Marriage Counseling: How to Keep Jealousy From Destroying Your Marriage
August 25, 2008
Jealousy has often been called the "green-eyed monster," and with good reason. The "monster" is fueled by envy and can over time devour the trust and harmony in a relationship.
According to B.C. Forbes, "Jealousy…is a mental cancer." It spreads quickly and can be fatal to a marriage. Once it gets a foothold, the jealous spouse becomes even more jealous, often over insignificant things. Comedian Rodney Dangerfield captures what happens in these remarks: "My wife’s jealousy is getting ridiculous. The other day she looked at my calendar and wanted to know who May was."
You’re more prone to jealousy and envy when you are feeling insecure and fearful. Several years into my first marriage, I remember feeling unusually jealous of a woman that my husband worked with. The co-worker had dark, sultry looks, long flowing hair, and a figure that drove males wild. As if that wasn’t enough, she was also funny and outgoing, with great communication and social skills. At office parties, the husbands could be found circled around her, competing for her attention.
Unhappy Marriage: Should You Stay or Leave?
August 22, 2008
There’s no one simple answer to the question that I’m often asked, "Should I stay in my marriage, even though I’m unhappy, or should I leave?" It’s impossible to give a "one size fits all" response because every marriage is different.
But there are some general guidelines that you can consider if you’re in this situation. Use these thirteen tips to reflect on your marriage, your energy level, your commitment, and the degree of your dissatisfaction.
1.Don’t give up prematurely. You have invested time, energy, money, hopes and dreams in your marriage. The only way many people can initiate divorce without feeling unduly guilty is to know that they have tried everything they possibly could to make the marriage better. It just makes good sense to focus on how you can improve the relationship you’re in now.
2.Consider your children and how a divorce could impact them. Divorce is never easy. Preschool children and kids who are still in school will be affected in ways grown children are not, such as possible changes in schools if a parent moves, a parent possibly having to work two jobs to make it financially, the loss of daily contact with both parents, etc.
Top 40 Marriage Quotations
August 20, 2008
How Wives with Cheating Husbands Can Gain the Upper Hand
August 17, 2008
Too many wives with cheating husbands put up with their husband’s infidelity because they feel they have no choice, or they don’t know what else to do. If you’re in a similar situation, don’t despair. You have more power and control than you think.
Don’t Be a Helpless Victim
You don’t have to suffer in silence or be a helpless victim. There are practical things you can do to make the best of a bad situation, and minimize the damage infidelity can cause. You can prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for what lies ahead. You can take steps to protect yourself sexually, legally and financially. Best of all, most of these things can be done quietly behind the scenes, without your husband’s knowledge. And they will leave you feeling empowered, rather than victimized. In the long run, you’ll gain the upper hand.
Knowledge About the Affair is Power - Find Out All You Can
Knowledge is power. The first thing you should do is find out everything you can about your husband’s affair. For the sake of your sanity and your marriage, you have a right to know. You also need to have certain information so you can decide what’s in your (and your children’s) best interest to do. Finding out need not involve hiring an investigator or buying fancy surveillance equipment. "Is He Cheating on You? ? 829 Telltale Signs" can be a tremendous help.
Getting Married? Read this 1st.
August 15, 2008
Original gift ideas for your Bridesmaids and Bestman.
What better way to thank your bridesmaids than to give them a unique piece of jewelry they can treasure forever.
Here are some gift ideas that anyone would love to receive. A silver prayer box necklace, these are now available in various shapes and styles. Not only are they beautiful pieces of jewelry, but they can be uses to store your personal prayers to God.
If you are having the all American wedding why not choose an item of Patriotic jewelry. A gold and diamond American Flag pin or pendant would make a stunning gift. Or if a smaller gift is required, money clips are very popular with men of all ages. They are now available plain, shaped as a ‘$’ sign and many other designs.
However, necklaces that are to be worn for the wedding day are still a very popular choice. These too can be a unique and special gift. An amazing range of necklaces now include oriental fans, cats, elephants, lions, star of David or cupid to name but a few.
Any of these gifts can bring years of lasting memories from your special day.
Celtic Wedding Rituals — Tying the knot
August 12, 2008
One of the most elegant rituals you can choose for a wedding is the traditional Celtic hand fasting. After the vows, the bride and groom’s wrists are bound together with five colored ribbons, each symbolizing an aspect of marriage and their shared commitment. It is a long standing Celtic tradition that is still quite popular, and happens to be the origin of the expression “tying the knot” which has grown to mean getting married. Though this tradition is a lovely and meaningful tradition, many other Celtic wedding traditions have not aged as gracefully.
All marriages start with a proposal. Proposals such as “Live in my heart and pay no rent” or “Would you like to hang your washing next to mine” might have been uttered to a would be fiancé.
As beautiful as the ceremony was, after the ceremony wasn’t so sweet. The bride and groom might eat three handfuls of salt and oatmeal as protection against evil spirits, which probably wasn’t as tasty as cake and champagne.
If the wife wanted good relations with her new mother-in-law, she’d have hoped that the groom’s mother would break a cake over her head as she entered the marriage home. If she was so lucky, superstition said the two would remain friends for life, though she quite a mess to clean up after.
Creating A Wedding Budget You Can Afford
August 7, 2008
The most important part of planning a wedding is setting your budget. Your budget is important because it is next to impossible to know what you can afford for each major part of the wedding if you don’t set an overall cost that is comfortable for you. You will probably find that deciding the budget is the hardest job to do because, of course, you want to have the best and most memorable wedding you can possibly have.
The days when the wedding was paid for by the parents of the bride are almost gone now. Parents will often contribute to the wedding cost as a gift to the couple, but it is pretty rare for parents to cover the whole cost of the wedding.
Usually this is because the parents simply can’t afford it. But couples today often prefer to pay for their own weddings because it ensures that they can plan them the way that they want to without interference.
These days, 4 out of 5 couples pay for their own wedding and it helps to know how your budget should be broken down.
The History of Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands
August 6, 2008
These days, many people take wedding bands and engagement rings for granted, and although they give these beautiful items of jewellery with integrity and love, they are often given with no real knowledge of the meaning behind them.
Both wedding bands and engagement rings are very special items of jewellery; in fact, they are more than just jewellery - they are the symbols of many emotions and promises such as:
- Love
- Commitment
- Fidelity
- Eternity
- Honour
But where - and why - did these popular and sentimental pieces of jewellery stem from?
The History Of Wedding Bands
These items of jewellery have a history that spans many centuries and passes through many countries from all around the planet. Below, you will find a brief history of the wedding and engagement ring, as reported from country to country.
EGYPTIANS
The now-famous wedding band is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt, where it is said that plant sections were fashioned in to circles to signify never-ending and immortal love. It was thought that the fourth finger (which we now know as the ring finger) contained a special vein that was connected directly to the heart, and therefore this became the official finger for the wedding band.
Expressions of Devotion: Buying Engagement Rings, Wedding Rings, and Wedding Bands Online
August 2, 2008
Ritual symbolism abounds in everything we do; this is particularly the case when an individual commits their love and devotion to another and offers a promise of marriage. The custom of offering and exchanging engagement rings and wedding bands is a time honored tradition rich in symbolism and meaning that has been carried on for centuries.
As time has changed so have consumer traditions and buying patterns. The rich tradition of exchanging vows as a symbol of love and devotion is still a traditional time honored ritual practiced in many cultures. Certain aspects of engagement and marriage have changed with time however. Whereas in times of old a couple might take several outings together in search of the perfect engagement rings or wedding bands, in modern times more and more couples are buying engagement rings, wedding rings and wedding bands online.
Thanks to the internet and the resulting access to a global marketplace, couples are realizing they have more options available to them all from the comforts of their living room. Some couples are even going to the extreme, not only buying engagement rings, wedding rings and wedding bands online, but also purchasing wedding gowns, flowers and even participating in virtual marriages.
The Gracious Bride
August 1, 2008
The key to being a gracious bride is to be genuine, thoughtful and courteous if you can pull this off making sure you have a good time as well as everyone else the day should be memorable.
The mixture of personalities from crazy aunt Martha to your best friends new artist boyfriend and your husbands Architect boss make weddings difficult to pull off and wonderfully fun at the same time. So apart from turning into the 1950s hostess of charm how do you make it work.
Be yourself and don’t struggle to impress people, a party can be simple or elaborate but its graciousness is clearly reflected through its genuineness. Think of all the little things that make everyone comfortable. Leave your favorite scented soap in the guest’s room, a pitcher of lemonade and some home made cookies for the stressed out guest who has traveled miles to get to the venue. The more personal touches you add to the party the closer and more relaxed the guest will feel towards you, it will become more intimate rather than a formal affair.
