (30 seconds).
• Swoosh the toilet bowl with a brush (30 seconds).
• Wipe the mirrors and faucet (one minute).

Bedroom (five minutes)

• Make the bed (two minutes).
• Fold or hang clothing and put away jewelry (three minutes).
• Straighten out the night-table surface (30 seconds).

Living Area (six minutes)

• Pick up crumbs and dust bunnies with a handheld vacuum (one minute).
• Fluff the cushions and fold throws after use (two minutes).
• Wipe tabletops (one minute).
• Straighten books and magazines. Put away CDs/DVDs (two minutes).

Weekly Routine:

Kitchen (16 minutes)

• Mop the floor (five minutes).
• Wipe the cabinets, backsplashes, switch plates, and appliances (10 minutes).
• Wipe the inside of the garbage can (one minute).

Bathroom (12 minutes)

• Scrub the tub & tiles (eight minutes).
• Mop the floor (two minutes).
• Wipe the switch plates, towel rack, doorknobs, and doorjambs (one minute).
• Empty and wipe out the wastebasket (one minute).

Bedroom (25 minutes)

• Change the sheets (five minutes).
• Dust all surfaces — including electronics, books, picture frames, windowsills and ledges, and tops of door frames — and remove all cobwebs (10 minutes).
• Dust or mop the floors or vacuum the carpeting (five minutes).
• Throw out old magazines (one minute).
• Wipe the switch plates, doorknobs, and doorjambs (one minute).
• Empty the wastebasket (30 seconds).
• Vacuum the heating and air-conditioning vents and the inside of the closet (two minutes).

Living Area (26 minutes)

• Dust all surfaces — including electronics, books, blinds, picture frames, windowsills and ledges, and tops of door frames — and remove all cobwebs (15 minutes).
• Vacuum the carpeting (five minutes).
• Vacuum the upholstery (five minutes).
• Wipe the switch plates, doorknobs, and doorjambs (one minute).

Misc. (9 minutes)

• Sweep the patio & front door entry (five minutes).
• Shake out or vacuum the doormat (one minute).
• Wipe the washer/dryer (one minute).
• Take out all of the trash (two minutes).

I think I’m going to create a separate page with my cleaning list on it so I’ll have it as a quick reference to make sure I stick with my goals. I’m still working on the details of my quarterly cleaning plan. Once I have it finalized, I’ll add it as well.

After several months of needing/wanting a new sofa, I finally got one! It’s really comfy and each of the ends has a recliner. I’m looking forward to lots of good stitching time on it in the future.

The sofa is a sage green microfiber fabric. It’s not an exact match to my chair that I bought a couple of years ago, but it’s pretty darn close.