Marriage

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!

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

4 Best Newlywed Ways To Handle Annoying People

Need some newlywed ways to handle annoying people? We’ve covered the top 4 offenders and given you some solutions to tactfully tackle dealing with them.

The Neighbor that talks until he/she’s blue in the face. You and your spouse finally arrive at your house after your dreadful commute home from work and your neighbor is outside waiting to strike up a conversation that you know will last way longer than you have time or patience for. What do you do? You say, “I would love to catch up with you, but haven’t had anything to eat since noon, can we talk about this on the weekend?” or “I’ve been looking forward to spending time with my husband/wife all day, would you mind if we caught up at a different time?”

You can’t put them off forever, but it’s not rude to let someone know that you have had a day from …you know where…and would simply like to go inside and forget about it!

The House Guest that Never Leaves. Do you constantly have friends from high school or college over and they don’t know when to leave? Sure, you love catching up with old buddies and always enjoy laughing about the glory days, but at some point it’s time to say so long til next time. Try making plans for a specific time the day that you plan for your house guest to leave, such as dinner plans with local friends. The point is to have a specific end time in mind and stick to it. Discussing these plans with your house guest prior to them arriving is the best way not to offend anyone.

The Needy Sibling or Friend. Do you or your spouse have a brother, sister, or friend who relies on you for everything? I’m not talking about times that you should be there by there side (such as grieving, consoling them with a bad break-up or even a job loss). I’m talking about the individual that expects you to remember and remind them of important dates such as: Mom/Dad’s birthday, anniversaries, when their bills are due (or never has the money to pay them without borrowing the money from you).

If you grew up with a tight-knit family you know that it is never easy to say no to them for any reason, but there comes a time in life when you need to do what’s best for you and your new family…your spouse—and as a newlywed it is so important to put your spouse first to let them know that you value them and their role in your life. Tip: purchase a calendar and write all the important dates to be remembered in it and give it to your needy friend, and let them write their other obligations in it (such as bill due dates, etc.). After all, it really isn’t your responsibility to keep track of this for them anyway.

The Demanding Boss. Does your boss constantly pile more projects and responsibilities on your plate than any one human being should ever have to deal with at a time? Remember, you are one person and can only do what is humanly possible…one thing at a time! The best thing you can do is always be on time for work and know how you work best (i.e. make a checklist and tackle it in a timely manner—no, Twitter and Facebook are not acceptable unless your job is social media marketing…nice try though).

If the deadline is impossible for you to meet on your own consider asking a co-worker for assistance or sit-down with your boss and let him/her know that you are working on XYZ and would love to complete the task, but if the deadline can’t be pushed back it may be best for the project to be assigned to someone with fewer responsibilities. Any boss would prefer that you let them know of the issue instead of completing the task under par.

The list of people could go on and on, right?! If you have an example of an “annoying person” (no names please) and advice on how you deal with them, share it with our other readers by commenting below.

Marriage Advice: Heavy Topics Create Light Hearts

It’s time for a little marriage advice ladies. It took you (and your spouse, if you’re one of the lucky ones) your entire engagement to plan your wedding and less than a second to say “I DO.” Was there any time in there for you to have a serious conversation on what your expectations on marriage were and what makes up a successful marriage?

Couples often times spend so much time thinking about every last detail that goes into the perfect wedding that they forget that life as newlyweds (and the responsibilities that come with your new status as a married couple) begin the moment the wedding is over! Ok, maybe that was a bit over dramatic…but it certainly begins upon returning from your honeymoon.

It’s so important that prior to your marriage you discuss topics that will surely come up in your future. You may be thinking, well it’s too late now—we’re already married, but I’m hear to tell you that it’s not!

Here are important topics not to be taken lightly that the two of you as a couple should put some thought into:

What do we expect in terms of how our marriage will work?
This includes having a clear discussion on the following: When do we plan to start a family and how many children do we want? Will we have pets? Will we share household responsibilities such as: cooking, cleaning and paying the bills?

Do we understand each other’s communication style and how will we resolve conflict?
How will the two of you handle conflicts in your relationship? It’s not as easy as it was when you lived separately or when you were dating and you could hang up the phone and talk tomorrow. Discuss how the two of you will work together to resolve any issues that may arise in the future.

What do we expect from our sexual relationship?
This is some serious marriage advice. Discussions about what you need and expect sexually from your partner could definitely help alleviate future arguments!

Do we have a financial plan?
Remember that upon marrying someone, you acquire their debts (if they have any). You should definitely know each other’s credit history (i.e. credit score) as this will have a direct affect when you file for a loan to purchase a home or vehicle. If one of you has credit card debts or school loans, you will both be paying them off. You may also want to discuss whether or not you will have separate or joint bank accounts. It’s best to be upfront about finances because surprises are nice, but not when they come in the form of financial stress!

How will spirituality play a role in our marriage?
You will more-than-likely know whether or not your spouse has a spiritual background, but do you know if you believe the same things? Will you actively practice your religious beliefs as a couple? Having a belief system could help you both with any future struggles, although issues could arise if one of you is more spiritual than the other.

Discussing these tough topics may be awkward at first, but in the end these are some of the topics that can make or break a marriage. So, make it a point to sit down and communicate to benefit your married union, and it will only help you as you start a family and go through this crazy thing we called life…together!

What do you think of our marriage advice? Did you discuss any of these topics with your spouse? How did you feel afterward? Was it beneficial or a waste of time?