Husband

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!

3 Tips to Make Your Name Change Decision A Snap!

Your name change decision is a big one. While some of us newlyweds don’t want to change our names (and shouldn’t.) 88.6% of brides/newlyweds are still making the switch to Mrs. What if you can’t decide if you want to change your name? Read on for 3 tips to make your name change decision a snap!

Tip 1 –Talk to your spouse. Find out if they want you to change your name and why. There may be some fact or factor that you are unaware of that will make the decision easier. Perhaps they’re the last to carry the family name or have spent a lifetime imagining introducing their wife as Mrs. XYZ. Conversely, you may have assumed they want you to change your last name, but they might be happy to take yours.

Tip 2 – Figure out your options. There are SO many ways to change your name these days! You can take two last names, hyphenate, take your maiden as a middle, replace your middle with your maiden or even blend last names (in some states). Check into your state laws or play the Married Name Game to find out all of your married name change options…you may feel much better when you find your ideal compromise

Tip 3 – Try it out. Test your new name out by introducing yourself as such and signing it on a few things (nothing official)…you may feel less awkward than you thought. You can also talk to your friends about the whole new name idea and see what they think about your situation.

At the end of the day, married name change is entirely up to you. Do what feels best for you and your relationship. There is no official time limit on name change, so you can take your time to make the right decision. If you do decided to go from Miss to Mrs. be sure to use MissNowMrs to streamline the name change process and save 13 hours of hassle!

Help Me Change My Name

Would You Could You In A…(5 Unique Newlywed Dates)!

Are you looking for unique newlywed dates? It’s busy being a newlywed! There’s the whirlwind of post-wedding thank you, possible moving/merging of your stuff and lives as well as your jobs, families and friends. You may find yourself going on fewer dates and recycling the same restaurants or activities over and over again. The solution? Try something new!

I was inspired by Dr. Seuss’s book Green Eggs & Ham….what better way to keep your dates interesting than adopting the mantra “Would you, could you in a…”? Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway or a weeknight meal start asking that question. Below are a few ideas:

1. Would You, Could You In A Tent? I think it would be incredibly romantic to drink wine and watch the sun set in a hanging tent. You could enjoy a trip to the circus or even plan a camping trip/date.

2. Would You, Could You In A Train? Imagine hopping a train for a weekend getaway in New York, Cape Code, the Grand Canyon…the adventure would be something you’d share and tell friends about for years! Check out a list of romantic train rides at vacationsbyrail.com. If that’s a bit much for you, consider looking for a train museum or a restaurant built in a station or train car.

3. Would You, Could You On A Roof? While it might be dangerous to picnic on your own roof, consider having cocktails at a bar with a roof top deck or find a restaurant on the top floor of a building. The views will be lovely and will help you feel far away from everyday life (unless you’re a roofer).

4. Would You, Could You In A Library? Channel your inner sexy librarian for a date night at a library. The older, bigger and more interesting the library, the better. I recommend a college library if you live near one. Snuggle up and share a saucy book of poetry or pass each other notes as you read. You can whisper about your all time favorite books…and connect on a new literary level.

5. Would You Could You In The Mud? There are two drastically different ways this idea can go. First way: train for a tough mudder together. You’ll burn calories, build a closer relationship and end up with some amazing muddy finish line photos! Feeling less than thrilled about dirty athletics? Book a couples mud massage at a local spa. You can relax and let the mud remove toxins from your body…together.

I challenge you to sit down with your spouse and make a list of “would you could you” unique newlywed date scenarios. It will be entertaining at a minimum and could result in your most memorable date as newlyweds. Please post comments with the dates you end up trying!

Kitchen Chaos: Newlywed in the Kitchen

Newlywed kitchen chaos happens. Everyone needs to and typically loves to eat. Getting married and cooking together should be no big deal right?

There are all sorts of hang ups and stigmas that can appear once you’re married and sharing a kitchen. There are the sexist concepts from long ago, such as a woman’s place is in the kitchen or barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen depending on who you’re speaking with. There is also what you consider normal kitchen roles based on both of your childhood observations of parents. Add busy work schedules into the mix and you could be headed into kitchen chaos.

My newlywed kitchen chaos was 100% my own creation. My husband walked in the door on a Friday night to find me face down, crying on the carpet. After pulling a 60 hour work week I was frustrated that the roasted chicken wasn’t going to be ready the moment he came home from work. He calmly took me out for Chinese and got to the root of the problem: I was trying to be my mom. She is an amazing cook and always had a gourmet dinner on the table at 5:15pm. The fact I overlooked was that she was a stay at home mom and had more time to prepare family meals.

Newlyweds, learn from my mistake. Discuss which of you can actually cook (take out on plates does not count) and decide what the other spouse can do to help. If you both cook, it may be easiest to alternate nights instead of collaborating. My mother’s marinara recipe versus your Nonna’s can be one ugly argument.

Whatever kitchen formula you come up with, just make sure that it is fair to both partners and results in a meal that allows you to enjoy each other’s company and reconnect after your day.

Baby It’s Cold Outside: 4 Things To Do With Your Newlywed Spouse

Looking for things to do with your newlywed spouse? As arctic temperatures sweep the U.S., I think we can all utter a collective “BRRRRRRRR!” No need to let the cold spoil your newlywed time. If you’re stuck inside on evenings and weekends, use that time to your advantage.

Organize – The beginning of Spring is the last time I feel like cleaning. I want to be outside soaking up the sunshine! Use your freezing winter weekends to organize your closets, kitchen cabinets or any other parts of your house that are causing chaos and possibly a few squabbles. This way when Spring does arrive you’ll have your house in order and your weekend calendar free for fun things!

Play Games – Too cold to possibly go out for a date (seriously, no one wants to put on a dress and then multiple scarves, a parka, hat and boots…it does not feel sexy)? Break out some board games with your spouse. You can play by the conventional rules or mix things up with drinking versions of twister and scrabble or play naughty Jenga. Laughing together will make you both feel warmer and closer to each other at the end of the night.

Dream – I love to dream about what my husband and I will do when the weather is warm. Take picnics, visit the national zoo, go boating, plan a beach weekend with friends…the list is endless. If you can get your husband to help you “dream up” some warm weather activities with you, the happy result is a list of fun to-dos that will actually get done this year. Tape your list to the fridge to remind you that Spring is coming and to help you make time for your planned activities on the calendar.

Work Out – Nothing warms you up like a serious work out! Browse Amazon for a new DVD (I’m loving Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown), and when it arrives prepare to break a sweat. Come spring break time and swimsuit season, you’ll be really glad that you did your Winter workouts instead of sitting on the couch with cocoa.

How are you handling the cold as a newlywed couple? We’d love to hear your suggestions for things to do with your newlywed spouse this winter.

Top 3 Newlywed Gift Ideas For Hard To Buy For Spouses

Hard to buy for spouses are the worst during the holidays. While there is so much anticipation to spend the holidays as a newlywed, there is also the feeling that you need to create the perfect moment/buy the perfect gift to treasure always (thanks Hallmark). Looking back at my first Christmas, there was definitely a good bit of (self inflicted) pressure to find just the right gift for my husband. I trolled the mall, braved Best Buy and even flipped through the seemingly thousands of catalogs that kept coming in the mail.

Are you feeling freaked out about what to get your spouse this holiday season? As the woman married to the man who has everything, I feel capable of giving you some ideas.

1. Hobby Subtlety: Does your spouse have a hobby? If so, don’t buy him the obvious (fishing flies for the fly fisherman)…go for something special like a monogrammed case to hold his fly collection or a special gear bag designed for his specific sport.

2. Photos: If you’re newlyweds, this is the one time you can give him an amazing photo of you two without being lame. This acrylic photo block is really cool and would look nice on any desk in any office.

3. Adventure: If you’re totally stumped on what to give him, consider some sort of adventure activity. Often Groupon or LivingSocial have local deals for skydiving, kayaking and race car driving. Can’t you hear him telling the guys at the office..”Oh yeah, I didn’t get a golf club this year. My wife got me passes to race Ferraris!”

So what did I get my husband for our first newlywed Christmas? This is terrible…I can’t remember! What I do remember was deciding to open our gifts for one another on Christmas Eve instead of during the big family hubub of Christmas Day. It has become a tradition to light a fire, pop a bottle of champagne and open our gifts privately.

Moral Of The Story: No matter what you end up buying your spouse, the time you spend together will end up being what you remember. Try not to over emphasize the gift…emphasize the love!

What are you all getting your hard to buy for spouses this year? We’d love to hear from you in a comment.