Dress Put Together (Part II)

In addition to wearing more put together clothes, it's important to accessorize! Here are a few tips on how we accessorize.

1. Throw on a scarf. It's a simple way to throw in a bit of color or a pattern. When it's so cold like this, it adds in warmth too.
2. Put together some of your favorite accessory combos. It's great if you know that you love a certain pair of earrings with a certain necklace. It makes getting ready even easier!
3. Create stacks. They are all the rage lately, and we love them too!
4. Mix classic and trendier pieces.
5. Don't be afraid to be bold or daring. It's easy and it's a great way to add in color or texture. It can dress up or down an outfit in an instant.

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New Years Resolution: Dress Put Together (Part I)

So, New Year=New Wardrobe, right? Not exactly. But we can dress more put together with what we already have! Here are a few tips on the apparel side of being more put together.

1. Dedicate one day a week to be denim free. This dips your toes into dressing up a little more for class or errands. Throw on some cords or a skirt. It will allow you to wear some pieces that you may not wear normally.
2. Lay out your outfit the night before. You have no idea how much easier this makes get ready for class in the morning until you start to do this. Check the weather the night before so that you're prepared for rain or snow.
3. Make or take OOTDs. It motivates me to dress cuter if I know I can/should put a few things together for my tumblr or just for fun. It's also great to look back for inspiration if you're stuck in a rut.
4. Read fashion blogs and magazines for inspiration. 
5. Figure out what YOUR style is and what you like!

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xoxo,

A+C

Our Personal Goals

We thought that we would share some of our goals for 2012!! We're curious to hear what yours are, so comment below!

C's Goals:

I'm trying to make my goals more about improving myself as a whole this year. I've written these down in the front of my to do list notebook as a constant reminder!

• Work out more. I got really out of shape in 2011 due to some health complications. In 2012, its time for me to stick to working out with  my trainer twice a week and doing cardio on 3-4 of the other days. Hopefully, I'll get to try a Barre class that A loves so much!
• Eat more healthily. This is something that I really need to work at. I eat healthy meals, so its really going to be my snacking. It's not to lose weight, but if that happens, I obviously won't complain!
• Study harder. I do study plenty, but sometimes I feel like I give up way too quickly on understanding concepts. I need to buckle down and just force myself to study longer.
• Be a fabulous blogger. This is something totally new to me! I'm hoping I can manage my time well enough so that I can stay on top of school and still collaborate with A on fun posts!!
• Show more gratitude. I am going to write down one thing every day that I'm thankful for and show one person every day that I am grateful to have him or her in my life. 

So true. The gym has been packed this week! Yay for slimming down America? Just kidding,  I  hate waiting for equipment every time I go for cardio.
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A's Goals

So it's finally 2012 and it really hit me that I will actually be going away to college and living on my own next fall. Similar to C, my goals for this year are focused on overall self improvement. I'm really looking to establish good habits this year before the slowly approaching and soon to be big change that is college. 

• Working out on the reg. Luckily, as a varsity athlete, I haven't had to worry about fitting daily exercise into my schedule. I realize that next year, although I intend to participate in club sports, the practices and games will be far less frequent; I will have a lot more time on my own to find ways to exercise. As of lately, I've been mixing it up with cardio, (light) weight training, and Barre class!
• Portion control. God bless my parents for encouraging healthy eating and turning me on to healthy foods. My main focus this year, along with continuing my healthy food choices, is to watch my portions and eat much smaller meals. My favorite word: moderation. 
• Establishing a better sleep schedule. I was born at 12:48am and I've been a night owl ever since. In 2012, I want to work really hard to make sure I get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. 
• Avoiding procrastination. I don't think that writing a paper the night before its due is really going to cut it in college, so this year, I really want to avoid leaving assignments and studying for the last minute.
• Keep up with this blog. I really want to make it a priority to manage my time between school, sports, my social life, and this blog! I can't wait to see what the future has in store for The Kennedys Amongst The Kardashians!
• More open-mindedness. In 2012, I'd really like to promote open-mindedness in my life. Whether it is being open to making new friends, being less judgmental of people, or trying new things, I'd really like to be accepting and open. 

With or without the antidepressants, stay optimistic. 2012 is going to be an awesome year...I can feel it!

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xoxo, 

A+C 

Day Six: Time Management and Organization

The sole reasons for our  sanity and well being is organization and time management. We literally do not know what we would do without our planners (touch them and you're dead). In our crazy and hectic lives, we need some order to keep us sane. In 2012, work towards a more orderly and organized life!

• Buy a planner! Make it fun by buying a cute and colorful one! If you can't get your hands on a colorful one, decorate the cover of a plain one with pictures of your favorite things or even inspirational words or quotes. I (A) write anything and everything school related in my planner (i.e appointments with teachers, extra help sessions, exams, classwork, events, projects, ect.) to keep make sure I'm always on top of my game and never forget anything. A great way to incorporate lists into your planner is by keeping post-its handy to write on. Whenever you make a new list, just stick it right into your planner and you can easily remove it when you're finished with it. 

How adorable are these Sarah Pinto planners?!

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• Keep a calendar in your room. I have a large calendar that I put on the desk in my room. The size is great because the daily boxes are huge and there is plenty of room for writing! I designate this calendar for non school related things such as appointments, charity events, birthdays, parties, and I even keep track of my community service hours on it as well. If you have any non school related to-do lists to add, use the post-its on the calendar as well!

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• If you're more technologically inclined, make use of the calendar you have on your phone or i(insert apple product here) to keep track of things. The great thing about the aforementioned technology is that you can program an alarm to go off as a reminder for you. Some schools even have programs where you can sync the school's online character onto your phone. How cool is that? Although I'm more traditional and prefer to write things down, I (A) always add my social schedule to the calendar on my phone. My blackberry is literally attached to my hip and I never go anywhere without it, so if I'm out and happen to forget my to glance at the calendar on my desk, I will always be able to check the calendar for any to-do's or events just in case. 

Um...why can't a trip to Paris be on our calendars?!

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• With regard to binders and for your classes, we highly recommend picking a color to assign to each respective class. Color coding makes your pile of school supplies much easier to organize. Did we mention that everything is better when its colorful? Also, dividers are great to use in binders to separate information from different chapters or units. 

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• Time management is key. Wherever you chose to write your assignments down, choose a certain time to start the assignment as well as a certain amount of time that you'd like to designate for the assignment to be worked on our completed. This technique keeps you on track and helps to avoid procrastination. Scheduling really helps to keep you from falling behind in your work. We know its hard...but do not fall victim to procrastination!

Don't let this be you on your bestie's birthday!

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Managing your time and staying organized will lead you down the road to success! But seriously, your life will be so much more orderly. More lists equal less forgetfulness. Less forgetfulness equals more organization. More organization equals less stress. Less stress equals a happier and more fabulous you! 

Love, 

A+C

Day Five: Dress to Impress

Every young and elegant woman wishes to make changes to their wardrobe from time to time. Maybe you're looking to try more colorful clothing items? Maybe you would like to dress up more? Maybe you want Here are some our tips to "dress to impress!" 

• Try to designate one day of the week where you don't wear jeans. This can be a fun alternative for running to class or weekend errands. Not wearing jeans allows you to play around with pieces you own. Here are a few examples of easy "non denim" outfits! Side note: Check out our tumblr and polyvore accounts, linked on the side! There you can find many other inspirations, and our personal outfits! (Thanks to our blogging friend, agracelamb, for the inspiration on this one!)

• This leads into our next idea: corduroys. Cords are classic and elegant. Cords work essentially as jeans do. They are super easy to throw on, and go with a wide variety of things. Cords offer an instantly polished and pulled together look. Cords can be found in a wide variety of cuts and colors. (note: take on colored cords similarly to the new colored denim trend!) We love J.Crew cords! Check out their options below! Many stores are having great deals, so check them out to stock up!

• Keep track of what you have been wearing! You can do this either via polyvore, or just by taking a simple mirror picture on your phone. This will allow you to see what has worked for you in the past, and what you haven't worn in a long time. Below, you'll see two example of "OOTD" posts from C and A! (First OOTD-C, Second OOTD-A!)

• Invest in some classics. Five items that we feel are crucial to invest in: a navy blazer, well fitting jeans, a great white shirt, riding boots, and the perfect little black dress. These will never go out of style, and they will all last forever, if properly maintained.

• Look for inspiration! There are so many websites all over.-WhoWhatWear and PeopleStyle are great for celeb looks. Tumblr is a great niche, and many fashion blogs all over the internet! Of course, check here for some of the best fashion posts of all :) And of course, the magazines: Vogue, InStyle, Glamour, and People StyleWatch to name a few!!

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What are you going to try to do to be more fashionable? Are you going to use any of these ideas? Let us know below!

Love,

A+C

Day Four: Make Time for Family

Don't think you're the only one stressing out about about your crazy, hectic, and event filled life. We all have so much going on and there are always things we have to juggle. As the new year begins, think about the people in your life who are most important, your family. Here are some fun suggestions on ways to spend your time with the people that matter to you most.

• You have a dance lesson on Thursday at 5pm and your SAT tutor is coming at 2pm on Saturday. What do you do to remember? Generally speaking, most people write their appointments and lessons down on a calendar or a planner as a reminder. What about your family? If scheduling a time to eat dinner together on designated days is what you need to do, pencil them in too! Talk to your family about scheduling a specific day(s) of the week to sit down for an old fashioned family style dinner. Its important to spend time relaxing together after long and stressful days of commitments. 

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• Already eat dinner together on the daily, but you find yourself eating as quickly as you can to rush back to your other commitments? Establish a routine for your dinners. Go around the table and share something you learned or a funny story from your day. Play a game! My family (A's family) likes to play 'Celebrity', a game where each person writes the name of a celebrity on a post it and puts it on someone else's forehead so that person can't see which celebrity they were assigned. Then, each person has to ask the other family members yes or no questions about their assigned celebrity in an effort to guess who they've been assigned. 

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• Assign a "family day" of the week. Pick a day in which you can pick a fun activity to do together. Whether you enjoy hiking or watching movies, pick a day of the week where each family member can pick an activity for the whole family to participate in together. Gotta love family bonding. 

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• Does your family have a favorite TV show? Instead of running off to your respective rooms to watch the show, gather together in the living room to watch together. Make it fun by making popcorn or sweet treats to eat while watching. 

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• For those of you who are away at college or boarding school, or have already graduated college and moved away, it doesn't hurt to shoot your family members back at home a daily text message, email, or phone call! Being far away from family is hard enough. A phone call, text, or email to catch up on each others lives is always a great idea. Skype or Ichat is also a terrific way to keep in touch! Video chatting is seriously one of the greatest inventions of our time.

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Just make family bonding fun! Cherish the moments you have with them. Ultimately, you can change your clothes, you can change your hair, and you can even change your friends, but you can't change your family.

xoxo,
A+C

Day Three: Eat More Healthily

Healthy eating is another popular resolution, but it's not always the easiest. It can be tempting to grab a bag of Skittles over an apple or orange. Here are some easy and fun ways to eat more healthily!

• Write everything down (even those 5 pretzels you grabbed out of the pantry-it ALL adds up)! We really end up eating more than we think we do. Use a cute notebook to record your food intake and exercise regimen! If you prefer using technology, there are also many websites that can serve the same purpose. Lose It is a popular website and app that many have found really effective.

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• Drink TONS of water. Water keeps you hydrated and is a much healthier alternative to soda and juices. The easiest way to drink more water is to carry it with you at all times. Invest in a cute water bottle, like a Camelbak or a Tervis tumbler (Did we mention that they're also eco friendly?!). Drinking water doesn't have to be boring either. Try making your own flavored water by squeezing lemons or limes into your water for some tastiness. We love these Jonathan Adler water bottles!

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• Try to eat out less. If you do choose to go out, choose your meal wisely! If you want to indulge, split it with a friend or only eat a small portion of the dish. If you really enjoy it and want to save some for later, don't be embarrassed to bring it home. That's what doggy bags are for! Beware: Some dishes that you may think are a healthy option can actually have more calories and fat than expected. Great sources of healthy eating inspiration are the 'Eat This, Not That' books. 

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• Carry healthy (and yummy) snacks with you. As easy as it is to reach for a bag of Lays to snack on in between classes, there are much healthier (and just as easy) options. Granola Bars and Luna Bars are great because they are non-perishable and can be left in your backpack, purse, or car at all times. If you have time, prepare a small bag of your favorite fruits and/or vegetables to put in your bag in the morning before you leave for the day. 

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• Get smaller plates. As our moms always tell us, everything in moderation! Portion control is SO important. Try to trick yourself into thinking you're eating more than you actually are by buying printed and/or colorful small plates. They can be so cute and fun; did we mention they're also a great excuse to go shopping?!

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Is this one of your goals for 2012? Let us know what you're going to do stay healthier in the new year!

xoxo,

A+C

Day Two: Find Your Philanthropic Side

As a young ladies in a society of immense troubles, it is incredibly important to be involved in philanthropic efforts. Helping others should make you feel good! As the new year begins, make it a priority to get involved in advocating or raising money for a cause that is important to you.

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• To get some ideas, talk to your parents and their friends! It doesn't hurt to do some research and see what connections you may have to any charities or any existing philanthropic committees.

Now we should all do it!

• Research a cause that has affected you or touched you in some way; when something hits closer to home, it feels like you are helping on a more personal level.
• Don't hesitate to reach out to a cause that you have newly discovered. Believe us, they want all the help they can get! I (A) sent a message to the girls of GOPiNK over Facebook and they were thrilled to have found someone willing to help. Now I am the President and Founder of the club at my school; its so much a part of my life now. Imagine if I hadn't sent that message?!

The GOPiNK boys!

• Make sure that you are knowledgeable about the cause you are looking to become a part of. Never get caught in a conversation where you are ill prepared.
• Start small and work up to the bigger projects. Start by helping out at a charity event. Once you become more acclimated to the cause, you can work your way into bigger projects. Next thing you know, you could be planning your own event for the charity.
• Bask in the glory of knowing you are helping others! It will make you a better and happier person.

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Share your philanthropy stories with us! What are you going to do to give back in the new year?


Love, 
A+C

Day One: Get More Exercise

Getting enough exercise is a really common goal for the new year. Here are some of our favorite fun ways to stay active!

• Simply do jumping jacks, push ups, or crunches during commercial breaks while watching TV. This is one of the easiest things anyone can do! This can get your heart rate going and won't take up much time. This is also great to do while you take a study break! If you add this into your daily routine, you can work out without even thinking twice about it and these extra steps will definitely give you results!

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• Work out with a trainer. Although this may not be an option for everyone, if you can, working out with a trainer is one of the best ways to guarantee success. I (C) have been working out with a trainer for a few months and have noticed a huge difference. It forces you to exercise while catering to your specific goals and needs. If you don't see your trainer every day, try to do your "homework" by keeping up with your exercises on your off days. Another added bonus to having a trainer: many of them can be rather attractive :) Wouldn't having Jillian Michaels to train us all be a dream come true?

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• Replace your desk chair with an exercise ball. Not only is this fun, but it also will strengthen your core while you're just studying or working on your computer! You can find them for as little as $15 at your local target.

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• Not sure what exercises to start with? Use online work out videos! They're the updated version to work out DVDs and are available for free on many websites. A fabulous source that I've enjoyed is VideoJug. You can easily search for exercises that cater to your specific areas of concern as well as random and fun workouts! The best part is that they are all filmed with professionals, so you can be sure it's done the right way. Hidden bonus: many of these clips have British accents! Talk about amazeballs! 

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• Get your friends involved! You will likely be more successful if you have someone else trying to achieve the same goals as yourself. Friends can add motivation to work out, especially if you exercise together! This can be as simple as taking a walk or a jog, or going to the gym together. 

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• Bored of your typical workout? Try a new and exciting form of exercise! Check your local YMCA or fitness studio for classes that may interest you. I (A) have recently become hooked on barre workouts after being introduced to them by a friend. Barre is the perfect infusion of ballet, Pilates, and yoga techniques while aiming to give you a long and lean dancer-like physique. Um, are you convinced to try it yet? Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try something new! 

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Let us know if one of your goals is to get more exercise! What are you going to do to exercise more?

Stay watching for the rest of our series this week!

Love,

A+C