Relationship

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!

Spring Fever: How to Help Your Spouse Feel Better

Desperate to help your spouse feel better? With the sudden weather and temperature changes, it’s possible that you or your spouse might come down with a cold. They may not admit it, but most men are reduced to infants when they get sick. So, if you’re dealing with a sick spouse here are a few ideas to help you help him feel better!

Make Chicken Soup – Medical studies have shown that this 800+ year old cold remedy actually works! Here’s a quick yet amazing recipe for homemade chicken noodle soup. Your sicker half will appreciate the soup AND the effort you put into making it for them!

Get Them to Take a Day Off – Your spouse may be saving his PTO, but nobody wins when a sick person comes into work. Have your significant other d stay home and rest for a day to ensure a speedy recovery. You can always threaten them with a doctor’s visit if they keep going to work and continue to run themselves down. The threat of the doctor almost always works.

Set Up a Vaporizer – If you don’t already own one, it’s smart to purchase a vaporizer. For as little as $11 you can make breathing easier and decrease the amount of congestion/mucus in your spouse’s chest. Don’t have time to run out for a vaporizer? Rub your spouse down with Vicks Vapor Rub instead.

Stockpile Hot Beverages – Did you know that drinking hot tea (or other hot beverages) increases the temperature of your throat, which impairs viral replication? Make your loved one some soothing tea with honey to help them kick a nasty virus and feel better faster.

What are your secrets to help your spouse feel better? Do you have any tried and true remedies? We’d love for you to share them in a comment.

Five Fun Ways To Focus On Your Girlfriends

As a newlywed, don’t forget to focus on your girlfriends. It was just Valentine’s Day, and that means St. Patrick’s Day and Easter are around the corner. As I think about holidays, I wonder why there isn’t a day to celebrate your best friends. Being a newlywed can be all-consuming as you figure out your married life, but don’t forget your buddies from before you tied the knot. Here are a five ways to brighten the days of the ladies that are always there for you.

1. Send a card. Whether it’s sentimental or downright silly, a card will brighten a best friend’s day for as little as 99 cents. It’s really nice to find a surprise envelope in the midst of all the bills and catalogs that come in the mail every day.

2. Give her a call. Do you struggle to keep in touch with long distance girlfriends that have insanely busy schedules? Make a standing phone or skype date where you alternate who calls whom and maybe even plan to pour a glass of wine while you talk.

3. Plan a pedicure. Make a mutual plan to catch up while you have your toes painted. There’s something intensely girly and luxurious about going to a spa with a friend and chatting during your treatments. Be sure to look to see if there are any 2 for 1 specials in your area before you make your appointments!

4. Surprise her with a bouquet. You could leave flowers that you purchased at the grocery store on your buddy’s porch or send a succulent to her office. Just a few blooms will let her know how much you value your friendship and she’ll smile for the entire time that they last.

5. Make a playlist. Do you have songs that instantly remind you of your friend(s) and the times you’ve had together? Compile a list of your favorite friend songs and then make a Spotify playlist for all of you. It’s a great way to walk down the memory lane of your friendship during your daily commute.

How are you planning to focus on your girlfriends? Do you have any fun ways that you keep in touch? Please let us know in a comment.

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.

From Boyfriend & Girlfriend to Husband & Wife

Couples tend to think the transition from being engaged to being married is as simple as 1-2-3, but most married couples will tell you that it isn’t always that easy. With marriage, comes expectations (from both husband and wife…and even from In-laws too) and sometimes those expectations are set quite high. What’s the reason for this? It’s often times pressure to be like another couple, fantasies of a fairytale life or even media influences (i.e. magazines, books, TV shows, and celebrities). Try to put that aside and focus on what’s best for you as a couple by nurturing your relationship.

Love Individual Differences: When you’re dating it’s easy to miss how different the two of you really are, not to mention if you didn’t live together prior to your wedding you’re definitely getting to see a whole other side of your spouse now. It’s important to understand and appreciate your differences. It can be very difficult to live in the same household with someone who doesn’t wash the dishes or do the laundry the way you were taught to as a child, but remember that just because it’s different doesn’t make it wrong. Open your heart and your mind to the person that you vowed to share your life with and laugh about your differences as much as possible. After all, this is what makes you, YOU and the same goes for your spouse!

Invest Time in the Relationship: Dating is easy…you get to see each other when you want to and make plans with friends or family when you need a break. Now that you’re married it’s important to spend quality time together alone. You can plan date nights (i.e. out for dinner, happy hour, attend a sporting event or go to the movies). You should also spend time at home being intimate and talking about your goals and ideas for your life together. They say marriage takes work and it’s true, but it is the most rewarding work you’ll ever do for yourselves!

Make Me Time Important: This was probably the easiest part of dating, as you could plan to have a day or two in between your dates leaving you both time to do what you want on your days “off.” In a marriage it’s not only important to spend quality time together, but is equally as important for you both to have time to yourselves too. Some people like to enjoy a drink and read a book or attend a yoga class, while others like to play video games or peruse the Internet for new hobbies or interests. Whatever it is you enjoy doing, make time to do it even if it’s only once or twice a month.

Learn Together: Dating is all about learning about each other and about relationships in general. Marriage too is a learning process that should continue to grow both inside and outside of your relationship. Knowledge is food for your brain and it’s important to keep learning throughout our lives. You could take a class together on something you both want to become better at (i.e. cooking or dancing) or learn a new language together.

Have a Marriage Idol: Whether it’s your grandparents, parents, a family friend or a couple from your church, you should always have someone you can talk to about marriage. Seeing a successful marriage and always aspiring to be like them is healthy as long as what you are aspiring to be is happy and in love like the other couple.

What has been the most difficult transition for you and your spouse? How are you working through it?

February: Time To Try Fun Things Together

Don’t forget to prioritize time to try fun things together. Now that you’re a newlywed, you may have noticed that you have more spare time than you did when you were planning your wedding and honeymoon. One great way to utilize those extra hours is to take some time to try something new with your spouse. A new experience adds instant spark to your relationship and may become a joint hobby or interest that you can share for many years to come.

Here Are a Few Fun Suggestions:

Take a dance class together. Your options range from ballroom, to salsa, to hip hop. We’re guessing your husband is going to be much happier with the latter suggestion. Is his dragging his feet? Offer a trade to make it worth his while…we’ll let you get creative with that!

Sign up for a bad-ass gym class like CrossFit. You’ll both be challenged by the class and can cheer each other on. The result? An awesome endorphin high and the bond of making it through together. If you keep attending the classes as a couple, you’ll both have rock hard bodies before beach season!

Consider attending a wine or beer tasting class . You’ll both enjoy yourselves and come away with a new appreciation for adult beverages. You can also use your new knowledge to create really cool food pairings at home and impress a few friends.

Join a recreational sports team. Ultimate Frisbee or rec soccer would be good choices. You’ll make new friends and foster a team mentality that can be very helpful in your married relationship.

Try a cooking class. Pick a genre of food that you both love to eat, but have no experience cooking and then find a class offered in your area. You’ll have a great time and end up with at least one dish that you can prepare as a couple.

No matter what you do, the point is to try something new together. The challenge itself will be exciting and give you something to talk about at the next party you attend. You’ll be the cool couple who learned how to Cha-Cha or make pad Thai last week!

Have you committed to try fun things together as newlyweds? Did they turn out to be fun or at least something to laugh about? Leave a comment and let us know!