Redefining You

Last month, I took a quick weekend trip to visit with one of my oldest and bestestgirlfriends who recently had her first baby.

After my initial obsessing over her DELICIOUS little boy, we began chatting about the post baby challenges Moms face while we temporarily lose ourselves to the insanity of the crazy sleepless little cherubs we love. Our struggle to re-find and re-define that lady who thinks COMPLETE thoughts and rocks more than coffee stained yoga pants is real, because we know WE’RE STILL HER, dammit!

Evolving into different phases of life is always a mixed bag of crazy scary, edge of your seat exciting and an incredible necessity... that can make us think for a minute “Am I going cray-cray?

It’s not about balance. It’s give and take. It’s up and down. It’s Complicated.

Together with baby Grey by our sides, my girlfriend and I spent that weekend editing her closet and shopping for some new post-baby transition clothes. We pieced together outfits that made her feel beautiful and more importantly, gave her a glimpse of “herself” again.

Because sometimes taking a moment to do little things for ourself in the thick of the “busy go-go-go” can breathe new life into the the perfectly evolved person we know ourselves to be.

The evolution always continues...

With the new year ahead and the relaunch of Complicated Mama, I hope to be able to virtually inspire you to “think different”, live without apology, indulge in those guilty pleasures (like that hot new pair of ankle boots you’ve been eyeing up, or reruns of Sex In The City you know word for word) and unearth all of the fun that makes you the saucy, passionate and fabulous mama you are inside.

Happy Holidays! xo ,

Cori

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Table Of Contents

P4 DIY Photography Cheat Sheet

P5 Photoshoot outfit inspiration

P6 Beauty CheatSheet

P7 Cozy Winter Inspiration

P9-11 Wear It 3 Ways

P12 Style Cheat Sheet

P13 Healthy Holiday Eating

Cheat Sheet

P15 Saving For Holiday

P16-17 Gifts For Her

P18 Gifts For Him

P19 Best Shops On Instagram

P20 Gifts For The Hostess

P21 Hostess Cheat Sheet

P24-23 Gifts For The Kids/Tweens

P24 Gifts For The Traveler

P25 Giving The Gift Of Experiences

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Shooting Manual Mode 101

DIY PhotographyUn-complicated

Lighting Tip: Always shoot with your main light source behind the camera.

DIY Backdrop Inspiration

ISO = Is The Sun On? If the sun is “on” low iso. If there is low lighting, raise

the ISO. ISO over 800 can make photos a little fuzzy.

Aper ture=Focus “F-stop” The “f stop” (ie f5) tells you how much of the

picture is in focus. Low F-stop = small focus more blur to background. High F-stop= larger area of focus.

Shutter Speed -High shutter speed for moving subjects. Low shutter speed

allows more light + brighten photos but also blurs with motion.

See More atRooney Photography

See More atYoung House Love

See More atMom To G

FAMILY PHOTOSHOOTSibling Outfits Un-Complicated

Tips: • Coordinate Outfits– But NO Matchy-Match • Limit patterns. Rule of thumb = 1 pattern per 3

people.

Sequin sweater dress/ Boys maroon sweater/Polka dot dress/ 2pc suit/Boys houndstooth suit/ Gray ruffle dress/ Blue romper dress/ Grey blazer/ Maroon dress

Boys blue sweater/ boys tan pants + tie/floral dress/faux fur vest/ striped dress/striped sweater/ blue ruffle dress/ boys teal sweater/plaid shirt

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DIY Indoor Backdrop Ideas

DIY Indoor Backdrop Ideas

Lips

Holiday BeautyUn-complicated

Line a little above lips with white or light liner. Also fill in the center of top and bottom lips

Widen Eyes White or nude eyeliner inside water line.

Fuller Lips

Eyes

Hide Tired Eyes Lightly line outside of bottom eye lashes with a taupe eye shadow.

HairHide Thin Hair Apply eyeshadow to

part.

Hide Grays 2 Words...Hair. Powder. Worth every penny!

How cute is this make-up

case by the way?

click here

Victoria’s Secret

Baby It’s Cold Outside

Peanut Butter HottiesAre The New Hot Cocoas

Yum!

....And they’re only 83 calories. You heard it here first, you guys.

This yummy goodness was sent to us while we were playing with sequins for this gift guide (see page 10) OMG. My whole family is OBSESSED.

If you love peanut butter goodness and the coziness of hot cocoa on a cold winter day, you want to check this out.

When mixed as directed on the back with water, the drink is just 83 calories.

Of course, there is limitless recipe potential though.Below is how we made ours.

• 3 heaping teaspoons of PB Hottie• 1 cup of almond milk• Topped with mini marshmallows

* For an adult beverage twist, add a shot of toasted caramel whiskey!

Learn more about why this is my

“Secret Shopping Weapon”,

on page 15.

coat

Hat

Scarfcoat

Hat

Scarf

coat Scarf white jacket blue jacket

____________

gloves

OUTFIT IDEAS

Wear it3 ways

Click Here

Wear it 3 Ways

Outfit 1

Outfit 2

Outfit 3

Mama Style

Sequin Pants

I shared the look on Instagram and the consensus was it’s a keeper.

Here are some similar styles and inspiration on how to wear your gold sequin pants 3 ways.

Stay tuned to the blog to see these and other wear it 3 ways options.

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pants / top / shoes

pants / cardigan / shoes

pants / tee/ jacket / bag

Wear it 3 Ways

Outfit 1

Outfit 2

Outfit 3

Littles Style

GirlsPlaid Dress

+ +

+ + +

+ + +

dress / tights / headband / shoes

dress / sweater / leg warmers / boots

dress / sweater / socks / glitter band / shoes

Wear it 3 Ways

Outfit 1

Outfit 2

Outfit 3

Littles Style

BoysZip front Jacket

+ +

++

+ +

sweater / shirt / jeans

sweater / shirt / scarf / pants

sweater / shirt / pants

Smoothing Layered Shir ts

Un-complicated

When layering a dress shirt with a sweater, add a tank on top of the dress shirt before putting on your sweater.

Viola! No more bunching up!

or you can get this one piecelayered look here

Stain SOS• Red wineImmediately add club soad... or white wine. Yes. I’m serious.

• DeodorantBaby wipes. The end.

• OilApply powder to soak

Choosing A Necklace

credit: Stella & Dot

Put a pin in it. Literally.

Putting a pin in static-y clothing will remove that annoying static electricity.

Got Static?

Holiday Fashion

Holiday Healthy EatingUn-complicated

3 Simple Tips from

Join in F-r-e-e Health + Fitness Challenges

•Down Size Your Dishes: At holiday parties and buffets, opt for smaller plates. Doing this will help to keep portion sizes in check and will reduce the chances of you over-stuffing yourself.

•Don't Skip Meals: Resist the urge to skip meals as a way of "saving up" your calories to use at parties. Doing this leads to over-eating and poor food choices. Instead, follow your clean eating throughout the day and continue having your smaller, frequent meals. This will keep your energy high and your blood sugar stable.

•Cocktail Party Tip: Alcohol calories add up fast! To stretch them, "spritz" your wine with mineral water or seltzer.

For more of Nikki’s healthy holiday eating tips click here.

Every month, Nicole hosts FREE challenge groups that provide accountabilty and practical tipsfor healthy living.

Oh, did I mention some of these challenges also provide her seriously DROOL-WORTHY recipes and God-sent grocery lists?

You can check out her latest health and fitness challenges on her Facebook page.

GIFT IDEAS

Savvy Holiday Hauling

Before you check out any of another shopping cart, I want be be sure you are all using Ebates.!

It is my secret online-shopping weapons for the past 3-4 years.

Many of you may already be using this Ah-MAZING money saver, but in the event that someone is not, I HAD to get the word out before you possibly missed out on any additional savings.

Sign up and shop through their site and at the end of the month the LITERALLY send you a check for money back. Over the past few years, I have gotten back (in a real live paper check), $75 on average.

This weekend (and Cyber Monday)they will be having some AMAZING "double cash back" opportunities that you WANT to cash in– trust me!

For EXAMPLE: On Black Friday, The GAP had 50% off everything.... PLUS 12% cash back when you shop through Ebates.

That's 62% off at the end of the day! And who could say no to this adorable less than $8 Reindeer hat or cute boyfriend jeans?

I started a post on the blog to track some amazing deals like these throughout the holiday season.

Happy Shopping, Friends!!

make up bag

curlers

glitter studs

initial necklace

wrap watch

“Wish” ring

sweater

bracelets

perfume

eye pallet

ballet flatstop

scarf

Aviators

Earrings

Booties

umbrella

Coat

Necklace

Wallet

Fringe bag

MK Wrap Watch

Necklace

Best Jeans EVER!!

“Screw You” bracelet

Sunglasses

Jack Black Gift Set

Cardigan Sweater

Driftwood Dock

Drone

The Ultimate Gift, For Sure!

beer carrier and opener

cologne

wallet

scarf

HelloApparel

Feather Feet--

Tribe Is Alive

Loved By Hannah + Eli

Shopping InstagramFor more shops we became obsessed with on Instagram click here.

Holiday Faves

Misfit Menagerie

Flint + Fire

Sugar Plum Lane Boutique

bowl

plate set

napkin rings

dish towelcake server

cake dome

drinking glasses wine glasses

salt + pepper shaker

wine bag

cookie jarcutting board

hostess spoon

Hostess Math 101

Hosting The HolidaysUn-complicated

Cut Down On DishesUse chalk-pens to have guest decorate their glass, so they never lose their drink!

Reduce kitchen “traffic jams”Think of the flow of your home. Consider having food outside of your dining area.

Simple DIY Centerpieces

Drinks 1 per hr/ per guestNapkins 4-5 per guestAppetizers 6 per guestHoliday cookies 3 per guestSliced dessert 1.5 per guestTime between courses 20 min (from clean up)

Magnet StreetRemodelaholic

The V Spot Blog

Need A Lil’ Elf-spiration?Check out our Uncomplicated” Elf On The Shelf Calendar”

teepee

Hungry Caterpillar lacing activity

Monster puppets

shopkins

lemonade/grocerystand

Smart watch

Frozen styling head

Elsa party doll

NBA 2K15

Pick punch

iTunes giftcard

Dunk Mug

Wooden ear budsXbox giftcard

Lip gloss

TGIF Socks

NBA 2K15

Pick punch

iTunes giftcard

Dunk Mug

Wooden ear buds

Lip gloss

TGIF Socks

old fashion carry on cocktail

weekender bag power charger

small travel pouchheadphones

personalized zip pouches

Go Pro Hero 4

Grid It

Gifting Experiences

Sometimes the best gifts are not material. Giving the gift of an experience can be incredibly memorable, thoughtful... and lets be honest? Can truly make you a rockstar gift-giver.

Click the images below to get info on some of our favorite gift-able experiences

For the Cook For The GirlsFor The Athlete

Citi Private Pass offers Citicard holders exclusive pre-sales, prefered tix and some seriously Ah-mazing once-in-a-lifetime experiences that tend to sell out quick but are totally wor th stalking your inbox for. We attended the Carmelo Anthony + Ray Allen lunches over the summer and my son is still bragging about it. Click here for a list of upcoming events.