morning bliss

Hey y’all!

As I was pulling out of Kroger picking up groceries from my Clicklist, school had just let out across the street…for summer! There were cheers coming from the school buses and arms flailing out the window, hailing the celebration of a nice long break from classes, papers, and tests for these middle school students! I zoomed out of my parking spot to avoid the line of buses and moms ready to drive their babes home on this celebratory day. At the stoplight, a middle school boy looked out his open window at me and smiled. I had not even rolled my window up from the store, in a hurry to beat the rush of vehicles. He says, “School is out…for summer!” I smiled, waved, and said, “Yaaaaaaaay!” He was adorable. So excited for the break!

I am excited for summer too, even though we don’t have anyone in school. It simply feels more relaxed at our house, knowing everyone else in town is relaxing a bit more too. Although we don’t have school-aged children and we are not in school, there are still places to go and things to do, even if it’s simply tasks around the house! I try not to over-schedule and to let days be just at-home days, but even then, I want to spend time doing tasks that need to be accomplished and stuff that I just WANT to do! In college, I had track practice at 5:50 a.m. Super early people, especially when I was up with my girls in the dorm until 2 a.m. Back then, I saved time in the mornings by sleeping in my workout clothes. Now, at a new place in life, there are different ways to save time and still appear put together in public

Let's have some fun today! There are several time-savers I have found for mornings. I have a few ideas for you, whether you are a student in school, a mom of littles, a work-at-home mom, stay-at-home-mom, work-outside-the-home mom, or grandmom! Fresh ideas are always fun, so here are a few I find helpful!

I usually take a shower at night. I know some people need to wake up with a shower in the morning, like my sister, but I always sleep better freshly showered and jammed at night, plus it saves me time in the morning. My hair is thick and takes forever to dry. When I wake up, I can go straight to washing my face, brushing my teeth, and throwing the contacts in.

For girlies who need to get ready quickly but want to look awake and presentable, some easy makeup is key. Even when I don’t leave the house in a day, I still want to feel presentable just for me as I wipe spit-up off my shirt or sweat on a morning walk. I encourage everyone out there, including my counseling clients, to dress nicely and/or put a little color on their faces because it makes one feel good. When we feel good, we have a better attitude about life, and it sets us up for a better day. This comes in handy dealing with teachers, professors, jobs, or little children at home.

I like mineral powder that is simple to dust on and smoothes my face. This product can be found most anywhere and is easy to create a uniform canvas for the day. Powder is faster and easier to apply than a liquid foundation. My mom sells Mary Kay, and I use the Mary Kay mineral foundation because it covers well and creates a flawless look without feeling heavy.

A little blush, especially the cream kind I can use my finger to apply is nice.

I love curling my lashes now, which can create an awakened effect on the face in as little as a few pulses to each lash line!

Add a little mascara and instant glam with not much effort. I like L-Oreal’s Lash Paradise. It adds volume and is super black.

I don’t always wear eyeshadow but when I do, I love the cream shadows from Mary Kay in the little pot.They are easy to use a finger to apply and add a little more to the eyes with minimal effort, so I always keep these on hand.

Lipstick adds so much. In the past, I never worried too much about keeping anything on my lips and my mom always said I looked dead. I get it now, mother. Yes, lipstick is fantastic at creating a put together effect with a swipe of some gloss. I love Mary Kay’s lipsticks on top of the Mary Kay lip balm. This lip balm is the absolute best I have ever used and keeps my lips from chapping all through winter. It also is nice underneath some lipstick or gloss.

For my stay-at-home momma friends, this routine takes about three minutes, but keeps me feeling good throughout the day. When I need to make an emergency trip to the doctor’s office, I am already prepared enough to go!

My summer time staple for having out at home is Nike running shorts paired with a sleeveless t-shirt. Now, to go somewhere, jeans automatically make one feel put together with zero effort. It’s just as easy to put on a pair of jeans as it is some scrubby outfit. I have avoided jeans in the past because I felt they were too uncomfortable or dressy for home, but I have found Express high-waisted skinny jeans that have a higher waist option for those of us with mummy tummies and also stretch and feel like leggings. I have invested in a variety of these jeans to keep around. The nice part about these jeans is I don’t have to try them on! I wear the same size in the jeans so I can even order them online and know they will fit. I have them in light wash, dark wash, white, black, and some with rips so I am ready for any occasion.

I know flip-flops are easy to slip on and go, but when I feel a little bit dressier, some cute flats or ballet slippers are easy and take no extra effort to slide on. They can instantly make one feel more put together and it is still simple.

Hair. I like to fix my hair and all, but it is the longest task of my routine and my hair requires straightening or curling. It doesn’t just dry wavy or dry straight. It’s wavy but not uniformly, just here and there. Taking a shower at night saves time in the morning that I can devote to fixing this hair. Running a straightener through a pony tail only takes literally one minute but can create a nice styled look without a fuss. I get those little curly baby hairs around my face, so a straightener helps tremendously.

Sleeping in the soft flexible hair rollers is also nice for saving time, especially for those with long hair. I have the Conair flexible rollers from Wal-Mart and they work well. I have found that with already wavy hair, a wand works well to work through the top layer of hair to smooth and create uniformity. This takes just a few minutes too. I just heat it up while I am brushing my teeth and it’s ready when I’m through. Easy!

Taking just a few minutes to set the tone for the day really does enable a better outlook on life. I don’t just recommend it to clients but I put in the effort myself. Having a little lipstick on makes me feel a little better when I am heading to the grocery store or passing neighbors outside. How do you save time in your day? I would love to hear from you! Have a happy Monday! God bless!

Love, Charis