How to Have Better Mornings

I am not and will never be a morning person. Unfortunately, every day that alarm goes off in the morning and I have to get out of bed. Why is it that our bed becomes like a soft cloud in the morning making it impossible to get out of it when that morning alarm goes off? I hate getting out of bed in the morning, but I also know that I don’t work well being rushed in the morning so I like to give myself at least an hour before I leave the house in the morning.

Here are some ways I have better mornings….

  • Eat Breakfast Even if it is a cup of coffee and some fruit, I need to eat something before I start the day. I will sit at my vanity and scroll on Instagram while I do my makeup. But taking a little time out of my morning for some me time allows me to wake up at a slow pace.
  • Make A To Do List The worst thing is going to bed at night and feeling like you have accomplished nothing. While I eat my breakfast, I make to do lists of things I want to complete that day. It gives me purpose, helps me plan out my day and it feels so good at night crossing things off my list.
  • Look At Your Planner To See The Day/Week Ahead How many times do we forget someone’s birthday, forget about that hair appointment we scheduled a month ago, or you look like a slob at work the day you have an important meeting. It is a good idea to at least peak at your planner before you leave the house to see what you have that day. I keep mine in my car and look at it before I go into the house at night and before I head to work in the morning.
  • Having an Organized Closet I would not be able to get out of the house on time if I did not have an organized closet. I know people roll their eyes and laugh at how organized my bedroom and closet are. But I know that I can wake up and put an outfit together because I know where everything is in my bedroom. I know I will never be late for work because I couldn’t find my other shoe!
  • Wake Up To A Clean Kitchen Before I go to bed every night, I clean my kitchen, start my dishwasher, and pick out a cute coffee mug and a K Cup ready for the next day. Again, one of those silly things overlooked, but waking up to a clean house allows me to easily get ready and get out of the house one time.
  • Start Your Week With A Fridge Full of Food I will stand in front of my fridge and open and close it hoping that new food will appear. It never does, but those weeks I don’t go food shopping ruin my morning. I have nothing to pack for lunch and only have a cup of coffee for breakfast. I like to buy food that are pre-made meals so I can grab and go.
  • Sleep! Set that alarm on your phone that tells you to go to bed and actually go to bed at a normal hour. Your morning and day will be ruined if you are tired all day.

Hello, August

For me, once July is over I feel like summer ends with it. The Fourth of July feels like forever ago, but this month seemed to fly by. With fall hovering around the corner….Bath & Body Works has their fall candles out and the Nordstrom sale full of fall clothes are now in our closets…

The last few days have been chilly and I am not okay with leaving this hot weather. I want to soak up all of these sunny days we have left. I have bathing suits in my drawer that have not been worn yet and plenty of beach days I still need to enjoy. There is still plenty of summer to be had, but here are some of my favorite things from July.

  1. DSW
    I haven’t bought new shoes in months, but lately I have been buying new shoes every week. This habit definitely needs to stop, but it is so hard to talk myself out of buying new shoes when they are so affordable. This month I bought these, these and these. AND because I signed up for the rewards, I was able to use my points to get $30 off of these.DSW Shoes
  2. Lancome Mascara
    When I graduated from college, one of my goals was to invest in higher end makeup. For years I bought the $5 mascara from the drugstore, but once I started to use Lancome mascara I quickly learned I could never go back to drugstore mascara. Every year I pick up a new Lancome mascara to try, but got super excited when Influenster sent me the new Monsieur Big Mascara for free for testing purposes. This one is my new favorite.
    Lancome Monsieur Big.jpg
  3. Skincare
    In the summer months I like to spend more time on my skincare routine because that sun, sweat and off the shoulder tops really take a toll on the skin! I have been using my Olay body wash and a loofah everyday to make sure my skin stays soft. img_7366
  4. Netflix
    This month I finished watching the series Salem and I am catching up on Season 3 of Madame Secretary right now. I love watching an episode while I clean my room or wind down from the day before bed.Netflix_Logo_Print_FourColorCMYK
  5. End of Summer Season Sales
    Around this time, most stores start emptying their stores to make room for fall. Crazy, right?? I shared my J. Crew favorites here and my J. Crew Factory favorites earlier this month. Hurry and stock up on some cute things. img_7391

friday favorites

It has been a while since I wrote about my favorite things on the blog. While it is a great way for my readers to know about the best sales, some items I have purchased or a round up of my outfits that week, I also like to use this post to reflect on my life lately. The past few years I have tried to find beauty in the ordinary, and my weekly favorites post is a great way to remind myself of all of the beauty around me.

Work Favorites

img_7300Some friends from college wanted to come visit me and at first I said I couldn’t because I had work. I decided that work needed to come second and I needed to take some time out of my day to spend with my friends. As much as I got anxious about working a long day and then spending all of my free time with my friends that I usually spend sleeping, I realized that I need some girl time. After working a 9 hour day, my girlfriends and I headed off to a bar near me and we were out until 1am. I was exhausted, but I was happy to spend some time with the girls. A gentle reminder to make time for the people around you even if you have to be a walking zombie at work the next day.

What I’m Watching on Netflix

Salem

What I’m Wearing

You can shop all of these outfits here or by going to the Shop My Instagram tab on the blog!

Products I Love

favorite products

 

This Week on the Blog

add some sunshine to your closet with the J. Crew clearance sale

Beauty Favorites

J. Crew Factory Sales & Deals

J. Crew Factory Sale

Shop My Instagram

the perfect wear with anything shoe

As you go through life you’ll see there is so much that we don’t understand. And the only thing we know is things don’t always go the way we planned

getting that summer glow with Olay

 

J. Crew Factory Sales & Deals

Find all of my J. Crew Factory sales & deals HERE.

There are some sales too good not to share! Keep coming back to this page to get weekly updates about what is on sale at J. Crew Factory.

Friday Favorites

That awkward moment when I get home from work and realize it was Friday, but I had no idea. Oops! This post is a little late to go up but that also describes the type of week I am having. Always lots to do and very little time to get everything done. I recently took on another job so now I am balancing three jobs, sleep, personal hygiene and sleep as well as a Netflix episode or 20!

Here are some of my favorites this week….

 

One of my goals this week was to take more walks. I spend so much time going from place to place, but rarely take the time to just go on a walk with no destination. I came across this sign on one of my walks in town and fell in love with it.

What I Bought

Victoria’s Secret Just a reminder that it is the Semi-Annual Sale at Victoria’s Secret and while all of us gals stock up on undies for $3.99, now is the time to pick up a new traveling case as well. I went in this week to buy underwear that I didn’t need, but saw that their traveling cases were on sale. I purchased the classic pink stripe one and while it is sold out online, it should still be available in stores. I usually have to pack more than one travel case when I go on trips, but I love how handy this is because I can use one bag with two compartments to store my products.

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Target Every trip to Target begins with the intention to buy one thing and leaving with things you don’t need! I went to pick up a new razor and hand soap…. and scored in the clearance section. This palm print is perfect for summer and I am so happy it finally made it to clearance! Also, their monogrammed towels finally went to clearance so grab them quick!

placemats // pillow // towel

 

Kate Spade Okay, so I didn’t actually purchase these items but I had to share on the blog! I went into the Kate Spade Outlet on my lunch break this week and look at how cute these summer bags are!! Ugh if I had money I would totally buy that pineapple!

My Favorite Products

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img_5860As always, my week would not have been made possible without dry shampoo. I opened up my cabinet to realize I had 3 full bottles of Batiste. Ha! I found a bottle on clearance at Target and I always get mine at TJ Maxx because it is always less than $5.  You can read my full post about it here.

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Still obsessed with all of these products from last week’s Target haul.

What I Wore

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dress // shoesimg_6643

tank // jeans // shoes