Feature Article #1

80 Ways to Show Your Love on Valentine’s Day Without Spending Money

These tips for saying “I love you” to your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day won’t have you spending more money than you can afford! A reader asked how to show his love to his new girlfriend on Valentine’s Day (on my Romantic Gift Ideas article), and I didn’t want to just give him expensive gift ideas.
Before the [...]

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen | January 6th, 2010 | Continued

Feature Article #2

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas – Romantic Ways to Say “I Love You”

Saying “I love you” on Valentine’s Day is easier than you think with these romantic gift ideas! Most of these tips for showing love on the most romantic day of the year are green or eco-friendly — which means you’ll be saying “I love you” to Mother Nature at the same time.
Before the tips, a quip:
“Grow old [...]

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen | January 28th, 2009 | Continued

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How to Lose Weight as a Couple – 6 Ways to Burn Fat Together!

These six weight loss tips for couples will help you slim down, tone up, and get to know your partner in a whole new way! My husband and I do Pilates, core fusion, and various exercise DVDs together. Not only are we learning more about each other’s bodies and personalities, we’re increasing our motivation to get and stay fit.

We’ve also found certain exercise DVDs to be a great way to lose weight as a couple. I’ve listed several of them here, in these tips for losing weight as a couple….

Before the tips, a quip:

“Gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign something is eating us.” ~ Peter De Vries.

Are you eating for emotional reasons? The first and possibly most important weight loss tip is to figure out why you eat when you’re not hungry. This involves improving your mind-body connection, which some types of exercise do. For instance, one of my favorite exercise DVDs incorporates yoga, dance, Pilates, cardio and strength training – all of which can strengthen your mind-body connection and help with weight loss. Click Fit in 5: Ultimate Body Blitz for more info, and read on for six fat burning tips for couples…

6 Tips for Helping Your Spouse Through Financial Difficulties

Credit card debt, steep mortgage loans, and large medical bills are financial difficulties that cause stress for married and common-law couples. These tips for helping your spouse through money problems can help strengthen your marriage – even in the worst of times.

Surprisingly, an overly supportive husband or wife can have a detrimental effect on a marriage or common-law relationship! A series of University of Iowa studies shows that too much support – or the wrong kind of support – can wreak havoc on a marriage.

These marriage tips are based on current research about husbands, wives, communication, and support. For more money tips for couples, click Love Marriage & Money: Understanding and Achieving Financial Compatibility Before–and After–You Say “I Do.” And, read on for six ways to cope with money problems in marriage.

Music Singles for Newly Single People – How to Feel Good After a Break Up

Have you just broken up with someone you love? These songs for singles may help you feel better… all the tunes below are reader suggestions from my The Best Songs for Broken Hearts – Music to Heal Heartache article – and these tips for music singles for new singles are more creative than my original songs for singles!

This comment is why I wanted to write this second article about heartbreak songs:

“Those are all good songs to break up by, but obviously, the person who wrote the above article, as well as the people commenting, are not into country music.” ~ C.

When I made my original list of songs for singles, I didn’t include country music, rap, or anything other than the run-of-the-mill rock ‘n roll and pop songs. But, that original list of music singles worked for some readers:

“Wow, it’s like you stole my mp3 player and posted the saddest songs,” said Chris. “This is a great list! My favorite would have to be Avril Lavigne’s “So Much for My Happy Ending.”

The following list of readers’ favorite breakup songs includes music that I never would’ve considered, including country and and bands I’ve never heard of! If you want to cry your heart out because of your breakup, click Sad Songs. And if you think there’s a chance you might get back together with your ex, you might find The Magic of Making Up helpful!!

5 Anti-Aging Foods and Proteins That Reduce Skin Problems

Here are different types of protein to help reduce problem skin and improve your overall appearance – and these anti-aging foods are delicious, too! These tips are endorsed by doctors or medical estheticians, including a dermatologist who wrote a book about improving aging skin.

“What you eat can clear your skin, firm your nails, and give you better looking hair,” says Dr John La Puma, author of Chef MD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine. “It’s amazing what the right foods can do.”

Never underestimate the importance of what you eat – certain foods can even improve your mood! For more info on eating the best foods for skin care, click Feed Your Skin, Starve Your Wrinkles: Eat Your Way to Firmer, More Beautiful Skin with the 100 Best Anti-Aging Foods. And, read on for several types of protein-laden foods that improve your natural beauty and appearance…

14 Unique, Creative Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for Him and Her

These tips for romance will have you celebrating February 14 like never before! Here, a relationship expert shares several creative and unique Valentine’s Day gift ideas – you’re sure to find a romantic way to say “I love you” here…

Before the tips, a quip:

“When you’re in love you never really know whether your elation comes from the qualities of the one you love, or if it attributes them to her; whether the light which surrounds her like a halo comes from you, from her, or from the meeting of your sparks.” ~ Natalie Clifford Barney

Expressing a romantic thought like that may not be a creative way to say “I love you” on Valentine’s Day, but a little traditional romance goes a long way! A more unique way to celebrate February 14 is to play a couple’s board game, such as Truth or Dare: A Game of Passion. Click the pink box for info, and read on for Michael Webb’s creative (yet inexpensive) ways to say “I love you.”

How to Make Conversation for Introverts – Tips for Small Talk

The art of making small talk can be baffling and even frightening for people with introverted personality traits! Here are six tips for making conversation for introverts (or anyone who finds small talk a pain in the tushie) – plus a bonus tip for making people like you.

Before the tips, a quip:

“In conversation avoid the extremes of forwardness and reserve.” ~ Marcus Porcius Cato “The Elder.”

When you’re making small talk, you don’t want to be too direct or “nosy” (which I tend to be), nor do you want to be too shy and retiring. The key to having a great conversation – whether you’re an introvert or not – is to strike a nice balance between being curious and being quiet. The tips below explain it better; for more info on being comfortable with people, click How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It’s a classic! And, read on for a few suggestions on making small talk for people with introverted personality traits

Top 10 Things to Do in Maui – Best Tips for Traveling in Hawaii

I just returned from two weeks on Maui, and I’m already planning my second vacation to this amazing island in Hawaii! This list of the best things to do in Maui includes some of my favorite activities… plus a few things I’m saving for my next trip to Maui.

Before the tips, a quip:

“The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience,” said Daniel J. Boorstin. “The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him.  He goes “sight-seeing.”

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” ~ Lin Yutang.

Perhaps, but the truth is I’d rather be at the Aston Maui Kaanapali Villas than in my own home! Two weeks isn’t long enough…but two months might be. If you’re traveling to Hawaii and need a guidebook, click Maui Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Snorkel, Paddle, Surf, Drive – it’s full of adventures! And, here are ten fun things to do in Maui…

10 Reasons to Stay at the Aston Maui Kaanapali Villas in Hawaii

My two week vacation in Maui was my best holiday trip ever – and I travel a lot! These ten reasons to stay at the Aston Maui Kaanapali Villas (which are vacation condo rentals) made it my “home away from home.”

Before the tips, a quip:

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” ~ Lin Yutang.

Perhaps, but the truth is I’d rather be at the Aston Maui Kaanapali Villas than in my own home. Two weeks isn’t long enough…but two months might be. If you’re going to Maui, click Top Maui Restaurants from Thrifty to Four Star: Indispensable Advice from Experts Who Live, Play and Eat on Maui. And, here are the ten best things about this vacation condo rental…

Why Couples Break Up – 10 Types of Relationship Problems

These ten reasons couples break up can help you avoid the relationship problems that lead to Splitsville and the pain of letting go of someone you love. Remember: all couples face relationship challenges, but not all problems lead to breaking up!

“It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages,” said Friedrich W. Nietzsche.

If you’re not treating your partner like a friend (with respect, love, generosity, honesty, acceptance, unselfishness, etc), then you’re weakening the foundation of your relationship. For tips for healthy love, click Communication Miracles for Couples: Easy and Effective Tools to Create More Love and Less Conflict. And, read on for ten types of relationship problems…

10 Tips for Romantic Honeymoon Getaways in Maui

After a stressful wedding, wouldn’t you love a romantic honeymoon to start your marriage off right? These ten ideas for a honeymoon getaway in Maui will give you and your new spouse something to remember forever…I’m staying at the Aston Maui Kaanapali Villas as I write this, and think Maui could be one of the most romantic destinations in the world!

Before the tips, a quip:

“I do want an expensive honeymoon,” said Arnold Bennett, in The Honeymoon. “Not because I’m extravagant, but because a honeymoon is a solemn, important thing … a symbol. And it ought to be done – well, adequately.”

When you’re planning your honeymoon, go behind “adequate.” Go for awesome (which doesn’t have to be expensive)! Click The Ultimate Guide to the World’s Best Wedding & Honeymoon Destinations to learn about romantic destinations besides Hawaii, and read on for ten ways to celebrate your new marriage in Maui…