Family

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!

Mother’s Day Magic

We have some Mother’s Day magic up our sleeves for you! Heads up ladies….Mother’s Day is on Sunday. Planning your wedding may have brought up the good, the bad, and even the ugly in your relationship with your mother, but hopefully the day you walked down the aisle allowed you both to connect on a whole new level as you shared one of the most beautiful days in both of your lives together. If you haven’t already made a plan for Mother’s Day or chosen a gift, here are a few ideas for you.

Capture Moments – Do you have a few fantastic photos of you and your mother on your wedding day? Now is a perfect time to either frame a few for her as a gift or make a mini album.
Pamper Her – A mother’s work is never done, so give her a Red Door spa certificate to make sure she takes a well deserved break. What would make it even better would be spent with you…so consider booking a treatment together!

Memorialize Your Family – Chip in with your siblings on a gemstone representation of you all! Your mom will be blown away by this a modern necklace with each of your birthstones to remind her of her “little gems”.

Get Personal – Write your mom a letter expressing all of the love you have for her and all of your best memories together. The price of this gift may be free, but she will think it is priceless.

Whatever you choose to do to honor your mom, make sure to do just that honor her. Also, as you are now a newlywed…don’t forget your mother-in-law on Mother’s Day. She helped make your spouse the wonderful person he is, so be sure to send her a card. What are your plans for Mother’s Day this year? We’d love to hear about them!

Easter Is a Time For Sweets! Don’t Go Empty Handed!

Easter is a time for sweets! Whether you are playing host this weekend, or have plans to visit the family for Easter, or even if you have no plans at all and have a relaxing day at home, we’ve got some fabulous, fun recipes for you to try out and test your creative skills! If you are traveling to visit family and friends this weekend, it’s always good to show off your domestic skills- especially to your mother-in-law! I have compiled a few of my favorite Easter desert recipes to share with you that the kids and adults alike are gonna love!

This Bunny Cake is so fun to make, and almost too cute to eat!

If you’re looking for the perfect kid-friendly dessert (and who doesn’t love marshmallows?) Try this Cupcake Bunny Cake.

Easter is about the sweet treats, but don’t completely forget about your veggies! This one definitely takes the cake! Check out this Carrot Cake which is also going to give you your full serving of fruit for the day as well!

Easter Egg Cookies show off your creativity and use these to decorate around the desert table!

Not much of a cook- make this chocolate Trix treat– you can’t go wrong with cereal!

Please let us know if you have tried one of these delicious deserts or if you decide to experiment with one this weekend! Do you have a favorite “go-to” crowd-pleaser dessert? Please share since Easter is a Time for Sweets!

In-laws And Boundaries

Some husband and wives adore their in-laws. Others, well, not so much. You don’t have to adore your in-laws, but if you want your marriage to be happy, it’s important that you learn how to tolerate them, and that you set up some boundaries. Setting boundaries about your in-laws can help to make a marriage run much more smoothly and can stop fights before they even occur. And the best time to set those boundaries is right after the honeymoon is over, so that there is no confusion about what’s going to happen.

Discussion Time:
You can’t set boundaries about your in-laws without having a discussion, so set a date for the two of you to get together, with no interruptions, to discuss your issues. Before you have the discussion make sure that your partner is aware of what the discussion will entail so that they can come to the table ready, and so that they won’t feel ambushed, and you, yourself, should get a list ready of things that you want to discuss.

Remember, during the conversation, that you’re talking about someone else’s family. Even if they have a hard time dealing with their own family, and often say things that aren’t very nice about them, you have to be respectful. You wouldn’t want them disrespecting your family members, even if you have problems with them. They’re family and as such deserve to be spoken about in a respectful tone.

Setting Boundaries:
Once you’re ready to talk it’s time to get down to business. Setting boundaries for in-laws may be a simple process or it may be one that takes some time, and to many couples it may originally feel like making some sort of a contract. These boundaries can be anything, from specific ones to more relaxed ones. Some couples, for instance, enjoy their privacy and so they agree to only visit their in-laws once every few months or so. Others want more contact and agree to go to dinner with their in-laws every few weeks or even more. The type of boundaries that you set are completely up to you. It’s most important to remember that your in-law is your spouse’s loved one, and that you need to take their needs into consideration, which may mean dealing with someone that you don’t care for very much.

What boundaries have you set for your in-laws? Are there any you wish you would have set earlier in your marriage?

Thankful Newlywed Thoughts

Are you struggling to find thankful newlywed thoughts? As a newlywed, it is easy to get caught up in the holiday rush and the aspects of how to juggle whose family to do what with, when. My advice to you: take a moment and realize how fortunate you are.

If you can keep the things that you are thankful for in the forefront of your mind, you’re guaranteed not to miss the reasons for the seasons that are upon us.

Ideas for Thankful Newlywed Thoughts:

Your Spouse – Not only have you met the person of your dreams…you married them! I can’t think of too many other things that are as amazing as being married and madly in love.

Security – You now have someone to have and hold in sickness and in health till death do you part. Just knowing that someone is going to be by your side for long haul is incredibly comforting.

Friends – There are people in the world that know all of your flaws and faults (some since childhood) and still love you. How great is that?

Family – Whether you’re working on making your own or thinking about your parents, family is a gift to be treasured. These are the people who have loved you before they even met you and want only the best for you.

The Holidays – While they may be stressful, holidays are the times we get to spend with all of the people we are thankful for. When you look at them this way, it’s much easier to stretch a bit to make sure you see everyone and celebrate together.

What are you thankful for this holiday season? Do you have a creative way to see all of your family members while remaining sane? We’d love to hear about it!

Newlyweds: Finding a Healthy Balance

Are you finding a healthy balance in your marriage? Newlyweds love spending time with each other EVERY chance they get and sometimes they are so caught up in the newlywed bliss that they forget to keep in touch with their friends and family. We’ve all done it a time or two, who could blame us: with work, working out, keeping up with our favorite hobbies and TV shows, not to mention the chores at home and let’s not forget cuddle time!

It’s easy to set your relationships with family members and friendships to the side because you’re so consumed with your new life, but remember the people who love you. Some of them may not understand what’s going on (because they’re still single or they’ve been married for years so the ‘newlywed stage’ has long passed). It’s expected that for a few weeks, maybe even months that you and your spouse will be starting your new life together.

During that time you’ll both be getting used to living together (if you haven’t before), going through the dreaded married name-change process, joining bank accounts, even buying a house and moving—simply put, you’re taking care of your business with the idea in mind that as soon as you’re finished you’ll start keeping in touch and hanging out with friends and family again. By that time you may have already offended your friends and may find that not everyone is okay with picking up where you left off a few months ago. Some may even demand an explanation as to why you’ve been a bad friend!

Here are a few tips on how to juggle your time when your new married life begins (after the Honeymoon) so you can avoid hurting your friends and family.

Call your parents at least once per week. Your parents love you more than anything in the world and just want to know what’s going on in your life (especially after you’ve left the nest, think of your poor Mother)! Even if 10-15 minutes is all the time you can spare, just call them and let them know how everything is going. You can even ask them advice (if you need it) and may learn a thing or two (after all, they’ve been married and could offer you valuable tips on how to navigate through the transition of new married life).

Make time for family. Not all families live in the same town or even the same state anymore, so it’s not always possible to make it to Sunday Dinner with your entire family. If you do live near your parents or in-laws (and come from a close-nit family) they will most-likely expect to see you more often. Try your best to visit them at least once per month (together as a couple)–you could save time by inviting both sets of parents to your place for dinner. They will adore seeing you as a hostess/host of a dinner party and you get to use some of the new kitchenware that you received as wedding gifts! If you live out-of-town try to plan a weekend visit every 2-3 months (or as your schedule permits) to catch up with those you love most!

Don’t forget your friends! They’ve been there for you through every up and down in your life–relationships, drunken nights, arguments with your boyfriend/girlfriend, failed exams, your engagement, graduation, job promotion, wedding planning, etc. Some of them may have even put up with your bridezilla moments, so don’t allow yourself to neglect your friendships! After all, eventually you and your spouse will have your first fight as a married couple…and who will you call if you haven’t kept in touch with friends or family? We get it! You and your spouse are totally in-love and want to be together every second of everyday, but you should make time for yourselves too.

Everyone needs ME time to do whatever makes them happy, so call up your best friend and make plans to go shopping, out to dinner, to the gym, out dancing, or for drinks. Believe me, your man loves spending time with you, but will also appreciate time with his buddies for poker night, happy hour, to play video games, to play golf, etc.

So, bottom line; pick up the phone and make plans with your friends and family to lead a more balanced and healthy married life!