Packing Prep: Weekend Getaway

We all know how our life's can get so crazy to where we just need to getaway from it all relax. For me going around and taking pictures of different landscapes can help but there is nothing quiet like a weekend getaway to clear my mind and relax me from all the things going on at work, with school and just in daily life.

Now for me a normal weekend getaway means going somewhere on a Saturday and coming home Sunday (so not even really being gone 24 hours sometimes) but in the next few weeks I will be taking a nice long 3 day weekend getaway. I am going to visit family that live a few hours away and let me tell you I am beyond ready for it. (we all hit that point at work where we need a vacation right!?) 

So with that being said that means its time for me to start planning out what I need to pack. Since this is a car trip I am going to also need to pack things to have with me in the car. Over the next couple of weeks I plan on showing you how I pack and prep for a long weekend getaway/road trip. 

Lets being:

About three weeks before the trip I will look at the weather report of where I am going to get a general idea. Yes this can change in three weeks but this way I have an idea of what to pack, since most weather sites will not go more than 10 days out I like to look on Weather.com to see what the calendar says is average for that time of year. I will look again at the report when the 10 day report comes out closer to when I am going to know for sure but this way I have a general of idea of what I will need to think about packing.

Next if going to visit  someone is I will ask them if there is any event or anything we are going to where I would need to bring special clothing. If not going to visit someone I would check to see if there was anything I would want to do that would need a certain type of clothing.

The last thing I do is making my first packing list for every part of the trip so I know what I will need to start planning and/or buying for the trip.

Since this trip is one that I am driving I made a list for things to have up front in the car with me, food, normal packing things (clothing, toiletries, etc.) and also my extra's list of things I may or may not take.

When making the list for clothing I separated it out into the days I would be there so I knew what I had to pack. As for toiletries, car, food, and extras I put down what I would want to have with me on this trip. The lists can change and normally they do as it gets closer and I realize what I will and will not need.

-Holly

Current Skin Care Routine: Night and Day

I have always struggled with having clear balanced skin and in the past would cover it up with makeup; but I am wanting to stay away from so much makeup and have made it my mission to find a skin care routine that works for me. 

This past month I have been making sure to use the skin care products I found every day and every night and can say I have noticed a difference all ready. When I was looking for products I knew I wanted something that was not going to be harsh on my skin, (I learned in the past that my skin is sensitive to certain products) but I knew I wanted something that was going to get the job done. 

I have been using the Simple Makeup Remover Wipes for a while now and love them. I feel like they do a really good job at getting all the makeup/gunk off my face but are also gentle to use to remove eye makeup and that is huge for me. So I decided to stick with the Simple brand (why fix what isn't broken right?) I picked up their face wash, toner, and a moisturizer but that did not pan out (I will explain later).  I also picked up the Garnier SkinActive Ultra-Lift Miracle Anti Fatigue Day Cream , the Garnier SkinActive Clearly Brighter Anti Dark Circle Eye Roller this one comes with the tint. I also picked up the Nivea Soft Face, Hand, and Body lotion. 

I use these products each day but there are some that I only use in the morning and some I only use at night. 

In the morning I start by just taking a warm wet rag and wiping it all over my face as if I was taking off makeup. After dabbing my face dry with a clean towel I take the Simple Soothing Toner and put some on to a cotton round and wipe it all over my face and on my neck as well. While this dries I will brush my teeth once that is dry I use the Garnier Wake Up Day Cream and using a pea size amount rub it all over my face. I love this day cream because it is a gel and feels very light weight on my skin. I then use the Garnier Anti-Dark Circle roller and put it on my under eye area going from the inner corner to the outer corner and dab in product that comes out. I just started to use this product so I am not sure 100% how I feel about it but from the first use I really like it. I like that it has the tint with it giving you two products in one. 

At night if I have makeup on I use a Simple Cleansing make up wipe and remove any of the make up I have on. Then on to damp skin I take one pump of the Simple Foaming Face Wash and wash my face. After washing off the face wash I use the toner on a cotton round just like in the morning. While this dries I floss and brush my teeth once the toner is dried I use the Nivea Soft lotion and use a small amount and rub it over my face. When using the Nivea Soft lotion I use only the amount I need since I have found thick lotions like this tend to clog my pores if I use to much. 

I really enjoy the Simple Foaming Face Wash and the Simple Soothing Toner, they don't "upset" my skin but still give me the results I am looking for. 

Now about the Simple Moisturizer I picked it up because I wanted something that had SPF in it and since I liked the other Simple products I thought why not. Well I will say it is a good moisturizer for sure but for me sadly it cause me to break out I do plan on trying it again come summer but for now I am going to stick to my Garnier Wake Up Day Cream. I really hope the Simple one does work for me since I know my skin likes those products and it has the SPF in it for summer. 

Over all I am really enjoying my new skin care routine and find it to be a really nice way to relax at the end of the day and to also start my day off on the right foot. I will say though you start a new skin care routine don't be surprised if you have a few break outs that come out of know where it is normal as you clean your skin and draw all the dirt and "gunk" out of your pores. 

Let me know what your favorite skin care products are!

*all opinions are my own and this is not a sponsored post. 

-Holly

Fitness and Me= um......not sure yet!

One of my big goals for this year is to live a healthier lifestyle. Part of this includes eating better and working out more if at all and working out is the big one. I have never been one to want to work out or one that started a workout program and finished it to the end. You could say I was the person who would start working out and it would go good for a couple weeks and then I had every excuse in the book not to work out. Well this year my goal is to change that and I think I found what the problem was with all the other times; I scheduled when I would work out a week ahead of time and just like those appointments we  all hate to go to I hated the thought of having to work out so I just didn't.

So of course this year I started with scheduling out my workouts for the month knowing they could change or move around but even with this I didn't want to workout. So instead of scheduling in workouts I am going to try something different and that is to not schedule any workouts but instead pick what I want to do.

I have made a list of all the workouts I have either done or want to do and that don't look to hard (stick with the beginner workouts when you start and build up over time). After each workout I have left room to put a check or date for when I do the workout. My goal is to workout three times a week between Sunday and Saturday. If I don't workout three times a week and only get one or two that is ok because hey I worked out one day and that is better than none.

My thought and hope is over time I can add in new workouts and maybe even someday make another sheet with harder and longer workouts but for now I am sticking with my beginner workouts. I may add in a reward for at the end of each month if I work out so many times I get something weather its a new piece of clothing for working out or maybe go get my nails done. Who knows but all I do now is this is something that I think will help me and make is seem more like a game than a job. :)

-Holly

*Disclaimer: I am by no means a fitness trainer or a doctor. This is something that I am doing for me. I recommend talking to your doctor before starting any fitness program or routine. 

My New Year Goals

Hard to believe it is already 2017 this past year went by so fast! With it being the New Year everyone is making their new year resolutions on what they want to do and in the past I would make some but found I never stuck to them.

This year I am trying something new instead of calling them resolutions I am calling them my goals for 2017 I just like how goals sound better because it reminds me that I have something to work toward and not something I am trying to fix or change just because it is the new year.

This year I have 5 goals I am going to share 4 of them with you because the 5th goal is a very personal goal that I do not feel comfortable sharing. They are:

1. Live a healthy lifestyle
2. Not be on my phone so much
3. Read one book every two months
4. See the good in everything (or at least try to)

Living a healthy lifestyle I like having down instead of lose weight or eat better because that's what it is, its a lifestyle change. I am so guilty for always having my phone and this is something I want to change. I left my phone at home one day when I went to work and at first was nervous like where is my phone but then I was thought this is kind of nice not having to worry about it.

Reading one book every two months is because with school I don't know how much time I will have for reading and figured I can read a book every two months.See the good in everything or try to is something I want to try to do mainly to just be more positive.

Happy New Year!

-Holly

New Year: New Blogging Style

Okay something has to give I totally flaked on blog posts over the Holidays and I had some fun ones in mind. But either way it is officially 2017 (2016 went by so fast!) and why not make a change now.

I am not changing how I write blog posts or anything like that but I am changing when I post and things like that more stuff on my end then what you will see. I am not making an promises of when you can see a post right now until I get on a consistent routine. The posts themselves will remain the same random fun things that I want to share.

With all that being said I hope you had a wonderful Holiday and New Year lets make 2017 a great year!