Love

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!

Love Is Spoken Here

Love Is Spoken Here. Every newlywed out there should hang this print near the entrance to their home as a reminder of how important love and loving words are. So much time and energy goes into day to day living (hello 60 hour work weeks), that it can be easy to forget the simple things like saying “I love you”.

Even if you don’t decorate your home with this quote, place it towards the front of your brain. The next time you’re crabby it can keep you from lashing out at your spouse and might even motivate you to engage in some random acts of love.

3 Small Steps to a Better Marriage

Looking for steps to a better marriage? Has your marriage hit an unexpected slump? If so, now is not the time to give up. This is an opportunity to renew bonds and strengthen the relationship that led you down the aisle. All marriages hit rough patches. As people grow and change and meet different obstacles, new strains and stresses can be placed on a couple. While coping may be tough, these stressful times are what make your relationship stronger and help you get through even bigger challenges in years to come.

Actions Speak Louder than Words
When your relationship is feeling rocky, the first thing most women want to do is speak up about it, but that is not always the best thing to do. When tempers are already on a short leash because of earlier arguments, tension is high because of outside stresses, or communication has simply run dry, talking about it might add fuel to the fire. Consider instead the ways that you can say what you feel without opening your mouth (it helps to envision how to communicate with a cave man). Are you tired of fighting and just want your partner to know that you are willing to hold on? Then, perhaps the best way to say so is with an impromptu hug. Slow dancing, hand holding, rubbing shoulders, and other similar gestures have universal meaning and will very likely let him know what you’re feeling.

Offer a Helping Hand
Perhaps one of the reasons that your spouse has been in a bad mood recently has more to do with outside pressures that it has to do with you. Perhaps he or she just needs a helping hand. Marriage is about team work, so show that you understand by helping with a small task, chore, or just offering some insightful advice when he or she is talking about problems at work. Taking the trash out might seem like a small thing…but it may mean a great deal to your stressed out spouse! Knowing someone is in your corner can make any situation more bearable.

Create Love Tokens
Another great way to demonstrate your feelings without words is through small tokens. Handmade cards left in a place that he or she is sure to find them, lunch delivered to the office during the day, or even a message scribbled on the fogged over bathroom mirror are great wordless ways to show love and affection.

Taking the time to make another person know that you are thinking about him or her is the best way to show how much you care. However, these ‘gifts’ tend to lose their meaning when only given after a fight. These are the things that should be done now and then and consistently throughout a relationship. They don’t have to be frequent and might occasionally be used to say sorry after an argument, but let them maintain their intended meaning. If you’re looking for a more tangible love token, draw a heart on a stone. They can be put in a coat pocket, desk drawer or even passed back and forth between you two.

Talk to us newlyweds. Can you recommend any steps to a better marriage Did your spouse get the unspoken message you were trying to convey? We’d love to hear from you in a comment!

Newlywed Love At Any Age!

Have you ever wondered how old is too old to fall in love? I just ran across the amazing story of the world’s oldest newlyweds…he’s 100 and she’s 93! As newlyweds, we all feel lucky that we met the love of our life, and this couple is a great reminder that age isn’t a limit on love.

This couple is also a great example of what a wedding should be about…LOVE. I’m going to guess that this particular bride wasn’t obsessed with the very latest bridal fashion and makeup or how bikini ready her body was. She was just happy to marry the man of her dreams on his 100^th birthday. While you should look and feel fabulous on your big day, don’t let concern over the superficial overshadow your love story.

Do you know any older couples that recently got married or would you consider a marriage in you 90s? Please leave a comment…we’d love to hear your thoughts.

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!

Honeymoon Stage: Is This For Real?

Are you in the honeymoon stage? One of the most exciting new statements in your vocabulary once you are married is, “This is my husband!” After being married, you’ll hang out with couples (both dating and married) and will most-likely hear a lot of, “Oh, you’re still in the honeymoon stage.” This is one of those statements that you don’t necessarily want to hear because you’re not sure how to take it–and what does that mean anyway?

My husband and I have decided after two years of marriage that there is no such thing, and in fact we have grown closer and are even more in love today, than the day we got married! I continue to ponder the concept and meaning of ‘the honeymoon stage’ and guess people may associate it with characteristics such as: a consistent glow or aura of happiness, PDA’s, or classic gentleman moves like opening doors and pulling out your chair. These characteristics are considered to be quite romantic to most women and we ALL want to feel the utmost love and appreciation in our relationship. It is so exciting to see young, married couples that are truly the best of friends and madly in love. It’s even more endearing when you can find this in a couple that have been married for 15, 25, 35+ years, where this love and friendship has continued to grow stronger with time.

So now when people say to my husband and I “You must still be in the honeymoon stage,” I take this as a compliment, as I am happy to hear that others can visibly see the kind of relationship that my husband and I share– and that is something to truly be proud of and smile about no matter what ‘stage’ we may or may not be in!

No matter what stage you’re in, if you need to change your name MissNowMrs can help. Use our easy name change app or online service to save 13 hours of hassle!

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