Look Less Tired

There isn’t a Mom in the world who gets the kind of sleep she needs or deserves, but it doesn’t have to appear that way! Leave your house looking fresh-faced and full of beauty sleep every day with these simple tips.

1. As soon as you wake up, splash cold water on your face for several minutes.

2. Wrap an ice-filled sandwich bag with a cloth and place it on your eyes for about five minutes. Moisturize your face with an SPF-containing cream.

3. Drink a large glass of water with breakfast to stave off dehydration for the day.

4. Continue drinking water throughout the day to avoid retaining water which can cause a puffy, tired appearance. Drink about 64 ounces per day if possible.

5. Dot concealer under your eyes and tap into dark circles.

6. Sweep petroleum jelly across your brow bones directly underneath your eyebrows and across the top of your cheekbones. Exclude powder from your make-up routine which can accentuate creases and wrinkles.

7. Brush your hair and make sure your clothing is clean and pressed to give you a more polished look.

8. Avoid salty foods and caffeine, both of which can make you look bloated.

9. Put some pep in your step. If you’re healthy enough to exercise, fifteen to thirty minutes can energize you and get your blood flowing giving you a healthy glow.

10. Clean your face and moisturize before bed and sleep on a satin pillowcase. Avoid sleeping on your side or stomach, but rather try to rest on your back.

Even if you only practice a few of these tips, you should look brighter and refreshed!

Sleep More for Better Decisions

I’m just as guilty as the next person in thinking that skipping an hour of sleep to wrap up a project is a great idea. But the researchers at Harvard Medical School have found evidence to the contrary. It seems that by reclaiming that hour of sleep I might make better decisions about that project and have a better quality product - all in less time. Read more on why you want to make sure you save time for a good nights sleep.

Sleep assists the brain in flagging unrelated ideas and memories, forging connections among them that increase the odds that a creative idea or insight will surface.

5 Ways to Improve Your Sleep

It seems that moms, whether new or well-seasoned, struggle with getting enough sleep. And once we do get to sleep, there are some reasons to doubt the quality of that sleep. It turns out that that you might not be setting up the right environment for sleeping. Joel Falconer at Lifehack points out 5 simple things you can do tonite to improve the quality of your sleep:

Get Up Earlier
That’s right, you slacker: if you want to get to bed earlier and easier, set your alarm for 5am and haul yourself out of bed the second you hear it go off.

The catch is that for this to work, you’ve got to muster all the self-discipline you’ve got and not only get up as soon as that alarm goes off, but get up as soon as that alarm goes off every single morning. No matter what. Even if you only had an hour of sleep the night before.

Try going for four or five days on two hours of sleep and then try to tell me you haven’t felt sleepy and ready for bed earlier than usual. This is the best way to reset your sleep schedule.

But boy, does it require some self-discipline—more than some people have got.

Learn how to sleep better so you can wake up rested and able to handle what the day and your kids throw at you!