On the move...

We now have a little walker on our hands! He went from a few steps here and there to suddenly walking...all over the place...happy as a clam...


So, without further ado, I now present for your viewing pleasure: The Walker. Enjoy! (And, yes, it's "ado" not "adieu"...I googled it.) ;o)

(somewhat) Wordless Wednesday

Some days, this boy makes me want to pull my hair out. Other days, I just have to laugh.

Euroflex Monster EZ1 Steam Mop and Floor Steam Cleaner

A few weeks ago, the good 'ol folks over at Euroflex sent me their Monster EZ1 Steam Cleaner to review. Let me just tell you the excitement that came over me when I came home from work that day to see a box sitting at my back door.

Most of you know we moved into our 1852 farmhouse about 3 months ago, and about 75% of the house is tile, wood, or stone floor. While I do like my Swiffer, I quickly realized that I can't use it to effectively clean the stone, and I was reluctant to try it on the wide-plank hardwood floors.

Most of you also know by now that we are expecting baby #3 and that I tend to be a penny-pinching mama. Thus, buying several different cleaning products to keep my floors looking spiffy was out of the question.

This mop gave me the answers I needed. It easily cleans all of the floors with just water...no extra cleaners to buy, no extra money to spend! You just fill the water chamber (using the convenient included cup), plug her in, wait a few minutes for the water to heat, and get moving! Another plus? It uses reusable, washable microfibre pads that attach using a hook & loop system, and they pick up almost anything in their path. No more buying disposable pads!

I can easily fill the chamber with two cups of water and clean every floor in my house - without having to refill it. My floors also dry within minutes, so I don't have to worry about a certain busy crawling/walking boy getting wet with cleaners or chemicals.

The mop steams downward onto your floor AND forward, getting into those hard-to-reach areas. Unfortunately, my mop's forward steam trigger was broken when it arrived, so I didn't get to experience this aspect. OH, and the mop comes with a carpet sledge that attaches to the mop so you can steam your carpets! While it isn't sufficient as a deep steam cleaner, it does give me that clean feeling I'm looking for.

Overall, the Monster EZ1 Steam Cleaner is a wonderful basic steam that can quickly get the job done AND save you money...two things we are ALL looking to do these days. :)

My daughter is a finalist...and now I need YOU!

Hold up, blogging world...


I know I owe you a review on a great product that I tested recently, but THIS is a little more important!


My daughter is a finalist in a Trix video contest, and I need YOU to help her WIN!


The contest was put together by a website that I love reading called 5 Minutes for Mom, run by some really awesome twin sisters who know their stuff!


Anywho, we were supposed to ask Danae how she thought those fruity swirls got on the Trix cereal and videotape her response. We kept it simple...no rehearsing...no dressing her up or coaching her on what to say...straight up organic. ;o)


Now, she needs to get the most votes in order for her to win! And a $1,000 prize is nothing to just skip over!


So, PLEASE go here: http://www.5minutesformom.com/6853/trix-swirls-finalists/ and vote for my Danae. She is #5 of the 10 finalists. Yeah, our video is grainy and not very clear...but Danae is just too stinkin' cute to say no to, right??? ;o)


Thanks for your help!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

Hola to my devout bloggy readers!


There are some changes a-comin' to See Bess Run...some that you'll notice now, and others that won't be noticeable for a little longer. ;o)


I'm setting on a few new adventures, the first being a new type of blog post. Starting today, you'll get to read product reviews of items that companies graciously gave me to test out and talk about with others. Most of the items will be helpful things for mamas and those of us who make an attempt at keeping a clean house (myself included!). Don't worry...I'll still blog about the "hilarities" that take place over here, and I'll definitely share stories if another random, huge animal decides to wander through my house (check out my previous post)...


...AND...


...in other news...


...you'll also get to see me grow huge one more time as we prepare to meet baby #3 in March. Yup, you got it...we are transitioning from man-to-man to zone defense in the spring. It'll be an adventure all its own, and I'm excited to share the ups and downs with you!


So, join me as we launch (or should I say get launched!) into a whole new world...and feel free to share your feedback, uplifting thoughts, ideas, and opinions! :) I'm off to rid my son's bottom of the smell that's filling the room, dress the kiddos, stop by the office, take tools to the Hubby, take meals to my in-laws, work, and help a dear friend clean her soon-to-be new house. Yes, my friends...the adventures continue...

Straight out of a storybook comic strip...

When the blogger girls and I get together, we try to enjoy a time of catching up, personal talk, and the sorts. We are girls, you know...and we each maintain blogs...we could probably talk for hours!

Well, that wasn't so much the case this morning.

K, J, and A descended upon my house for our Blogger's Brunch, which we try to do regularly for some catch up and girl/mom time. None of us realized until this morning that there are 9 children among all of us. N.I.N.E. Ranging in age from 4 years old to 8 weeks old. Are we insane?!

Maybe.

The story opens in the dining room, where we tried shoving all nine of us around the table. Umm...no. My lack of chairs forced J's two boys to eat on the back deck. Not too bad...good shade, and a window where we could pass them food as needed. The window was also helpful in showing J the two paring knives that her two-year-old was waving around after having found in my deck, which we had lost a week ago after a night of husking corn. Good eye, buddy...good eye.

Next up: my screaming one year old, who thinks that he'll get all the food on the table if he just yells loud enough...loud enough to scare the pants off of K's two kiddos. Annoying enough for me to continually throw food at him in his highchair, most of which ended up on him and on the floor. Poor K's kids...I think my son triggered her soon-to-be three-year-old's mini-meltdown. Great. I have a bully on my hands.

Round 3: While J nursed her youngest in the t.v. room, the four older kiddos played outside and inside the house, and the rest of us chatted and tried to keep babies calm in the dining room. The conversation then becomes, "Um, Beth? Do you have a dog?" Nope. "There's a big black dog walking around the house." Uh, what? Sure enough, I round the corner into the kitchen to see a huge (as in, the kids could have rode it like a pony) black labrador (kinda like this guy, only a little fatter)...

...strolling through, right into the t.v. room where my daughter and J's little man were frozen with fear and screaming, with A's little girl standing next to mine on the couch, on the verge of crying. My immediate thought was to grab any child I could, out of fear of a dog bite. I mean, this thing was BIG, and I had no clue where he came from or who he belonged to. So, while J (in the middle of nursing a baby, mind you) corralled this animal out the door, the rest of us held kids and/or tried to shield them. A Dora video quickly calmed the crowd and restored order.

Closing Act: While J and A were trying to leave and load children into their cars, we hear a scream from one of J's boys. She drops her baby girl on the driveway (c'mon, she was in her car seat...totally safe) and runs to release her son's fingers from the shut car door. Oh, boy. Screaming, blood, smashed finger. We get him an ice pack, then Danae and I run back inside to get a Band-Aid, all the while Danae is trying to convince me that Tyler just needs a regular Band-Aid and not a Sponge Bob one, while I'm lecturing her on being loving, having a giving heart when others are hurting, being more like Jesus, etc. She finally gets it and hands the poor boy the Sponge Bob Band-Aid, which immediately ceases the tears. So, we get a lesson in car safety and in good character traits. Woohoo!

All in all, we had good company, yummy food, unfinished conversations, and a whole lot of comedy. Of course, we couldn't help but laugh at the fact that we are bloggers who never had time to whip out the cameras in the midst of the madness. (Can you imagine if we would have gotten face photos during the doggy escapade?! I laugh just thinking about it!) I did, however, manage to get K and her little man...

...as well as two of Janelle's kiddos loving on each other. Too precious.

Next Blogger's Brunch? Dessert, coffee, FINISHED conversations, and no children. 'Nough said.

A Mommy Treat

Do you know how much I LOVE our neighbors?

If you don't by now, you will. Oh, I'm sure you will.

We have two awesome families that live to the left of us, and besides loving our kids, babysitting, allowing us anytime access to their in-ground pool, and feeding us from time to time, they treat us like family. They are loving, accepting people who have some pretty terrific children of their own.

Here's a little example. I received this today at my door:

A gift entitled "A Mommy Treat". A mocha drink of sorts.

An out-of-the-blue, hope-your-day-is-going-great treat. Made for little 'ol me. Little did she know how my days have been going lately and that I needed a pick-me-up in the worst way today.

And, of course, special treats are meant to be shared with special little girls who wake up from their naps just in time to see Mommy taking the first sip. Hmm.

Thank God it's decaf. :)