Coping with divorce: steps for moving on

Posted on February 6, 2013 in categories: Divorce, Emotional Regulation and Naomi. 3 Comments

Coping with divorce is a difficult process. Here are three steps that will help recover, learn and grow from your experience.

1. Give yourself time to heal

Nobody expects someone who’s just had surgery to be back to work the next week. Emotional injuries need time and nurturing to recover, too. You may feel exhausted, disoriented, sad, stressed and angry from your divorce. It may even be hard to identify what you are feeling. Use this time–weeks, months, whatever seems right to you–to explore your emotions and simply be with them. This is time for you-not your ex-spouse. Avoid contacting him/her and instead work on building up your personal strength. Continue reading ‘Coping with divorce: steps for moving on’

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Categories: Divorce, Emotional Regulation and Naomi

10 sure-fire date night ideas

Posted on January 25, 2013 in categories: Intimacy, Just For Fun, Naomi, Positivity and Romance. 2 Comments

Post-holiday winter: the time of year when everything falls into a rut and feels uninspired. Well it’s about time to start brainstorming date night ideas! Date nights are a tried-and-true way to connect with your partner and keep the romance alive, especially from the chaos of busy work lives and raising children.

At the same time, date nights can be their own kind of trap. Going out to dinner every weekend can start to seem like drudgery and lead to frustration and resentment. It can also be, well, boring. The key to a successful date night is to make you feel like you are really on a date. It should leave you excited about each other, having learned something or seen a new side of your spouse, and of course, having had fun. Here are 10 quirky and sure-fire date night ideas for this chilly January. Continue reading ’10 sure-fire date night ideas’

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Categories: Intimacy, Just For Fun, Naomi, Positivity and Romance

The 15 most romantic movie love quotes

Posted on January 14, 2013 in categories: Just For Fun, Naomi and Romance. 0 Comments

Whether you’re a fan of romantic films or not, it’s hard to deny that movies have some of the best love quotes. Here are the 15 most insightful, romantic and funny love quotes from the most iconic movies of all times.

  1. “I guarantee there’ll be tough times; I guarantee that at some point, one, or both of us is gonna wanna get out of this thing; But I also guarantee, that if I don’t ask you to be mine, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life… because I know in my heart, that you’re the only one for me.” ~ Runaway Bride (1999)

  2. “When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with a person, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” ~ When Harry Met Sally (1989)

  3. “You are the only person that can make my heart beat faster and slower at the same time.” ~ The Hot Chick (2002) Continue reading ‘The 15 most romantic movie love quotes’

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Categories: Just For Fun, Naomi and Romance

The right age for getting married: is there one?

Posted on January 10, 2013 in categories: Marriage in the News, Naomi and Weddings. 0 Comments

Imagine a typical scene of parents talking to their adult child about getting married. Do you have the vision of the older generation pressuring a young couple to tie the knot? Researchers from Brigham Young University have found that the truth is actually the reverse.

“The assumption has been that the younger generation wants to delay marriage and parents are hassling them about when they would get married,” said Brian Willoughby, the lead author of the study. “We actually found the opposite, that the parental generation is showing the ‘slow down’ mindset more than the young adults.”

The university students polled for the study reported 25-years-old to be around the right age to get married, while their parents tended to advise waiting a few years until their late twenties. In reality, the average age for marriage has been slowly increasing since the 1960s and now is around 27-years-old. The study did not include students from BYU since most are Mormon and tend to have earlier marriage rates than the general population.

Parent’s advice may come from wise instincts. Continue reading ‘The right age for getting married: is there one?’

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Categories: Marriage in the News, Naomi and Weddings

The top 5 marriage news stories of 2012

Posted on January 3, 2013 in categories: Marriage in the News. 0 Comments

2012 is over, and what a year it was for marriage news! From findings that could shake the foundation of Christianity, to a royal pregnancy, to new research on happiness, there were many memorable marriage news moments in the past year. Here are my top five.

1. Jesus may have had a wife

Long the subject of conspiracy theorists (and Dan Brown novels), Jesus’ marital status has come to the forefront of religious debate after a Harvard theology professor presented a 300 A.D. Coptic text that references his wife. The Vatican vehemently condemns the paper, and further testing is necessary before Harvard will officially publish any conclusions. All in all, a fascinating debate! We’ll keep you updated on this marriage news as it develops. Read the full article here: Was Jesus Married?

2. Arranged marriages no less happy than marriage by choice.

A UCLA survey study of 58 couples of Indian descent in Los Angeles found that there was no difference in marital happiness between those who had chosen their mates and those whose marriages been arranged. Both sets of couples were equally and extremely happy and content in their marriages, and in love and loyal to their spouses. So if love at first sight isn’t a good predictor of how happy a marriage will be, what is? Strong skills. Read more to find out: Making Decisions. Continue reading ‘The top 5 marriage news stories of 2012′

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Categories: Marriage in the News

Practicing forgiveness

Posted on December 24, 2012 in categories: Marriage and religion and Naomi. 0 Comments

For the past six months we have been descending into darkness and, symbolically and physically, to a more reflective and spiritual place. We want to sleep longer, do less, and spend more time in the dream realm. While the relentless pace of out modern lifestyle doesn’t leave much room for slowing down, it’s impossible to completely bypass this biological and rhythmic need.

This winter we celebrated the end of the Mayan Long Count, one of the major measurements of time from the expert astronomers of that civilization. As the solstice turned on Saturday, I was reminded of the symbolism of cycles embedded in Christmas and the birth and death of Jesus Christ. Hanukkah, too, is a celebration of coming out of darkness into light. Thousands of people over thousands of years have celebrated this special time of the year. Continue reading ‘Practicing forgiveness’

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Categories: Marriage and religion and Naomi

Strengthen relationships by making the bed you lie in

Posted on December 21, 2012 in categories: Just For Fun, Naomi and Positivity. 0 Comments

The smallest thing can strengthen relationships…

One of my favorite activities to do with my partner, Will, is to make the bed together. Until recently, one of us would do it alone. Then I bought a new set of sheets that seemed a half-size too small for our mattress. It was a wrestling match to get them on after laundry. As soon as I got one side hooked in, another would snap up. When I finally got three sides down, the last corner was so tight my knuckles would turn white as I tried to stretch it down.

One evening before we went to bed, I asked Will to help me to make up the bed with the fresh linens. “This sure is easier with two people!” I remarked as we worked together to stretch the fitted sheet around the mattress. We took turns tugging at the last corner until it fit snugly. Then we grabbed corners of the flat sheet and brought it up over the bed together and adjusted the comforter for equal length on both sides. We high-fived when we finished. It took half the time it did alone and felt like we had worked as a team. I went to sleep feeling in harmony with my partner-such a little activity, and such great pay off. Continue reading ‘Strengthen relationships by making the bed you lie in’

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Categories: Just For Fun, Naomi and Positivity

Sesame Street debuts special program to help children of divorce

Posted on December 17, 2012 in categories: Divorce, Emotional Regulation, Marriage and Kids, Marriage in the News, Naomi, Reviews and Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Although divorce levels have been high and rising for decades, it certainly seems like a milestone that beloved children’s program Sesame Street has finally tackled the issue of divorce and children. In a series of videos available online, character Abby Cadabby discusses her “big feelings” about her parents’ separation and receives support from Gordon and other cast members. Two other segments interview real kids-an 11 and 10-year-old-who are children of divorce.

“We’ve always had a social component where we try to address issues in kids’ lives,” Susan Scheiner of Sesame Workshop told TODAY.com. Divorce is one of the most common major life transitions children experience, with 40% of children living in a divorced household. It is impossible to address the major experiences of growing up without covering it, whether to help children through their parents divorce, or help them develop empathy for their peers. Continue reading ‘Sesame Street debuts special program to help children of divorce’

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Categories: Divorce, Emotional Regulation, Marriage and Kids, Marriage in the News, Naomi, Reviews and Uncategorized

How to deal with difficult family members

Posted on December 12, 2012 in categories: Emotional Regulation, Marriage and In-laws and Naomi. 2 Comments

In every family there are certain relatives who fight, bicker, criticize, or in other ways just don’t play nice. Having to spend “quality time” with these people during the holidays-an already stressful time-can be an emotional minefield. Here are 7 tips for how to deal with difficult family members.

  1. Nurture positive relationships with other relatives. Family is a mixed bag so there are sure to be a few relatives that you like to spend time with. Cultivating your relationships with them will foster positive energy that can last you through the difficulties of family reunions. You can also band together to help deflect negative relatives by agreeing to redirect conversations and attacks to more pleasant topics when the atmosphere gets tense. Continue reading ‘How to deal with difficult family members’
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Categories: Emotional Regulation, Marriage and In-laws and Naomi

Eco-friendly, money-wise Hanukkah and Christmas ideas

Posted on December 8, 2012 in categories: Just For Fun. 0 Comments

Power of Two used to share an office space with a great little operation called Catalog Choice. These guys run a free program that can help you stop junk mail-thereby saving money, resources, and your sanity! Catalog Choice recently emailed out a collection of cost-wise, eco-friendly Hanukkah and Christmas ideas. These tips are a great way to get more involved in the holidays, do something creative and think “out of the box” (literally). Here are their ideas combined with some Power of Two pointers. Enjoy!

Top 10 money-saving Hanukkah and Christmas ideas:

  1. Reuse packaging material, especially foam peanuts, bubble wrap, etc. You can also make packing insulator out of old newspaper and scrap paper or fabric. Continue reading ‘Eco-friendly, money-wise Hanukkah and Christmas ideas’
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Categories: Just For Fun