Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife (Review and Giveaway)

I recently received a copy of Nava Atlas's Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife. It didn't take me too many pages to realize that this isn't exactly my type of book...

While I've lived through my mom divorcing and I understand the bitterness that can stem from relationships gone awry, I just don't feel this way about my life, my marriage, or my man. I'm happily married and while I know much of the context of this book was meant to be humorous, I just found it to be sad. Maybe I just don't have the right sense of humor.

Mike and I were downstairs (he was on his computer, and I was on the couch) when I was reading this book. I found myself reading passages aloud to him and saying, "is this what normal married women feel like?" in wonder.

I guess I just picked well or I'm lucky... but this book really wasn't meant for me.

That said, I think it would be a great gift for a woman who is having relationship problems or going through a divorce to add some humor to an already dreary situation.

I have two copies of Secret Recipes for the Modern Wifebook to giveaway to two lucky readers. All you need to do is leave a comment on this post to win.

For additional entries:
1) Follow Sticky Feet (Part Deux) and/or Sticky Feet Reviews and then leave a comment stating that you are a follower. (Yes, if you're already a follower that qualifies you for 2 entries -- simply leave two comments, one of which states that you are a subscriber. If you follow both blogs you earn two extra entries!)
2) Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment stating you did so along with your Twitter name. (Yes, if you already follow me, just leave another comment stating you do so with your Twitter username!)
3) Tweet about this giveaway and then leave a comment stating you did so. (RT @stickyfeet2 Win a copy of Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife! www.stickyfeetreviews.com)
4) Add my button to your sidebar, then leave a comment stating you did so. Click here for the code and instructions.
5)Email 5 of your friends and tell them to enter the giveaway. Be sure to send a carbon copy of the email to me at stickyfeet2 at gmail dot com. Then comment stating you did so.
6) Write a post on your own blog about this giveaway and comment back with the permalink to this post.

Winner will be selected via Random.org on May 30!
Good Luck!

Congratulations to the winners of the Boob Maternity Giveaway - Rachel and Emily!

and the winner of the book Shelter Me - Nicole!

POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice Review with recipe for POM Pork Medallions

Recently, POM sent me a case of pomegranate juice to taste test. I tried the juice plain and it reminded me a bit of cranberry juice, but I have to admit, it isn't something that I would drink regularly. I also tried adding the POM to seltzer water, which was fine, but not wonderful.

I went searching for healthy recipes using POM and found this recipe for pork chops with a pomegranate marinade on one of the blogs I frequent -- Green Lite Bites. I modified the recipe slightly and we were thrilled with the results. This dish is healthy and tastes great!

Ingredients:

8 oz. POM Wonderful juice

2 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. basil

2 lb pork tenderloin

1 vidalia onion

salt and pepper

Whisk together the POM juice, honey, garlic, and basil to make a marinade. Trim the tenderloin (one of my main beefs with pork is it can be fatty so I like to trim off all of the fat) and cut into medallions. My tenderloin made 10 medallions -- that's a lot of pork! Slice the onion.

Layer the pork, onions, and a bit of marinade several times in a Ziploc bag. Place in the fridge and marinate for at least 12 hours. Each time I opened the fridge I mixed it around a bit to make sure that all of the pork was coated.

Fire up the grill and grill the onions and medallions until your desired doneness (I prefer all of my meat extra well done). Please ignore Mikey's disheveled appearance -- this was on Sunday evening after walking, biking, weeding, mowing, planting, etc. Mike had a busy and productive day and was in need of a shower! ;)

The pork has an amazing flavor and is definitely a recipe I'll make again. I was really impressed with the flavor but it was not overwhelming. The vidalia onions are a must and give a wonderful, sweet, crunch. I served the pork with green beans and new potatoes. Delish!

This recipe has been cross posted at my main blog http://www.stickyfeet2.net/.

Obama: The Historic Journey (Young Readers Edition) Review

Mom Central recently sent us a copy of Obama: The Historic Journey to review. Admittedly, Bo is a bit too young to truly appreciate this book, but we were thrilled to receive anyway.

Bo did sit down with me and looked through the pictures, but at only a year and a half he didn't have the patience to listen to the text. I read the entire book and truly enjoyed it. As a former high school history teacher, this book is a perfect first attempt at non-fiction and historical reading for an elementary age student. The book is well-written, easy to understand, and explains many historical concepts in terms that children can easily identify. It is a phenomenal reference for a biography on Obama for a 6th grade social studies class.

By far, the best feature of the book is the photographs. Photos of Obama as a child, photos of Michelle as a child, photos of Malia and Sasha. Photos from the campaign trail. Photos that make the Obama's seem like they could be your next door neighbor. And all of them are absolutely stunning. The photos add so much to the book and really made the text come alive.

The book also captures the intensity of the election and the hope that Obama has brought to America. Just as I had chills when Obama gave his acceptance speech and was inaugurated, I had those same chills while reading. The authors truly capture the excitement that this election and Obama have renewed in America.

Obama: The Historic Journey will not be leaving our house any time soon. What an amazing keepsake for Bo regarding the first election of his life.

Boob Maternity Giveaway!

Jamie at 17 weeks 4 days pregnant with twin girls. I'm only going to become larger... which is actually quite scary. This top is the T shaped for Curves in Safari. Right now it is too big and too long -- but I know it won't be for long!!

It's amazing how much maternity clothes change in such a short period of time. It seems like I was just pregnant with Bo yesterday, and I saved all of my maternity clothes from that pregnancy, but the clothes seem so much cuter now! And my life is so different -- working from home definitely requires a different type of apparel!

I'm not one of those women who "glows" during pregnancy. While I've done crazy things (6 IVFs) to become pregnant, I really don't enjoy pregnancy itself. To me, it is a means to an end. I hate feeling fat and frumpy.

Needless to say, I was thrilled to receive three new tops from Boob Maternity that make me feel anything but frumpy. I ordered a size large (so they are a bit big now) but I know that my tummy isn't going to have a small bump for long with two babies inside!

I received the T shaped for Curves in Safari, Underbelly Blouse in Grass, and the Flattering V in Grass Stripe. All of the shirts are high quality and super comfortable!!

Model in T-Shaped for Curves in White. Hers currently fits her a lot better than mine does!!
I really like this shirt and I know it will take me to the end of my pregnancy because of its long length. One thing I wasn't prepared for with Bo was how much a belly changes the length of your clothing!!
Model in Underbelly Blouse in Grass. I tried this shirt on to attempt to take a picture of myself in it and it is currently so big that it just hangs on me. I'm sure I'll grow into it by the end of the pregnancy though! If you want to wear it now, definitely order your pre-pregnancy size.

Model in Flattering V in Grass Stripe. This is the exact top that I received and it was in the laundry when I had Mike take the pictures for this post. I've already had to wash it twice and I just love it. It has plenty of length, is made out of wonderful material, and washes well! Definitely a winner!

Boob Maternity's clothes are excellent quality and truly perfect for working at home or working outside the home! You can purchase Boob apparel at Due Maternity and Pickles and Ice Cream. (If anyone wants to buy me a gift - I'd love to have the Boob underbelly singlet in Poppy stripe for the hot days of summer... ;)) I give Boob's clothes two thumbs up!




Boob Maternity has graciously agreed to giveaway a Flattering V tee in Stripes (your choice of poppy, grass, or sun and sizes S, M, L) to two lucky readers! All you need to do is head over to Boob Maternity and then leave a comment telling me what color and size tee you'd like to win!

For additional entries:
1) Follow Sticky Feet (Part Deux) and/or Sticky Feet Reviews and then leave a comment stating that you are a follower. (Yes, if you're already a follower that qualifies you for 2 entries -- simply leave two comments, one of which states that you are a subscriber. If you follow both blogs you earn two extra entries!)
2) Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment stating you did so along with your Twitter name. (Yes, if you already follow me, just leave another comment stating you do so with your Twitter username!)
3) Tweet about this giveaway and then leave a comment stating you did so. (RT @stickyfeet2 Win a phenomenal, high quality maternity tee!! www.stickyfeetreviews.com)
4) Add my button to your sidebar, then leave a comment stating you did so. Click here for the code and instructions.
5)Email 5 of your friends and tell them to enter the giveaway. Be sure to send a carbon copy of the email to me at stickyfeet2 at gmail dot com. Then comment stating you did so.
6) Write a post on your own blog about this giveaway and comment back with the permalink to this post.

Winner will be selected via Random.org on May 20!
Good Luck!

Congratulations to Kristin who won the Good Home Cookbook Giveaway!!

Shelter Me by Juliette Fay (Book Review and Giveaway!)

I recently received a copy of the book Shelter Me by Juliette Fay. It was, by far, the best non-fiction book I've read in a long time.

Mike gives me no end of grief about my reading selections and often hounds me that I need to find more "fun" books. We always read before going to sleep at night but my selections are usually books like Toddler 411 and Mothering Multiples. Needless to say, Mike was thrilled to see a novel in my hands. At least he was until he read the quote at the top of the front cover...

"A gorgeous paradox of a book: a deep, thoughtful exploration of a young mother's first year of widowhood that is as much as page-turner as any thriller." - Marisa De Los Santos, New York Times bestselling author of Belong to Me.

De Los Santos quote was met with Mike saying, "Do you really need to read this?" He knows that one of my biggest fears is having something happen to him and doesn't enjoy books (or anything else for that matter) that exacerbates my already anxious mind with more worries.

But honestly, this is just the type of "fun" book I love to read. I was quickly and easily able to connect with the main character, Janie, and her struggles as a widow with two young children. I enjoy books that allow me to empathize and relate to the characters and this book quickly drew me in and captured my attention. I devoured the book in under a week, which given my crazy schedule these days is no small feat!

I am giving away one copy of Shelter Me to one lucky reader. All you need to do is leave a comment on this post with the title of a book that you love and think I would enjoy reading. (Yes, I'm shamelessly trying to develop a reading list!)

For additional entries:
1) Follow Sticky Feet (Part Deux) and/or Sticky Feet Reviews and then leave a comment stating that you are a follower. (Yes, if you're already a follower that qualifies you for 2 entries -- simply leave two comments, one of which states that you are a subscriber. If you follow both blogs you earn two extra entries!)
2) Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment stating you did so along with your Twitter name. (Yes, if you already follow me, just leave another comment stating you do so with your Twitter username!)
3) Tweet about this giveaway and then leave a comment stating you did so. (RT @stickyfeet2 Win a copy of Juliette Fay's book Shelter Me! www.stickyfeetreviews.com)
4) Add my button to your sidebar, then leave a comment stating you did so. Click here for the code and instructions.
5)Email 5 of your friends and tell them to enter the giveaway. Be sure to send a carbon copy of the email to me at stickyfeet2 at gmail dot com. Then comment stating you did so.
6) Write a post on your own blog about this giveaway and comment back with the permalink to this post.

Winner will be selected via Random.org on May 20!
Good Luck!

Giveaway Winners!

Welcome to my new review blog - Sticky Feet Reviews!!

Check back often for great items that I'll be giving away and sharing with fellow readers!!

Current Giveaway Winners:

Mother's Day Cocoa Duo from Fairtale Brownies - judybrittle

Susy Welch's 10-10-10: A Life Transforming Idea - Carrie27

Congratulations!!