House

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!

4 Fast Ways To Fallify Your Home

Looking for ways to fallify your home? One of the best things about a new season is refreshing the seasonal decorations around your house or apartment. As a newlywed, I feel like I can spend a bit more on décor as I’ll be using it year after year as we celebrate the seasons! Here are a few quick ways to embrace Fall…

Mums – Inexpensive and incredibly festive, mums come a huge variety of colors and sizes. Pick colors that blend with your household or choose ones that contrast for a pop of color on your porch, tables or walkway. Need a quick hostess gift? Wrap some ribbon around the middle of a potted mum…instant seasonal goodie!

Acorns – I’m serious. Talk a walk with your honey and collect a bag of acorns as you stroll. Then use them to fill glass containers to decorate tables and counters. You can also scatter them around a Fall table centerpiece for added flair.

Wreaths – What better way to welcome guest to your home than with a fabulous fall wreath. You can go with a traditional leaf style wreath or mix things up with one with berries or mini pumpkins! Feeling crafty? Try this 4-step DIY wreath!

Pumpkins – They’re not just orange anymore. Take a trip to your local farmers market to find amazing pumpkins in cream, burgundy and even light blue. Purchase enough to have a few couples over and engage in a jack-o-lantern carving party! Everyone will have a great time and leave with a decoration for their own home.

What seasonal decorations are your favorites? Do you have heirlooms to use or are you making your own this year as a couple? We’d love to hear from you in a comment.

Ahh, Never a Dull Newlywed Moment!

So you fell in love with your spouse for so many different reasons, and at this point you’ve been together long enough that nothing should come as a surprise to you, right?! You’re married, and have already proven yourself to be this incredible wife (which you knew you would be)… however, were you prepared for the unspoken duties that were to come?!

Life is full of surprises, and not all things are easy and enjoyable. In fact, some things in life may even become repetitive and somewhat annoying, specifically for me, its household chores! So, let me begin with this disclaimer: I am so in love with my husband, and to his defense, he often times will help out with responsibilities around the house which I’m so thankful for! However, (not that I’m keeping track), but here is a list of…Are you kidding me moments…that I hope other wives can commiserate with:

1. Have you slowly started finding yourself picking up the empty dishes around the house, finding the scattered socks that never made it to the hamper, or the dirty tissues lying on the coffee table like it’s now the trash can?
2. Tell me you see the crumbs on the counter from the sandwich you just made…or should we get your eyes checked?!
3. We’re women, and when we’re sick we go to the Dr., right? Men- don’t go to the Dr. unless you give them an ultimatum, and/or schedule an appointment for them and drive them there! It is in your best interest to schedule this appointment sooner rather than later, as most men don’t seem to handle sickness quite like women do!
4. Hello, toilet seat!? OK, I’m not even going to get into this one!
5. My hubby helps me with some cleaning around the house so no complaints there, and I actually enjoy doing the cleaning myself, except for the bathrooms of course, so please tell me how does one manage to pee on the back of the toilet seat?!
6. Shaving cream goes on your face (for the most part) right? So how does it always end up splattered across the bathroom mirror?
7. Please check your pockets for gum, pens, etc…before giving me your laundry?!

Remember, life wouldn’t be half as interesting if all things were perfect, so be thankful for the small things in life that keep you on your toes, and make you the fabulous wife that you are! Now, here is your chance to let it all out, so please share with us the things that really grind your gears!

Splitting the Chores, Newlywed Style!

It’s official: no one likes doing chores. You’d always find that strange kid in high school who actually liked to do homework, but show me one person who actually likes to do all the chores that have to get done around the house and I’ll be duly amazed. Chores are the most mundane part of being married, but believe it or not lots of couples have huge fights over chores. Before you begin to argue over whose turn it is to do the dishes or who has to take the trash out, it’s a good idea to split up the chores in a way that’s agreeable to the both of you.

One of the biggest deciding factors on who is going to do what type of chore is who is going to be home and who is not. Some couples have similar work schedules, but quite often, in today’s economy, one spouse is working much later than the other, or on days that the other spouse has off. Before you can begin to split up all the household chores that you have to get done, you need to make sure that you set realistic goals. You can’t expect someone to take out the trash every Saturday morning, for instance, if they have to be at work at 7 am on a Saturday. Take their work load into consideration before you even begin negotiating.

When you start splitting up the chores, volunteer to take everything that you truly enjoy doing. Do you like making meals? Do you not mind folding laundry? Put on the table everything that you actually enjoy doing. If you both like to do similar things, you can bargain for things that you dislike to do, like taking out the trash or sweeping the floor.

While some couples divide up each and every chore, others are more fluid in their division. For instance there are many couples where the wife is in charge of most of the household chores (with a few thrown in for the man), while the husband is in charge of vehicle and yard maintenance. Or vice versa. What works best for you is what’s important, and that you both agree on the division of labor. And remember: if you ever start to have an issue over the chores that you’re supposed to be doing, don’t get upset or passive-aggressive, actually talk to your spouse about the situation. Bargains and changes can always be made!

What deals have you and your spouse made about chores? We’d love to hear about your division of labor!

Home Depot Gift Card Giveaway—For Your Mr. Fix-It

We have something for your Mr. Fix-it! Today kicks off our week long mini-giveaway For the Fellas—a $50 Home Depot gift card! It’s the perfect stocking stuffer and will arrive in time for the Christmas Holiday, leaving you with one less gift to worry about. Maybe you just moved into a fixer-upper and want to paint your kitchen or are thinking about converting your home office to a nursery? The possibilities are endless!

Most men love going to a home-improvement store to pick up the latest tools and gadgets for all their at-home projects, so enter to win this and your spouse will surely be grateful. Think about it ladies, what could be a better way to get your hubby to start tackling tasks on his To-Do-List than a FREE $50 gift card for Home Depot?

Simply post a comment below for your chance to win (and re-tweet this post to double your chances)! Remember, we will randomly select and announce a winner next Friday December 10, 2010. 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.

Tell us why you (or your spouse) need to win the Home Depot gift card and what you plan to do with it, we’d love to hear about your projects!

Easy Fall Newlywed Home Improvement Projects

Tis the season for newlywed home improvement. There are so many projects that need to be done around the house just as up-keep that you could probably do one-a-day for like a year, but where’s the fun in that?! Here are just a few (of the many) things that you and your beloved might consider doing this Fall to be sure that your home sweet home stays that way. We even split them up for you to make it even easier.

Spouse One Suggestions
Change Batteries: Check the smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, flashlights, remote controls, etc. They are all equally (ok maybe not equally) important, but are indeed a must check off the to-do-list! There’s nothing more annoying than having the power go out and your flashlight doesn’t work sending you and your spouse rummaging around in the dark trying to find candles, matches, batteries for the flashlight…I’m picturing tripping over the poor dog, stubbing my toe on the corner of the couch or worse, falling down the stairs!

Update Medicines: Be sure to toss out expired medication from your medicine cabinet and your First Aid Kit…and replace it! What good is an empty First Aid Kit or expired Cold and Sinus medicine when you feel like your head might explode?!

Spouse Two Suggestions
Check Your Windows/Doors: There’s a nifty little *self-test you can try to ensure that your windows are doing their job to keep the cold outside air from coming in, not to mention the heat (you’re paying for) from going out! Try inserting a dollar bill in the gaps around your windows and doors. Lets just say this is one test you want to fail otherwise your windows are not energy efficient. You may need new windows or may need to caulk the windows/doors or install window/door insulating strips or plastic to bring your heating costs down.

Paint: Now is the perfect time to fix a hole in the wall or the scratches from furniture when you moved in! Fall is a great time to paint as it’s not too hot or cold. When you’re done with the paint, be sure to store the extra paint away from your furnace (a huge fire hazard).

Tell us about your fall newlywed home improvement projects and your secret tricks to save money! Leave a comment today.