Name Change Advice

Looking for name change advice or some tips for newlywed life? The MissNowMrs experts have created state-specific name change articles and checklists for you. We’ve chronicled our recommendations for how to travel while changing your name AND how to handle voting during the transition.

We’ve also compiled our best guidance for how to handle difficult sister in laws, holidays as newlyweds, the ever-annoying baby questions, and much more. Why? Because, while we are name change experts, we’re also newlywed wives, moms, and sisters.

We hope our name change advice articles help smooth your transition to your new name, and a whole new phase of life. Congratulations and best wishes from the entire MissNowMrs team!

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.

Summer In February

You’ve heard of Christmas in July right? Well, what about a summer day in February? As a massive storm spread snow across the Northern half of the United States, I think we could all use a way to channel summertime. Here are a few ideas to help you create your own summer day in February.
Simulate a Beach Day – Crank your thermostat, break out the coconut scented sunscreen and blast some beach tunes. It might sound crazy, but you’ll feel much better after you’ve broken out a sundress and danced around the living room with your hubby.

Buy a Bikini – Now’s the time to score a great new swim suit before all the stores are picked over. You’ll feel that much closer to summer as you look through different styles and prints. I recommend shopping online to minimize the fluorescent light shock that can happen in dressing rooms. If the concept of trying on a swimsuit makes you squirm, consider finding a great new beach bag or cover-up.

Break Out the Blender- Whip up a Tropical Smoothie or a boozy beach beverage such as a Pineapple Daiquiri or a Mango Margarita. You’ll be in vacation mode in no time, no matter what the weather is like outside.

Host a Luau – Invite a few friends over to beat the winter blues with a Hawaiian themed dinner party. Here are a few appetizer ideas to get you started on the endeavor. You can also purchase a few inexpensive accessories such as grass skirts and leis to amp the fun level for your guests.
Read a Book – Pick up a book with a storyline set in the tropics or based on a summertime adventure. The Beach House, Summer Island or The Beach Book (which is even water proof) are great reads to put you a summertime mindset.

Whatever you choose to do, indulging in a summery activity in the middle of Winter can do nothing but boost your spirits and put you one step closer to warm weather.
Have you come up with any summer fun ideas to try out this February? We’d love for you to tell us all about them in a comment.

From Boyfriend & Girlfriend to Husband & Wife

Couples tend to think the transition from being engaged to being married is as simple as 1-2-3, but most married couples will tell you that it isn’t always that easy. With marriage, comes expectations (from both husband and wife…and even from In-laws too) and sometimes those expectations are set quite high. What’s the reason for this? It’s often times pressure to be like another couple, fantasies of a fairytale life or even media influences (i.e. magazines, books, TV shows, and celebrities). Try to put that aside and focus on what’s best for you as a couple by nurturing your relationship.

Love Individual Differences: When you’re dating it’s easy to miss how different the two of you really are, not to mention if you didn’t live together prior to your wedding you’re definitely getting to see a whole other side of your spouse now. It’s important to understand and appreciate your differences. It can be very difficult to live in the same household with someone who doesn’t wash the dishes or do the laundry the way you were taught to as a child, but remember that just because it’s different doesn’t make it wrong. Open your heart and your mind to the person that you vowed to share your life with and laugh about your differences as much as possible. After all, this is what makes you, YOU and the same goes for your spouse!

Invest Time in the Relationship: Dating is easy…you get to see each other when you want to and make plans with friends or family when you need a break. Now that you’re married it’s important to spend quality time together alone. You can plan date nights (i.e. out for dinner, happy hour, attend a sporting event or go to the movies). You should also spend time at home being intimate and talking about your goals and ideas for your life together. They say marriage takes work and it’s true, but it is the most rewarding work you’ll ever do for yourselves!

Make Me Time Important: This was probably the easiest part of dating, as you could plan to have a day or two in between your dates leaving you both time to do what you want on your days “off.” In a marriage it’s not only important to spend quality time together, but is equally as important for you both to have time to yourselves too. Some people like to enjoy a drink and read a book or attend a yoga class, while others like to play video games or peruse the Internet for new hobbies or interests. Whatever it is you enjoy doing, make time to do it even if it’s only once or twice a month.

Learn Together: Dating is all about learning about each other and about relationships in general. Marriage too is a learning process that should continue to grow both inside and outside of your relationship. Knowledge is food for your brain and it’s important to keep learning throughout our lives. You could take a class together on something you both want to become better at (i.e. cooking or dancing) or learn a new language together.

Have a Marriage Idol: Whether it’s your grandparents, parents, a family friend or a couple from your church, you should always have someone you can talk to about marriage. Seeing a successful marriage and always aspiring to be like them is healthy as long as what you are aspiring to be is happy and in love like the other couple.

What has been the most difficult transition for you and your spouse? How are you working through it?

Last Week to Score a Fabulous Free Handbag!

As February is coming to a close, so is our fabulous newlywed free handbag giveaway. This is the last week to enter to win the CYDWOQ hand bag prize pictured in this post (a $386 value)! It’s roomy, not too big/wide and has fabulous tan leather appeal. This bag will carry you from Winter right through Spring, and will compliment any of the denim outfits that are featured in most of this month’s fashion magazines.

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.

Are you ready to look fantastic carrying our fabulous February giveaway? Leave a comment on this, or any of our CYDWOQ Handbag posts on Mondays this month and you’ll be automatically entered to win. Tell us all about why you should win this beautiful handbag and what you love the most about it. The randomly selected contest winner will be announced on February 28th!! If we don’t hear back from the winner within 2 weeks, we will randomly select a new winner to make sure someone ends up with this great goodie!

**If you tweet this giveaway by clicking the green retweet button below and then post a comment that you tweeted with your twitter handle, you’ll receive an additional contest entry!**