Now that I've started working again, I don't have much time in the mornings to get ready, get Kayla ready and head out the door. Besides, I've never been one to spend hours getting ready or deciding on what to wear, getting ready etc so here are some time-saving tips that shave minutes off my day:
Have your outfit ready to wear then night before. Before you go to bed, look through your closet and figure out what you're going to wear the next day. Lay everything out from socks to pants, bras and shirt (even shoes if they're in your closet rather than downstairs in your foyer) so when you get up the next morning, there's no fumbling around ripping clothes off hangars and trying to put together a decent outfit in a few minutes.
Buy clothes that don't wrinkle or are wrinkle-resistant. If your office dress code is business casual or formal, there are lots of shirts/pants that are wrinkle-resistant. If you're like me who hates to iron, this is a great way to save time. Or you can just iron your stuff the night before and have it all ready for the next day.
Shower (and wash your hair) before you go to bed. I don't know about you, but I'd rather spend that 20mins in bed than in the shower.
Prepare and pack your lunch the night before. Pack everything you plan to eat in containers, including utensils, drinks and snacks in your lunch bag. I tend to eat berries with yogurt as a snack so I throw in a bunch of berries in a container - unwashed otherwise it gets soggy - and wash them when I'm ready to eat them. I also pre-cut strawberries so I don't have to carry a knife to do it and all I have to do is wash them. This allows you to just grab the entire thing before you go rather than spend a few minutes to pack everything up.
Put on the bare essentials of your makeup and then put the rest on at the office. Bare essentials meaning tinted moisturizer (or foundation), concealer and translucent powder. The other things (if you wear them) - mascara, blush, lipstick/lip gloss - are small enough to put in your purse so you can complete your look as soon as you get in.
Always check your gas tank when driving home from work. I hate having to stop on the way to work to fill up on gas (when DH forgets to do it and I have a surprise waiting for me the next morning) so I make sure that my tank is full (or at least at half) so I don't have to stop. You'd be surprised how traffic can build during the few minutes you spend pumping gas.
Plan your child's outfit the way you plan yours. Morning-time battles with kids regarding what they're going to wear can often turn into a battle of wills. Always give options to your child regarding the type of clothing he wants to wear but don't give him too many choices - it's good to let him choose between say, wearing jeans or wearing his brown khakis and his white shirt or his black one. Even down the the socks and shoes he wants to wear, always let him decide which one of the two options he wants to wear. This will help your little one feel independent and that he has some form of control over his decisions.
Invest in a good slow-cooker. It sure feels good to be able to come home and have a hot meal waiting for you without having to slave over a hot stove. You will have to do some prep work the night before but in the morning, throw everything that you've prepared into the slow cooker and follow the cooking instructions. Within 8-10hrs, your dinner will be juicy, savory and waiting for you.
