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!

Holiday Parties – Ho Ho Ho!

‘Tis the season for corporate and family holiday parties. Now let’s talk about not looking like a Ho, Ho, ho as a newlywed or newly engaged lady! There is definitely a way to look attractive at events, without raising any in-law eyebrows or causing the CEO’s blood pressure to spike.

Here are a few tips to keep you looking your best during the holiday season:

1. Choose to accent your upper body or lower body with an outfit, not both. A great mini dress that has sleeves or a or a high neckline will allow your legs to take center stage without causing catcalls. If you’ve got killer arms or cleavage, choose a longer dress or pants and then show A LITTLE skin up top.

2. Leave the leave-em-on boots at home. Don’t get me wrong, some boots are appropriate with dresses. But, if you have patent leather over the knee boots there are certain call girl connotations that will enter most people’s minds when they meet you. Frankly, you don’t want to be that girl, especially as someone’s wife or fiancé!

3. Get your hair done! Now’s the time to touch up any roots or split ends that you have showing. A quick trip to the salon or some do-it-yourself tricks will have you looking polished and presentable wherever you go. It will also ensure that you’ll love the way you look in holiday photos and not kick yourself for that hair. If you already have a few photos you regret, you can use this cool root touch-up software to erase any hair color mistakes.

4. Go easy on the make-up. Choose to do a smoky eye and neutral lips or play up your lips and do very muted eyes. This tactic allows one feature of your face to stand out and keeps you from looking like you were hit by the paint truck!

5. Smile. You’re a newlywed or newly engaged and the world is your oyster. No need to be serious or nervous, just be yourself and let everyone get to know the real you.

With these few tips you should be able to focus on having fun at the flurry of holiday parties you attend. You can rest assured that you’re presenting yourself in a wonderful way and everyone that meets you will be impressed.

What are you wearing to holiday parties this year and what are you avoiding wearing? We’d love to hear about your outfits and the dreadful ones you saw last holiday season, so please leave a comment!

5 Ways to Steer Clear of Unnecessary Holiday Highway Frustrations

Tis the season for holiday highway frustrations. There are two ways to look at this holiday season- 1. If you’re staying home and don’t have to travel, lucky you for avoiding the traffic troubles, but then your concerns lie with having to be the host, and cook for family and friends. 2. If you are the ones making the trek over the holidays to visit family, then fortunate for you someone else will be doing the cooking this year, but unfortunately you will need to cope with the hustle and bustle of fellow travelers!

Since my husband and I have not yet been promoted to the hosting position yet, we are the ones that are traveling around visiting our families during the holidays. Because of this, we have had to come up with a serious system; a time and money-saver system, and a try not to strangle each other in the car system. So, if you’re one of the millions of people that have plans to be traveling in the next months, here are some tips to help make it a more pleasant, enjoyable experience with your spouse!

Pack the night before. If you don’t have kids yet, you’re still going to find that you are packing for more than yourself, if you catch my drift, so make sure to get the laundry finished ahead of time so that you can pack the day before your trip!
Be cash conservative! Tolls are out-of-control expensive these days, so conserve your spending money elsewhere by packing a cooler with some H20 and a few snacks for the ride. This will also save you a few minutes of your time sitting through the drive through!
Music is key! Make sure to have your music selection ready-to-go, especially if you get stuck in some heavy traffic on the way, you will need something fun to take your mind off of your situation at-hand!
Find your alternative route. You never can be sure that you’re not going to get stuck in a detour or have to stray off of your course due to an accident. Although your GPS can help with this situation, they’re not always 100% accurate, so printing off an alternative route from Google Maps isn’t at all a bad idea.
Avoid the rage. It is so easy to lose your temper and become frustrated, so if someone flips you the bird, wink, smile or wave back. It’s so much more fun and may help to calm down the other party involved!

What are your best tactics to ease the holiday highway frustrations when traveling, and maintain your holiday spirit!? Please share!

Fight Fair as a Newlywed and Beyond

It’s important to know how to fight fair as a newlywed, if you want your marriage to last. Do you and your spouse disagree on one little thing and somehow it turns into an all-out brawl where you’re screaming about things that happened months or even years ago? If so, one or both of you may be fighting…DIRTY! Below are useful newlywed tips on how to fight fair; and if you use them, you’ll find yourselves in a happier, healthier marriage.

#1. Face Your Fear of Confrontation and Discuss the Issue as soon as Possible-You can’t resolve an issue that you’re too afraid to bring up. It’s time to realize that you have to discuss things that bother you in order for you and your spouse to truly be a team. Marriage requires two people, so speak up! Bottling up your problems will only result in a bigger blowout later on. If you’re in public or somewhere that you don’t feel comfortable resolving the issue at least acknowledge that there IS an issue and set a specific time to talk about it when you’re in a better place/frame of mind.

#2. State exactly what’s bothering you and Stick to the Issue at Hand-Be clear about what specifically made you upset and how it made you feel. Being as detailed as possible will help your partner understand your point of view and will present the best (and sometimes obvious) ways to resolve the issue. Often times, individuals begin arguing about crumbs on the counter and it turns into “and I hate when you do this and I get annoyed when you do that!” Stay focused on what occurred here and now to upset you.

#3. Avoid Generalizing-Try not to say, “you always” or “you never” because these words cause people to be defensive and could cause your spouse to lash out at you.

#4. If Your Spouse Says You Do Something, Then You most-likely do… (Trust Your Spouse)-Your partner will say that you do something and your response is, “I DO NOT!” Trust that your spouse knows you well enough by now that he/she will not lie to you about what he/she sees.
#5. Avoid Personal Insults-Don’t say things that you can’t take back (and will regret later on). Attacking your spouse’s character or appearance is something that may truly hurt them and they will remember it and dwell on it because it came from your mouth.

#6. Listen (You May Learn Something)-You are NOT always going to be right! Listen to what your spouse is saying when you have a conflict. This way you will learn what went wrong and avoid doing it again.

#7. Confront to Resolve, Not to Win-This is not a competition or a game. The sooner you both realize that the happier you will be. Think about it, no one truly wins when you argue. Winning is what happens when you’re able to resolve an issue and not re-visit it.

#8. Always Remind Spouse that You Love Him/Her-I will stand by this every time. Let your partner know that you love them after your issue is resolved. Using those three words is the most obvious way, but a warm embrace or a passionate kiss is another great way to lighten the mood/tension between you two. And hey–there’s nothing wrong with making-up all night long…

Tell us: What do you think about this list of ways to fight fair as a newlywed? What will you do differently the next time you and your spouse find yourselves in an argument to avoid WWIII?

How to Convince Your Wife That She Needs a New Gadget

Are you longing for the latest version of your favorite electronic toy (i.e. TV, iPhone, Xbox, etc.)? Not sure how to convince your lady that it’s a good purchase that you’ll both benefit from and surely enjoy? Well, don’t sweat it! Try these helpful strategies and you’ll find yourself making your next new gadget purchase as early as this weekend.

As women, we don’t always see why your new $200+ new gadget is a good idea, much like you don’t understand our shoe bill at the end of the month. Your wife may not see the point in your purchase because she hasn’t been convinced or sold on the idea of the mutual benefits.

Your job is to figure out what those mutual benefits are (not your strong suit? Not a problem, we’ve got you covered!…keep reading) and tell her about them. Once she has a better understanding of how this new gadget fits into both your lives (and relates to her interests/hobbies), she will be more susceptible to the idea of purchasing the said item!

Women tend to care about the following (among so many other things, but for the purpose of this post we’ll stick with these): how will it fit/look in our home, will it make my life easier and will it affect our communication (i.e. will it bring us closer together)?

How will it look in my home?

Women spend a lot of time making sure everything in the house is color coordinated and has its own special place. Don’t mess with that! Try talking to your wife about how a new TV will not ruin the chic and sleek look she has going on in the family room because it’s a wall mount with wires that will not be seen! She’s more-likely to agree to a purchase that won’t clash with the décor or ruin her vision of your home.

Will this gadget make life easier?

Women have so much on their minds (i.e. You, a career, a home, fitness, kids just to name a few) and don’t need anything to make life more complicated or stressful. If you can figure out a way to prove that the new gadget will make life easier you will be one step closer to getting exactly what you want. It could be as simple as explaining how a universal remote will work the TV, DVD player, stereo and surround sound system, eliminating 3 of 4 different remotes. Believe me, this will sound like a mini lifesaver to your wife!

Will this gadget affect our communication or bring us closer together?

Whether it’s a conversation over a glass of wine or watching a movie with a bowl of popcorn, at the end of the day your wife just wants to spend some quality time with you. Let her know how a new gaming system will allow you to have video game nights together; which is great if you are the competitive types or how a new laptop or Smartphone will allow for you to sit on the couch and catch up on emails and bills instead of having to head to your home office. After all, it’s not always about what you’re doing that matters most, it’s that you’re able to be together while you do it.

Tell us: What purchase were you able to convince your wife to make using our tips or others? Share your tactics with other readers…I’m sure fellas all over will appreciate advice Man-to-Man!

Newlywed Recipes You Will Fall In Love With!

Looking for newlywed recipes? I am definitely not Betty Crocker in the kitchen, so it’s a good thing for me that my husband enjoys cooking, and even more fortunate for me… he is an amazing cook! I have been getting much more comfortable trying out my newlywed skills in the kitchen, and I especially don’t mind when I’m exploring a new recipe cause then my hubby would never know if I screwed it up or not!

I have a few cook books at home, but of course they’re collecting dust since I generally turn to online suggestions such as cooks.com and of course the woman who makes it look so easy, Rachael Ray! I actually prefer getting recipes from my family and friends, so now that we’re enjoying the season’s fall foods, and (dare I say it!?) rapidly approaching the holidays, I wanted to share some of my fall fav’s with you, and I hope that you will do the same!

Let’s begin with Numero Uno: The Cocktail!
Pumpkin Pie Martini: Here’s my new BFF, and I hope she will be yours too!
Ingredients:

Ice cubes
2 ounces (1/4 cup) vanilla vodka
2 ounces (1/4 cup) crème de cacao
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Whipped cream, for garnish

Directions:
1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice cubes. Add the vanilla vodka, crème de cacao, heavy cream and pumpkin pie spice and shake well.
2. Dip the rims of 2 martini glasses into a bowl of whipped cream. Strain the cocktail into the glasses and indulge!
Servings: 2 / Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Ginger Pumpkin Bread: Excellent for breakfast or dessert!
Ingredients:
1 ½ sticks melted butter (12 tablespoons)
2 ½ cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 can canned pumpkin (15 oz.)
3 eggs
Sugar glaze (optional, see below)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pans (or spray with Baker’s Joy). In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together both sugars, pumpkin, melted butter, and eggs. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.
2. Divide batter evenly between the loaf pans. Bake 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center of loaves comes out clean. Let cool ten minutes and invert loaves onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
3. Once cool, glaze if desired. Combine 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar with 2 – 3 tablespoons of water in a liquid measuring cup. Stir until glaze is smooth and thick, with no lumps. Drizzle over loaves and let set 15 minutes prior to serving.
Makes 2 Loaves
Butternut Squash Casserole: Don’t knock this one till you try it!
Ingredients

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