7 ways to NOT be late in the mornings

So there are only 7 sleeps until Christmas, and I don't know about you but time is really of the essence right now.  With nativities to attend, presents to wrap, parties to attend (alright, "party", let's not get over excited) and endless chores to get done saving a minute here or there can make a real difference.

Sometimes, it doesn't matter how early you set your alarm, or how prepared you think you are, the universe conspires against you to make you late.  It only takes a split second to miss your train, or bus, or tube and often that will make the difference as to whether you make your meeting, or gets the children to school on time, or make your first pilot-training session... Who knows right?

So how do you save time?

1. Reduce the travelling.  By this I mean, the numerous times you end up charging backwards and forwards through your apartment, or up and down the stairs of your house to fetch lippy, your purse, your phone.  It sounds obvious but have a place for everything that makes sense and always put things back where they live.

2. Pack your handbag the night before. It's like being back at school isn't it? But it works. If you mess about swoping handbags around in a morning you will be a) late and b) annoyed you left something in the other bag.

5 tips for de-stressing after a busy Christmas day

I had a lovely Christmas day; good food, excellent gifts (both given and received), great company, and the magic that comes from having two children in the house under the age of 7.

We hosted the meal, as we have done the the last 6 years, and although there were 9 for dinner (it has been 13 before), it went pretty smoothly. Everyone ate their fill; there were 5 different puddings to choose from (if you had the room) and I enjoyed a couple of glasses of the drink that, for me, is a pure Christmas drink, port and lemonade. Yummy.

I am relaxing in front of the TV now and looking forward to Friday. Why? Because I have a pamper day planned. Shellac nails and a back massage in the morning and a cut, colour and blow-dry in the afternoon. Somehow, knowing that the pamper day was booked in, I was far more relaxed on Christmas day than I have been previously. So my first tip for post-Christmas de-stress? Get a treatment booked, be it hair, nails, facial, massage or otherwise. The rest of my list is below. Feel free to add your own tips in the comments or tweet me at @ymummyreally.

1. Get a pampering treatment booked, whether it's nails, hair, massage. Once it's booked you will have it to look forward to.
2. Get out for a walk in the fresh air. It's been a wet, dark winter here in the UK and it's all too easy to stay inside. Wrap up warm and face the weather. A good dose of fresh air will do you the world of good. (I sound like my mother, but of course she's right!)
3. Get some exercise. A good long walk (see tip number 2 above), or even better, a run. An exercise class, or a swim. It doesn't matter what it is and it doesn't matter if it's only 15 minutes. It's better than nothing and you will feel energised and more relaxed as a result.
4. Run yourself a bath, grab a book, play your favourite music. At the same time if possible. Chill out and turn off the phone.
5. Got the family visiting? Need some time to yourself? Then take a break. Even if you simply disappear off to your bedroom for 10 minutes to have a play on Twitter. Taking a small break from the folks will give you chance to take a breath and get ready for the next round of Charades!

I hope you are having a great festive season. Merry Christmas to all my readers. Thank you for visiting this small part of the web. Stick around for 2013! There'll be beauty, travel and parenting tips aplenty!