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!

Newlywed Love Is Art

We’ve all seen those inspirational art prints that have a great image and then an even better message. They were created to help people feel better and then gain perspective in their lives. Your newlywed and wedding photos have the same magic.

Looking at a picture that captured one of your happiest moments together as a couple can instantly transport you back to that day and all the emotions you were feeling: love, excitement, anticipation and even nerves. Filling your brain with a beautiful image and the emotions that go along with it is a great way to ensure that you carry positivity with you each day in your newlywed relationship. If you think about it, it is really hard to be mad at your spouse for forgetting to take out the trash when you look at them as the amazing person you walked down the aisle with!
Art.com is giving one of our newlywed blog readers the chance win an 18×24 printed canvas image (or 25×31 framed image) valued at $150 to hang in their home! Talk about an inspiring giveaway! The Photos to Art feature on Art.com will allow our winner to upload an image of her choice (be it wedding, honeymoon or even a favorite family photo) and translate it onto high-quality photographic paper or artist-grade stretched canvas. The result? A high-quality, large-scale, beautifully-finished and ready-to-hang wall art.
Ready to win our awesome November art giveaway? Leave a comment on this, or any of our Newlywed Art Posts on Mondays this month and you’ll be automatically entered to win. Tell us all about the photos from your wedding and honeymoon. We’d love to know what image you’d want to have printed and where you plan to hang it. The randomly selected contest winner will be announced on November 30th!! 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, you’ll receive an additional contest entry!**

When Your Sister-In-Law is a Jealous #$%^*

If you were expecting a new shopping and spa buddy, it may seem strange that your sister-in-law would be jealous of you and your spouse, but it’s surprisingly common. So, we have some helpful tips for what to do when your sister in law is jealous!

The issue may arise because she sees you as a potential threat to her bond with her sibling. She’s had them for so many years either as a big sibling to look up to or a loveable little brother/sister. But, now you’re in the picture, permanently, most likely with a new last name. Sometimes a sister-in-law will view this as her sibling being taken away from her. Now you get them all to yourself and she gets less time to be with them.

Kill Your Sister In Law with Kindness

Even though you know this isn’t true, you may find yourself stuck with a rude and downright mean sister-in-law. The troubling part is that while you may get hit with the brunt of her crappy attitude, your spouse may never see any of it. This may lead to many frustrating discussions in which you try to tell your partner about her bad behavior, only to be told it’s nonsense and the sister-in-law is not the person you are making her out to be.

Her behavior can vary. She may completely ignore you when you are talking or she may say rude things and, in general, be very negative. Whatever her attitude, it’s important that you not react to it. Remember – she is the one with the problem. Not you. There’s no reason to let her anger and issues get to you. Instead, you can kill her with kindness. People often don’t know what to do when they are mean and instead of seeing a frustrated response, get a smile and a pleasant comment. If she sees you as easily angered or flustered, then she will realize she has control.

Take Back Control

Your sister-in-law should not have control over you. You married your spouse because you loved them – anything she says should not be able to change that. You should plan to take back control (if necessary) by ignoring your sister-in-law at the right times and being polite the rest of the time. She will soon realize that everything negative that she does has no effect on you. This may result in her attempting to amp up her rudeness, but in doing so out of frustration, it may betray her to your spouse, thus bringing the whole issue into the light and shutting down the problem completely. Or she may discover that you aren’t there to steal away her beloved sibling and that you are a good person and she is in the wrong.

It can be frustrating and annoying, but by sticking to your guns when your sister-in-law comes around, you should be able to disarm the situation and eventually become friends with her. Still struggling with a sister in law who is jealous? Here’s another helpful article on the topic.

Name Change Help

While we can’t directly help you with your sister in law situation. We can absolutely help you with your name change. Check out our name change after marriage checklist for tips on saving time and stress!

Help Me Change My Name

Here’s a video about what to do when your sister in law is jealous

6 Bad Newlywed Habits That Can Ruin Your Marriage

Skip these newlywed habits that can ruin your marriage ladies! We all know the odds are stacked against us newlyweds these days with the divorce rate through the roof (50% being 1 out of 2 marriages), so now more than ever couples need to keep the lines of communication open and honest.

There are so many things that can ruin a marriage and no one is perfect! Try to stay away from the following bad habits and rest assured that the bond between you and your partner will continue to grow together rather than apart.

Bad Habit #1: Keeping Secrets. Whether it’s about finances, friends or your career; there’s no room for secrets in a marriage. I’m not talking about when your best friend says, “Swear you won’t tell anyone about…” I’m talking about hiding big purchases, not talking to your spouse about your feelings, etc.

Bad Habit #2: Disorganization. You may find that from time to time your home office looks like a bomb went off, but if your entire home is in disarray it may be time to do some serious housekeeping! Being disorganized will cause you both to feel anxious and out of control. It could cause you to miss due dates on important bills, adding unnecessary stress to you and your spouse; which will undoubtedly strain your relationship.

Bad Habit #3: Confiding in Relatives and Friends instead of your partner. One of the best parts of being married is always having someone to confide in and not having to worry about being judged for your opinions. You certainly would not appreciate finding out that your husband/wife confided in a parent, friend, co-worker or neighbor about something that he/she should have trusted you with. It hurts, don’t do it.

Bad Habit #4: Constant Criticism. It’s ok not to agree with each other all the time (you are allowed to be individuals with your own opinions); however nagging your spouse constantly about the little things that really do not matter in the scheme of life will result in a lot of fighting and negative feelings in your marriage.

Bad Habit #5: No Sex Life. Careers, children and other responsibilities and obligations are the cause of exhaustion—we all get it! Remember sex is one (major) key to a happy marriage and without it the two of you will be left feeling disconnected and will be more like roommates rather than husband and wife. Get out the lingerie and pretend like you’re dating again so you don’t become one of the 15-20% of couples in a sexless marriage (sex 10 or less times per year—yikes)! You can watch videos for advice on this topic, and to get a better understanding of just how many couples will experience this issue in their marriage.

Bad Habit #6: Forgetting the important words. Saying please and thank you have always been important words in my house, but saying I love you each and every day at least once is the most important. While actions may speak louder than words, reminding your partner that you love them is the utmost important thing you can ever say to them.

Can you add to our list of newlywed habits that can ruin your marriage? Tell us another bad habit that you avoid and why. You never know whose marriage you could be saving just by sharing your thoughts!

Newlywed Winner Announced!

Congratulations to Ashley!! You read our newlywed blog, left a comment and now you’ve won a free BareEase & Cream kit! This kit includes a physician-formulated cream will not only erase the pain and discomfort associated with waxing, but its skin soothing components will leave your skin feeling soft, silky and sexy post salon visit! The cream is quickly absorbed into the skin underneath the cute pink panty made of latex, which keeps the cream where it’s supposed to be and not on your 7 jeans!

Please check your email for the details on how to redeem your prize from BareEase & Cream. We’d love to hear your feedback on this prize and if it really works (because we might buy one ourselves). Once again, thanks to our friends who provided this cool giveaway!

New Music, New Workout, New Newlywed You!

Ready for a new newlywed you? Working out is not only a physical thing, but it’s a mental thing too! In order to push yourself physically, you first need to mentally encourage yourself and think positively in order to reach your fitness goals! Do you find yourself walking out of the gym (or limping!) and you feel so much more mentally refreshed and happier than how you felt when walking in? Exercising has such a fantastic effect on your mental state-of-mind!

After having instructed various aerobics classes for many years, I will tell you that there is one factor that can completely alter your mindset, and ultimately control your workout, and that is listing to music while working on your fitness! I absolutely cannot step foot into a gym without my ipod, and if I forget it, then I forgo my workout for the day! I wanted to share a few tips, tricks, and songs with you, and I hope you’ll share yours with me too!

If you have not yet invested in an iPod or some mobile musical device, don’t worry, Christmas is coming! Hint, hint to your hubby! There have been so many studies conducted to show the correlation between listening to music and working out, here’s a good study to check out. Your heart rate increases, your energy level is up, and you’re pushing yourself harder! The way your body subconsciously responds to music, does wonders for your disposition, intermittent mood swings, especially during pms!

So–if you are in a rut, or going through the motions on the elliptical, here’s the deal! Number one- change up your play list! I have recently dedicated techno music to my cardio workouts and practice intervals! Try to maintain a pace that is in sync with the tempo of your music, so this way you’re switching it up from song-to-song!

Intervals are not only a big key to burning fat, but will keep you focused and concentrating on the amount of effort you’re putting into your workout! The more you focus and get into your workout, the better your new newlywed you results are going to be!
Here are some of my top fav cardio songs:

Black Eyed Peas- Pump It!
Black Eyed Peas- Hey Mama!
Rusted Root- Ecstacy
Cascada- Evacuate the Dance Floor
Christina Aguilera – Dirty
Flo Rida – Low
Petey Pablo – Show Me The Money
Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias- I Like It
Lady Gaga- Bad Romance
Usher – OMG

What songs are on your gym play list…any tried and true winners? Share them with us with a comment! We’d love to hear how you’re creating a new newlywed you.