Newlywed Tips

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!

Summer Hair Care (How to Fight the Frizz)!

With the arrival of warm weather comes a handful of beauty woes. The biggest battle…taming summer hair frizz. Don’t spend your mornings in frustration, piling on products to tame that unmanageable mane. Here are a few tips to keep you looking like the fabulous newlywed you are, all summer long!

Don’t Go Short – Though the scorching summer heat will have you ready to shorten those locks, keep your hair long. Short hair is more likely to bulk up in hot humid weather. So save the new do for a humid-free season like Fall. Leave those locks long!

Change Your Shower Routine – To make sure you steer clear of summer frizz, don’t over wash your hair. Try changing your regular routine to include fewer showers and more baths, the natural oils in your scalp will lessen the frizz factor. Also, use a high quality conditioner and leave it on for a while before rinsing. When rinsing, leave a very light layer in your hair to help combat frizz.

Steer Clear of Hair Volumizing Products – Stay away from products that give you more volume and body, resulting in MORE summer frizz. Go light on the products and do your research!

Shift Your Focus – The clock is ticking. It is almost 8:30 a.m. And you are nowhere near ready for work. Sometimes, the solution is to shift your focus. Put your hair in an elegant twist and play up your makeup or those fabulous long earrings you recently purchased. Another option is to quickly section a part of your hair, braid it and create a messy bun.

With these tips you can look forward to smooth sailing in the hair department this summer. All the more time to spend selecting your sundress and accessories for the day! Do you have any summer hair tips to share? We’d love for you to leave a comment!
Tips courtesy of Barbara Abbasi, Hairstylist and Ferrum Inventor.

Beat The Post-Wedding Blues

Looking to overcome the post-wedding blues? Ever since you were a little girl you’ve dreamed about the picture perfect wedding and you’ve been consumed by the wedding planning process for months (or maybe even years)—and then it’s over!

Many brides romanticize everything about their wedding day and honeymoon and feel overwhelmed by the reality of the ‘real world’ upon returning from their trips. Some of us don’t know what to do with ourselves following the wedding because we’ve focused all our energy on the seemingly never- ending wedding planning process and are left with what are known as the post-wedding blues. Women have been known to say that wedding planning was filled with some of the best, most stressful or even worst times of their lives! No matter how you feel about your experience, you may be left thinking that you have nothing to fill that void.

Some depression after your wedding day is normal as you’re transitioning into a new phase in your life; which can often be scary. Before your biggest worries were centerpieces, dresses, rings… and now you’re left thinking about buying a house, paying bills, having kids, and all of the major things that come to fruition after being married.

The good thing now, is that all of these responsibilities are shared! So a couple weeks of feeling down is normal, but after that if you are still feeling frustrated or angry at your spouse, then you may want to seek out something new to occupy your time. Personally, I’ve found that the best way to get over post-wedding blues is to seek help by talking to friends and family about the way you are feeling. Recognize that you are still YOU and now just sharing your fabulous self with your best friend, and the one you have given your heart to!

Here are some tips on how to get yourself out of the post-wedding blues:

Gain Perspective: Your wedding was meant to last only one day, leaving you with a marriage to last forever! It’s great that you spent all of your time making your special day as picture perfect as possible, but now think about how you can make your new life wonderful, day-in and day-out. Share your goals with your spouse (whether it’s a vacation or plans to buy a house) and talk about how you will both work to reach those goals together.

Plan a Cocktail Party: You may be missing the planning aspect of your wedding, so why not plan a party for friends or family to come over and make use of the new dishes, bowls, etc. that you just received as wedding gifts?! Or plan a night out to dinner, or dancing with other couples or friends. You can be married and still enjoy night life!

Be Lazy: Now that you don’t have to worry about breathing, eating and sleeping all things bridal, you may find that you have some extra time on your hands. It’s okay to do nothing! That’s right—I said nothing! You can put on some comfy sweats, watch a movie and enjoy cuddling with your new hubby! Or take a bubble bath and enjoy a good book with a glass of wine!

Get a New Hobby: Maybe you’re just bored because you have too much time on your hands right now. It’s the perfect time to start a home-improvement project or to get a new hobby. You and your spouse could work on the project together (or separate if you’d like) or you could each start a hobby of your own to keep some time to yourselves.

Remember, just because you are married doesn’t mean that you have to do EVERYTHING together. Lets face it, you’re still individuals too!

Family Getaways: Tips For Vacationing With The In-Laws

Thinking about vacationing with the in-laws? At some point in almost every marriage there will come a day when the family decides to vacation together. Whether with one set of parents or two, this can be both a fun and a stressful undertaking. Taking the right steps before leaving your home can make a big difference in how the vacation proceeds and how well everyone gets along.

Planning is Essential While this is the case, planning in the wrong way can lead to frustrations and hurt feelings. Don’t try to create the vacation agenda completely on your own and don’t dump the project on just one other person. This should be a shared task and each member of the group should have some input. Keep in mind that not all activities have to be done by the whole group. Allow for this in the planning. That also means understanding if not all members of the group want to participate in the things that most excite you.

Expect Some Financial Tension One of the most common occurrences in large family vacations is awkwardness over money. It is rare that all involved participants will have the same financial status at the time of the trip. This makes it easier for some to go off agenda than others. Be prepared for and discuss what the protocol will be when these awkward financial matters arise. It might be an uncomfortable conversation now, but it will avoid similarly stressful situations surrounding “who pays for what” while you’re on your group getaway.

Let History be Your Guide Are you unsure of what to expect while vacationing with the in-laws? Then, ask. Look at old photo albums together or ask your spouse to tell you stories of past excursions. These little insights will likely provide you a better understanding of what is being expected by the other members of your extended family. For instance, if all the best memories from your husband’s family trips are centered around adventures, you might want to plan something like white water rafting or deep sea fishing to ensure that they’ll all be satisfied with the trip.

Plan for Personal Time Even while on vacation, you will more than likely need an escape when traveling with others. It’s a good idea to pack a book, some of your favorite music, magazines, or some other form of personal entertainment, which can be enjoyed when you need to get away from the group.

Also consider scheduling time on your itinerary for couples to go off on their own and enjoy some private time. After all, this is your time to be away from the stresses of life and you will likely want to spend a few of those special moments alone with your spouse.

Have you been on a vacation with your in-laws? How did it go? Are there any tips you’d share with our readers to help them avoid potential pitfalls?

Green Thumbed Newlywed

Striving to be a green thumbed newlywed? One of my favorite things about spring and leading into summer is all the beautiful flowers that brighten up our yard and the yards of our neighbors! I have to admit, I’m not exactly the green thumb in my household…it is actually my husband who knows when to plant everything and how often to water it so it stays beautiful for the season(s).

He grew up with parents and grandparents that love gardening…seriously everything from flower beds to vegetable gardens to a pear tree growing in his grandparents’ backyard! I on the other hand grew up in a home where a landscaper took care of the shrubbery before we moved-in and the only flowers that we had were the ones we would purchase at the store and transfer into a pots that sat on our front porch and deck.

No matter how you grew up you could learn to have a green thumb…believe me, if I can learn so can you! Gardening is a great way to get back in touch with nature, be used as mild exercise or a way to relieve stress after a long day or week…so get outside this season and enjoy a new hobby!

Here are some gardening basics to help you become a green thumbed newlywed:

You’ll need some tools in order to be a successful gardener, including a shovel, pruning shears, a hose, a rake, a trowel, and a sprinkler (if necessary).

Annuals vs Perennials: Annuals for the most part don’t handle frost or cold weather very well, so it is best to plant them when the soil has had some time to warm up after winter. Perennials on the other hand can be planted in early spring or even fall and will do just fine! Find out more about the differences between annuals and perennials here.

Best Place for Flowers: Typically, flat ground is the easiest place to plant your flower bed and be sure that it’s in a sunny spot. Flowers need sun (some more than others) to live, so it’s very important to choose a place that the sun hits most of the day.

Tips for Beginners*:

Make Sure the Soil is Rich
Prepare and Loosen Soil
Plant in Warm Soil
Spray Soil with Water, Dig and Plant
Mulch (to protect soil from drying up due to sun)
Protect Plant from Insects and Disease (i.e. spray leaves with vinegar or other plant protectors)
Don’t Drown Your Plant/Flower

*Tips in detail at BasicsOfGardening.com.
What are your favorite garden flowers? What is your best tip for beginners? We’re not all green thumbs, so please help us out and leave a comment below!

Compassion Leads to Passion

Did you know that compassion leads to passion in a marriage? We all know that not every day in life is the best day ever…as a matter of fact we also know that none of us are immune to bad days, weeks, months and unfortunately even years. When I have a bad day all I want to do is go home and be with my spouse. Truly, nothing makes me feel better than a nice warm embrace from him because he knows what to say or how to act to put a smile back on my face. He is a compassionate person by nature. Are you?

I consider myself to be a compassionate person because when something goes wrong in someone else’s life I naturally find myself thinking of ways I can attempt to make them feel better (i.e. by listening, being a shoulder to cry on or even through humor). Compassion, by definition is a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering (Dictionary.com).

As a spouse you should always want to make your husband/wife feel better when they’re down, but the truth is that sometimes you don’t know what to do or say. There are circumstances that unfortunately almost nothing will make your spouse feel better in that moment (i.e. a death or loss of job); however, that doesn’t mean you can’t just be there.

Here are a few things that may help your spouse feel better the next time he has a rough day:

Cook their favorite meal: We know the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so if you get home before he does whip up his favorite meal (even if it isn’t part of your strict diet). No time to cook his favorite meal? Try taking him to his favorite restaurant instead…there’s no prep in that!

Watch their favorite movie: So what if you’re not into war movies or raunchy comedies like he is…just cuddle up with him on the couch and know that you are helping him feel better. Here’s a list of 50 Best Guy Movies of All-Time in case you need a little direction…sorry ladies, but The Notebook didn’t make the list.

Give them a massage: The poor guy’s feeling stressed out and could use a good rub down. You can use massage oils or lotion if you have it…if not, I’m sure he’ll be happy with your hands all over him.

Give them a surprise in the bedroom: Dress up in your sexiest lingerie, give him a lap dance, or…we’ll leave it up to your imagination!

The point here is to always do whatever you can to make each other happy because life is too short to do anything less. Have you found that compassion leads to passion in your own marriage? Tell us what you do/have done to make others feel better in their time of need.