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CAREERS FOR SINGLE MOTHERS
Working Women
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Stress Free Morning
by Diana Pemberton-Sikes
"There ought to be a law against
looking that good this early in the morning with three little kids in
tow," another mother told me recently at our preschool. "Stop it! You're
making the rest of us look bad!"
She was laughing
as she said it, but I can well understand her frustration. I've had
plenty of rough nights since my eldest was born six years ago, and can
easily see why many other moms pat themselves on the back for just being
able to get to school on time wearing two shoes that match.
The
coiffed hair, contoured makeup, and coordinating clothes are beyond
their reach right now.
So
why is that part different in my household?
Well, it wasn't - at first.
I
can clearly recall the times I've arrived at different destinations in
various states of undress, including once in my house slippers, once
with no slip, and several times without mascara.
Now
these infractions may seem slight to you. But as someone who wore
uniforms to school for most of her life, leaving bits and pieces of my
attire behind is like being "out of uniform" for me. It's irksome to my
inner rule follower.
Because of this, I've learned to adapt my routines over the years to
accommodate both my need to feel properly dressed when I leave the house
and my children's need to put me through every trial and tribulation
known to motherhood - typically at night or as we're trying to get out
the door in the morning.
So
while I don't pretend to have all the answers to running a household
like clockwork, I will share with you some of the secrets that have put
the clothing portion of the puzzle on autopilot for me and everyone else
in my family. For I've discovered that having a properly functioning
closet is a lot like having a mechanically sound car - not only does it
give you one less thing to think about, it makes getting up and going a
snap
 Here are my top tips for streamlining your morning dress routine:
1. Clean Your Closet
If you've been meaning to go through your closet for a while
but haven't gotten around to it, give it the ole' Band Aid approach:
just pull it off and be done with it. Go through every item in your
closet and consign, donate, or trash anything that you don't wear
anymore. Put only the things that fit and make you look good back into
your closet.
2. Organize Your Closet
Now put those remaining clothes in order: put all jackets
together, all dresses together, all blouses, skirts, pants, etc. Now you
know what you have to work with at a glance. When items are arranged in
a hodge-podge fashion or sharing hangers or shelf space with unrelated
pieces, it's hard to tell what's there. I prefer to further arrange
everything by color (all black pants together, all white blouses, etc.)
so that I can put my hands on things instantly.
3. Buy Clothing You Can
Easily Maintain
If ironing, hand washing, and dry
cleaning are just too much maintenance in your book, get into the habit
of checking the care label BEFORE you head to the dressing room with an
item, not when you're standing in front of the washing machine preparing
to launder it for the first time. Be merciless in your pre-buying
assessment. If you're not going to maintain it properly, fess up and put
it back on the rack. Your money is better spent elsewhere.
4. Maintain Your Clothes Regularly
Hate to do laundry? What a coincidence! So does the rest of
the world! But don't dodge the issue all week only to start your weekend
with a mountain of dirty clothes to wash. Instead, do a load every day
(I usually start one right before I start dinner), and take the misery
in small doses. Your family will love that fact that their stuff isn't
stuck in "laundry limbo" for days, and you'll free up part of your
weekends to do the things you enjoy, guilt-free. Iron, mend, and polish
shoes and bags while you watch TV. What better way to do mindless work
than when your brain's already turned off? Ha!
5. Pull Out What You're
Going To Wear The Next Day The Night Before
The first time I heard this, I
snickered. The first time I did it, I wondered why I'd been so
resistant. What a time saver! Especially on those mornings when I've
been up with the kids all night and have to face the sunrise with only
half of my pistons firing. Want to know what you have to do to get your
KIDS out the door on time?
Have them set out THEIR clothes for the next day the night before as
well. This has-I kid you not-shaved an average of 20 minutes off our
morning routine. Yee Haw!
6. Adapt Your Makeup
Why is it that so many women adopt the "all or nothing"
approach to makeup? Either they put on their full face-foundation, eye
shadow, rouge, mascara, etc.-or nothing at all. It's a complete mystery
to me. You don't wear the same clothes to a ball as to a ball game, so
your makeup shouldn't be the same. Adapt it as you would your clothing
to the different situations in your life. Going to a wedding? Put on
your full face. Going to a movie? Slap on some mascara and a little
powder. It's not complicated and it doesn't take a lot of time. It does,
however, impact the way you're perceived.
7. Get An Easy-To-Manage
Hair Style
If your hair
takes you more than ten minutes to style in the morning, it's time to
find a different 'do. While the "big hair" of the 1960's and 1980's
required curlers, hairspray, and about an hour to set and cool, the most
popular styles today require very little time.
Get out of your hair rut, get a quick and easy style, and save yourself
a ton of time.
8. Demand Time For Yourself
When time gets tight, most women
tend to cut corners at the one place where they'll meet the least
resistance - themselves. They'll go without time and again, eventually
becoming bitter when no one notices or cares about the many sacrifices
they make. Don't let this happen to you. When those "Nobody cares!"
feelings start to creep into your thoughts, it's your call bell that you
need time for yourself. An hour away from it all soaking in the tub,
getting a manicure or pedicure, or lunch out with your friends is in
order. Feel guilty? Don't! Hard work without reward leads to burnout.
Heck, even God rested on the seventh day! So should you.
If your hectic schedule has
caused you to cut corners on your appearance, take a few minutes to
review how you can remedy the situation. Your routines-though familiar--
may be working against you, not with you. If you prepare your closet for
action, adapt your hair and makeup for easy care, and buy clothing that
fits your maintenance commitment, you may be surprised by just how easy
it is to look great in the morning, even with a passel of kids to get
out the door.
You may even have others
wondering just what your secret is!
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