Dip Bar Ideas for a Party (Easy Setup + What to Serve)

Tips for an All-Inclusive Resort Vacation in Mexico: The things I wish I knew before going the first time and bonus tips just for fun!

Heading to Mexico for an all-inclusive vacation can be SUPER exciting. But it can also be super nerve-wracking if you've never been because you're unsure of what to expect.

Luckily, my first time in Mexico for a vacation at an all-inclusive resort, I traveled with a friend who had been multiple times, so she knew what to expect and knew the ins and outs.

But if you're heading there for the first time and you're not sure what to pack or what to expect upon arriving, consider me your virtual best friend that can help! (Plus, get my free printable, Mexico Packing List to help make the planning process even easier!)

I may not have all the answers for a perfect trip to Mexico but I do have tips that can make your trip more enjoyable and hopefully spare you some trouble.

NOTE: I’ll be referring to taking an adults only, all-inclusive vacation to a resort where you fly in to the Cancun aiport (CUN). So if you’re arriving elsewhere, some of the tips may differ but this should still be very helpful!

How do you get the most out of an all-inclusive resort?

I've broken the tips up in to "must-know" tips (or highly suggested tips) and "just for fun" tips to help you get the most out of your all-inclusive vacation. The first set will be those tips that I wish I would have known or so glad that I knew when traveling there for the first time.

The "just for fun" tips are… well… just that. Fun tips that I've learned along the way that make things even better or more enjoyable. Definitely not necessary but are nice perks and things to remember!

MUST-KNOW or Highly Suggested Tips:

• Travel minimally! (Unless you're a fashion blogger. Haha!) But even as a blogger knowing that I could get some crazy fun photos on the beach of any new outfits… I end up wearing a swimming suit and swimsuit cover-up most days. I feel like day clothes are overrated unless you're going on an excursion. So for someone like us, who never leaves the resort, I only take one day outfit (cute shorts/top) just in case we decide on a whim to do some exploring. The same goes for jewelry… I take one pair of earrings that can go with anything and just wear those every night.

• Call your phone carrier to check on the International phone plan before leaving. Some phone plans will charge roaming fees when traveling to Mexico. Or, you may be able to get a specific, temporary package to cover roaming charges.

• Print out your itinerary before leaving home so you can reference it in case your phone goes dead at all in the airport or on your way to the resort. It's also handy to have this when filling out the customs form and you need flight number information as well as the resort’s address.

• We love booking EARLY flights to Cancun. (Like, 6 or 7 am flights.) Knowing we have a few days to nap when we get there, we don't mind waking early, catching a flight and arriving at the resort around 11 am to still enjoy most of the day!

• Fly out mid-day if possible on the way home. (Sleep in…at least more than you did on the way there.) You don't want to be stressed on your way back home and it's recommended that you arrive to the airport 3 hours early anyway and your resort may be quite a distance from the airport as well. So a 9:00 am flight may sound doable, but just keep in mind how early you may just have to start your day for that kind of flight. Plus, having one more all-inclusive breakfast before you leave is always a nice way to start your day to travel back home. (For instance, on our last trip, we met a couple who had to leave the resort at 2:30 in the morning to catch an early 6 am flight. Yuck.

• Filling out forms. You will fill out a customs form while on the plan to Mexico. You will then give this form to the person in the "customs" area in the Cancun airport. The form will ask how you're arriving in to Cancun… flight/boat… what airline you used, what hotel/address you're staying at, etc.)

• Going through customs. When you go through customs on arrival, they'll give you a little slip of paper from the customs form on the plane that you'll need to hang on to and bring back to the airport with you. So don't throw this away! The last time I ran in to a problem with this though (someone was traveling with me that lost theirs) we found out that an Immigration form replacement is $30, and it’s cash only.

• Ink pens - Sounds crazy right? But you'll be so glad that you brought one or two for filling out the customs form on the plane.
  Having a pen on you so you can fill this out is so much nicer than having to wait and ask a stranger to use theirs and share the same pen with 20 other people.

• Use a beach bag as a purse for the flight! I LOVE doing this because I love to pack minimalistic. If my beach bag is small enough to qualify and slide under the chair in front of me and big enough to hold my laptop, wallet, passport, small jacket, etc. then I don't have to pack a beach bag in my check-in and I don't need to take my big giant purse that I use every day.

• Smile, be cooperative and be kind to the airport workers. You'd be surprised how far this can get you if a problem arises. (Check-in bag too heavy, etc.)

• Room service. Don't feel like going to dinner every night? A lot of resorts have room service 24 hours a day. Order in and relax!

• Dress codes. Check with the resort for any dress code at the restaurants. Some restaurants have requirements that you'll want to know about before packing. (i.e. elegant dress codes, casual, etc. and what types of clothes fit the different codes.)

• Sunscreen - Pack that sunscreen! I know it sounds obvious but buying at the resort can be me a lot more expensive. Same for aloe vera gel. That's fantastic to have for a sunburn.

• How much should you tip at an all inclusive resort? Take $1's for tips - Some resorts will say "please don't tip" or "we don't accept tips" But I'll tell you that I've yet to find one where the employees don't accept them and I've also found that tipping a couple of dollars here and there to waiters/waitresses, bellhops, concierge, etc. can make their day and sometimes even get you superstar service!

• Take cash. If I were you, I’d still take a bit of cash with you, other than just dollar bills. Our debit card gave us problems while there, so we were thankful we took enough cash to cover emergency purchases or even purchases that we made at the resort.

• USD and Pesos. Remember that you’ll be dealing with pesos while you’re there, but using USD is just fine! If you visit the spa or purchase something while there, don’t panic when you see what looks like your total is thousands of dollars. That is in pesos and they’ll be able to convert it to USD for you.

• First aid. Pack items like Motrin, Tylenol, Advil, hangover relief, digestive, heartburn relief, etc. for those "Ooops, I drank too much" moments or if the food/water doesn't settle well with you.

• Bug spray - sometimes the mosquitos can be an issue, so I always like to bring that with me in case it's heavy mosquito season.

• Small crossover handbags are super handy for going out for dinner at the resorts if you want to carry your phone or other small belongings with you. This is an adorable, similar nude crossover handbag that I use!
  I recommend a crossover if you do want to take things with you, so it's easier to carry if you decide to stay out afterward for the entertainment, and it's less likely you'll sit the purse down and walk off from it. However… I get to where I don't even take my phone or any belongings with me to dinner and just leave everything in the room. So freeing! But grab that room key… and slip it in to your pocket if you have one!

• Jewelry. Leave your wedding rings at home or wear a fake ring! The last thing you want is to have a great time and then lose something so special and important!

• Credit Card. Be prepared to take a credit card with you for extra charges or let your bank know you're traveling if you bank with a small local bank and using a debit card.

• Phone safety. If you like to have your phone out in the pool/beach area, grab a waterproof case. But surprisingly (even as addicted as I am to my phone/computer) I leave my phone in the room almost all day. If you can, use this time to detox from your phone.

• Shoes. Take one pair of dress shoes that you can wear with multiple outfits for dinner. (Nude heels are a great color for me because they go with just about anything, and my husband usually takes black/brown dress shoes.)

• Do I need to bring a beach towel to an all inclusive resort? Beach towels usually aren't necessary to bring with you. You may check with your resort, but don't waste the space in your luggage if your resort provides them.

• Hairdryer - check with your resort to see if they provide one. Less you have to take, the better.

• Use the safe in your room. You just never know. When you get to the room, place your passports (and car keys if applicable) in the safe, as well as any other travel documents that you want to keep safe while you're on the trip.
  Don't forget to get your things out of the safe when you leave. If it helps, set a reminder on your phone the night before or morning of departure so you don't get to the airport and realize you've left it behind an hour away at the resort!

• Pack a swimming suit in your carry-on or purse (beach bag) when flying. This is smart in case your luggage gets lost, or if you arrive at the resort before you can check-in. If your room isn't ready, go to the bathroom, change in to your swimming suit and hit up the pool or beach while you wait for your room to be ready!

• Books/Magazines - not only are these handy for the airplane ride there when you can't play on the internet to pass the time, but they come in handy for when you need to get up and go somewhere and need something to show that your pool chair/cabana is taken. (I actually prefer to buy magazines in the airport when heading to the resort, so I can leave the magazines behind once I've read them and not have to drag them back home like I would a book.)

• Digital reads. Not interested in taking books/magazines? Save books/podcasts on to your device before going. It's lucky to fly with an airline that has Wi-Fi so don't assume they all do.

• Book a shuttle service ahead of time that can pick you up from the Cancun airport and take you to your resort. When you arrive at the airport, there will be a TON of employees for various shuttle services trying to talk you in to riding with them. It's much easier to bypass them and look for the shuttle company you booked. They're expecting you and know exactly where to take you!

• Arrival expectations. Arriving at the airport in Cancun, you'll have to go through something called "customs". This is where they check your passport, and may ask you a couple of questions of why you're coming in. (i.e. What is your name, where are you staying? How many days will you be visiting, etc.) Once through customs, you'll walk to the baggage claim and pick up any luggage you checked in.
  Most of the time, you then take your luggage through an area where they scan the luggage or even physically open it up and take a look through it to make sure you're not bringing anything illegal in.
  Then, you head outside and soak in that beautiful weather and sunshine to catch a ride to your resort.

• If you can swing it, book a private shuttle. Sometimes it's not that much bigger of a cost. Sharing a shuttle or transportation ride with strangers can result in stopping at multiple other resorts before getting to yours, taking a lot of time away from your day of vacation!

• Departure shuttle. While at the resort, confirm your shuttle service back to the airport to know what time to leave the resort on the day of.

• Departure airport trip. On the way back home (if you live in USA) you'll go through the flight check-in at Cancun airport like normal, go through security and then board your flight. When arriving at your layover (if you don't have a direct flight) you may have to get your luggage at baggage claim, go through security again and go through customs at that airport before boarding your next flight home.
  For instance, if you live in Montana and are flying home from Cancun, but you have a layover in Dallas… you may have to go to Dallas' baggage claim area when laying over to get your luggage and take it through customs so they can check to make sure you didn't bring anything illegal in to the USA. Then, once you're good to go, you can board your plane to your final destination.
  Have a direct flight? Customs will just check your baggage after you have picked it up from the baggage claim at your home airport. Direct flights are definitely a better option if you are able to get one, but isn't as crazy as it may sound unless a flight is delayed.

• Dry shampoo. Ladies, dry shampoo may be your new best friend if it isn't already! I love being able to use that instead of having to get completely ready for dinner if I've stayed at the pool bar/beach longer than planned.

• Beach chairs. Most people will tell you to get up early while there if you can or if it's worth it to you, to reserve a pool chair. Some people think it's rude to reserve chairs and some resorts don't even allow it.
  My opinion? I like to get up early some mornings, head down by the pool and pick a place. I put my things down (sometimes sit for a bit and soak up the sun) and then I go to breakfast, leaving my magazines and sunscreen on the chair. This way if something happens to them, it's not the end of the world, but most of the time someone will see that it is taken and they won't sit there. Then, after breakfast, I can come right back and enjoy the chair again. Just be kind. Don't reserve a chair in the morning just in case you want it hours later and leave for an excursion for the day.

• Don't try to bring back meats, fruits, etc. from your trip. Customs won't allow most of these items.

• Drink the water? Have you ever heard someone say "Don't drink the water in Mexico?!" We have too. But we always drink the water at the restaurants and in the bottles that are in the hotel minibar. But I've also heard stories of others struggling with drinking water that's not bottled or even brushing your teeth with the sink water. I'm sure it depends on where you go and what resort you stay at, but we have never had problems with this, at four different resorts.

• Use the "do not disturb" door tag if you have one, for when you're in the room. The housekeepers can make multiple trips to your room in one day to clean and even come in for turndown service. You don't want to get woken up from that precious nap you've been craving!

JUST FOR FUN:

• Can you bring your own cup to all inclusive resort? Some love to take yeti cups for drinking in the pool so their drinks stay colder longer. We prefer to just get a new drink at the bar rather than keep up with a cup and feel like we have to clean it every day.

• Leave a tip for the housekeeper - sometimes you can get little extras, or possibly your room cleaned sooner

• Have airline miles or want to go big or go home? Book first class for your flight if you can. There's nothing like going to Cancun and starting your vacation out early by hopping on the flight with ease and enjoying tons of legroom, comfy seats, and cocktails.

• Nightly entertainment. A lot of resorts have nightly entertainment. Anything from magic shows, dancing, live bands, etc. The pools usually close around 6 in the evening to allow guests to go back to their rooms and get ready for dinner.

• Spa prep. If going to the spa, a cocktail or two beforehand can help you get extra relaxed.

• Making a spa appointment on the resort? See if you can go to the spa early and take advantage of their steam room/sauna beforehand!

Where are you going? I’d love to hear!

I’ve been to a small handful of different resorts, but I’ve been to the same resorts multiple times! (When you find one that you like it’s hard to try a new one! At least for us!)

Or if you haven’t booked one yet, this is where I love to book all-inclusive trips as a package with the flight to save money!

I’ve been to:

• Excellence Riviera Maya – Our favorite! Also check out how I surprised my husband for his 30th birthday at this resort!
• El Dorado Casitas and Royale – Both casitas and the royale side
• Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya
• ….and another (not all-inclusive) in downtown Cancun that was a timeshare.

But I’d LOVE to hear where you’ve been and what your favorite is. Or, if you haven’t been yet… let me know where you’re going!

6 Ways to Make Your Desk Work More Productive: A quick list of tricks to try when you need more focus and productivity in your work space.

6 Ways to Make Your Desk Work More Productive

There are times, no matter where I’m at in my home working, that I consider it “desk work.”

This time is set aside for those moments when I have to meet a deadline online or even to just catch up on emails.

If I don’t prepare myself, my “desk work time” can slip away quickly, and leave me distracted, and still ending up with a full to-do list.

I want to share my favorite tips and tricks for making your desk work more productive if you’ve found that sitting down to work… tends to overwhelm you, or becomes a waste of time. Give these 6 items a try the next time to you sit down to get busy.

1. Turn your email notifications off

I’m so addicted to my email. Ok, I’m addicted to my laptop and phone too. (But I’m working on that with my therapist, I promise.)  

But when it comes to email, there’s a rush of “Ooooh, what is it!?” When I see a new email come through.

So when sitting down to knock important things off of my to-do list, I have to shut it off. On my Mac, I literally have to right-select the email app in my dock and close it.

If you access your email from a browser, simply close the tab. Taking the distraction of email out of the equation, you may not feel like you have to respond immediately to that email that comes through.

I’ll admit…

Is it just me, or do you get this “rushed,” feeling, feeling like you have to respond ASAP to someone’s email because you’re afraid that they’ll think you don’t care, or are too busy to respond?
(We will save those crazy thoughts for another day, and tackle those together. #peoplepleaser)

2. Make a “to-do” list in the morning

Even if you’re not a pen-to-paper kind of person, making a to-do list in your phone, on your computer, or wherever it feels comfortable, can be a HUGE factor in being more productive in your desk work.

The minute that you feel like you’ve completed all of your tasks for the day, take a look at your list from that morning. You may have forgotten something very important!

Offset brain damage… 

Our minds can have a lot of brain damage throughout the day. So relying on a list to refer to, may just save you from forgetting that important task that needs completed asap.

Plus, if you’re like me, getting the satisfaction of checking things off, can leave you feeling like you’ve completed more tasks during “desk time,” than you thought.

3. Close your social media tabs

FOMO. Not going to lie. I have FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) at times when it comes to social media. You too?

Do you feel like you’re going to miss out on something if you don’t check your Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and then rotate back through, wasting precious minutes (even hours) scrolling through social media, and getting lost in the mindless activity?

Say “no” to FOMO…

I’ve had to train myself to say, “Goodbye,” to social media, during desk work times. Removing the hundreds of distractions & push notifications that social media can push out in a days time, can suddenly give you back minutes (even hours) of your desk time. Soon, you’ll find that you can knock out some serious tasks, and have the satisfaction of completing those tasks.

When, if you had spent that time browsing Facebook, and Instagram… all you’d walk away with, is seeing that one of your friends has tried a new coffee flavor, isn’t feeling well, or has shared another selfie that looks just like the millions of other selfies they’ve shared in the last week. (I’ve totally taken selfies. Not discounting the fun of Facebook and Instagram… but save it for “down-time.”)

4. Turn on some music

Some days it’s the “Laid Back Beach Music,” station, or maybe even the “80’s Cardio,” playing in the background of my desk work, but I always have music on.

Total silence makes my mind go CRAZY, thinking about all of the things that I need to accomplish that day, and at times drifts off to topics that I shouldn’t waste time thinking about.

Search for the beat…

If you’re struggling to find a station that motivates you to put the pedal to the metal, there are apps and certain stations out there, that are specifically “focus,” and “work” music.

With some trial and error, see if there’s a station or certain type of music that helps you focus.

5. Get settled from the start

As a full-time blogger and mom, I work inside my home 90% of the time.

Which means, I have two little guys running around the house all day, that LOVE to have “Mom” sit down and check out the newest coloring page that they created, each time I walk through the room.

Trust me, I LOVE that I’m able to be at home with them. But when I have a deadline to meet, sometimes it’s hard to get that met when they tug at my heartstrings to show me their new favorite find.

and do less laundry…

So when it comes to trying to stay motivated at my desk, getting settled from the start will help keep me focused.

A full/warm coffee, pen/paper, laptop, and headphones, are my go-to items to have on hand when I’m ready to hammer down. I’ve found if I’m missing one of those items, within minutes I’ll want to get up from my desk. Then, the chances of getting distracted by one of the kiddos, or remembering that the laundry needs to be changed out will be slim.

6. LastPass

Get LastPass for Free: I found out about this password manager from a mastermind Facebook group that I’m a part of.

Someone posted a question about how everyone keeps track of all of their passwords that they need often, and not so often. MULTIPLE members replied with “LastPass,” and went on about how it’s the best way to manage passwords.

So when I found out that something like this existed, I realized how much time it would save me when I’m at my desk working. No more searching for my passwords for each site that I visit in my desk work routine.

Keep it together…

• You only need one master password to all of your accounts, that you can access wherever you are.
• I don’t have to think of new passwords anymore, because it will generate one for me, and remember it when I need it.
• I can safely share any info that I want, including credit card info, passwords, and other sensitive items that I wouldn’t feel safe sharing with someone in a text.
• It can be started on any device: I started it with an app on my phone…

• Everything put in the “vault,” is synced automatically and is secure, with bank-level security standards.
• I can keep digital records by using their secure notes to store insurance cards, membership info, prescription details, WiFi logins, social security numbers, and passports!
• Then, of course, my favorite part… it’s FREE!

Here are a couple of screenshots from my phone, so you’ll know what to look for, and what it looks like before you get started!

Let’s Get Productive

I so hope you’re ready to get down to business at your desk, and get productive!

Now, if you’ve done everything that you can think of to make your desk work more productive, but are still not keeping up with all of the work, check out my post on “5 Ways you can Outsource to Grow your Business.” Outsourcing has played a major role in my business growth, and so glad that I have learned how to delegate certain tasks.

Spring 2016 Fashion and appearance on Access Hollywood!

If you’ve been following my Facebook page, then you know that I’ve been sharing updates of my recent trip to L.A./Hollywood.

About a month ago, Stitch Fix, contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in appearing on Access Hollywood to help announce their new shoe line that released on March 16th, 2016. I’m not even sure if I ran it by my husband, to see if he minded if I went. I hit reply immediately and practically yelled, “YES,” through email. 🙂

Access Hollywood: Stitch Fix Segment

What an AMAZING experience it was! I can’t thank Stitch Fix enough for allowing me to participate in this super fun tv appearance. I’m such a fan of theirs, and I’m not quite sure where my fashion sense would be, if it wasn’t for them. As a mom of two little guys, I rarely have time to do clothes shopping for myself. So Stitch Fix comes to my rescue, every two weeks! (Yes, I selected to receive it as often as possible. But you can set it to fewer “fix,” shipments, if you like!

To give Stitch Fix a try, you can head over to the Stitch Fix site, quickly fill out your profile and get your first fix SOON! And remember… you only pay for what you want to keep! Yay!

Thank you so much to all of you for always encouraging me to follow my dreams, and for being a 24 hour best friend!

Free Printable Baby Shower Advice Cards: “Late Night Wishes…” for the Mom to be! Free printable for a new mom, or a multiple-time mom!

I recently helped cohost a baby shower for a dear friend who was expecting her second little bundle of joy. With the mindset of keeping it laid back and casual, we decided to keep everything low key, and do a little something that would be meaningful… rather than play baby shower games.

Free Printable Baby Shower Advice Cards Instead of Games

The idea of each guest writing a little note to the mommy, came to mind. So… since I love creating things like birthday invitations in Canva, I had been toying with the idea of creating a printable for each guest to use, rather than just a blank sheet of paper, and the Baby Shower Advice Printables, were born.

An Advice Card for Everyone!

When it came to topics to “write,” about, I wanted to give each guest a starting point, so they would’t have the pressure of having to get creative, starting from scratch. Since some guests weren’t mommies yet, I wanted them to be able to give “best wishes.” Then, there were mommies there, who had little girls at home, so they may have been able to offer “baby girl,” advice. Lastly, since this mommy was going to be a second-time mommy, the mommies of multiples were able to give “Multiple Kiddo Advice.”

When each guest finished filling out their cards, I provided a small burlap favor bag, to slip their card in to. Then the mommy was able to take her little advice cards home, and could pull them out, one by one, during a late night feeding, when she was needing a little advice or encouragement.

Just select the image of the item that you want and it will open up in to a PDF for you to save/print! 

Free Baby Shower Printables:

New mommy of a boy:

For the new mommy of a girl:

Second-time mommy, having a girl:

For the second-time mommy, having a boy:

Printing Details:

I simply printed my cards, as a 5×7. You could print them smaller/bigger, just change your printer settings!

Extra Note:

To go a step further for the mommy of honor, you could find a super cute container or basket like this, to put all of the advice cards in, that would look adorable on the dresser or nightstand in the nursery. (Something to match the room decor.)

I hope you enjoy these baby shower advice cards. I know I would have LOVED to have them, when I had my babies!

“Pin” this image below, to remember for the next baby shower you host!