Morning Madness Shortcuts

Some of these "shortcuts" are geared more towards the ladies, but you guys may like one or two of them.

• Moms, this one probably goes without saying, but there may be a new mom or two that will benefit.....Try to get as much of your children's stuff done at night, after they go to bed so that when they pull the morning lazies, which they ALWAYS do, you have allowed for time.
• Hair, Hair, and more Hair - I happen to have long curly hair and like most women, want the opposite. Thanks to, (or curse them, depending on my mood and how my morning is unfolding) the beauty industry this is now a possibility.....................the straight iron. Let me just tell you, straightening my hair is no easy task, but I have learned the following....in order to save time and cut down on the amount of damage done to my hair, I wash my hair at night, let it air dry, and then straighten it before I go to bed. This way, even if the diva, aka my 4yr old, decides that she absolutely MUST shower before school, I just hop in, wash her up and then just touch up my hair with the straight iron.
• I happen to be FREAKISHLY obsessed with skin care, yes, the tattoo queen is freakish with skin care, go figure. Anyway, I happen to have very oily skin and use a clay masque almost every morning. How, you may ask, do I have time? I wash my face with my cleanser du jour (I alternate between an acne wash and oil free wash) throw the masque on my face, clean out the litter box and brush my teeth. By the time I'm done brushing my teeth, the masque has dried and it's time to remove it.
• Another little trick I've learned to keep the bathroom clean without spending the weekend cleaning it......................Everybody say Mr. Clean Reach. Not only do I love this thing because I am 4'6 and can hardly reach the majority of the tile in my shower, but it also does a very good job cleaning. I do a quick clean after every shower.
• To help the Mr. with his morning routine, I take out his work clothes out at night and hang them in the bathroom.
• Another tip for the guys...get a fog free mirror for the shower. Not only does it save him a step, but he gets to stay nice and warm and his facial hair is softer because he shaves in the shower.
• If you aren't raising a diva as I am, you can also do the whole putting out the clothes at night with your children too. This perticular step doesn't cut the mustard with the diva because she says she's not sure what she's going to be in the mood to wear tomorrow...........hey, I pick my battles...cut me some slack.

That's all I got for now, but if any of you have any of your own morning shortcuts, lay 'em on me. Better yet....post 'em.

For your viewing pleasure, I present..............The Diva, The Queen, MY BABY!!!!