It's Fashion Friday my lovelies!

Why do these weeks keep flying by? Good grief! Ok, here we are...another Friday! Here is today's edition of HQB's Fashion Friday!

 

How long do you spend getting ready in the mornings?

 

If you are lucky enough to be like me, who gets to work from home in my sweats with my hair in a bun, you might not have much to worry about. But there are still days where I need to get up, get dressed, and get ready...whether it is for a meeting, an appointment, to go shopping, whatever... As someone who is not a morning person and has a tendency to hit the snooze button 469247 times, the chance that I am running late is always pretty good.

 

Well, I think most of us moms would probably agree that we don't want to (or can't) spend a long time getting ourselves ready in the mornings. So, here are some easy steps to getting through this "chore" with ease! Ok, well maybe not ease, but perhaps a little less stress and chaos!?!

 

 

 

1. Pick out your outfit the night before. This could easily save you so much time on your morning routine! I do this both for myself and my son. Every night before I put my son to bed, I lay out his school clothes for the next morning. It makes it so much easier to just grab them and go! I check the weather to get an idea of what will be temperature appropriate. I also keep in mind what it is that I will be doing and if I want to dress up, dress down, etc. This can seriously be a life saver! If you don't already do it, give it a try!

 

 

 

2. Be more natural. Ok, I will totally admit it...I fail at this! I have naturally curly hair, only you will almost never see me rockin' my locks! When I do, people gush over how beautiful it is and how lucky I am...and all I can think is, "eww, where is my flat iron?!?" I just don't like to wear it curly, I never have. I had such a horrible time dealing with it when I was younger and I swear, it has scarred me for life! Anyway, if I were to go more natural, and chose to just let my hair remain in it's curly state, I would shave off at least 30 minutes from my morning routine! That can be a huge deal breaker! Instead, I take the extra time (when ever possible) to blow dry and straighten it. I will say though, if I am in a rush, or just being lazy, I will go curly. So, maybe that is something y'all can do too! This idea can be applied to your makeup routine also. Most men will say that they like woman with a more natural look, so sometimes caking on layers of makeup ruins your natural beauty. Going more natural might look better and you can probably do your makeup in under ten minutes if you do!

 

3. Have a plan. Yes, if you have some sort of plan to your mornings, chances are it will go more smoothly. If you are the type that needs to write things down, go for it. Or, if you can just do it all mentally, more power to ya sister! Either way, just have some course of action! Also, especially important.. if there is something that you have to do out of the norm, say, make a stop on the way to work to mail something, or drive out to the electric company to pay the bill that will be late if not paid today.. write yourself a note so you won't forget! What do you think post-it notes were created for!?!

 

4. Coffee Coffee Coffee. Ok, I know, not everyone drinks coffee. All I can say is what the heck is wrong with you people??? LOL, ok, just teasing! There has been so much back and forth in the medical community on whether coffee is good for you or not. So, chances are I bet, if you are not a coffee drinker, you just might be healthier for it in the long run. Who knows. But, a little coffee, like 2 cups or less per day, is probably not going to hurt you and it might give you the little boost that you need. Here is the big time saver... Most coffee makers will have a timer on them. Use it! Set it up the night before, for around whatever time you wake up. By the time you are ready for that first cup, you don't have to mess with it and wait, hello...good morning! It's fresh and ready for you! Also, in connection with this, invest in a couple coffee travel mugs. Instead of having to wait in line and Tim Horton's or Starbucks, save that time (not to mention the money!) and bring your own coffee from home with you!

 

 

 

5. Plan your route. If you live in a bigger city and have to battle traffic, maybe think about getting a little earlier start. I think of my sister who lives in the Nashville area when I talk about this. Now, she lives about 30 miles outside of Nashville, yet has to make that drive into the city everyday. If she left at 7am, she would be stuck in slow moving rush hour traffic and it might take her close to a hour and a half! Thankfully her hours can be flexible where she works, so she choses to leave at 6am, when traffic is still light, and it takes her only 45 minutes. I know not everyone can do this, but my point is, if there is a certain way to help your commute, look into it. If time can't be flexible for you, maybe the route you take can be tweaked. Or if you have toll booths, opt for the EZ-Pass, where you can just roll through. If you live in a smaller town, bad traffic jams might not be such a big issue. But how about getting stuck behind those dreaded school buses? You know, where they stop every block or two, put on their flashing lights...you're stuck! Get familiar with the local bus routes and maybe you can alter your times or route to avoid that holdup.

 

 

Alright, after these tips, none of you have an excuse to ever be late again!!! Haha, yeah freakin' right! It happens, it happens to us all! But maybe these tips might help it happen a little less! I hope you found some of this helpful! Now, get out there and enjoy your Friday everyone!

 

Stay Beautiful.