Happiness

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!

10 Fun Things To Do This Winter As Newlyweds

Looking for things to do this winter as newlyweds? As the fun of the holidays begins to fade and winter sets in for the long haul, it’s easy to feel a little blah. Here are ten fun ideas for newlyweds to make winter more bearable and even fun!

1. Go Sledding! Dig out your sleds and snow pants and head outside! Better yet, invite a few couples to join you in your winter fun. You’ll feel 10 years old in a matter of minutes. Then try #4 on our list to warm up.

2. Check into a Bed & Breakfast this weekend. If you’re feeling a little house-bound, a quick getaway will boost your spirits and give you some quality time with your husband.

3. Go shopping! Now is the time to scoop up cashmere sweaters and other great winter duds at after Christmas sales. Ann Taylor, for example, is having a great sale.

4. Sit by the fire and sip cocoa. Indulge in the ultimate winter warm up!

5. Start a new hobby, like learning to knit. Knitty.com has great ideas for beginners.

6. Bikram Yoga (aka Hot Yoga). The opposite of the freezing cold is doing yoga poses in a hundred and five degree class. Not only will you warm up, you’ll sweat off all those Christmas cookies!

7. Plan your flowers/planters/garden. Nothing makes Spring feel closer than looking at catalogs of plants and envisioning what your porch or yard could look like. Check out White Flower Farms for ideas.

8. Ice skate. Even if you’ve never been before, ice skating is really fun and can be a great way to get some fresh air, exercise and a few laughs all at the same time. Look for a local rink to take your hubby or friends to.

9. Host a slumber party for your girlfriends. Get in some great girl time before temperatures rise and everyone suddenly has plans. Order pizza, do face masks and watch a chick flick or two!

10. Get a pedicure. Just because you’re wearing socks every day, doesn’t mean your toes have to suffer. Pick a sizzling summer shade to instantly feel warmer.

Have any suggestions of things to do this winter as newlyweds? Please leave a comment to share with us and your fellow readers!

Don’t Be a Grinch This Season

Okay, so we’re not kids anymore, but does that mean we can’t enjoy the holidays like we once did? I say NO WAY! Recently, I visited with my family and got to spend some quality time with my youngest sister who always brings the little girl in me back out. We danced and sang songs, baked and decorated cookies and even decorated our very own Gingerbread House. I left feeling refreshed, cheerful and ready to take on the holidays and everything that comes along with them (i.e. shopping, long lines, holiday traffic, bouncing from one house to the next to be sure we see EVERYONE in a matter of 2 days, etc.). So, my advice to you if you’re still not quite into the Christmas spirit is to try any of the following things to help bring the little kid in you back out this season!

Send Christmas/Holiday Cards: One of my favorite things to come home to this time of year (besides my husband and puppy) is to cards from family and friends wishing us a Happy Holiday. We’ve sent our cards out too and I know I’m not the only one who looks forward to receiving them along with pictures and updates on the lives of those we care about most.

Build a Gingerbread House: The coolest thing about this is now they have pre-built houses for the not so crafty types (or those not wanting to make a huge mess). If you buy a kit, they typically come with the house, frosting and bags of little green and red candies to use for decoration. My sister and I went nuts with the white frosting and added our own sprinkles and extra candies to make a very unique Gingerbread House (believe me, Dad was proud). You can checkout Ultimate Gingerbread for instructions, images and inspiration.

Bake Cookies: I don’t know anyone who loses weight during the holidays, so indulge now and worry about it after the New Year like everyone else! You can use cookie cutters to make little Santa cookies, snowmen, gingerbread men, snowflakes, stars…you get the idea. A little frosting and some sprinkles and you’ve got yourself a bit of holiday cheer in every bite!

Build a Snowman: If you’re lucky enough to have some snow on the ground you should definitely go out and enjoy it (but remember, don’t eat yellow snow…YUCK!). Build a snowman or make snow angels side-by-side with your spouse and don’t worry about how cold it is outside—Bundle up! It’ll be fun and you’ll have a cute story to share with your family this year.

Drink Hot Chocolate: After you enjoy playing in the snow you can go inside and enjoy a nice big mug of hot chocolate (don’t forget the marshmallows) and snuggle up with your spouse on the couch with blankets or a fire in your fireplace.

Host a Cocktail Party: You could have some of your closest friends or family members over for a holiday party. There’s nothing better than spending time with those you love any time of year, but there’s something about Christmas. You know what they say: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Get colorful and creative with these fabulous ideas from hostessblog.com.

What gets you and/or your spouse into the Holiday Spirit? Share it with us and other readers to bring the light-hearted kid out in all of us!

5 Ways to Steer Clear of Unnecessary Holiday Highway Frustrations

Tis the season for holiday highway frustrations. There are two ways to look at this holiday season- 1. If you’re staying home and don’t have to travel, lucky you for avoiding the traffic troubles, but then your concerns lie with having to be the host, and cook for family and friends. 2. If you are the ones making the trek over the holidays to visit family, then fortunate for you someone else will be doing the cooking this year, but unfortunately you will need to cope with the hustle and bustle of fellow travelers!

Since my husband and I have not yet been promoted to the hosting position yet, we are the ones that are traveling around visiting our families during the holidays. Because of this, we have had to come up with a serious system; a time and money-saver system, and a try not to strangle each other in the car system. So, if you’re one of the millions of people that have plans to be traveling in the next months, here are some tips to help make it a more pleasant, enjoyable experience with your spouse!

Pack the night before. If you don’t have kids yet, you’re still going to find that you are packing for more than yourself, if you catch my drift, so make sure to get the laundry finished ahead of time so that you can pack the day before your trip!
Be cash conservative! Tolls are out-of-control expensive these days, so conserve your spending money elsewhere by packing a cooler with some H20 and a few snacks for the ride. This will also save you a few minutes of your time sitting through the drive through!
Music is key! Make sure to have your music selection ready-to-go, especially if you get stuck in some heavy traffic on the way, you will need something fun to take your mind off of your situation at-hand!
Find your alternative route. You never can be sure that you’re not going to get stuck in a detour or have to stray off of your course due to an accident. Although your GPS can help with this situation, they’re not always 100% accurate, so printing off an alternative route from Google Maps isn’t at all a bad idea.
Avoid the rage. It is so easy to lose your temper and become frustrated, so if someone flips you the bird, wink, smile or wave back. It’s so much more fun and may help to calm down the other party involved!

What are your best tactics to ease the holiday highway frustrations when traveling, and maintain your holiday spirit!? Please share!

Thankful Newlywed Thoughts

Are you struggling to find thankful newlywed thoughts? As a newlywed, it is easy to get caught up in the holiday rush and the aspects of how to juggle whose family to do what with, when. My advice to you: take a moment and realize how fortunate you are.

If you can keep the things that you are thankful for in the forefront of your mind, you’re guaranteed not to miss the reasons for the seasons that are upon us.

Ideas for Thankful Newlywed Thoughts:

Your Spouse – Not only have you met the person of your dreams…you married them! I can’t think of too many other things that are as amazing as being married and madly in love.

Security – You now have someone to have and hold in sickness and in health till death do you part. Just knowing that someone is going to be by your side for long haul is incredibly comforting.

Friends – There are people in the world that know all of your flaws and faults (some since childhood) and still love you. How great is that?

Family – Whether you’re working on making your own or thinking about your parents, family is a gift to be treasured. These are the people who have loved you before they even met you and want only the best for you.

The Holidays – While they may be stressful, holidays are the times we get to spend with all of the people we are thankful for. When you look at them this way, it’s much easier to stretch a bit to make sure you see everyone and celebrate together.

What are you thankful for this holiday season? Do you have a creative way to see all of your family members while remaining sane? We’d love to hear about it!

Newlywed Social Networking: Stop Snooping!

You may have heard a lot of newlywed social networking news stories recently. A couple suddenly has major issues because one person decided to poke around on another’s Facebook page or MySpace page. This tends to occur when one person becomes curious about their partner and their online activities. Who is he friends with? Who follows her page updates? Sometimes newlywed curiosity can spiral out of control and before you know it, you’re surfing your spouse’s Facebook page and suddenly the door opens and you’re caught red-handed. What happens to your relationship then?

That’s why trust is such an important part of a relationship. You’ve dated, fallen in love, and gotten married. Why should things suddenly change? Why should curiosity about your loved one’s online social life get in the way of being happy?

There are some who automatically think, “We’re married, so what’s mine is yours, and I should know everything going on in your life.” Sure, sharing and being close is an important part of a happy, healthy marriage, but let’s face it – everyone needs a bit of alone time as well as privacy in their life. Each of you is still an individual and will want to do different things. Though you are a couple and sharing your life together is a wonderful thing, it can feel equally good to just be on your own for a bit. To post some Twitter updates and joke with Facebook friends – and trust that your spouse won’t go rooting around in them.

Privacy goes a long way in the trust department. Having a healthy amount of privacy – online and offline – means that your partner trusts you and vice versa. There are some people who might say, “I wouldn’t mind if my spouse looked at my Facebook page. I don’t have anything to hide.” True, you probably don’t. But how would it make you feel if you came home to see your partner hitting the mouse button and peering through all your social details – without your permission? At the very least, it would make you uneasy. Curiosity or not, it shows a lack of trust as well as a lack of respect. If there is curiosity that must be satisfied, politely ask your partner your questions and see what the answers are.

There’s no need to let something as ridiculous as Facebook or a rogue tweet come between you and your spouse, so keep your lines of communication open and your social networking accounts private!

Do you have any stories about newlywed social networking? We’d love to hear your discoveries, compromises & solutions, so please leave a comment.