How to Save Time In The Morning

If you are like me, then you love sleep. The more time I have in the mornings the better! The following are a few easy, helpful tips that I use to save time. Enjoy!

• Shower/ Do your hair at night: I was able to save roughly 45 minutes in the mornings by showering and doing my hair the night before. If you like showering in the morning, still do your hair the night before and use a shower cap. Trust me, you won't regret it!

• Lay your clothes out the night before: There is nothing worse then running late and not being able to find something to wear or the crucial missing piece of clothing. Try looking at the forecast the night before and plan your outfit accordingly. This will help you save time in the mornings and make it able for you to easily slip out the door on the mornings you are running late.

• Pack your lunch the night before: I don't know about you, but when I am running late the last thing I want to worry about is my lunch. If you make & pack your lunch the night before not only will this save you time in the mornings but it may also help your wallet as you are not running out at lunch to grab something to eat because you did not pack anything.

• Write the next day's to-do list the night before: When I am trying to fall asleep I am constantly worrying about all the things I have to do the next day and if I will remember. When I make a to-do list for the next day I am able to relax before bed and sleep with no worries, allowing a full nights sleep!

• Prepare your coffeemaker the night before: Have your coffee and mug ready to go so on those busy mornings so you are all ready to go and still get your morning coffee!

I hope these tips help you save time in the morning. If you have any time saving tips feel free to leave them in a comment down below as I would love to hear them.

Tips for Hosting The Perfect Holiday Party

• Make a List- to create a stress-free holiday party you must live by a list! A shopping list, to-do list, or making a schedule of what needs to me made, served and prepared when. Being organized is key and you won't regret it! 

• Keep it Clean and Tidy- Being the best holiday host doesn't mean you have to live in the world's cleanest house, if you have a messy room just close the door! Spend your time focusing on the rooms you guests will see and be spending time in!

• Shop and Stock- Start your shopping well ahead of time! Stock you pantry with a selection of cookies, crackers, nuts and other non-perishables, this way you'll never run out of nibbles.

• Plan and Cook Ahead- Do as much as possible ahead of time. Plan, cook, and clean, prep work is key for a successful holiday party. Make dishes ahead of time, some can even be froze and thawed at your convenience such as quiches and tarts. 

•  For an easy presentation, use oven-to-table serve ware to help keep food warm and cut down         on multiple dishes and mess. If you're looking for super cute, festive and affordable oven-to-table dishes, I find all of mine at my local HomeSense store!

• Don't Go Dry- Keep drinks on hand. Stock up on soda, other mixers, wine and local beer. The last thing you want to spend your party doing is fixing drinks. Set up an easy-to-make cocktail bar with pre-cut garnishes, infused vodkas, and cocktail recipes so your guests can help themselves and you can spend your time mingling and enjoying your company!

• Hosting a large gathering of people at once? Try a buffet style dinner! This gives your guests the opportunity to serve themselves and you want have the stress of a formal sit down dinner. Tip: If using a table, pull away from the wall so there is four available sides, this will keep from lines forming, your guests will be able to enjoy their food before it gets cold and help themselves to seconds with ease.

• Too many friends and family to host all at once? Have a casual open house so guests can drop by any time between certain hours on a specific day. This will be less stressful and give you the chance to enjoy a more one-on-one setting with your guests. Tip: Prepare and serve food that can be made well in advance. Try making lots of smaller dishes that can be easily brought out throughout the day and evening. 

• Store a few extra gifts in a closet so you'll never be caught-off-guard when a friend or surprise guest drops by with an unexpected gift! 

I hope these few simple tricks can help you plan your perfect Holiday Party! 

Tips for Traveling Over Christmas

Traveling over Christmas can be joyous, exciting and well deserved, but it can also be super stressful! Below are a few helpful tips to shake the stress and make traveling this Holiday Season a little earlier!

• Organization and planning is key. Remember that many places will book up well in advance at Christmas time as it is a popular time to travel. This includes hotels, transport, tours and even restaurants. Plan ahead of time and make reservations. 
• Trying to travel with presents can be stressful. You don't have enough space; you're worried something might break. Instead of buying presents, buy something you can do together! Lunch at a popular Bistro, shopping at a local boutique, dinner and a movie, the possibilities are endless!
• If taking advantage of previous tip, only pack a carryon. Not only will you save time on packing, it reduces your airport time as you wont have to wait around for your luggage, plus you have the added bonus that the airline wont lose your luggage.
• Research your destination before you leave to see if there are any local Christmas events planned.
• If traveling internationally, embrace their local Christmas traditions, it will be something you will always remember! 

What are your tips for traveling during the Holiday Season? I would love to know! 

15 THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY TO START DECLUTTERING

Within the past month or so I have become very interested and invested in decluttering and organizing my life. I have come to realize that I have acquired a lot of 'junk' over the years that has been taking up space and collecting dust.

Fun fact about me: I am someone who loves and craves clean space. My counters, desk, and surfaces need to clear of debris and only have the necessities!

1. Manuals: Everyone has old manuals for microwaves, ovens, toasters, etc. Not only are they taking up space and collecting dust,  but there is a very good chance that you can find the manual online or troubleshoot through sites such as google.
2. Mysterious Cords: Speaking from personal experience, I know I have cords laying in drawers and to be honest I have no idea what they belong to. If I cannot match the cord to any electronic or device, there is a high percentage that I no longer have the item and no longer need the cord.
3. Cookbooks: My first tip is to go through all of your cookbooks and pick out your favourite recipes, then compile them into a homemade cookbook. My second tip is to utilize sites such as Pinterest when looking up recipes, this will cut down on the hard copy cookbooks you own.
4. Mismatch Socks: If you are like me, you probably have a few lone socks laying around waiting for their pair to mysteriously show up, but I can almost always guarantee that it won't be found.  Toss the sock without its mate, its just collecting dust and taking up space.
5. Dried Out Pens: You'd be shocked at the amount of dried out pens I have. Every few months I like to go through them and toss the ones that no longer work as in the future I would have just picked it up, went to use it, then got frustrated when I realized I would have to find a new one.
6. Old Magazines: First ask yourself  'Am I going to read this again?' If your answer is yes, then keep it, but if you are like me, that magazine will be sitting around, unread, years from now. I always used the excuse 'What if I need to make a collage?', but lets be honest, I have never had to make one.
7. Junk Drawer: Although they come in handy, a 'junk drawer' is not necessary. It just becomes a dumping ground and a cluttered mess. Everything I own needs to have a place, if it doesn't then I must decide if I really need it. 
8. Old/Dried Nail Polish: Guilty. I can admit it. I have dozens of nail polish that I haven't worn in years and they are almost always dried up and no longer wearable. I tend to have a few colours that I always end up wearing on repeat, and lets be honest, if I need a certain colour for a specific outfit or event, I can guarantee one of my friends has one I can borrow. There is no need to hang onto all of these colours, although pretty. 
9. Shoes That Hurt to Wear: Most people have a pair of shoes that they curse whenever they wear them. Whether they are too small or just don't fit right, toss them. They are not worth the physical pain and heartache of wearing them.
10. Mismatch Tupperware: I'm not sure how it happens, but I have numerous Tupperware that have lost its lid or the lid has lost its container. Some nights it takes me a few minutes just to find a matching pair. My advice is to empty the drawer, match everything that has a pair and toss the ones that don't. You won't be finding its mate no matter how hard you search. 
11. Prom Dress: If I was smart, I would have sold it in the years that followed my prom. I always hung onto the dress thinking 'What if I get asked to another prom?', but I'm now 23 years old and can say that I was never asked to another prom and if I was, I would have bought another dress.  6 years later, the dress is now out of style and is just sitting in my closet collecting dust. Now, although I am not tossing my dress at this moment, I will be donating it to my old High School come prom season.
12. Old School Assignments/Notebooks: I still have notebooks and assignments from high school. Why? I have no idea. I have never once went back to use the information or read them. Unless you know and can guarantee that you will use and need the information again one day, toss it. The same thing applies to university. Unless it a course specific to your degree, you most likely will not be needing those scribbled class notes again.
13. Costume Jewelry: Jewelry is one of those items I think multiples. How did I acquire 12 pairs of diamond stud earrings? I have no idea. I recently donated almost half of my jewelry as it was items I haven't worn since junior high or I had 3 or 4 of the same item. I only kept the sentimental pieces, the ones I wear daily and ones I absolutely know I will wear in the future. 
14. Old Textbooks: I have almost a dozen old textbooks in my basement collecting dust. I always told myself that I may need them again, and to be honest, I have never gone back and read them. Heck, I hardly read them when I was enrolled in the classes. One regret I have is not selling them once finished with them. Not only am I now stuck with old, dusty textbooks, but they are now out of date as new editions have been published and I am now out of some extra cash.
15. Social Media: This may be the easiest yet hardest thing to declutter. Although it is not a physical item, it still piles up and gets cluttered. I recently went through my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and got rid of those people who I no longer talk to or (sorry not sorry) no longer care about. We all have those individuals you knew in High School but you can no longer read their daily statuses that are nine times out of ten complaining or bashing someone or something. You don't need that negativity in your life. Social media can be stressful, get rid of that stress and just keep your close friends and family (and your old high school crush you want to keep tabs on).

Although not all of these items may apply to you, I hope this will give you a start to decluttering and make you ask 'Do I really need this?'.  I would also love to know what items are easy for you to declutter? Mine would have to be clothes. I can now easily weed through the collection and donate the ones I no longer wear!

Planning A Vegas Bachelorette Party

Planning a bachelorette party can be a daunting, time consuming task for any maid of honour or bridesmaid.  I recently participated in Vegas.com's bachelorette campaign and would love to share some helpful tips, tricks and suggestions to make the party planning experience more organized, fun, and enjoyable.

Are you planning a Vegas bachelorette party and have no idea where to start? To help get you started, think about these points:

1. Ask your bride if she is more comfortable with a Mild or Wild party.
2. Decide when, where and how long you will be staying in Vegas. Having trouble deciding? Use this page to find travel and hotel packages.
3. Make a small itinerary. Decide what shows, excursions or clubs you would like to see or what best suits your party.
4. What essentials would you pack? What will the weather be like? Are you planning on having matching outfits, t-shirts made, etc? 

Below you will find information on where to stay, dine, drink, play and shows you can take in while exploring Vegas all easily broken down into the category of a Wild or Mild party!

Also included is a fun Vegas Bachelorette Scavenger Hunt for you and your party to print off or screenshot. This fun and easy hunt can be done by both small or large parties and take a little stress off of planning!

I hope you find this post helpful when it comes to planning your Wild or Mild Vegas Bachelorette Party!