Danielle Tate

St. Patty’s Day Party – Get Your Green On!

Are you ready to get your green on? St. Patrick’s Day: The one day out of the year that everyone truly ‘goes green’ is just about here! Have you planned out your day’s festivities yet? We have come up with a few ideas for you to enjoy a full day, packed with green beer, some hearty Irish food, and of course a cute outfit!

If you haven’t checked out what’s going on in your neighborhood, now’s the time! There are so many St. Patty’s day activities that go on across the country, parades, festivals, 5K’s (if you’re feeling energetic), concerts, etc… Call your friends to see what everyone is looking to do, and if you live in the city, you may want to create your plan-of-action because it is most likely going to be packed at all of your local bars/restaurants.

If you’re planning to have some friends over to start the day off with you, visit your local craft or party store and pick up some fun decorations and some necklaces and hats for your guests! Onto the most important item of the day, finding a cute outfit!

If you’re looking to keep it casual, check out these cute St. Patty’s Day tee’s, or if you and your spouse have plans to go all out Irish, this is a super cute costume that you can find at Target!

Many bars and restaurants open up as early as 5:00am (from what I’m aware of!), so if you plan on starting early with the best of them, you will want to be sure to begin your day with a hearty Irish breakfast!

Next, if you have not received one of these from your wedding registry, you must invest in this amazing, lifesaving cooking device- a crock-pot! Your next menu item is the famous Irish stew, and if you can have it brewing all day in your crock-pot, it will be ready to dive into at the end of the day! If you’re not into stew, try another Irish fav, potato and leek soup.

Check out these recipes, make your list, and head to the grocery store the day before (and be sure to grab the green food coloring too)! Wait- let’s not forget about the most important part or your menu, desert of course! Check out this Irish Baileys Marble Cheesecake!

I personally do not have Irish genes, but since I married an Irish man, there are certain traditions that my spouse and I have started together to celebrate St. Patty’s day each year, and it’s a day that we really enjoy and look forward to!

Do you and your spouse have any traditions for St. Patty’s day? Please share how you plan to get your green on! Happy St. Patty’s day to you, and Cheers or Sláinte (to your health)!

Keeping The Weight Off After the Wedding

Need some pointers for keeping the weight off after the wedding? When you’re dating, you want to look your best because you know that’s one of the easiest ways to attract Mr. Right. When you’re engaged you put even more effort into your looks so that you can ensure that you look fabulous on your wedding day. And, of course, you want to look awesome on your honeymoon as well (hello bikini pictures). But what happens when you come home? Studies show that once the wedding and honeymoon are over, newlywed couples start to gain weight.

While your spouse may love you no matter what size you are, it’s very important to make sure that you keep nutrition as an important focus of your life. It’s far too easy to put on a serious number of pounds in just a few years when you’re not making an effort to keep the weight off. One of the best things about being married is that you’re in everything together, and together you can make a plan to stay healthy and maintain a healthy weight.

Good nutrition is a vital step to making sure that you keep the weight off and stay healthy. This can be tricky when you’re married, especially if your spouse is a meat and potatoes or take-out kind of guy. But don’t let that deter you from eating healthy. Sit down together each week and discuss what you’d like to eat. If you find that you’re craving something, like wings or pizza, work together to figure out how you can make that specific meal a healthier dish. You can substitute baked chicken with buffalo sauce for wings, and pizza can be made over with low fat cheese, whole wheat crust and the addition of veggies. Here’s a site with several other great ideas for healthy substitutes for junk food.

Would you believe that exercising together can be a great deal of fun? It can! Especially if you find something that the two of you enjoy doing together. Ladies, it may be difficult to get your new husband to try out that dancing workout DVD that you just bought, and guys need to realize that not all women love to lift weights. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t work out together.

A few times a week why not find some aerobic activity that the both of you enjoy doing, like running or playing basketball, and making a date of it. Not only can you have fun playing together and working out, but all sorts of fun things can also happen when you’re showering off!

Have you and your spouse put on a few pounds since the wedding? What changes have you made as a couple that are making a difference in your health and the numbers on the scale?

Handbag Winner Announced!!

Congratulations to Abi!! You left a comment on our newlywed blog and now the fabulous leather CYDWOQ giveaway bag is yours!!! CYDWOQ bag design has earned its place at the top of fashion leadership for the young, powerful and famous. They use only environmentally friendly materials, including vegetable died leathers destined to become even more beautiful over the years. So not only is the bag beautiful…it’s green too.

Abi, Please check your email for the details on how to redeem your fabulous prize from CYDWOQ! Best wishes for your upcoming wedding!

Balancing Marriage And Guy Friends

Recently I ran across this great article about ways to remain happy in your marriage, and the article made a reference about married men and women, having friends of the opposite sex, so I wanted to share this with you and find out your thoughts! Platonic friendships seem to be very prominent and normal in some marriages, yet in others, it is something that is not looked at as Kosher. My husband and I both have friends (some old, some new) of the opposite sex that we will keep in touch with from time to time and see once in a blue moon.

At this point in our life, a best friendship with a member of the opposite sex that includes one-on-one bonding time may not be considered appropriate for us, however, we both agree that it is important to have friends of the opposite sex. We feel as though it’s healthy for us to be able to hang out with and converse with people- male and female, without feeling as though there are restrictions or jealous feelings between us! Personally, I have seen that men more readily accept a female having male friends, than a woman to accept a male having female friends. Let’s be honest, some of us women are like cats (at times I can be one of them), we are naturally structured to be more territorial and yes maybe more jealous than a man, so we don’t want another woman to have a friendship or get too close to what is ‘ours’! For others this is a completely normal concept and neither husband nor wife is bothered by or has a problem with opposite sex friends. I believe this is one of those topics that is completely situational, and based upon the individuals themselves in the relationship, and your personal feelings on the issue. No matter how you want to look at it, the bottom line comes down to your respect for one another and knowing your boundaries!
Be courteous and respectful of your spouse’s feelings. If one of you isn’t comfortable with the other’s friendship with someone of the opposite sex, then you need to talk about it. Remember, communication is key to an amazing marriage! What are your thoughts on this? Do you and your spouse have friends of the opposite sex? Please share your thoughts!

Compassion Leads to Passion

Did you know that compassion leads to passion in a marriage? We all know that not every day in life is the best day ever…as a matter of fact we also know that none of us are immune to bad days, weeks, months and unfortunately even years. When I have a bad day all I want to do is go home and be with my spouse. Truly, nothing makes me feel better than a nice warm embrace from him because he knows what to say or how to act to put a smile back on my face. He is a compassionate person by nature. Are you?

I consider myself to be a compassionate person because when something goes wrong in someone else’s life I naturally find myself thinking of ways I can attempt to make them feel better (i.e. by listening, being a shoulder to cry on or even through humor). Compassion, by definition is a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering (Dictionary.com).

As a spouse you should always want to make your husband/wife feel better when they’re down, but the truth is that sometimes you don’t know what to do or say. There are circumstances that unfortunately almost nothing will make your spouse feel better in that moment (i.e. a death or loss of job); however, that doesn’t mean you can’t just be there.

Here are a few things that may help your spouse feel better the next time he has a rough day:

Cook their favorite meal: We know the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so if you get home before he does whip up his favorite meal (even if it isn’t part of your strict diet). No time to cook his favorite meal? Try taking him to his favorite restaurant instead…there’s no prep in that!

Watch their favorite movie: So what if you’re not into war movies or raunchy comedies like he is…just cuddle up with him on the couch and know that you are helping him feel better. Here’s a list of 50 Best Guy Movies of All-Time in case you need a little direction…sorry ladies, but The Notebook didn’t make the list.

Give them a massage: The poor guy’s feeling stressed out and could use a good rub down. You can use massage oils or lotion if you have it…if not, I’m sure he’ll be happy with your hands all over him.

Give them a surprise in the bedroom: Dress up in your sexiest lingerie, give him a lap dance, or…we’ll leave it up to your imagination!

The point here is to always do whatever you can to make each other happy because life is too short to do anything less. Have you found that compassion leads to passion in your own marriage? Tell us what you do/have done to make others feel better in their time of need.