One of those fun round-up posts for you!  Here’s what I’ve been up to lately.

First of all – per the title of this post, Bed, Bath and Beyond is a dangerous place. I haven’t been in the store for years, but I recently swung in for some blog supplies and… OMG.  So many things you never knew you wanted but really *NEED.*  Know what I mean?  Some fun things I purchased…  An upgraded silverware drawer organizer!  This is an expandable one so it fits into any decently sized drawer and eliminates all those awkward edges where stuff (crumbs!) get lost.

Now I actually have to actually keep that drawer organized!  We also got a new cutting board.  Our old one was super, super gross.  Also, this one is way lighter and easier to manage.   And we got new plates because our old plates were scratched and chipped.  These are nice and shiny!

Up next…

Monday:  Rest

Tuesday: 2.2 mile run + 1200 meter swim

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 6 mile run

Friday: 3 mile run + spin class

Saturday: 25 minute swim + ab workout

Sunday: 1 hour bike ride outside

Totals: 11.2 mile run, about 1300 meters of swimming, and 1:45 of biking

My goal this week is to do more because I basically repeated last week this week.  I need to up my bike mileage big time. 

Guess what? Claire is getting her first tooth.  You can’t see it yet in pictures, but it’s so cute.

I haven’t been spending enough time on the bike, but I sure have been doing a lot of reading.  Here are my past two Books a Week:

Week 22: I Am Legend

I picked this book (which is the oldie that inspired the Will Smith movie) because a friend wrote on Facebook that it was his favorite book and the movie didn’t do the story justice.  I remember loving the movie, so I promptly ordered it on Amazon.  The plot isn’t the same as the movie.  It’s a short horror tale of what happens when a vampire virus decimates the human race, leaving one man all alone to battle the creatures and try to keep a grip on his sanity.

My vote… I hated it!  Seriously, I hated this book. I do not think I have said that about a Book a Week so far (except for The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which I hated so much I stopped reading after 40 pages and didn’t even tell you about).  I Am Legend just didn’t grab me… And it ended at a point where I *really* wanted more information.  I feel bad putting down such a classic horror novel, but – meh.  Didn’t like it.

My Ratings: 2 out of 5 stars.  

Week 23:  Marketing for Solos: THE Ultimate How-To Guide For Marketing Your One Person Small Business Successfully

This was, by far, the best non-fiction book that I’ve read for a while.  It’s a How-To guide to market a “solo” business (i.e. a one person small business) successfully.  It gives you exactly what is promised on the cover – a right to the point, practical, and easy-to-follow marketing strategy.  The book is a quick read, simple in its directions, and without fluff, which I adored.  There are lots of real-world strategies you can apply to marketing immediately.  Some of the highlights for me included: not focusing on your own qualifications first but instead focusing on the client’s “pain, problem, or predicament,” as well as the chapter on not trying things once and getting disappointed when they don’t immediately work.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.  All small business owners should read this book!

Oh, I want to tell you guys about this awesome product.  So – we have three pets (once of which has a lot of “accidents”) and a toddler who was recently potty trained.  I end up cleaning up a lot of pee (I hate it – so gross).  Anyway, I’ve tried a ton of different products and none really get up the smell OR the stain.  But this one – Kids and Pets – REALLY does.

Here’s how effective Kids and Pets is… Shortly after we potty trained him, Henry had not one but TWO  accidents ON THE COUCH while watching TV.  I almost died.  I thought we were going to have to throw away our couch and buy a new one.  The smell was so bad, and how in the world would I get it out of the cushions?!  I dumped two whole bottles of Kids and Pets on the stain and – TADA! – it saved the day.  You can’t even tell it was peed on!  Seriously – this is such a great product that I had to tell you guys about it.  I’m going to stock in this company.

And I’ll leave you with these perfect memes…

And this – Hah.

Have a good one!