Happy Halloween!!

Do you and your sweetie have plans for the spookiest day of the year? Will you be making spider cookies with chocolate wafer bodies and licorice legs? Will you be bobbing for apples? Will you don your masks, pretend you are a lot younger and hit your neighbors up for some candy?

Last year we posted on various Halloween costume ideas for couples. This year we are sharing our handy-dandy pumpkin carving tip. It won't change the world but it just might change your life. Watch, be amazed and learn.





Have fun!

Happy Couples, Happy Planet!

Labels: fun, holidays

posted by Heather and Dan @ 7:53 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Get engaged in politics

I love it! On this blog, we are always going on about reminding people not to think only about the Wedding (and the ring, and the dress, and the hair, and the...) and encourage them to think about that which we deem to be far more important: preparing for the marriage. Well, a site has come along that just may have beaten us at the lofty goals game. It's a site that is trying to Brides in America more engaged (get it?) in politics as we approach an election year.

BridesDecide says "When it comes to electing the 44th president, it's savvy women like us who are going to make history. That's why we created BridesDecide.com, a front-row ticket to the 2008 presidential election." Their mission statement says their goal is to motivate young engaged women and newlyweds to make educated decisions about their community through the political process. BridesDecide has bios of those running, women in the news and women's issues, surveys, opinion polls, discussion boards AND candidates' real wedding photos (they say the couldn't resist, and who could blame them!). Plus this site is a"sister site" to wedding planning biggies like The Knot and the WeddingChannel so even the most politically minded of brides can still plan her dream wedding.

I think this is a fantastic idea and is a not-so-subtle reminder to keep things in perspective for fabulous, intelligent, powerful women who happen to be engaged to be married. A wedding, as fantastic and important and romantic and exciting as it is, is a DAY. Your new president -with all his or her talents and shortcomings- will be around for FOUR YEARS!!

Think about it.

Happy Couples, Happy Planet!

posted by Heather and Dan @ 8:23 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

The old myth of sexual peak

It's a truism we've all heard: men peak sexually at 18 and women peak at 36. But it's a myth.

The myth comes from the Kinsey Report in the 1960s. What it actually measured was how many orgasms men and women were having. And 18 year-old boys masturbate a lot. So lots of orgasms.

On the other hand, 36-year old women tend to be in comfortable relationships that work for them, both in and out of bed. So they have more orgasms.

And guys, this is a good thing to know. The average woman finds sex better when she's been with the same guy for years!

via Vancouver Magazine

Labels: sex

posted by Heather and Dan @ 8:31 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

When friends and family give good advice

It's Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. We're thankful for a lot... but especially for our friends and family.

So here's a post about friends, family, and relationship advice.

A reader asks Ivret Williams for advice in the latest Jamaica Gleaner. She's left an abusive relationship and still has feelings for the guy, against the advice of friends and family.

Now, the reader's friends and family are right. And she should be taking their advice (even if it is only natural that she still has strong feelings for her ex).

So when should you take their advice?

Friends and family are a really good barometer. If your lover/fiancee/date can't get along with them, you should pay attention. If you've broken up with someone and everyone is relieved, that's a really good sign that you made the right decision.

All of this assumes your friends and family are themselves good at what they are giving advice about. Take advice from the good role models in your life, in other words!

For instance, the second reader in Ms. Williams column shouldn't be asking her parents (especially Dad) for advice on how to have a great relationship.

Bear in mind, of course, that friends and family are often reluctant to tell the truth... they might be putting their foot in their mouth if you go ahead with the wedding!

Happy Couples, Happy Planet!

Labels: love, relationships

posted by Heather and Dan @ 9:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Nothing says lovin' like something from the oven

Ok , I realize that title makes me sound a bit like Paula Deen from the Food Network (not that that is at all a bad thing...and I mean that from my heart to yurs!), but it's true.

Sometimes having someone cook you a lovely meal can be just as wonderful as having them give you a gift...especially after a hard day, or if you have something to celebrate. And making a fabulous meal has gotten even easier with the rising popularity of a really neat little site called Rouxbe.com (pronounced "roo-bee"). You might want to check it out for inspiration.

It's an online video cooking instruction that is nicely shot and clearly presented. It seems like a great resource for Foodies and Wanna-bes that could be accessed from a laptop, right there in your kitchen on your own schedule. Cool!

For a bit of couple-time, why not to head into the kitchen together. If this is a new activity for you as a pair, my suggestion would be to decide who is head chef and who is sous chef BEFORE you being cooking. Trust me, it will work better that way!

Now, if you and your Sweetie are already a couple of fancy pants-es in the kitchen, you can post yourselves in action (keep it clean folks this is a family show) at imcooked.com. There you can share your recipes and your culinary talents with the rest of the world. AND, at imcooked.com you can even watch celebrities showing their stuff in the kitchen. Wanna see Paul McCartney making mashed potatoes? Who doesn't?

Happy Couples, Happy Planet!

Labels: recommended, romance

posted by Heather and Dan @ 9:57 PM 0 Comments Links to this post