Giveaway: Melissa McCarthy's Children's Place Fave! Ends 10/31

Allow me to geek out here for a moment: I watched Gilmore Girls as much for Melissa McCarthy as I did the witty repartee between an impossibly hip young mom and her impossibly precocious teen daughter. Because way before there was fangbangin' Sookie Stackhouse, there was Sookie St. James, kooky sidekick to the equally quirky Lorelai Gilmore. And Sookie could actually cook.

The world is all suddenly "yay, that funny chick rocks" what with Melissa hosting Saturday Night Live, making Bridesmaids that much funnier, and grabbing Emmy Awards for Mike & Molly. But those of us who have been girl crushing since she made Sookie sound more like a name, less like a nickname for your pacifier (my apologies to any real Sookies out there, but really? You never thought it?) are happy to say "uh huh, told ya so."


Hey, I'm not hating. I'm happy the comedy queen is finally getting her due. She was the celebrity catch at The Children's Place a few weeks ago, when they snapped a photo that sums up exactly why she's girl crushable. Melissa McCarthy doesn't care what people think of her.

This is the woman who is getting into plus-size design instead of trying to fit some Hollywood body type. She's not the fat, funny sidekick. She's the plus-sized hilarious leading lady.

And did I mention she rocks the new knit animal hats from the Children's Place? I spotted the photo and reached out to the company because it made me laugh (in other words: they're celebrity catch is TOTALLY eye-catching). She's a Fashion Institute of Technology alum who planned to get into textiles before deviating into stand-up, so it's fair to say she's got an eye for what's worth modeling. And she also happens to have two little girls -- just the right age for CP clothes. This was the rare celebrity I felt like I could trust guiding me on what to get the kiddo.

So I asked the Children's Place if they'd let me give one away, and they agreed to send one my way to see if it's as cool as my beloved Sookie thought it was.

The result? Check it out for yourself:

The inner lining is soft, the braided strings long enough to tie off but not so long that they become annoying. And the owl is just plain adorable. My kid has been wearing it all week, even on days when the temperature has hovered in the 50s (proof of its cuteness: how many kids do you know who are willing to OVERdress for the weather).

All that, and they're just $9.95. I'm sold!

Not crazy about a white hat for a kid? How about a black dog with a pink bow that you'll spot from anywhere (even hidden under the couch)?:

Want one for your kiddo? Leave a comment with your favorite Gilmore Girls or Mike & Molly reference.

For extra entries: 

1. Become a Facebook fan of Inside Out Motherhood, and leave a comment telling me (and drop by to leave me a comment on there too if you want -- I'm a glutton for looooove).
2. Follow me on Twitter @jeannesager and tweet this giveaway -- you MUST have an actual link to the giveaway in the tweet, or it doesn't count. Leave a link to your Tweet in the comments below.
3. Grab my blog button (you'll see it at left), post it on your blog, then leave me a link in comments so I can come visit you and say hi!

I think that's it. Oh yeah -- make sure I have some way to contact you if you're the winner. If you're a blogger and have a contact on your blog, that'll do so you don't have to put your email out there for the world to see. But if not, how about a Twitter handle, something, so I can reach out. Or you can check back. The contest will end October 31.