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!

5 Things Every Newlywed Needs In Their Bedroom

Aside from love, trust and understanding, there are a few extra things newlyweds can benefit from having in their bedrooms. Read on to see our top picks…

Candles – EVERYONE looks better in candlelight plus it’s romantic! Hint: pick a candle scent that gives you both a similar vibe. If vanilla reminds you of an exotic vacation, but it reminds your husband of his grandma’s kitchen…well you may not end up with the same ideas around bedtime.

Something You Feel Sexy in – Whatever makes you feel good about your body, be it lingerie, a silk robe, a tiny cami set or a comfy t-shirt.

Drapes (LOL) – Even if you’re a touch voyeuristic, you don’t want to be the topic of neighborhood conversation. If your house or apartment didn’t come with window coverings, invest in some asap!

Music – Cue the Barry White…or not! Put together a sweet or saucy playlist for an evening endeavor or buy a CD specifically for the bedroom. Here’s a site that might give you some ideas.

Lube – You might not need it all the time, but it can help make more adventurous positions a lot more comfortable (hey we all read Cosmo )!

*Bonus: Chocolate Body Paint – Combining two of the best things in life….sex and chocolate. What could be better? Karma Sutra makes a great set that includes dark, milk and white chocolate. Enjoy!
What do you think are the most important things newlyweds can keep in their bedroom?

Try to keep your comments PG-13 ladies!

Football Sunday Fun-days Had By All

Heard of football Sunday fun-days? Are you a guy’s guy—meaning do you enjoy anything football related? Does your partner share your enthusiasm for the sport? I’ll bet that if she doesn’t you secretly wish that she did so you could watch the game(s) in peace every weekend (or at least once in a while)! Although there are some lucky couples that truly enjoy watching the game together and cheering for their favorite team; it’s not the norm. We’re hoping to change that for you with the following newlywed tips, so this Sunday you can enjoy every minute of the game uninterrupted by a nagging spouse!

Co-host a party: That’s right, I said party! Women love to be the perfect hostess and entertain guests. Perhaps if you say, “Hey honey, I was thinking we could have our friends over this weekend for the game. What do you think?” She will appreciate you considering what she wants to do and will most-likely say, “Great! I’ve been dying to make homemade chili and my buffalo chicken dip.” Maybe not in those words, but she will happily accept the challenge of hosting a get-together with friends (especially if other females will be there too). Here are some tailgating tips and recipes you might want to try!

Tell her to invite her girlfriends over: They could enjoy a glass (or three—wink, wink) of wine while discussing the latest trends in fashion, fitness or whatever suits them and you won’t have to miss a single play of the big game!

If all else fails, buy her a gift card to the spa or 2 tickets to the new chick flick so she and her BFF can enjoy the movie together while you celebrate every touchdown and sip on a few beers! Click here for the NFL schedule. Tell us how you enjoy your football Sundays…together or separate. If separate, what does your most special lady do while you watch the game?

5 Secrets to Separate Work From Play

Looking for the secrets to separate work from play? If you look like this during the workday, it’s quite possible that you’re bringing home a great deal of stress with you each evening. This stress can show up as muscle aches, a bad mood, headaches or difficulty sleeping. Nobody wants to come home to a cranky spouse, especially as a newlywed…so here are a few ways to help you separate work from play!

Rock Out On Your Commute – Create a playlist or CD of songs for your ride home from work. The songs should be high energy to help you vent your work emotions.
Write a List – Making a list of tomorrow’s to-do’s before you leave the office can help you stop thinking about work when you’re at home. While you’re writing the list, mentally acknowledge that your work day is done and you cannot do anything on your list until you go into work the next morning. This should allow you to relax and move into enjoying your evening.
Break a Sweat – Schedule a trip to the gym before you go home. Pumping iron or engaging in heart-pounding cardio is a fantastic way to forget about office woes. The bonus: endorphins will automatically make you feel better after a work-out and you’ll go home a happy newlywed!
Breathe Deeply – Give meditation a try. Project-meditation.org is a great resource to get you started. If the idea of trying to meditate just stresses you out, try lighting a lavender scented candle when you get home and let the aroma relax you.
Make Out- The next time you’re having a tough day at work, say hello to your honey at the end of the day with a full blown make-out session. After a few kisses I guarantee that you won’t be worried about the quarterly report that’s due next week!

Can you share any of your secrets to separate work from play? We’d love to hear your solutions, so please leave a comment!

Newlyweds: 6 Tips to Bring Your Marriage Back to Life

Do you need a few tips to bring your marriage back to life? There are so many responsibilities in life that keep piling on your plate as you grow up, and may begin to interfere with your “alone” time with your spouse. Schedules can be so hectic that your marriage unintentionally is put on the back burner, causing frustration and tension to grow between the two of you, and your daily schedules may naturally become somewhat of a routine, and you simply go through the motions. If you have transitioned into parenthood, then you surely know that your life becomes kid-centric, as your attention, your emotion, and your everyday activities are focused on your little one now rather than each other.

If you’re experiencing this, you’re not alone, but the important thing is to recognize when your lifestyle is hurting your marriage, and then do something about it! Just as all things in life, it’s good to find a ‘healthy balance’ in all that you do.

Here are a few ideas to help keep your marriage alive and healthy:

*Surprise your spouse- who doesn’t love a surprise?! Sneak a note in your spouse’s lunch, or their brief case, just letting them know how much they are appreciated and loved!

*For parents – have a dinner date one night a week (after the kids are in bed) to relax together and enjoy one another’s company. Not a parent yet? You and your spouse could go out on a date once a week or as your schedules and budgets allow. Try going to a movie or dinner at your favorite restaurant.

*Day time chat- if you don’t normally communicate with your spouse during the work day, call, text, or write a quick email just to let the other one know that although you’re busy, you are still thinking of them, and while you’re at it you may want to even throw in some naughty comments that you wouldn’t say in front of the kiddos (however, keep the freaky emails to your personal email account, not your work email—otherwise you could find yourself in the HR Office or worse)!
*PDA’s – need I say more?

*Go for a walk with your spouse and hold hands. You will both benefit from the exercise, the physical connection and the uninterrupted adult conversation that distractions such as children, TV, internet, blackberries, iphones, etc. don’t permit!

*Think about what the two of you would do when you first got together…do it again! Sure you’re older and wiser, but you’re still a couple in-love…now show each other (and have some fun doing it)!
What have you done to rekindle your relationship? Our readers would love to know your tips and tricks to a happy and healthy relationship, so please leave a comment.

Make Room For Fall Fashion

Do you love fall fashion? One of the things I love most about living in the northeast is the drastic change of seasons, and with this comes that time of year that we all look forward to — rotating our wardrobe! At the end of each summer I am over my summer clothes, and my love for wearing shorts, and I look forward to the new fall fashions of the season!

Along with the excitement that comes when it’s time for my wardrobe rotation, I am also faced with a bit of separation anxiety when trying to decide which clothes I should store in my secret hide-away closet in the spare room, and which clothing items never came off the hanger this year… clearly telling me that I should get rid of them!

I don’t mean ‘throw them away,’ I generally take my clothes to the Salvation Army or another resource where they can be worn again and cherished by someone else. Alternatively- I recently discovered a new love for consignment, or recycled clothing shops where you can sell your slightly-used items, and find some really cute, unique items at a great price of course!

I always struggle with certain items and trying to decide what to get rid of, and I find myself folding them away for just… one more year! This year I’m telling myself, and my husband is telling me too, that I need to make some important decisions to get rid of some cherished items, (or as he would call it, “clutter”) and tidy up the house a bit!

I figure while I am going to take on the project of my wardrobe rotation, I should also incorporate some ‘fall cleaning’ at the same time. I did, however warn my husband that I have scheduled my ‘fall cleaning’ the first week of September, and if I am going to tidy up my wardrobe, then he is too! I know that more than half of the crumpled up t-shirts that are in the closet, he doesn’t even remember he has!

So I am coming to grips that he is right, and some things I need to let go of, but I think I’m OK with this, as my female mind works — I’m already thinking that I will just have more room for those new fall must-haves! Is anyone else super excited for fall fashion this year? Here are some of my fall favs to help you get excited too, check them out at ELLE & InStyle.

Looking for more fall fashion tips or newlywed advice? Our experts are her to help!