Beautifully Poor

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.  Got plans April 9th through 11th ? Well, you do now:  ModCloth IRL ! They're hosting their 1st-ever fit shop in LA, where you can try on an array of items including dresses, tops, bottoms, shoes, & the requisite cat-printed pieces, meet the peeps behind the 'screens', get measurements taken by a pro, & more. Get all the deets and RSVP now on their  event page ! Don't miss out on this awesome event!  *This is a sponsored post. I am writing it on behalf of ModCloth.

I was lucky enough to receive some food storage containers from Komax recently and wanted to share my views on them. These have been by far the best food storage containers I have come across. First lets start with the Cereal Container. This container is 4.0 Liters! To me, that is huge! As you can see, the remainders of Benjamin's Cocoa Puff's are in here, but I was thinking it would be great for marshmallows, even the giant ones! I find that putting food in resealable plastic bags can lead to crushed crackers, smashed cereal and even stale food because they are not air tight. Well this is 100% air and liquid tight!  Here is a closer look at the lid: See how each side clips on? That's what keeps it airtight! The other nice thing about this is that it has the pour spout. Also BPA free, it is safe for food storage! It's refrigerator and freezer safe as well, so you could actually use this for beverages! Microwave safe too , though I'm not su...

Turmoil inside comes from many things. Worry, our daily lives, kids, parents, money, pretty much anything we think to much on or anything that has made a large impact in our lives in a negative way. Recently, I had to confront my past with the sexual abuse from my biological father to bring complete healing. Some may say this was foolish, but for me I knew I had to deal with it in this manner. My mom was kind enough to mail me all the court documents and papers from counselors, etc. Even a few copies of letters from the man himself. I always knew what happened but didn't KNOW. Reading the facts about what happened to me was painful, which is an understatement. The fact a father could do these things to his children is sickening and way beyond me. But it happens more than people want to admit. I would say that 3 out of 10 people at LEAST have been through sexual abuse. There is no excuse for it, and the path to complete healing evades most of the victims. In my journ...

It isn't often a book grasps my soul, into my core-being where I cannot forget what I just read for months, if not years. It takes a great writer to capture me like that. Miranda Richmond Mouillot is one of few authors who has accomplished that fairly impossible task. A Fifty-Year Silence takes it readers on a journey through the lives of Armand and Anna Jacoubovitch, the authors grandparents. A story that started with a silence between two people who should have been inseparable, but who hadn't spoken since 1955. The story which is pieced together by Mouillot through a myriad of memories either from her grandparents themselves or through the files in history. The journey starts in the eyes of the author and how her family's history had her tied to a time and place that was far from our conceptual grasp, but close to one's soul. The unexplained dreams and fears that only come to life when you continue reading through the leaves of this book. Through her g...

*This post contains affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. I used to dye my hair all the time as a teenager and into my early twenties. Since having Benjamin, I have maybe 4 times in the last 4 years. I usually dislike it, as the smell is so ridiculously strong that it burns my eyes and gives me a headache.  I am SO happy to have found this company and was psyched when I got my box today! I was excited to change my accidental blonde hair back to a lighter brown. The first thing I noticed was how AWESOME the box is! Check this out! I had no idea what this box held, but by the looks of it, I was already excited. After I opened it this is what I saw: The instructions are on the box and here is what is inside: 2 pairs of gloves (top left), a cap (top right), barrier cream (under the gloves), a cleansing wipe (under the cap), a color activator bottle (bottom left), color tube (purple b...

Collage Blanket Giveaway Hosted by Bubby's Mommy Co-hosted by Nonperfect Parenting , StylishMomme , Mean Mommy , Sweepstakes Diva , & Bentley's Mom Sponsored by Collage.com Collage.com is sponsoring a giveaway for 1 FREE Collage blanket to one of my lucky readers. This blanket is valued at $126 and they are absolutely beautiful. Be sure to check out my Review after you enter!! Entry -Form *Terms & Conditions: Promotions are in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Twitter.Giveaway open to US Only unless otherwise noted. Must be 18 years old or older.One winner will be selected in a random drawing from among all eligible entries. Winner will be notified by email. The winner will then have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected.Odds of winning will depend upon the number of eligible entries received. The use of multiple email addresses, Twitter handles, or Facebook Profiles is not permitted and...

**The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Spring Sweepstakes with  Little Passports Little Passports  has partnered with Melissa and Doug for a Spectacular Spring Sweepstakes! Enter  The Little Passports and Melissa and Doug Spring Sweepstakes  today! One lucky winner will receive the following  Grand Prize Package worth $400 USD. A 12-Month Little Passports subscription World Coin Collection from Little Passports Melissa & Doug prize pack: Sunny Patch Tent, two Personalized Sleeping Bags, four On The Go Activity Pads, a Pinball Arcade Battery-Free Game, and two Beeposh Plush Razzle Raccoon toys! Giveaway ends March 31st at 12am PST. Must be 18 years of age; Valid to residents of US to Canada (excluding Quebec and Puerto Rico/US Territories). See complete rules on entry form.

Like to travel light? Well I think these packing cubes would be perfect for you! There are 4 cubes, the large weighs only 4.8 ozs, both medium sizes weigh 4 ozs and the small one weighs only 3.2 ozs! They are made from a strong, lightweight nylon fabric and mesh and are perfect for traveling. Whether that means on an airplane or backpacking through the woods on a camping trip! Another great use I saw for these was for new mom's who have to bring a bag for themselves and baby to the hospital when the baby is born. These are perfect for that! They are so light, and when taking a baby home, you have so much to carry already, why add to that?  Trying to store those winter clothes during the summer or vice versa? These are perfect for that too! I myself don't have tons of clothes so these work great for me and they are small enough to store in a closet without taking up so much room!  In the shoe bag, I was able to fit two pairs of high heels. My husband wears a ...

I have NEVER seen a jump rope that is this cool. I love cardio, it is such a great thing for anyone's body and I actually had received a jump rope last year from my insurance company, but it wasn't very good and was cheaply made. That makes sense since it was free ;)  There are a few major things that set this jump rope apart from any other that I, personally have seen.  My favorite feature is that it has ball bearing handles. It makes it so the rope doesn't tangle and it is actually easier on the wrists when jumping for long periods. And for those of you who do double-under's or are trying to learn, this is the perfect rope for you! This makes double-under's a BREEZE! The other feature is that the rope itself is adjustable. You can use your fingers to adjust the length or either a flat head or a Phillips screwdriver to adjust where you want the handles to be.  This works perfect for my husband and I because he is much taller ...

So trying new foods is something I love to do, because who wants that boring old spaghetti every other day! My new venture today was this coconut chicken with the Pina Colada sauce! Have you ever had the coconut shrimp at Red Lobster? Well that is kind of what I was getting at here! And it turned out FABULOUS!!! So I wanted to share the recipe with everyone so you could try it for yourself! Pina Colada Sauce 3/4 cup sour cream 1 cup Pina Colada drink mix 1/4 cup crushed pineapple 1 Tablespoon pineapple juice Gently combine the sour cream with the drink mix until combined. Don't over mix here. Fold in the crushed pineapple and the pineapple juice. Refrigerate until needed. As it sits it tastes better so I made this first. Coconut Chicken 2 Chicken breasts, cut into strips 2 eggs 1/3 cup of coconut milk 1 1/2 cups of flour 1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut salt and pepper Oil for frying Combing the eggs and the coconut milk in a shallow dish. I...

Hosted by BubbysMommy Co-hosted by StylishMomme , Nonperfect Parenting , Sweepstakes Diva , Mean Mommy , & Bentley's Mom Sponsored by Glam Essentials Entry -Form ** Terms & Conditions: Promotions are in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Twitter.Giveaway open to US Only unless otherwise noted. Must be 18 years old or older.One winner will be selected in a random drawing from among all eligible entries. Winner will be notified by email. The winner will then have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected.Odds of winning will depend upon the number of eligible entries received. The use of multiple email addresses, Twitter handles, or Facebook Profiles is not permitted and will result in disqualification.

I love my kid, don't get me wrong. He is one of the most brilliant little persons I have ever met. I am truly blessed to be able to stay at home with him since we moved to Minnesota and in this time I have seen my little boy blossom into a sweet, caring individual. That being said, today was one of those days. You know, since my husband works 5 days a week from dawn until past dusk, I raise our child alone all but 2 days a week UNLESS by a miracle my husband takes a vacation day but that would only be 5 days out of the year. So yeah, it gets tough. The truth of it is, I get frustrated. I get annoyed. I get angry. And tonight was one of those nights. Some days I just feel overwhelmed by the fact that I am always with him, not always home, but usually. I cannot wait to buy a house by the end of the year! For REAL!  I don't like to be touched constantly, a human jungle gym or being yelled at because suddenly today he hates his ravioli's. I know it is a bless...

*FTC Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and I will receive compensation if you make a purchase using my links.* The Best Photo Book For Mother’s Day Gifts What better way to celebrate the important women in your life this Mother’s Day than with a beautiful photo book full of memories! We’re all guilty of taking hundreds of pictures throughout the year but never printing them out to remind us of the magic moments spent with our loved ones.   Enter Montage, the best photo book choice for quickly and beautifully printing out your pictures in keepsake form. Montage photo books come in three sizes starting at $29, and they do all of the work for you. They automatically place your photos in the best layout, factoring in chronology, important moments, and picture quality, and then allow you to make adjustments where desired.  The entire creation process takes less than 15 minutes, making it the best photo book for those of us who are crunched on time. Th...

For those of us who work out, and even those who don't, getting enough protein in one's diet is of immense importance. The thing is, most protein powder's don't mix cleanly (I mean without lumps) and taste just bad. I have had so many that just make me gag and with running season upon us I really was happy to find this product. When I went to mix the protein powder to make the drink, I realized my husband had taken my shaker bottle on me (grrr) so I had to improvise. I know you can't really just dump protein powder in a cup and expect it to not be lumpy, so I used a measuring cup and a wire whisk and it worked fantastic! It even went into the glass clean! Which surprised me because I half expected there to be residue in the measuring glass, but there wasn't. Now for the flavor! I got the Natural Dutch Chocolate Flavor because hey, who doesn't like chocolate? Also knowing how bad some protein powder's can taste I figured that ...

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I KNOW I am not the only mother to deal with a picky eater, and as an ex-picky eater myself, I kind of know how to go about it and force is just not an option. Just like when I was a kid, if I tell my 4 year old he HAS to eat what I put in front of him or he goes hungry guess what? He will go hungry. And he won't complain about it! Sometimes he will say "I'm hungry" and I'll come back with "Well you could eat what I made for dinner" and then he drops it.  So I felt I had to go about this a different way, because I used to react just like him in the above situation. I was stubborn as an ox and so is he. Can be a good trait if we raise him right and I think we are on a good road to that.  Well lately he will only eat peanut butter sandwiches, bologna, and chicken nuggets. Along with chips and treats obviously. But those are his main meals, oh and toast. He used to like spaghetti and since that's what I had on the dinner agenda that's what I...

The Clementine tank takes comfort to the next level. It is made with a poly-viscose blend making this tank exceptionally soft. It is also flowy and long, making it extremely comfortable. For working out, this shirt is perfect because it is light and doesn't cling to your body. It is nice that it has a racerback as well, hiding straps from a sports bra.  It is also stylish and can be worn with leggings or shorts. Very cute back detail! It is one of those shirts I could wear every day in the summer and with over 15 colors to choose from, the possibilities are endless! Fits true to size and with the color I got, it wasn't see through either which is a big deal to me. I don't like to have to wear more than one tank top, especially in the hot summer. You can get your own Clementine tank here:  Tank top Here is my video review as well: I received this product free for testing and review purposes. All opinions are 100% my own.

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Hosted by Bubby's Mommy Co-Hosted by Nonperfect Parenting , StyishMomme, Sweepstakes Diva , & Mean Mommy Sponsored by DK Products & SpecialtyStyles Entry -Form

This recipe is easily one of my favorites! I usually have more cheese for the top but evidently put too much inside! It's okay though, they are still delicious! So here is the recipe: 1 lb ground beef 1 medium chopped onion 2 Tablespoons flour 1 Tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/4 teaspoon sage 1 can (14 1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes Sauce 4-6 garlic cloves, minced 1/3 cup butter 1/2 cup flour 1 can (14 1/2 oz) beef broth (I use 2 beef bouillon cubes in 14.5 oz of warm water) 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce 2 Tablespoons EACH of chili powder, sage and cumin 1/4 teaspoon salt 10 flour tortillas 2 cups co-jack cheese In a saucepan, cook beef with the onion until done; drain. Add flour and seasonings and mix well. Add the can of stewed tomatoes and bring to a simmer then reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. In another saucepan, saute the garlic in butter. Stir i...

Okay, these have got to be the nicest tongs and the nicest spatula I've ever owned! My favorite color is this color green so I think it is just awesome! The handle is stainless steel on the spatula and is 10" long. Perfect for any sort of cooking or scraping you would do with a spatula! The tongs come in two different sizes, 9" and 12" and have silicone tips that can withstand up to 480°! So no melting unless you are doing some ridiculous sort of cooking! There are also grips on the sides of the tongs which is nice, because if you use them in say, boiling water, the tong handle doesn't get hot on your hands. They are also made of stainless steel so no rusting on these kitchen utensils.  They are all BPA free and 100% food safe which makes them even more attractive. No one wants chemicals coming off utensils into food. They are all also dishwasher safe and have hook holes for easy hanging! Get your own set here:  Tongs and Spatula Set Entr...