HELLO WEE PEOPLE!?! My cart (and heart!) runneth over!

And the outfit? Yeah, He rocks a lot of Baby Gap.
I thought this outfit was very James Dean.

T-Shirt: Hanes Toddler via Target
Jeans: Gap black skinny jeans, Summer 2010
Shoes: Lacoste Kids
Belt: Gap distressed black leather belt

Hudson LOVES the park. We try to take him several times a week. He refuses the toddler park for the most part & insists on the big kid slides. When he rides the little rockers- he insists on climbing up himself.

And today, he wore those same destroyed Baby Gap jeans & belt. But, he switched it up with his Skate & Destroy shirt from Little Ruler & his new light-up black & green Pumas. And yes, they light up. And no, I am not a fan. I thought they were super cute until he tried them on & as he ran by me I saw them light up. I was all “oh, they light up? Nevermind. I don’t like them.” But Scott & my Mom who came along for the trip were like “He’s a KID. Those are cute. Stop being so ridiculous.” So, I sucked it up and bought my kid light up shoes. Even if I sort of hate them.

Shirt: Small Paul via my mom Pants: Destroyed Jeans by Baby Gap, spring 2010 Belt: Baby Gap, fall 2010 Vest: Baby Gap, fall 2008 Shoes: Lacoste kids.

His new winter coat from Baby Gap. Adorable.

Before I had children- I felt beautiful. I did. Cocky- maybe?I felt strong & smart & interesting. I never had a want for confidence. I just HAD. IT. (Thanks Mom & Dad!)

And I cared more about what I looked like. I took ENDLESS amounts of pictures OF MYSELF! (Thank you Friendster & Myspace for coining the term Myspacepicture! -yes, one word.) I wore make-up and got dressed and basically woke up when I wanted everyday- got pretty and went to the mall.

And when I went out, I looked like this:
or this:

Or even this:

(gratuitous Emily pictures. Yeah, it’s my blog)

And like I said- regardless of if I really WAS as great as I thought I was- this post is about confidence. And I had it and loved posing for pictures and feeling cute and all that crap. And believe me. I am not nor ever have been perfect. I have weighed up to 215 pounds in my life. (Wow- did I just say that aloud!?) I HAVE. But, I have always felt good about myself. And when I stopped feeling good? I just did something about it to feel good again.

Being a mother makes feeling good about yourself harder. I know that. While I still generally feel great about myself- I look more inward for that confidence instead of my outward appearance. That doesn’t mean I suddenly feel disgusting or ugly- but it does mean I don’t take as much pride in my appearance that I once did. I never wore make-up daily- but I definitely took the time to at least try to be presentable.

Now? I have three kids. So far today? I have fed and changed three kids. Played with Hudson for a few hours. Fed & changed him. Put him down to nap. Then? did some dishes and then it was time to feed and change the twins. And here we are. It’s 3 PM. I am taking my naptime to “visit” with my internet friends, answer emails for work etc.

What I haven’t done? Put on a bra. Brush my teeth. Or my hair. Or changed my pants- yet this weekend. Oh, is it Monday? Yeah- these pants are 3 days old.

My point? Because as usual I have one- even if it took 20 minutes to get here- is that I need to take the time to at least take care of my skin. So I don’t wake up in 10 years crying because I look 50 instead of 40. When with a bit of help & care- I could probably still look 30!

And luckily for me & YOU- my best friend Lisa is a skincare/make-up guru as well as a seriously amazingly awesome person. And she is going to start doing a spot on this blog about just that! How to feel as beautiful on the outside as you do inside – with tips and trick to get the most for your money and the most beauty in the shortest time. Because we are Moms. And we can’t spend what we once did on product and we don’t have the time to apply all that product either!

Lisa will start this blog spot hopefully in the next week or so. I figure- by writing this intro- she will have no choice but to start!

I will introduce Lisa more in the first installment of “Bee Beautiful” but you can follow her on twitter in the meantime. @LeeseMarie47

Also coming up? Cynthia Vincent Shoes. Damn. My excitement runneth over. Those wedges are pretty cute. Especially the yellow. Anyhow- thanks to Paisley Petunia for keeping me updated!!

What’s that you say? You’ve entered 50 contests to win a set of free shirts from Cafe Press dot com and haven’t won yet?

Well, shoot, guys! Here’s ANOTHER CHANCE!

When I was contacted by Cafe Press, I was super excited. Free shirts are always great & well- they have A LOT. They suggested I look at the cilantro themed shirts, which I did. I soon got overwhelmed because ummm, they have 2210 products that match that search! So, I decided that I’d shop for Hudson first. I already knew my little guy needed a sweet Big Brother shirt so the twins would know who was boss. I found the perfect one, too!

How cool does he look in his little elephant shirt!? And it’s MY COLORS. Green & brown are my favorites, FYI.

When it was time to find myself a shirt- I went with my Motto “I’ve got 99 problems but a bitch ain’t one” because Jay-Z and I are *LIKE THIS.* I found a HILARIOUS one with two dinosaurs humping on it and I lol’d so I knew it was the one.

It’s not a great picture of me in the shirt because:

A. I don’t wear make-up ever and B. I ordered a (women’s) XL since I just had twins and all.

Too bad the women’s XL was HUGE! Like, I was wearing it as a dress for the rest of the day.

This is what the shirt was supposed to look like:

Anyhow- regardless of me not knowing my proper size- Cafe Press IS pretty awesome. There is a shirt or gift item for EVERY OCCASION. It’s like a one stop shop for gifts or just a fun little pick me up for yourself. Cafe Press is a great place to shop for all things personalized. I love it! PLUS: Added benefit is that they are located in my hometown which is awesome since I like stimulating the local economy!

ANNNNDDDD: Cafe Press is giving away one adult shirt & a child shirt/onesie to one lucky reader!
Here’s how to enter:

*Follow Cafe Press on Twitter
*Follow Cafe Press on Facebook
*Follow ME on Twitter

Leave a comment for each thing you do. Winner will be chosen at random by random.org on April 4th.

Please check out the millions of designs for personalized gifts at Cafe Press!

Winner #1: Lindsey Robinson

Winner #2: Christine

If you can please email me your addresses and what style and size you would like, I will forward it to Laura at Vanity Exposed & she will send you your prizes! Thanks so much for entering!! ♥