When you reach a certain age and you still haven’t had a real relationship, it can be tempting to throw your hands up in the air and be done with it.

You put so much time and effort into finding the right person it’s starting to feel like a full-time job, so why have you still not found them?

You’re doing all of the things you’re supposed to be doing. That includes swiping right on Tinder, going on dates, meeting all kinds of people, but it’s still not going anywhere.

All of your efforts appear to be pointless and you’re starting to wonder if you should give up on love. That would be a disservice to yourself. Here’s why you shouldn’t lose hope of being in a real relationship.

There’s no timeframe

There is no timeframe for your first real relationship. In life, everyone moves at different paces. Don’t compare your own progress to someone else’s.

It really doesn’t matter if you’re in your twenties or your thirties and you still haven’t had a relationship or fallen in love yet. And it’s not something you should feel embarrassed about either.

You may feel like you’re running out of time, and everyone around you seems to be in happy relationships, but it’s not true.

You’re ready for love right now, but sometimes you have to wait, otherwise, if you rush into something you will come to regret it.

Just because you haven’t found it yet, it doesn’t mean you’ll never have it. It might sound like a cliché, but love can enter your life at any time. There’s never a right time or a wrong time to fall in love. It just happens. And then it’s up to you to decide what happens next.

Love comes in all forms

Romantic love isn’t the only kind of love you should be looking for. When you limit yourself to just one type of love and you’re not able to find it, that’s when you start feeling disappointment.

However, all kinds of love fill you up. The love from your friends, family, even your pets can make you feel good. You may not always realize it, but their love is just as beneficial as the love you’d receive from a partner.

Love isn’t just about physical intimacy. It’s about caring for someone and them caring about you. It’s important that you show that you care because that’s how you form a connection.

Don’t shut them out – you need them as much as they need you. You have to open up your heart to them. How else will you know how to love?

Restricting your definition of love to just romantic love will cause you to lose hope. Keep your mind and your heart open.

Searching is part of the journey

It’s unlikely that you will meet the love of your life after just one date. Sometimes the search can feel exhausting and tiresome, but it’s worth it. So many other good things can come out of it.

While you’re searching, you will be introduced to different kinds of people. These people will be from all kinds of backgrounds with unique personalities.

The more people you meet, the more you will understand what you want out of a partner and a relationship. You will also learn a lot about yourself; the kind of person you are and what you are looking for.

After some time, when the search doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, you might feel like calling it quits. While it’s true that sometimes love finds you when you’re not looking for it, you still have to make an effort. You can’t sit back and expect everything to fall in place, as it’s not always that easy.

Searching for love isn’t a waste of time. Every rejection, every “almost relationship” is leading you to find the right person.

The past is the past

A bad experience, or a few bad experiences, shouldn’t hinder you from looking for love.

Perhaps you thought that you found “the one” but it didn’t work out and now you are worried that you’ll never be able to find anything that will compare.

Except, you need to let that go and focus on the future. When you stop feeling negative about love, that’s when you can open yourself up to better opportunities.

It’s hard to stay optimistic when you haven’t had a real relationship yet, but try and look at it from a different angle.

The next person you meet, whether it’s accidentally or through a dating app, could be the one you fall deeply in love with. Life is unpredictable in that sense – you don’t know what’s around the corner.

There’s no rush

If you want to take a break from going on dates and socializing, then don’t feel guilty about it. It doesn’t mean that you’re starting to give up, it’s giving you some much needed time to rest and think about what you want. After all, it’s not a good idea to be in a relationship if you’re not sure exactly what you want out of it.

When dating is making you feel miserable and you’re not really enjoying it, that’s a sign that you should take a step back and focus on other aspects of your life.

It doesn’t have to be a long break, but just enough time for you to relax and get in a better frame of mind.
You need to stay positive

Saying things along the lines of “I’ll never find anyone” and “I might just give up” will close you off to the idea of finding love. You’ll start feeling negative about every person you meet, as you’ve already concluded that it’s probably not going to work out.

This negative outlook isn’t fair to you, or anyone else who is trying to get close to you, and it’s actually holding you back from finding a real relationship.

Even though you may not feel it right now, try and get excited about meeting someone and falling in love, because it will definitely make the search a whole lot easier.

It’s worth it

Why would you consider giving up on something that can benefit your life in so many ways? Of course, you don’t need to be in a relationship to experience happiness and security, but it can give you so much more than that.

Love is about sharing experiences, as well as sharing your heart with someone else. It is scary taking a chance on someone because you don’t know if it will last, but it’s worth taking that risk to experience feelings that you didn’t even know you could feel.

Let’s be honest, most of us want to find love and we want it to stick around for as long as possible.

Not every relationship will work out, and not every person we meet will fill us with love and desire, but you know that it’s possible for you to feel something for someone.

You are capable of finding love, and if you put in the effort, there’s no reason why you should lose hope of being in a real relationship.

Infidelity

A worthy inclusion, infidelity, or cheating, is a definite deal breaker. Seeing your man with another person is heartbreaking, and the man seeing you cheat on him is equally devastating. The main reasons to break up are distrust and near-impossible forgiveness.

Relationships rarely work out due to those reasons. Therefore, cut your boyfriend or husband loose if this occurs. You deserve better. If the man is cheating with your friend, dump your friend too.

Cheating thoughts discuss fantasizing about sex with anyone but the boyfriend or husband. While not acting on impulse, thoughts are similar to infidelity. If you wish you were with someone else, end the relationship now. When you think about having sex with someone else, it will eventually turn into a reality, and that hurts everyone involved.

Betrayal

Cheating fits into this category too, but we are talking about different types of betrayal. The main reasons to break up over betrayal include spilling secrets, lying, and gossiping. No one likes being oblivious.

No one likes family, friends, and co-workers knowing about personal or relationship-related secrets. Lastly, no one likes hurtful conversations discussed behind your back. This ruins all three situations.

Abuse

Physical and mental abuse are very good reasons to break up the relationship. The relationship vibe is already toxic and no amount of begging or wishing will change it. The person can care less about your feelings or cooperation and won’t change due to it.

You can’t heal if you remain. Therefore, cut the cord. A chance for happiness is only possible when you say no and leave the relationship. This legitimate excuse works for boyfriends, husbands, and male/female friends.

Arguments

It’s understandable when two people can’t see eye-to-eye on everything. Arguments occur because differing viewpoints respond to the same situation. In time, the arguments should lessen and understanding should replace it.

Not all relationships reach that point. If the arguing worsens or is never-ending, it is a deal breaker, especially in long-term relationships. Continued arguments turn stressful and draining for physical and mental health to endure.

An argument where there’s a one-upmanship point system is another reason to abandon the relationship. Those arguments become a contest, and when mudslinging gets in the way, no one wins.

Distance

Distance can turn into reasons to break up all three relationships. The constant worry of whether the boyfriend/husband is faithful becomes too much for any relationship to survive. A friend moving away is tough because that’s one less association.

Besides, it’s hard to endure a relationship where one person resides in a different city, state, country, or continent. With social media becoming second nature in our lives, it’s not enough to save any distant relationship. The same is true for friends: social media chats isn’t the same as hanging in person.

Intuition

If the reasons to break up include knowing in your gut the relationship won’t last, it’s a great reason to end it. While the significant other doesn’t understand, you do. As a result, staying in a failing relationship becomes a chore.

Relationships overstaying its welcome are draining. Believers are holding out for a solution by forcing themselves to remain in a doomed relationship. The resolution never came and (to their shock) it will never come.

Regardless, the situations insinuate the relationship is over, so cut out boyfriends, husbands, and male/female friends who encourage those behaviors.

All the wrong reasons

Explain to yourself “why is this man your boyfriend or husband?” Unacceptable reasons to break up are “I don’t want to remain single,” “My family/friends like them,” “I don’t know,” and “It’s a business arrangement.”

Wealth and sex are additional unacceptable reasons. The answers must be more concrete. His personality and his hobbies should stand out more than those excuses. If it doesn’t, it is time to bail.

This fits with friends as well. Why are you with this person? The answer must have a meaning. If you can’t name a single reason, cut this person out. If you can’t answer the question with no other phrase besides ‘school friends,’ maybe it is time to get new friends.

Generosity

When one party gives and the other party takes, it won’t last. A person will take so much before they reach their limit. The person who won’t give in is selfish; the excessive giver is generous.

Nonetheless, generosity and selfishness mix like oil and vinegar. The draining and time-consuming relationship consists of one person who doesn’t show gratitude in return.

Unfortunately, this situation isn’t fixable. Consequently, it ruins friendships, couples, and marriages. Therefore, generosity is one of many valid reasons to break up with the users who take advantage of kindness.

For relationships failing in a different category, does it mean you or the person possess a diva-like attitude? The answer depends on how serious you or the person is about the issue.

Sometimes the reasons to break up are petty ones in the significant other’s eyes, and sometimes it isn’t. Nonetheless, it is serious to you and the husband or boyfriend must respect it. Treat it as a serious issue and work through this dilemma.

Moreover, you must respect their serious issues in return. In fact, these aforementioned reasons speak to men too. If men suspect these reasons in you, they won’t stay.

In conclusion, these reasons to break up a relationship top most relationship endings. You should hold your head high in hopes a worthy match will arrive. Everyone deserves happiness from someone, so never settle for less.

What are your reasons to break up with your boyfriend? Is the breakup justifiable? Comment below and let our readers decide if the breakup is reasonable or harsh. After commenting, share this information on all social media accounts to display breakup awareness.

Even if you don’t comment, sharing this information on social media will benefit somebody. We only hope that you take a good look at yourself, the significant other, and the relationship objectively before applying one of these heartbreaking reasons to break up.

All things that, if someone were to try and wreck what we have, we would essentially lose everything. Everything we worked so hard for. And that’s why jealousy can eat away at a person and more importantly, at a marriage.

At first, we think that our jealousy will somehow guard us from trouble before it happens, but in most cases, it’s the opposite and it no longer becomes another person ruining things, it’s you.

So, to avoid all that and continue living on in marital bliss, follow these five must-know tips for overcoming jealousy in marriage.

1) Allow yourself to feel secure in your relationship

One of the reasons why jealousy is so common in relationships is due to a lack of security. Think about it, without a rock on our finger or the promise of commitment, we assume that someone else could sweep in easily and destroy what we have.

Thoughts like: What if he finds someone better; Does he flirt with that pretty girl at work?; Would he ever cheat on me? come to mind. But, if your married, you need to take advantage of the extra security you have by allowing yourself to actually feel secure in your relationship.

Your husband picked you, out of everyone else; he made vows to you. Worrying about that cute, new twenty-something secretary or that barista at Starbucks who flirted with him, probably just to get tips, is just a waste of your time.

Sure, you may feel a little bit jealous, but when you allow it to eat away at you and your relationship, that’s when you have a problem. So allow yourself to feel secure in the fact that you’re married and should trust your partner or husband who made vows to stick by your side ‘til death do you part.

2) Don’t play games

Straight up, games are immature. And immature people usually aren’t the ones who are married—they’re usually the ones who are waiting five hours to text their boyfriend back because they’re mad at him, or they’re the f*ckboys who have at least seven different side chicks for every day of the week.

If you’re married, then it essentially means that you were mature enough to commit yourself to one person for the rest of your life, and this is where the games should end.

It won’t make you look great if you’re taking hours to reply to your husband’s text, especially when it could be about something important, or if you get a little too drunk and flirt with his boss at the office Christmas party, and all because you didn’t like the way that co-worker was looking at him, and you wanted to make your husband jealous.

Leave the games for the kids and cut the drama already. If you’re having issues, take the mature approach and be open and honest about how you feel. Don’t skirt around your feelings. You may be surprised to find that he had no idea you were feeling this way. And, if he’s mature also, he’ll do whatever it takes to remedy the situation.

If you search the web for ideas, you might find people who tell you to write him ‘open when’ letters and give you tons of DIY things to create. Sure, he’ll think they’re cute initially but shortly after, he’ll wonder exactly why you decided to gift him with it.

If you want to give your man a romantic gift that he’ll definitely like, check out our list below!

Romantic gifts for boyfriend #1: Picture

For the simplest and possibly the easiest gift you could give your boyfriend, gift him with a couple picture! Not only is it inexpensive if you’re on a major budget, but it’s still sweet and sentimental.

You and your boyfriend might be the type to slay a photo shoot, or you might have a cute, spontaneous shot from an event you attended together. Whichever couple you are, he would definitely appreciate a picture of him and his favorite girl.

The simplicity of this gift also enhances the number of places he can put the picture. He could place it on his bedside table or he could put in on the mantle in his living room. If he wants to show you off to his coworkers, it will work perfectly on his work desk.

Romantic gifts for boyfriend #2: Boxers

If you’ve ever seen a Calvin Klein ad, you’ll know why buying him boxers could be the best gift. One, it’ll definitely be something that he needs, and two, it will be something that you’ll appreciate seeing him wear. Now that you’ve bought him the boxers, you can control when they get to come off!

Romantic gifts for boyfriend #3: Breakfast in bed

Everyone knows the best way to start off the morning, and after that, you might gift him with a little breakfast in bed. Not only will it be sensual and romantic, but you both can replenish your energy!

You could also go simple like in this picture. Croissants, fruit, and a little champagne can go a long way. If you want to put a little more work into it, check out this perfect breakfast in bed recipe below.

Red Velvet Pancakes (Courtesy of the Food Network)

To surprise your boyfriend with a delicious breakfast, you can try making him red velvet pancakes, and the whole process will only take a half an hour!

You’ll first start by whisking cream cheese (4 oz.), sour cream (1/4 cup), milk (3 Tbsp.), and icing sugar (2 Tbsp.) into a bowl.

Then sift flour (2 cups), cocoa powder (1 Tbsp.), baking soda (1/2 Tsp.), baking powder (1/2 Tsp.), and salt (1/2 Tsp.) into another bowl. You’ll then beat two eggs and granulated sugar (3/4 cup) together before adding in the buttermilk (1 ¼ cups), melted butter (1/2 cup), food coloring (2 Tsp.), vanilla (1 Tsp.), and apple cider vinegar (1 Tsp.).

After this, you can add this mixture to the flour mixture and then you’re ready to make your pancakes. Proceed by lightly coating the nonstick pan with butter and then pour your batter in for your desired size and shape. When you’re finished making your pancakes, you can drizzle them with the cream cheese mixture you made in the first step!

Romantic gifts for boyfriend #4: Dinner

The later companion to breakfast in bed, you can always gift your boyfriend with a romantic dinner. If you want to set the mood, you can always light a few candles, put on a little background music, and bring out the wine glasses.

For some of the best dinner wines, go with light red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon or a crisp white wine like Sauvignon Blanc. If you’d rather enjoy your wine with dessert, you can always opt for dessert wines like Moscato or Riesling.

Before you get to dessert, you might want to focus on the actual meal. For some romantic dinner ideas, keep your eyes peeled out for our tips on the best romantic dinners to make for your boyfriend.

Romantic gifts for boyfriend #5: Massage

Why not start off a sexy and sensual night with a massage? Instead of sending your boyfriend to get a massage at a spa, this time you’ll be playing the masseuse. Not only will this give your man a chance to relax, but it’ll give you a little personal time to get closer. Similar to setting the mood for dinner, you can start this gift by placing some rose petals around the room and you can’t forget about the candles.

For this carnal massage, candles will work in more ways than you think. Not only can you use them for the perfect lighting, but some candles have more than one use! Brands like Lelo have their own candles that turn to body oil when melted, and you definitely can’t skip out on that for this gift!

Romantic gifts for boyfriend #6: Sexy cookbook

You might like to cook and your man might like to eat. Or you might like to eat and your man might love to cook. Whichever situation it is, gifting your boyfriend with a sexy cookbook is something you should definitely consider. While there are great cookbooks out there about “cooking yourself sexy,” that’s not the idea we’re going for.

There are a few sexy cookbooks out there where they’ll open up the world of food to you and your boyfriend. Whether they’re showing you the best aphrodisiacs or playful ways to keep it spicy in the kitchen, this is one gift your boyfriend can appreciate…or even eat off of you!

Romantic gifts for boyfriend #7: Sexy subscription box

You’ve probably heard of subscription boxes for beauty products and even perfume, but have you heard of sexy subscription boxes? Instead of gifting your boyfriend with a subscription for cologne, try gifting him with an adult box.

Subscriptions like The Fantasy Box are crafted for couples to use together. While many of these boxes will come with body oils and blindfolds, many of them are catered towards women. If you can’t find the perfect one for him or both of you, you can always gift him with being able to use the products on you.

Romantic gifts for boyfriend #8: Vacation

If your man is a hard worker, you can definitely add a vacation to the list of gifts. You might decide to take him on a regular trip or to a romantic city or resort. Regardless of the locale, you can always make it a romantic situation in the room. There’s something about hotels and resorts that make couples extra frisky, so you can definitely take advantage of that feeling for a few days!

When it comes to romantic gifts for women, a lot of the time we’re easier to search for. Many of us are happy with a beautiful bouquet of roses or even a simple box of chocolate. Men aren’t as easy as us!

If you search the web for ideas, you might find people who tell you to write him ‘open when’ letters and give you tons of DIY things to create. Sure, he’ll think they’re cute initially but shortly after, he’ll wonder exactly why you decided to gift him with it.

If you want to give your man a romantic gift that he’ll definitely like, check out our list below!

Romantic gifts for boyfriend #1: Picture

For the simplest and possibly the easiest gift you could give your boyfriend, gift him with a couple picture! Not only is it inexpensive if you’re on a major budget, but it’s still sweet and sentimental.

You and your boyfriend might be the type to slay a photo shoot, or you might have a cute, spontaneous shot from an event you attended together. Whichever couple you are, he would definitely appreciate a picture of him and his favorite girl.

The simplicity of this gift also enhances the number of places he can put the picture. He could place it on his bedside table or he could put in on the mantle in his living room. If he wants to show you off to his coworkers, it will work perfectly on his work desk.

Romantic gifts for boyfriend #2: Boxers

If you’ve ever seen a Calvin Klein ad, you’ll know why buying him boxers could be the best gift. One, it’ll definitely be something that he needs, and two, it will be something that you’ll appreciate seeing him wear. Now that you’ve bought him the boxers, you can control when they get to come off!

Romantic gifts for boyfriend #3: Breakfast in bed

Everyone knows the best way to start off the morning, and after that, you might gift him with a little breakfast in bed. Not only will it be sensual and romantic, but you both can replenish your energy!

You could also go simple like in this picture. Croissants, fruit, and a little champagne can go a long way. If you want to put a little more work into it, check out this perfect breakfast in bed recipe below.

Red Velvet Pancakes (Courtesy of the Food Network)

To surprise your boyfriend with a delicious breakfast, you can try making him red velvet pancakes, and the whole process will only take a half an hour!

You’ll first start by whisking cream cheese (4 oz.), sour cream (1/4 cup), milk (3 Tbsp.), and icing sugar (2 Tbsp.) into a bowl.

Then sift flour (2 cups), cocoa powder (1 Tbsp.), baking soda (1/2 Tsp.), baking powder (1/2 Tsp.), and salt (1/2 Tsp.) into another bowl. You’ll then beat two eggs and granulated sugar (3/4 cup) together before adding in the buttermilk (1 ¼ cups), melted butter (1/2 cup), food coloring (2 Tsp.), vanilla (1 Tsp.), and apple cider vinegar (1 Tsp.).

After this, you can add this mixture to the flour mixture and then you’re ready to make your pancakes. Proceed by lightly coating the nonstick pan with butter and then pour your batter in for your desired size and shape. When you’re finished making your pancakes, you can drizzle them with the cream cheese mixture you made in the first step!

Romantic gifts for boyfriend #4: Dinner

The later companion to breakfast in bed, you can always gift your boyfriend with a romantic dinner. If you want to set the mood, you can always light a few candles, put on a little background music, and bring out the wine glasses.

For some of the best dinner wines, go with light red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon or a crisp white wine like Sauvignon Blanc. If you’d rather enjoy your wine with dessert, you can always opt for dessert wines like Moscato or Riesling.

Before you get to dessert, you might want to focus on the actual meal. For some romantic dinner ideas, keep your eyes peeled out for our tips on the best romantic dinners to make for your boyfriend.

Romantic gifts for boyfriend #5: Massage

Why not start off a sexy and sensual night with a massage? Instead of sending your boyfriend to get a massage at a spa, this time you’ll be playing the masseuse. Not only will this give your man a chance to relax, but it’ll give you a little personal time to get closer. Similar to setting the mood for dinner, you can start this gift by placing some rose petals around the room and you can’t forget about the candles.

For this carnal massage, candles will work in more ways than you think. Not only can you use them for the perfect lighting, but some candles have more than one use! Brands like Lelo have their own candles that turn to body oil when melted, and you definitely can’t skip out on that for this gift!

Romantic gifts for boyfriend #6: Sexy cookbook

You might like to cook and your man might like to eat. Or you might like to eat and your man might love to cook. Whichever situation it is, gifting your boyfriend with a sexy cookbook is something you should definitely consider. While there are great cookbooks out there about “cooking yourself sexy,” that’s not the idea we’re going for.

There are a few sexy cookbooks out there where they’ll open up the world of food to you and your boyfriend. Whether they’re showing you the best aphrodisiacs or playful ways to keep it spicy in the kitchen, this is one gift your boyfriend can appreciate…or even eat off of you!

Romantic gifts for boyfriend #7: Sexy subscription box

You’ve probably heard of subscription boxes for beauty products and even perfume, but have you heard of sexy subscription boxes? Instead of gifting your boyfriend with a subscription for cologne, try gifting him with an adult box.

Subscriptions like The Fantasy Box are crafted for couples to use together. While many of these boxes will come with body oils and blindfolds, many of them are catered towards women. If you can’t find the perfect one for him or both of you, you can always gift him with being able to use the products on you.

Romantic gifts for boyfriend #8: Vacation

If your man is a hard worker, you can definitely add a vacation to the list of gifts. You might decide to take him on a regular trip or to a romantic city or resort. Regardless of the locale, you can always make it a romantic situation in the room. There’s something about hotels and resorts that make couples extra frisky, so you can definitely take advantage of that feeling for a few days!

Although pregnancy is a beautiful thing, you might not always think you look that way. Your changing body might have you feeling cautious and insecure, but you should only feel sexy while pregnant!

If you’re looking for ways to embrace your body as you welcome a new life into your world, it’s definitely possible if you follow these tips!

Choose soft fabrics

photo via pinterest.com

If you’re going for a softer and romantic look while pregnant, choosing soft fabrics are definitely the way to go. Not only do they look flirty, but they’ll help you feel that way! When choosing softer fabrics, materials like silk, lace, and satin will leave you feeling beautiful and sexy while pregnant.

While these fabrics are beautiful and soft to the touch, they also have the benefit of not restricting your stomach. You might hope to still rock those daring bandage dresses, but it’s best to keep your clothes comfortable and breathable!

Don’t be afraid to show off the bump

During their terms, many mothers choose to hide their bumps with larger shirts and dresses, but showing off your bump doesn’t mean you can’t be sexy while pregnant!

If anything, dressing your body in larger and loose-fitting clothes can often make you appear larger than you’d like. One thing that many women dread is having to purchase a whole new wardrobe for a few short months. This isn’t always the case!

The perfect way to show off your bump is with clothes you already own. Toss those tight shirts to the side until after your pregnancy, but keep your loose-fitting and stretchy tops at the front of your closet. You’ll know the perfect fit when you see (and feel) it. Your bump will be proudly on display without feeling constricting.

Although you shouldn’t be afraid to show off your bump, make sure it’s underneath your clothes! You might want to sunbathe for a few minutes, and if you’re enjoying yourself out by the pool, it’s okay to spend some time giving your bare stomach a little bronzing. It’s not recommended to walk around with your bare stomach out, so keep that bump covered as often as possible!

Don’t sacrifice your old style

photo via pinterest.com

One thing many women feel the need to do is to sacrifice their style when they become pregnant, but you don’t have to! While there might be some styles out there that some would think “inappropriate” on an expecting mother, who are they to stop you from feeling sexy while pregnant!

When you’re expecting, certain clothes and shoes might not feel comfortable after some time, but if they are comfortable for you, feel free to wear it! If you’re a fan of dresses with over the knee boots, don’t feel as if you can’t wear them!

Heels are a staple in many women’s closets, and you might still want to strut around in them while you’re pregnant. As long as you’re comfortable, strut away!

Flats are your friend

photo via pinterest.com

If you’re a fan of heels and boots like me, you might find yourself hating the prospect of wearing flats. While flats can sometimes look boring, they are a better (and safer) alternative to walking around in heels. For those who want to look sexy while pregnant, they might feel as if they need their sky high heels to accomplish this, but that’s not true!

One of the main side effects of being pregnant is swollen feet and ankles. Instead of trying to force on a pair of heels or boots, flats can be comfortable and stylish! While ballet flats seem bland to me, you can always spice up the style with shoes that carry a sort of design.

Invest in maternity jeans

photo via pinterest.com

While you’re pregnant, you might notice the biggest change in your body will be your waist size! While you might be able to wear your favorite tops and dresses, you’ll notice that you’ll be saying goodbye to your favorite jeans for a few months, but don’t say goodbye to jeans completely!

It might be more comfortable to spend the latter half of your term in leggings and sweatpants, but let’s face it. If you have a nice bum and shapely legs, the perfect pair of jeans will enhance them! This is why you’ll need maternity jeans if you want to keep looking sexy while pregnant.

You’ll only be pregnant for a few months, so don’t go overboard with how many you buy. Stick to the basics and choose a light denim, dark denim, black, and white pair! Keep these on rotation and you’ll be set for your term!

Keep your form fitting dresses

photo via pinterest.com

Like we said earlier, don’t be afraid to show off the bump! While this might tempt you to wear your favorite tight clothes or dresses, that’s not what we mean! Form-fitting and tight are two completely different things!

As we mentioned previously, you don’t want to wear anything that will constrict your stomach. Day dresses made of soft cotton fall perfectly into the wardrobe of a woman who is looking to feel sexy while pregnant. The material will let you and your bump breathe while the fit will show off your figure.

Keep yourself pampered

photo via pinterest.com

As you get further into your pregnancy, you might be tired of tossing and turning around at night trying to find a comfortable position. You might feel tired and even look tired, and this might diminish the glow you’ve grown accustomed to throughout your pregnancy.

For those women who need a boost, an amazing way return to feeling sexy while pregnant is to get pampered! Schedule a mani/pedi! Sign up for a spa treatment where you can get a much-needed massage!

While the saying might state that when you look good, you feel good, but in this case, feeling good is the first step you re-embracing that glow!

Wear lingerie

photo via pinterest.com

Throughout your trimesters, you might be saying goodbye to your lingerie, but that would be a big mistake! Before you settle on a uniform of sweats and pajamas, wearing lingerie is a quick way to feel sexy while pregnant!

Similar to our first tip of wearing softer fabrics, lingerie is perfectly made for this! Most of them are made with silks, satin, and lace, so you’ll feel sexy and feminine.

When you’re pregnant and welcoming a new life into your world, you shouldn’t feel discouraged by your changing body. Of course, your body is meant to go through changes like gaining weight and inches, but this doesn’t and shouldn’t stop you from feeling sexy!

But let’s face it, those evenings are few and far between and they can be super expensive… and sometimes the food is not that great.

Why not host your boyfriend for a date night in? You might be super nervous about this since you might be the furthest thing from a domestic goddess that there is.

But there’s no reason to fear this. Here’s how to plan a romantic dinner at home.

1) Make your boyfriend’s favorite food

Does your guy love pizza? Spaghetti? Chicken pot pie? Think about what his favorite food is and what he loves to eat the most, and make sure that’s what you plan the menu around.

After all, while this evening is about hanging out together and it’s not all about the food, let’s be real here: it really is about the food for the most part.

For the longest time, people have said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and whether or not you believe doesn’t really matter that much.

The truth is that guys love to eat… and they love to eat a lot. If you make your BF’s favorite meal, he’s going to remember this evening forever, and he’s going to really appreciate that you took the time to do something so nice for him. It will go over super well.

2) Take a few short-cuts

Some people are totally comfortable in the kitchen… and others? Not so much. If you’re more of a take-out pizza kind of girl than someone who cooks up a storm on a regular basis, then don’t worry. You can still figure out how to plan a romantic dinner at home.

In fact, you can make your boyfriend think that you’re a hero in the kitchen. He will never know the difference. Don’t think so? Consider this: you can take a few short-cuts.

As long as you’re smart about it and don’t make it super obvious that you didn’t do everything yourself, you can still pull off a super romantic and stellar evening.

If you’re making chicken pot pie, for example, you could use store-bought or frozen crust and make the chicken and the filling. He will seriously never be able to tell, so don’t feel guilty for wanting to make that dough from scratch.

Not everyone is Martha Stewart. You can also buy a bagged, pre-washed salad, make a quick salad dressing with balsamic dressing and olive oil and some honey, and buy some good quality bread from a local bakery. Perfection.

3) Make a unique cocktail

Your boyfriend may be more of a beer-loving dude than a cocktail fan, like most guys, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get creative and have some fun.

Choose a classic cocktail or something that you love and then riff on it. Add some fruit or herbs or swap honey or maple syrup for a simple syrup made of white sugar.

Your boyfriend will definitely love that you got in touch with your creative side and he will appreciate that you’re showing how much you love him.

This might even become a weekend ritual for you guys and maybe you will always make your own cocktails. Sounds super fun, right?

4) Set the mood

You want a super sweet and romantic mood, so if you’re wondering how to plan a romantic dinner at home, then make sure that you’re thinking about the setting.

Play some classic musical or something a bit more melodic and calm than the music that you typically listen to, even if it feels a bit strange at first. Soon you will love listening to something different than what you usually do.

You can also do some mood lighting and not have all the bright lights in your apartment on. You don’t have to get super dolled and dressed up if you’re not into looking fancy and if your boyfriend is more of a casual dresser.

Don’t worry about that. As long as you’re not sitting under super bright lights, you should be all good in terms of a romantic mood.

5) Have an activity planned

If you just put dinner on the table, that’s okay… but it’s not an epic romantic evening, and it might leave your BF wondering what else you have up your sleeve. It’s a good idea to have an activity planned.

If your boyfriend is a bit on the nerdier (and adorable) side, then maybe you want to play a board game whether it’s something new and trendy or something vintage and from his childhood.

You can also watch a movie if there’s something that you’ve both been wanting to see for a while,

6) Don’t forget the sweet stuff

Maybe you love baking and it’s something that really relaxes you, or maybe you haven’t made a sweet treat since you were a kid making chocolate chip cookies with your mom or grandma.

If you love baking, then embrace it and make something for your boyfriend. You definitely don’t want to forget dessert.

Just make sure that it fits with the meal that you made. If you made something super rich, you might not want to make a super dense and moist double chocolate cake with a billion eggs and way too much sugar.

It will be delicious… but a bit too much. You can totally make some simple cookies and serve them with ice cream and strawberries, or you can make a blueberry pie using a store-bought crust. No shame there.

7) Remember the entire point

At the end of the day, you’re hosting a romantic dinner at home to show your boyfriend how much you care about him. He’s a super important part of your life and you really want him to be aware of that (even though hopefully he already knows). A long-term relationship is all about super sweet gestures like these.

Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good, as the popular saying goes. If you try too hard to make the evening perfect, you might end up having the worst time ever, and that’s not what you want.

Calm down, breathe, and remember the point: spending time with the person that you love most in the world. It’s always the thought that counts, and when it comes to hosting a romantic dinner at home, that’s the secret.

8) Get nostalgic

Why not add something to the evening that has something to do with your very first date? It’s great to get nostalgic and sometimes that’s what you need to keep the love and romance alive in a long-term relationship.

It’s easy to get lost in the everyday details of spending your life with someone, but you should never forget how you guys started.

If you ordered a certain appetizer or dessert on your first date, you can serve that. You can also buy a brand of beer that he ordered or even try to recreate the conversation that you guys had.

Take a trip down memory lane and you will both have so much fun, you will wonder why you don’t get nostalgic on a more regular basis.

9) Show him how much you care

If you’re wondering how to plan a romantic dinner at home, you have to also get romantic. And that usually involves some sort of touching and getting close to each other.

Sure, good conversation and good food is an important part of a date night, but without physical intimacy, you don’t have a great relationship going on.

Cuddle with your boyfriend on the couch after dinner and talk, or watch a movie, or start an old-school make-out session (you know, the kind of make-outs you had when you first started dating… oh, the good old days). Your boyfriend will be thrilled and you will have a great time too.

You may be nervous about cooking for your boyfriend or making sure that everyone goes off without a hitch.

But if you follow these 9 steps, your date night is sure to be a total and complete success. Who knows? You just might want to plan a romantic dinner at home every single weekend.

In the beginning of a relationship we’re fascinated by the new person in our life and just scoring a date with him is like winning the lottery.

After some time going to the movies, AGAIN, doesn’t seem all that breathtaking. And if your boyfriend isn’t the most imaginative type you can fall into habits that are far from exciting. In this article, I give you some ideas for how to spice up your relationship again and make things more interesting!

Date nights

We all want our boyfriends to come up with the ultimate date night. Unfortunately, they aren’t always super imaginative and what they consider a great date night isn’t necessarily what you consider a great date night.

The first thing to do is to have a chat about date nights – what you both consider romantic, as well as things you think would be fun to explore together, be it hiking, or going to a museum. If you don’t know what you like it’s hard to create dates around it.

Secondly, you can start alternating with who comes up with what to do for the date.

Day-to-day life can make it hard to go on elaborate dates, so most weeks you might opt for dinner at home, a restaurant, or a movie, but decide that once every other week, or once a month one of you comes up with something more lavish, be it a weekend away, a fun activity in the city, or something very special at home, like a spa night where you pamper each other, or one of you gets pampered by the other.

If you want you can also create a date night jar where you put ideas for date nights that you then pull at random, or you have one jar each and pull from each other.

Growing together

If you’re thinking “my boyfriend is boring” then it might also be because you’ve grown stagnant as a couple. Things that grow stagnant die. To prevent this from happening you need to grow as a couple, learn together, and/or experience new things together. Below I’ve broken it down to give you some ideas!

Learning together

When you learn you grow and develop, which leaves you feeling fulfilled. When you learn something you’re interested in you’re also doing something you enjoy, which means you’re happy. Being happy together is important, as is growing together.

Have a little chat and find out if there’s something you’d like to learn together. For example, you might be dreaming of going on a trip to France together and could do a course in French together, learn French cooking together, or join a French movie or cultural club together.

It could really be anything from a photography course to learning how to scuba dive. The important thing is that you’re doing something where you bond whilst growing together as individuals.

Experiencing new things together

Chances are you won’t think “my boyfriend is boring” if you’re experiencing new things together – from weekend trips to cities you’ve never been, to skydiving.

Write down a list of things you’ve never experienced, but always thought sounded kinda cool, from sandboarding and paintballing to visiting the Easter Islands.

Sometimes when we’re in a relationship we get lazy, because we come home to something which satisfies our need for companionship. When we’re single we’re constantly trying new things as we want to meet new people because we don’t have anyone to come home to.

What’s more, after a break-up we tend to push ourselves to go beyond our own boundaries too; dare ourselves to do what we always wanted but were too scared to try because we suddenly wake up to our not-so-perfect life.

When we feel our life is “OK” we are much less likely to get off our butts and challenge ourselves to do what we truly want. So when we get too comfortable in a relationship we often stop growing as a person, or as a couple.

Both new experiences and learning together is important if we want to build a happy relationship, just as learning new things and experiencing new things on your own is important for you to remain happy as an individual. If you stop being by yourself, you’ll get lost in the relationship and might actually perceive your boyfriend as boring as a result of that.

Growing as a couple

Common sense tells us that the longer we’re in a relationship, the better it should become because we will get to know each other better. Unfortunately, common sense, in this case, is wrong – most of us grow complacent and forget all about getting to know each other better because we think we already know each other.

What’s more, we are no longer impressing each other like we did in the “wooing” phase of the relationship. Remember that first date when you changed your outfit ten times before you showed up? And you had 500 questions for him as you wanted to know EVERYTHING about him?!

Compare that to how you feel now. Are you still deliberating about what to wear? Do you dress up for every date? Are you really trying to find out things about him that you don’t already know?

We change every day as we experience new things every day, but when we get used to a person we often stop noticing, stop asking questions, and just go about our day.

In a similar manner, we stop trying to impress them because we think they’re already ours so we don’t have to work for it.

Getting the glow back in a relationship is a lot about going back to what you did in the beginning – being curious about each other and wanting to show each other you deserve each other’s love.

Sexual growth

If you think “my boyfriend is boring” chances are you also think he’s boring in bed. If you stop exploring in the bedroom and it turns into a routine it loses some of the excitement.

Pick up a few books about sex tips, read a couple of articles and see if you can spice things up. Also talk to your boyfriend about what he wants. Make him feel safe expressing his desires. You don’t have to do everything he asks, but he should comfortable being able to express what he wants without you chiding him.

If you want to grow sexually on a more spiritual plane, get a couple of books on tantra and read this article that I wrote about tantric sex. The article is a good place to start and will give you some exercises to try.

Tantra is a great practice for bonding with one another during sex and increasing intimacy. Sex, after all, shouldn’t just be about the naughty stuff, but also about the connection you have with each other.

Expressing love

Lastly, remember to express love. Relationships feel so much more alive and fun when you both feel treasured. Compliments, gifts, romantic gestures…it all adds up to a much more solid and fun relationship.

He shows you a whole new perspective to life and makes you want to try even harder tomorrow. He’s the one you want to spend forever with, but you’re yet to meet his family. You can’t help but wonder if you’ll fit in.

What if his mom doesn’t like you? Mother in laws are known for being difficult to get along with; especially if you’re dating their only and youngest son. So naturally, you want to make a great impression in order to be liked and feel accepted into the family.

There are a few things you may want to consider implementing into your plan of action, and perhaps a few others you need to leave out. Most importantly, you need to remember to be yourself, because, at the end of the day, you can’t put up a front forever.

They’ll like you regardless. However, follow the below dos and dont’s when trying to figure out how to make his family like you. They’re easy and pretty simple and requires nothing more than a little bravery

Do

1. Offer your services

You’ll get very far in life when you lend a helping hand, regardless of the situation. In this particular case, his family is going to look for some initiative and help; especially when they invite you over for dinner.

Although it’s not your home and you need to be respectful of that, you can always offer to help where you feel you can offer some assistance. His mother will appreciate it and you’ll score major brownie points.

2. Be respectful

Always be respectful; regardless of the situation. You may not always agree with someone’s opinion or ways of doing things, but you can always agree to disagree in a manner that satisfies both parties.

After all, you want to show your best side, especially on a first meeting. You want to figure out how to make his family like you, so never leave our manners at the door. Their house, their rules. You need to respect that.

3. Let your friendliness show

People are drawn to friendly individuals, so don’t keep that side hidden. Yes, you may be somewhat nervous meeting his family for the first time, and for some, that means acting more serious than what’s necessary.

Always remember to be yourself. If you’re a sarcastic person, don’t keep that side hidden fearing that they won’t like it. Laugh, make jokes, be friendly. Show those pearly whites and have fun. What’s the worst that could happen?

4. Show your affection

Just because you’re in the presence of his family doesn’t mean you should show your love for him. In fact, whether they’ll admit it or not, they want to see if you love their son.

His well-being and happiness are important to them, and they want to know that you’re the type of woman that’ll love him the way he deserves.

So don’t be afraid to hold his hand and touch him every once in a while. Remember to be respectful, though. Show affection in limited amounts that are appropriate to his family. You can easily tell which families are more affectionate than others.

5. Be open and honest

When wanting to figure out how to make his family like you, always remember to be open and honest with them. Parents can easily tell when you’re lying. It’s a gift. Don’t ask me how they know, but they do.

So save yourself the embarrassment and keep the trust by always answering questions openly and honest. They may not like the answers at times, but they’ll appreciate your honest initiative.

It may be uncomfortable, but you never have to remember your answers if you’re telling the truth.

6. Look them in the eye

This tip may be difficult for some as it’s not always easy for shy individuals to look someone in the eye; especially if it’s someone you want to impress. However, it’s important to try.

Your eyes are the windows to your soul. It’s also a way for people to trust you. Simply put, people don’t trust other individuals who don’t look them in the eye, for whatever reason.

So get enough courage together and address his parents by looking them straight in the eyes. You’ll also feel more confident and capable of tackling whatever may be.

7. Brag a little bit

Of course, you want to showcase your talents and accomplishments. You want to show them why you’re a great fit for their son; apart from them physically seeing it for themselves. So don’t be afraid to brag a little bit.

Throw a few hints here and there. Engage in conversation where you can contribute some of your thoughts. Remember, when figuring out how to make his family like you, you need to keep in mind that what you give them is what they’ll believe and experience. See yourself as a walking resume.

8. Acquire table manners

Regardless of where you come from or where you’re going, always be a lady and learn a few table manners. Preferably before visiting his parents.

It doesn’t make you better than anyone else and it certainly doesn’t mean you can’t eat pizza with your fingers, but it does give you the upper hand when it comes to impressing his family.

They only want the best for their son, so show them you are just that with the smallest things.

Don’t

1. Be overly shy

Being shy isn’t something you can choose not to have, but you can control it to some extent. Try to come out of your shell a little bit, enough to engage in conversation for a little while.

The last thing you want is complete silence, making it extremely awkward for everyone involved. Remember, nothing will happen to you if you engage in conversation a little bit.

2. Let your sailor shine through

You may have a few distinct words in your vocabulary, but that doesn’t mean they have to be spoken when meeting his family.

Leave your sailor at the door when entering his family’s home, at least until you realize that his family is a bunch of sailors themselves.

3. Speak about the wrong politics

There are a few things you need to be careful of, some things you just shouldn’t speak about when wanting to make a good impression.

Politics happen to be one of them; especially if you’re unsure of who his family supports. So take it from me. When figuring out how to make his family like you, speak about anything else but politics.

4. Lie

Rather be brutally honest than maintain a lie that will eventually come out one way or another.

Lies have a way of resurfacing and showing their true colors at some point, so avoid the embarrassment of having to explain and get caught out by simply telling the truth from the get-go.

5. Be afraid to be yourself

Most importantly, always be yourself. His family will either like who you are or they won’t. Never be someone else in order to impress.

Who knows, they may really love the person that you are and adore you to bits, in which case you worried for nothing. Always be proud of the woman that you’ve become.

Remember, as much as you want to figure out how to make his family like you and as much as it’s true that you marry his family when you decide to marry him, what’s important is your relationship with your man. Concentrate on what matters most and always be true to yourself.

You can’t make everyone happy so don’t even attempt it. All you’ll be left with is a bucket full of disappointment.

Anything exciting and new usually makes us feel a bit nervous. So let’s have a look at some ideas about how to find a boyfriend in college so that you could feel a little bit more empowered!

Join a club

The best place to find a guy you’ll have something in common with? A club where people have the same interests you do. Whilst you might have interests that mainly attract girls, like, say ballet classes tend to have more women than men attend them if you have a little spare time you can join clubs that aren’t your main interests but are still focused on things you like.

Even if you aren’t making movies in your spare time, but you can still join the movie club if you enjoy watching and talking about movies.

Joining clubs also means you have the opportunity to meet with women whom you can become friends with. Not only will friendships help make your experience at college all that much better, it will also mean you have girlfriends with whom you can attend parties, go to bars with, etc. It’s nice to have a wing woman when looking for a boyfriend!

Study outside your dorm

If you’re wondering how to find a boyfriend in college, a good place to start is to simply look around. Get out of your dorm – take your books and study in the library, in the park, or at the coffee shop. Not only do cute guys study all over college, they also have jobs there. It might turn out that your barista is hotter than any guy you’ve ever met.

Maybe it’s not always conducive to do “heavy” studying out amongst people if you’re easily distracted, but you can do things like reading course material or more simple homework tasks.

If you want to encourage guys to walk up to you, be sure to smile at them when your eyes meet, avoid wearing headphones and sit by yourself, as opposed to surrounded by five girlfriends. Men don’t usually approach women if they’re in a group as they feel intimidated.

If you are in a group and want someone to approach you, establish eye contact and smile a few times and then go somewhere where you’re alone for a few minutes. Like pick up a coffee, or check out a book on the bookshelf. That will give him an opportunity to approach you.

Get a job

As mentioned, lots of guys attending college work on campus, so there’s a plenty of opportunity of meeting one if you get a job on campus too. At work, it’s often easier to connect with someone than when walking them by on campus. And as it’s not a job you need to keep for the next twenty years, it isn’t so bad if you date someone there.

Just be sure it’s not the job you need to get through college because then mixing work with pleasure is probably not a good idea. If you do, take it very, very slow. We’re all attracted to a lot of people, but only a few turn out to be someone we actually want to be in a relationship with.

Find out how they treat you before falling in love and getting serious with them if you want to mix work with pleasure.

In class

Wondering about how to find a boyfriend in college is sometimes actually about “how to be found.” If you want boys to notice you, be sure to smile and talk in class. Even if you aren’t the most outgoing person, practice speaking in the class by answering the professors’ questions.

Wearing nice clothes and caring for your looks also help if you want to be noticed. It’s said the difference between a friendship and a relationship is sex, so men have to be attracted to you to want to date you.

Some people think clothing, hairstyles, etc. are superficial and sure, it’s not what’s gonna make a relationship last, but showing your personality through your appearance helps. Wearing jeans and a hoodie ever so often is fine, but doing it every day gets boring. And being shy and hiding behind clothes that make you disappear really isn’t going to do you a favor.

Whilst it might take a while to get comfortable to wear clothes that show you off, be sure to wear something that is truly you. Something that you’re comfortable with personality-wise. Because your personality is what guys are looking for.

Claim your space. Show your beauty. Show your humor. Show who you are.

Make friends

The more friends you make, the more parties, outings and events you’ll be invited too, which means there’s a greater chance of meeting single guys. Besides, friends like introducing single friends to each other. And chances are, if they’re a good friend, they’ll introduce you to good people.

Join meet-up groups

The answer to how to find a boyfriend in college is sometimes hidden away from campus. Meet-up groups in cities are excellent places for meeting new friends and singles. It’s kind of like college clubs, only they’re open for anyone.

Most people who move cities use them, as do natives as it’s a network connecting people with similar interests. There are meet-up groups for anything and everything from entrepreneurs to gourmet cooks and anything and everything in-between.

Pick-up skills

I know, I know it’s douchebags trying to get girls who use pick-up skills…right?! Actually, pick-up skills are based on the psychology of socializing. There are guys who use it in the wrong way to manipulate people, but here’s the deal: some people are naturally good with people and flirting because they grew up in an environment where they learned.

Other people aren’t great at people skills because they didn’t randomly end up in situations where they learned, which means they accidentally alienate people all the time simply because they don’t know how to establish a connection.

It’s not manipulative to be good with people. It’s like saying please and thank you and smiling – it helps you connect with people. So read The Game by Neil Strauss and read a couple of self-help books about how to get better at approaching people.

It won’t just help you with flirting, it will help you with getting jobs, managing people, leading projects, etc. Not just that, it will help you determine what people’s true feelings are as well.

Paris – From the artistic to the opulent

How about getting hitched in a museum? You can. At the Musée Rodin. Get married amongst famous sculptures, why not?

If art isn’t your thing, how about yachts? On the Seine? Yachts de Paris offer truly unique wedding experiences.

If you prefer a hotel to get married in, then Hôtel Particulier in Montmartre is quite the thing, as is Le Meurice if you like opulence and old fashioned elegance.

Like cabarets? Have your wedding dinner at one! Paradis Latin offers a Moulin Rouge for the 21st century.

Flying high – Hot air balloon ceremony in New Mexico

Speaking of cool, top wedding locations, how about one in the sky? If you always loved heights, then getting hitched in a hot air balloon at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta could be just the thing for you! All you need to do is rent a balloon and hire a priest (who isn’t scared of heights). The Balloon Museum is also available for weddings.

California – from A to Z for weddings

Get hitched in California and drive off in an old cabriolet on the Pacific Coast Highway to the future of your dreams!

If you always fancied a big rustic farm wedding, then you need to have a look at Bear Flag Farm in Winters. People have caught onto this incredible place, though, so if you want the venue, you have got to book it well in advance and cough up a minimum of $80,000 for a full-service event. And they really go full out – like renting a Ferris Wheel!

If you are looking for more intriguing spots to get hitched in in California, consider Dunfillan Ruins at Kunde Estate in Kenwood where you can get married in the ruins of an old wine estate. If that’s not to your liking, you can, at the same estate, get married in the wine aging caves!

For something truly hip try Huron Substation in Los Angeles or Big Daddy’s Antiques in Los Angels or San Francisco. Or why not an old hang out for Western actors of times gone by in Joshua Tree? The Rimrock Ranch was built as a weekend retreat for western actors like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers and offers “4 rustic Cabins, retrofitted Airstream trailers, a lodge and the internationally famous architectural masterpiece known as the Hatch House.” Quirky and kooky is this ranch’s middle name.

For something truly romantic, turn your eyes toward Malibu instead and get married atop a hill on a little plateau at Rocky Oaks.

Of course, I can’t resist mentioning the Post Ranch Inn in California as the perfect place for your first night of wedded bliss – doesn’t get much more romantic than that. Heck, you could even host your wedding there!

Thunder Mountain Bridal Cave in Missouri

A legend tells the story of a Native American Osage wedding taking place in the Bridal Cave in the 1800s. Since then thousands of wedding has taken place here and it’s no wonder – the cave is filled with a mysterious beauty.

A Mayan wedding ceremony in Belize

If you want to get married by a Mayan shaman, then head to Belize and Cahal Pech and get married by the ruins of a Mayan temple. Can’t get much more exotic than that, can it?

Colorado – Rustic chic wedding in nature

If you like a rustic wedding in nature, then on top of the cool wedding locations list you find the Dunton Hot Springs in Colorado. Whether you want a majestic winter wedding or a summer wedding outdoors, this is the place to go for that rustic feel.

They offer tents by the river as well, so if you want to try camping in opulent luxury (also known as glamping) then that’s also possible here.

Venice – Old fashioned glamor

Casanova might not have been the marrying kind, but there’s still something to be said about romance in Venice. You could even get married in a palace, like the Gritti Palace.

Another venue you want to see in Venice is the Ca’Sagredo Hotel. If you imagined a renaissance like a wedding banquet, then this place is your ultimate find. And it has won the Condé Nast Awards for best hotel for weddings and special events! If this place doesn’t make you swoon, nothing will. Seriously.

If you can’t afford to go to Venice, then check out the Vizcaya palace in Miami which looks like a slice of Venice itself.

Ruins in Minnesota, North Carolina, and the UK

Want to get married in an abandoned factory? Great, because you can. At the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis, you can get married in the ruins of an old mill. Truly a unique setting.

If you fancy ruins, then also check out the Barnsley Resort in Asheville – here you find a stately house, a lovely garden, and some incredible ruins. As the tale has it, Godfrey Barnsley married his Julia almost 200 years ago on Christmas Eve here.

Want something even more impressive? Have a look at Tutbury Castle in the UK. They even offer midnight weddings (ghosts possibly included), if you’re looking for something dramatic.

Maui – Dreamlike Old World Elegance

Haiku Mill in Maui is something out of a dream. An old sugar plantation filled with antiques and surrounded by lovely jasmine and gardenia blossoms, this place is unbelievable.

Quite the setting for a wedding. And unlike other Hawaiian wedding destinations, this is not set on a beach, but rather an enchanted forest. It’s truly incredible.

Maui offers plenty of sandy beaches and rainforest to explore as well and it’s a well-known honeymoon destination.

Washington & the UK – a Rainy Fairytale

Washington isn’t all about the rain. It’s about the magical forests too. And in one such forest is a treehouse called Treehouse Point. Where you can get married. It’s quite astounding, really. If you ever dreamed of a woodland wedding, this could be the destination of your dreams.

Now, there’s another place famous for rain and that’s the UK. They also have an incredible treehouse to get married in over there (why not in Wellington boots? In case it rains…) in the Alnwick Garden.

Utah – Red Rock Beauty

Have you ever seen the impressive red rocks in the Utah desert? They deserve to be on your cool wedding locations list. Seriously. Entrada just outside St. George offers one wedding venue in the outdoors, or you could just pick a rock In the Zion National Park or Snow Canyon National Park) and get hitched in the desert!

For your honeymoon, check out Red Mountain Resort where you can chillax at the spa or join one of their many adventures. It doesn’t get much more luxurious than that.

Whoever said that relationships are always easy, he lied. Loving someone can be easy, but dealing with another human you have to share your life with isn’t always easy. Here are some things that you’re going to have to accept if you want a good relationship.

1. We all make mistakes

No one is perfect, and expecting your significant other to be an exception to this is ridiculous. We’re all people, so we’re all going to mess up at some points. Admit it, you’ve made huge mistakes in your relationships at some point or another. It’s bound to happen.

When you accept another person for who they are instead of everything they’re not, your life will get less stressful. Your boyfriend is not always going to be able to know what he did wrong.

Yes, there are times where our guys have severely messed up and you’re just like “How in the world could he not know this was bad?” You’ll be there. Many times. They’re not always the smartest. With some things, you shouldn’t forgive. Like cheating. Don’t forgive and forget. It’s not a mistake when you know what you’re doing and that it’s wrong.

2. You can’t change your significant other

I mean, you can change WHO you’re dating, but you cannot change the person you’re with. When you got into a relationship with this person, it’s obvious that you’re not always going to know everything about them. You don’t know their living habits and you don’t always know how they act when they’re with their friends.

Of course, this is all generalized, I don’t know any of your personal stories. But this can apply to many people.

You can’t force the person you’re dating to behave a certain way because you think they should. Unless your boyfriend is acting like a toddler at a restaurant to annoy you – shout out to my boyfriend. In that case, yes, please make them stop.

What I’m basically saying is that you need to accept your significant other for who they are. If you don’t like how they are as a human, then you need to think about whether or not you really want to be in this relationship.

You have to take the good with the bad and see how much you’re willing to put up with. If you’re not being treated well, then leave. But if your significant other just has some quirks that annoy you, then you just need to deal with them. Accept your person.

You’re trying to be in a relationship with someone – not be their mother or therapist. You can’t tell them what to do at all times and try to make them become someone they’re not.

3. Not everything is going to be easy

All couples go through something that tests their relationship. Whether it be a pesky ex, time, or distance. We are all tested to see if the relationship is not only strong enough but if they’re worth it to us. There are going to be fights and there are going to be hard times. If there aren’t, then, well, you’re either lying or not there yet.

Sharing your life with someone else is not always the easiest thing. When you really start to involve someone else in your life you really need to put in an effort. Communication is going to be the most important part of any relationship. Well, that and trust. If you don’t have trust, then I don’t know what you have.

Since you’re two different people, you’re not always going to agree on everything. It’s going to happen. You’re not always going to want the same food or go to the same places. Don’t let the little things get in the way of your happiness.

4. Accept apologies

Since we all make mistakes, we all have had to apologize. You know how frustrating it is when you sincerely apologize to someone and they refuse to accept it and let it go. You know what that feels like, so don’t make other people feel the same way either.

After a fight, there should be an apology on either one or both sides. It’s easier to forgive someone when they give you an opportunity to. Saying sorry is so important because it’s the beginning of letting something go.

5. Accept the love

It can be a lot easier said than done to accept love, especially when you’ve never properly been loved before. Having a good and healthy relationship requires a lot of work, but it’s also just so rewarding. Sharing your life with someone you love can be one of the best things you could ever do.

When your significant other tells you they love you, believe it. Accept it for what it is, not what you wish it was. If you’re in a good relationship, you’ve realized that you can’t have crazy expectations for another person. It’s not the most realistic thing. It takes a lot for most people to tell someone else that they love them, especially if they’ve been hurt before. Don’t make them feel bad about it.

Accept that the person you’re with may not show love in the same ways that you do. Some people need to hear nice things and some people need good time spent together. We all need different things to feel loved. It’s not always easy, but it should always be worth it.

We as women do not have to get married so young, and then instantly feel pressured to have kids. Instead, we can date around, have hookups, flings, experiment, and also focus on ourselves or our careers.

Don’t get me wrong, you can still get married young, find the right partner early in life, and have kids whenever you are ready. After all, it is 2017 and there are more options and choices available.

However, the more common trend that is occurring today is that women are getting married later. While doing this they are focusing on themselves regarding their career, aspirations, dreams, education, and their choice to have kids if they please.

Meaning, there is a debate that tends to be an ongoing conversation between many women. In the end, every woman is different, and every woman has her options and choices in life. However, when arguing the single vs married life debate, many women feel unsure, pressured, or afraid of the effects of the side they chose to be on (for the time being).

You see, the answer to this debate is fluid. It can change at any moment in time based on what happens in your life, who you meet, what you see, and how you feel. Basically, any other influences and experiences which help to mold and shape you can sway the side you are on.

Regardless of that fact, the fear, curiosity, and sometimes stressful pondering of what you could be missing out on, or benefiting from on either side, still remains.

Read on to learn the pros and cons to each side of the single vs married life. Hopefully, this will help you decide what is best for your life and will help ease any stress or worries about you choosing the wrong side.

Pros To The Single Life

Although many say the single life is not for them, there are also plenty of other women who say that it is exactly the lifestyle that works for them. After all, everyone is different. However, after looking at what the people who love and oppose the single life say, it is easy to see the pros and cons to this.

More Freedom

More freedom is considered to be one of the biggest perks to being single. Many women find that since they don’t have a boyfriend they can do whatever they want, whenever they want.

There is no one texting you asking when you can see each other, hang out, where you are, what you’re doing, or when you are coming home.

Additionally, you also will be your own support system, and the last and final (and only) deciding factor in what you do. Meaning, there is no one to second guess you or to sway your opinion or decisions.

Experiencing more people

When single, you have the ability to date, break up, and then date again. You can also have plenty of one night stands, or just test the waters by flirting or going on one time dates with people. No matter what you do, you have options about who you are with intimately.

More You Time

Since you are single you have lots more time for yourself, You have the opportunities to go to spas, on hikes, road trips, weekend getaways, do Netflix binges, or just sleep when you want. Essentially everything you do alone, or on your own time outside of work is all for you and is all about you.

No Money Issues

There is no fighting over money, spending, or big expenses because you are single. Meaning you have complete control over your money and ownership over all of your things. You are able to save and spend money however you want.

You Can Work On Your Career

Since you are single, you don’t have to make a plan involving someone else in your life. Instead, you can just make a plan about you and what you want to do regarding work, how you want to evolve and improve your work, and in essence any other aspirations you want to accomplish. There is no one else to consider, it is just you and your life.

Cons To The Single Life

Pressure To Settle Down

Sine you are single, partying, dating an array of people, or just so focused on your career and life, you have no time for someone else. However, many people do not understand this. Meaning, other people in your life will pressure you, try to shame you, and even change you in hopes of getting you to settle down, find someone to spend your life with, and to then have kids. Sadly, this pressure is one that many women face constantly.

Loneliness

There will be no one there to hold you at night, to cuddle with, to laugh at things with, or to go through life with you. As much as you may love your independence, you will also be missing out on sharing your life with someone who will add to your life and won’t be there for all those amazing and horrible moments.

Your World Will Change

When you do meet Mr. Right, you will have an array of internal conflicts due to you being unsure of what to do because you are so used to the life you have. You will either have to say bye to someone who is possibly the love of your life or start thinking of yourself and that person and change your life plans and mentality.

Of course, the pros and cons of being single vary from person to person, and to every pro, there are many other cons and vice versa. However, in the end, it is up to you to decide

Pros To The Married Life

Being married is something that many women also dream about and love. However, it is also something that many women don’t like the idea of, or can’t stand. Regardless, from looking at bother perspectives it also comes down to the person you are, to see if the married life is for you.

They Are All Yours

When being married, that special someone is all yours. You both share your lives together and cherish every moment, or work through every issue together. They are both your lover and best friend who are by your side. There should be no worry of them cheating or finding someone else, instead, it is just the two of you spending the rest of your lives together.

Support

Marriage means there is support emotionally, physically, and even monetarily. When you’re married you share everything, including money and objects. There is nothing wrong with this as you have a combined income between the two of you, which will provide the two of you with more options and abilities.

Help

Whether you are sick, in pain, busy, stressed, or doing chores, you will have someone to be your teammate. They will talk things out with you help you fix things up, and will support you at all times. They love you for you and will embrace who you are. Meaning if you need to rant, vent, or even just move furniture, you know they will be there to hold you, listen to you, and chill or work with you.

Cons To The Married Life

Divorce

When getting married, there also is a greater risk that if it ends, it will be a lot messier than ending a relationship while being single. There will be lawyers, difficult money issues, and also issues of property and ownership over items.

Pressure To Have Kids

Once you are married you will notice that friends and family will both start putting some pressure on you and your partner to get busy in the sheets just so you can start having kids. This is an issue as it will cause stress for you and your partner, and will become a bigger pressure as time goes on.

In reality, there are countless of other pros and cons which vary for every person. For example, some people may want a piece of paper to say that they love a person, whereas others do not need a marriage certificate to show they are in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together. Additionally, some people are not ready to share and combine things or to even live in the same space.

In the end, it all comes down you what you chose. Remember, you are a strong, independent, brave, and amazing woman. Also remember that it is your life, and you are allowed to choose what you want to choose and to then change your mind and chose something else. Don’t be afraid to take risks, especially if it is for love.

Having a baby with a partner you dearly love can also be one of the most exciting things you can experience as a couple. Sure, being parents may mean sleepless nights and getting peed or puked on from time to time but there are more beautiful things to cherish and hold dear to your heart once you move from being a couple to a family.

You just have to know where to look and in an effort to help you with that, we’ve rounded up the top ways having kids changes your relationship and makes it a better and a stronger one. Grab your tissues first as some of these may strike a chord in your heart in ways you never thought possible. Got some Kleenex with you now? Great! Read on.

You’ll be more protective

photo via pexels.com

Protectiveness is only natural when you’re in a relationship. You’d want to protect your partner the best way you can and you’d want to protect the relationship against those who may be trying to destroy it.

But when you welcome a baby into your life, you’d notice that you and your significant other will be more protective than usual to the point that you’ll lay down your life if needed, just to ensure the safety of each other and your child.

This instinct to protect bonds you as a couple and makes you closer to each other each day, making your relationship stronger, too.

You’ll share hilarious moments

Your kids may be tiny but the power they hold in their hands are huge. You know that if you’ve been a parent for some time. They can fart, puke, pee, and poop on you (or basically anywhere) whenever they feel the urge to do so and you won’t be able to complain (but you’re allowed to scream silently, LOL).

You’d be disgusted if it was you but you’ll surely have fits of laughter when it’s your partner’s turn. Then there will be moments when it’s both of you who’d end up with puke, pee, and poop and you’d both laugh while cleaning up the mess your wonderful kid has wholeheartedly caused.

You won’t have the chance to get angry because that’s just not possible when you’re looking at angels like your kids. You’d learn to work as a team and as a result, your relationship is stronger and better.

You’ll lean on each other

There will be days when your kids will suddenly have a fever, have trouble sleeping, or you’ll have issues with breastfeeding (that is, if you breastfeed). When they become teenagers, you may have to deal with issues about grades at school, bullying, and even drugs.

These can be tougher even to the most experienced parent. When circumstances like these happen, it will get more challenging and facing these tough times together will make your relationship better. You’ll see each other in a light that you’ve never looked at one other before.

You’ll develop huge respect and love for each other, making you stronger as individuals and the tough times more bearable since you’re working as one tougher unit.

You’ll deal with problems and solve them together

photo via pinterest.com

As your kids grow up, they’d explore more new things. Sometimes, despite your consistent support and guidance, they can still end up on the wrong path.

It can be a headache when you finally have to deal with these issues but the good thing is you’ll learn how to work together with your husband, you’d learn to communicate more and hear each other out, all for the sake of your child.

When you solve problems together, putting effort equally, you would feel rewarded as parents and you’d feel better and stronger as each other’s better half.

You’ll plan for your kid’s future

You’ll surely talk about what you’d want your child to become as your kid grows older. Your husband may want them to engage in sports and you may want them to spend time in arts. Whichever is it, you’ll share and exchange ideas with each other.

There will be important decisions to be made along the way as your child can’t handle things on his own just yet and discussing and brainstorming on this together will take your relationship to a whole new level.

You’ll be more intimate even if you’re engaged in things that don’t really mean intimacy. You’d navigate parenthood as one team, making your union better, stronger, and more exciting.

You’ll see each other’s real self

There’s nothing that can reveal your authentic self than sleep deprivation. When you’re both sleep deprived, you’ll say words you never thought can come out of your mouth and you’ll be an ocean of varying emotions.

You’ll argue and fight but make up after because there’s nobody else that you can rely on during this trying time but each other. When you stick to each other despite this difficult phase in your relationship, you’ll grow more attracted and in love with each other. Isn’t that so sweet?

You’ll fight for time together

photo via pexels.com

Me-time and couple-time are hardly possible once you become a parent. We know that can be shocking but it’s just the way it is bad the earliest you learn how to deal with such change, the better. Anyway, if there’s a will, there’s a way.

When you and your SO work together, you’d surely be successful in finding a day or even just a few hours of child-free time. You’d cherish such moment (as they’d hard to come by, trust us on this) and you’ll love each other more for it.

Life after kids introduces changes that make your relationship better

If you ever thought that your lives will be over just because a tiny human came into it, stop. Life after having a baby with your partner will definitely change forever.

Yes, there are downs to it but there are also ups that you can both look forward to as you both experience the exhilarating roller coaster ride you only are granted once you become a parent.

So don’t be afraid of entering parenthood once you both are ready. And if you’re both parents now, just sit back, relax (as much as you possibly can), and enjoy the ride (because enjoyment is still a thing, you know?).

They’ll only be kids once and while they are, make every second that you get to spend with them count. Be the best parents you can possibly be so you’ll have no regrets later on, alright? Cool!

So here’s to a stronger and better relationship now that you’ve got a new addition to your family! We wish you all the strength, peace, and love as you navigate this challenging phase of your relationship.

However, since we do live in a time where communicating over text comes as natural to us as riding a bicycle used to be when we were younger (for most of us anyway), it’s important to know how to make a guy want you over text if you fancy him quite a bit.

Not only will it make things quite interesting when you do eventually see each other in person, it’s a great way to break the ice if you’re quite shy.

Do too much of one thing and you’ll end up scaring him away, do too little of another and he’ll end up thinking you only want to be friends. It’s a tricky balance to keep, but oh so worth it once you’ve mastered it.

Here are 10 useful seduction tips on how to make a guy want you over text (without being too obvious)

1. Tease him with small pieces of information

Be subtle about your flirting technique. Flirt, but don’t make it seem obvious that you like him. One of the best ways to make a guy want you over text is by giving hints of flirtatious info to make his mind wander.

Tease him with the fact that you just took a shower because you were really dirty from playing in the mud. Avoid being too forward by asking him if he wants to go do something with you. You’ll come across as desperate and he’ll run.

2. Be patient for a response

Don’t text him three times in a row if he doesn’t respond in time for the first one. He may be actively busy with something important and simply can’t respond to your right away. He may also be not that into responding at all.

However, if you’re impatient, you may come across as clingy; which is a big no-no if you’re trying to find ways to make a guy want you over text.

3. Don’t write essays

Whatever you do, avoid writing extremely long sentences when you’re chatting with him. He’ll lose interest quite quickly and feel overwhelmed. Answer with simple, short texts.

Texts that allow him to ask more questions. If not, you’ll simply answer all of the questions he may have and there won’t be any more questions to ask. Your conversation will end in a whim.

4. Never reply with just ‘k’

On the contrary, you also can’t respond with just ‘k’. He’ll definitely think you’re not interested and he’ll lose interest quite quickly. There’s a fine line between writing too much and saying too little.

Engage in conversation with him without responding in short sentences. Ask him questions too. Talk about him. Seem interested in what he’s doing as well. He’ll feel flattered and flattery goes a long way.

5. Avoid asking him out

Whatever you do, avoid making the first move. Never ask him out first. Never come across as being that interested that you’re willing to skip the normal way of doing things by removing the need for him to chase you a little bit.

It’s what he’s supposed to do. Men enjoy chasing something that’s difficult for them to catch. Make it too easy and he’ll get bored.

Make it too hard for him and he’ll give up. Find the middle ground and you’ll master how to make a guy want you over text.

6. Call him by his name

Make him feel important by calling him by his name when texting. Be sure not to use in every text as it’ll come across as if there’s something wrong with you.

However, it’s important to make him understand that you’re familiar with who he is. It may even turn him on a little bit.

His mind will start wandering and you may even end up driving him crazy simply by doing something that seems small and insignificant. Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest impact.

7. Mention that you remember him (if he texts you first)

Boost his ego a little bit and make him feel important by telling him you remember him; if he texts you first. It won’t make him feel as if he’s intruding and most likely open up more to you.

It’s a great way to introduce a little bit of flattery and brighten up his day. Besides, what better way to make a guy want you over text than by boosting his ego?

8. Give him compliments

Every guy enjoys a good compliment every once in a while. Remind him of how handsome he is or how strong his arms look. Flatter him by making him feel good about himself.

You can even add a hint of flirtation by telling him how good his arms would look around you. It may seem like a simple thing to say, but sometimes simple works wonders.

9. Seem quite important (to some extent)

He’ll want what he can’t have. By making it a little bit impossible for him to hang out with you, it may cause him to try even harder. The best way to ensure this is by always having plans of your own.

Never seem as if you don’t have anything going on; waiting especially for him to make plans with you.

He may ask you out, in which case you need to seem important to some extent, but not to the point where you don’t have time for him at all.

10. Use your fair share of smileys

Express what you’re trying to say by adding smileys to your messages. Remember, it’s easy for miscommunication to enter the conversation when you’re texting.

You may mean for something to come across a certain way, however, over text, it may come across as if you’re being short or uninterested; which is the last thing you want.

Use what you have over text, especially if you’re not sending photos. You might as well make things a little bit easier for you and the conversation a little bit more colorful with fun smiley faces.

When it comes to knowing how to make a guy want you over text, you can’t go wrong by following the above-mentioned tips. It doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, the simpler, the better.

Not only will you have him drooling, it’ll give you the upper hand to call some of the shots. Guys are relatively easy to figure out.

Remember, it’s all about letting him think he’s in control and on top of his game while leading the way.

You might feel like you’re in control in other aspects of your life but when you’re in a relationship, you have to consider the other person at all times.

Remember that they also have certain expectations, and when neither of you meets these expectations, it can cause problems.

However, if you want a relationship to last, you have to let go of these unrealistic expectations and learn to be happy with what you do have.

It starts with you changing your perspective and knowing exactly what it is that you want out of a relationship and a potential boyfriend.

If you’re unsure of what you want, then you need to figure it out first.

Here’s how to have more realistic relationship expectations in the future.

Accept his flaws if you really care about him

When you’re in love with someone, accepting all of their flaws comes naturally. You need to shake off this idea of ‘perfection’ and recognize that as humans we have irritating tendencies.

Sure, there will be times when those annoying habits really start to drive you crazy. And the more time you spend together, the more their flaws will stand out.

But you shouldn’t let that scare you away. The deeper you fall in love with him, the more you will grow to love their flaws, and maybe it will be something that pulls you in instead of drives you away.

Stop comparing him to others

When you start comparing your new guy to people you’ve dated in the past, it’s going to create unrealistic expectations that won’t be met. In your head, you have this ideal man with certain qualities and a certain image – but it’s not reality.

If you look for your ex in every potential boyfriend, you will never be satisfied in a relationship. They can’t live up to that expectation, and you certainly shouldn’t expect them to be someone they’re not.

With every new boyfriend, there is potential there. Don’t jeopardize something special for a man who isn’t even in your life anymore. You need to let go of people from the past, and start giving new potential boyfriends a chance. That’s how you move forward.

You must have more realistic relationship expectations

At the start of the relationship, your boyfriend will probably be doing things to impress you. He’ll buy you flowers, take you out for dinner, and make romantic gestures to let you know that he’s interested.

When you become comfortable with each other, he’ll stop doing these things as often. Not everyone is romantic, and you have to consider that there are other ways for him to show you that he cares.

Maybe he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t always know what to say and when to say it. But you can’t expect him to be a mind reader either, so if there’s something that’s bothering you, just be open about it. If he loves you it shouldn’t be a huge problem.

Take things slow and don’t pressure him

You really don’t want to rush into a relationship and end up feeling unhappy and unsatisfied. Ask yourself, do you really like him or do you just want to be in a relationship?

If it’s the latter, then you’re settling. Don’t wait for a spark to grow, cause if it’s not there, in the beginning, it’s not likely to develop.

However, if you do realize that you do really like this guy, then it’s best to take things slow. Don’t feel like you have to do anything you’re not ready for. Saying “I love you” too soon can potentially ruin the relationship before it has even started.

For some people, those words don’t come easy and it can be a few months before they have the courage to say it. It’s important to be patient at this stage. You don’t want them saying something they don’t truly believe. If you don’t rush into anything, it takes the pressure off a new relationship.

Shorten your list of requirements

There are certain qualities that you need in a potential boyfriend. You look for someone who is caring, consideration and communicative – these are all important traits.

But when your list of ‘must-haves’ is far too long, then you need to reevaluate.

Playing it too safe will stop you from getting hurt, but it also stops you from experiencing what could be a great relationship.

Are you willing to overlook a few things or are they deal-breakers for you?

Recognizing what is essential and what isn’t necessary will help make things clearer for you when discovering potential boyfriends.

Accept that you have differences

Do opposites attract or will your differences cause problems for your relationship? That’s something only you can find out.

Maybe your boyfriend likes a lot of space, but you want more of his attention. Or maybe you just have different interests. The only way you can both be happy is if you’re willing to compromise.

By expecting him to spend all of his time with you is an unrealistic expectation that could damage your relationship.

He has other important people in his life, and he can’t always drop everything just to be with you, even if he really wants to.

You need to be able to respect this and give him some space when he feels like it’s necessary.

Having time apart and spending time with other people can only strengthen your relationship. You don’t need to see each other all the time to know that they are there.

Spend less time on social media

It’s so easy to get caught up in other relationships on social media and compare it to your own. Couples can portray themselves in whatever way they want to through social media.

Even if they are experiencing problems, you won’t necessarily see that part of their relationship.

Many couples cover up their issues by posting pictures of date nights or engagements. You only see the good side to the relationship, not the fighting or the disagreements.

Social media can be unrealistic and untruthful at times, so don’t start worrying that your relationship isn’t as good as somebody else’s.

Let go of these high expectations and put your time and effort into your own relationship. Sure, it’s not perfect, but no relationship is.

Accept that it won’t be easy

No matter how much you love each other, it’s never going to be easy. Maybe you’ve been watching too many romantic comedies with happy endings – that’s not real life.

There will always be problems, but it matters more how you deal with them. And if you’re willing to accept your partner for who he is.

The truth is there will be times when you will consider whether this guy is right for you and it will make you question whether the relationship is really going anywhere.

It’s important to be honest in your relationship and make your intentions clear from the beginning.

Knowing whether you or your potential boyfriend is looking for something casual or serious can save you a lot of heartbreak.

You can post those cute and romantic photos of your boyfriend and yourself, that express your love for each other online. However, unless you and your boyfriend share the social media accounts (which is something no one does), then that also means you have no idea what he is doing, who he is talking to, or what he is looking at.

Thankfully, you trust your partner and know that they won’t cheat or do anything that goes against any unspoken, spoken, or just naturally known but never spoken about rules.

Despite that last statement about trust being something that many girlfriends firmly believe in, (after all trust is crucial in relationships). There are still lots of girlfriends out there who don’t trust their boyfriend or just want to test their loyalty and devotion to them.

This is a big issue and one which is more common than you think. Many girlfriends chose to catfish their boyfriend to test them and see if their boyfriend will stray, and continue to flirtatiously message the attractive and seductive girl they are posing to be.

However, catfishing is something that should not be done. That’s right, no matter how insecure or doubting you are, you cannot catfish your boyfriend.

To those girlfriends who do catfish their boyfriends, or the girlfriends who are contemplating doing this, read on to learn why you shouldn’t catfish your boyfriend.

What is catfishing your boyfriend?

In normal cases of catfishing when you are not dating the person, the definition for a catfish, is a person who pretends to be someone other than who they are.

They use fake names, images, likes, and interests to pursue people online. They gear the fake images, interests, and likes to suit the person they are trying to catfish.

However, in this case, since you and your boyfriend are already dating, the definition of catfishing is a little different. The definition mentioned above is still generally what happens.

However, when girlfriends catfish their boyfriend, they create a different account that is designed in certain ways that they know their boyfriend will be drawn to.

Usually, they use a very sexy picture of another woman and have all of the interests that their boyfriend will be interested in, just to draw him in.

After doing that they then add their boyfriend and start talking with him via social media.

As they continue to message online, the girlfriend, through the fake account, then starts making sexual advances to see how the boyfriend will react.

Typically, what the girlfriend looks for in his responses are to see if he denies being in a relationship, if he lies and says it’s a horrible one, if he lies about the traits of his girlfriend, if he flirts and tries to seduce her, and if he wants to meet up to have sex.

Although testing your boyfriend’s loyalty to you by doing this may seem safe because you know that this woman isn’t real because it is secretly you, it is still a very dangerous game to play. There is so much that can go wrong by doing this, and there is so much wrong about doing this.

Why you shouldn’t catfish your boyfriend

No matter if your boyfriend passes or fails the traps you are setting for him, there will be lots of damage done to your relationship if you catfish your boyfriend.

Obviously, in the end, the main reasons as to why you shouldn’t catfish your boyfriend is trust. However, there are also other reasons aside from that, which do revolve around trust but are also separate entities too.

He is trust worthy, you aren’t

After you have catfished your boyfriend, if he doesn’t find out, it means he was loyal to you. That is obviously awesome. However, what isn’t awesome is the fact that you had to check up on your boyfriend because you don’t trust him.

Now comes a very hard part. Since your boyfriend doesn’t know that you did this, and he was also very loyal to you and your relationship, you now have some guilt.

Think about it this way, you didn’t trust your partner, so you tested him, he passed the test with flying colors, and now he doesn’t know that you had doubts about him.

Meaning, what you did is very hypocritical. You did something that makes you untrustworthy and he doesn’t even know that you had done it to him.

Yet, you thought he was the untrustworthy one so you put him to the test to see if he would cheat, meanwhile you were the one who was sneaking around.

In the end, it is best to come clean and be completely honest with your boyfriend about what you had done. This will definitely cause some issues in your relationship, or it may even break the two of you up.

However, no matter what result you think will happen, you need to own up to what you did, or else it will always be something that will make you feel guilty.

Additionally, you should tell him that you catfished him because complete honesty and communication is required for a healthy, loving, amazing, and long term relationship.

In this case, the reason as to why you shouldn’t catfish your boyfriend is because it will make you the untrustworthy one in the relationship. In turn, this will harm what the two of you share together as he will always doubt if you trust him and if he can trust you.

What else have you been doing?

When looking at this reason for why you shouldn’t catfish your boyfriend, it usually means he once again didn’t fall for the trap you had created.

Instead, in this scenario, he found out what you had done and is now not only doubting you but is also wondering what else you have been lying about.

Additionally, your boyfriend may also be wondering if you are guilty of cheating, and thought that if you were cheating, he might also be cheating.

An important thing to remember here is that you cannot get mad at your boyfriend. Instead, you need to be completely honest about everything and be willing to answer all of his questions with detail, in hopes that you and him will not break up. You will also need to spend lots of time regaining his trust if you two do stay together.

He’s busted

You should never catfish your boyfriend even if he ends up being guilty of cheating and falling for the trap.

Of course, if you caught him cheating, you should end things in your relationship because you deserve better than someone who cheats on you.

However, that still doesn’t mean you should have catfished him as it is something that is also very lacking in the trust department.

Additionally, once a woman has catfished their boyfriend and has found out that he would cheat, they then move on to another boyfriend.

However, some women then have this feeling that their new boyfriend may cheat. Meaning, they decide to catfish their new boyfriend to test if he will.

Because this strategy has not only worked before but is technically a way where they may not get found out, it becomes a go-to method of testing trust for the girlfriend to use.

This then leads to the girlfriend having trust issues, which will lead to a vicious cycle of not trusting their boyfriend. In this cycle, she will fall for the addictive, easy, and tempting to use the test that is catfishing, and then see if she can trust her boyfriend.

The only problem is that she will probably get caught, tell him, or see that he is cheating, and then date someone else and repeat the same cycle.

Catfishing your boyfriend is something that should never be done. You should trust that he would not cheat on you or hurt you in any way. However, if you do feel the need to catfish your boyfriend, then you should realize the warning signs.

It usually means your relationship is not strong, you both don’t communicate enough, or you just do not trust your partner. Regardless of the reason, talk to your boyfriend and try to make things work, instead of sneaking behind his back and testing him.

After all, that will only cause more problems in your relationship as it is not a solution to your issues.

In today’s society there is a stigma that women must have kids and if they don’t they are a failure of a wife and also as a woman.

However, that is not the case, and this stigma needs to end. It is a women’s choice to have children, not the rest of the worlds.

Even if these newly wed women do want kids, but are waiting for a short while, the pressure to have children is still something that should not exist.

This pressure that is being put on them from friends, family, in-laws, neighbors, and colleagues is something that can ruin or put a strain on their marriage.

Not to mention that it can also provide them with a massive internal struggle that will be bothering and harming them and their relationship.

This leaves many women wondering how to deal with the pressures to have children after marriage.

After all, not only are they enjoying their newlywed status, but they are also busy with work and everything else that is part of their life.

The last thing anyone needs, even at any stage in life is to be inundated with pressures that are not necessary from people. Especially, since this is a private and personal decision.

The best way to look at this is to look at what women want. Some women want children, and some do not.

Others, maybe unsure if they want children, and are waiting, whereas other women know they want children but are struggling to conceive.

Lastly, there are women who do want children but are also waiting for a while for other reasons.

Regardless of what the scenario is for that person, the very last thing they need is to feel pressured and to continue to have to deal with people who are pressuring them.

Let’s end the stigma that women need to start having children once they are married. Let’s end the stigma that women also must have kids to be a woman, and that they must have kids to be a good wife.

None of those are true, and the pressure to have kids needs to stop. It is the woman’s choice, and it is between her and her husband.

If a woman does not want to have children that does not make her any less of the amazing person she is.

It just means she knows what she wants, and is brave enough to do this. However, a woman should not be viewed as brave because she won’t have kids.

A woman should just be able to make a choice that suits her without having ramifications or judgment and views placed on her.

Hopefully, as time carries on, women will be free to make this decision without having to deal with society as it does not matter what she chooses, because it is her choice, and she deserves to be happy.

Read on to learn YouQueens guide for how to deal with the pressure to have kids as soon as you get married.

Step 1: Self-reflection

You need to be honest with yourself, what you want, and what you feel is best for you. Although you are married and your husband is your teammate and best friend, amongst other things.

You must first be real with you and only you. By doing this, you can figure out what you truly want without feeling pressured, or unsure, or even confused while talking with your husband about it before you even fully have an idea of where you see yourself.

Once you do this, make a mental note of all the pros and cons to what you are feeling, and make sure you are thinking of where you stand and of what you want.

Don’t think for the two of you, you can do that after. Come back to what you were thinking a week later and see if anything has changed and how you feel about it.

Step 2: Be a team

Once you are sure of what you truly want, then you tell your husband all about your thoughts and where you stand.

However, since you both are a team, he may share the same views, have completely different ones, or may make suggestions where you both revisit this discussion in a year.

Either way, you both will need to discuss this in depth and fully. It may go very well, or it may become very messy and it will put a slight strain on your marriage.

However, you both are strong, and with lots of discussions, you will both get through this.

You must remember that as much as the two of you are a team, you will need to stand strong on your decision.

Keep in mind that as much as this is your choice, you are married and you may have to compromise slightly.

Most women find that the compromise they do with their husband is that they agree to discuss and revisit this topic again in the future in case either them, or their husband changes their mind.

Step 3: Who to tell

If you and your husband chose to wait for a while to have kids, decide you don’t want them, are unsure of your feelings, or are struggling to conceive, who you tell and what you tell them is up to you and your husband.

The choice you and your husband chose will be the right one because you both know each other, and your options the best.

This step can go three ways. You can either tell everyone (colleagues, friends, family) your decision.

You can also choose to only tell family your decision and a few close friends (if you want). Or, you can choose to tell no one and to keep this a very private matter as it is personal.

The key to this step is that once you chose who you’re telling, and what you are telling them, you need to stick to your guns.

Meaning, you both need to stay on board with your plan and stress the fact that you are firm in your decision and need them to stop pressuring you because it is your decision, not theirs.

You may also want to mention the effects that this pressure is putting on you and your husband just as a method to reinforce the fact that they must stop.

The decision you and your husband chose will be the one that will take the pressure off of you, him, and will suit your lifestyle.

It is up to the both of you, and you shouldn’t feel bad about doing this as this is something that will help your marriage start off on the right foot.

Step 4: Enforcement

As tough as this may sound, it is necessary. If your friends and family continue to pressure you even after step 3, then this part is a must.

You and your husband must enforce your decision by making sure that the people you tell, stop pressuring you. Even if they stop for a short period of time, and then start again, you need to then enforce it again, but in an even tougher way.

If they continue to pressure you even after all of this, you may need to be firm on your decision and have a serious discussion about how they are harming the both of you.

You may also want to then mention how it is your choice, a private matter, and that they must stop, or you may have to stop seeing them for a while of they don’t.

Step 5: Open channels

When looking at how to deal with the pressure to have kids right after the wedding, the last and final step is to make sure that you and your husband continue to talk and be honest about your feelings.

You must also talk about the mind frame you are both currently in, and if either one of your thoughts changes, then you will need to talk about this.

This step will involve you and your husband to continue to discuss this over time and to be very open, honest, calm, and rational.

Remember, it is your choice to have kids, and you are able to decide when or if you want them.

Even if you are afraid that your decision will make your husband want a divorce, you should still not compromise on your beliefs. However, to put your mind at ease, you are both newlyweds and are madly in love.

It is up to the two of you to continue to nourish that love. However, just remember that he married you. He loves you for who you are. Lastly, he knows you better than anyone else does; meaning he probably already knows where you stand.

Plus, he will support your decision and respect you for decision and will make sure that the two of you can make it through these pressures and be happy.

However, as you both continue to get to know each other through discussing certain topics, and are learning more from deep conversations some topics are bound to come up which may cause some waves in the smooth waters.

You should be ready to answer these questions the right way which will make your relationship even stronger but will also allow you both to discuss freely and openly.

Talking about past relationships with your current partner in your new relationship can be either very easy or very difficult. Ultimately, before you do this it is important to look at an array of things to help you decide if it is even worth delving into your romantic past.

Before opening this can of worms read on to learn if you should be talking about past relationships with your partner, and what is the best way to talk about this as well.

Why you should talk about past relationships

If you chose to take the route of talking about past relationships you should be aware of the risks (which are discussed below). However, there are also many benefits to this.

By talking about your past relationships with your current partner you are opening up communication channels. By doing this you are creating a connection, bond, and place of honesty and possibly vulnerability.

This is all good, even though it might be scary, alarming, stressful, worrisome, or nerve wracking, it is actually good.

When you tell your partner about your past relationships it is important to be honest, open, and neutral about it. However, as much as you need to be honest, you also need to keep in mind that you should not go into every detail of every aspect of your previous relationship.

Even though your partner and you have agreed to discuss your past relationships, it doesn’t mean they want to hear about your sex life and every single thing that had happened.

What you should do is just to give a summary of the pros and cons of the relationship. Mention how it was good at times, but also then add what ruined the relationship and go into detail about that too.

There is a fine line for this, you must be honest and open, but you also must keep some stuff more reserved and tucked away for simplicity.

Additionally, another benefit to talking about past relationships is the fact that you get to discuss what you didn’t like which will hint to your new partner about things to not do.

People may view this as a bad idea because it means you are suggesting your partner should change, or hide parts of them. However, it really isn’t bad because you are just mentioning what went wrong in the past, how it made you feel, and what happened as a result of it.

Your partner won’t change because of this, it just means they will have some guidelines of things that drive you nuts and have ruined previous relationships.

This will be a guide for them as it will aid the both of you in your new relationship and it will hopefully have a better end result than the past.

Why you should not talk about past relationships

Despite talking about past relationships can be benefitial, there are some issues with it which can be quite bad.

Before even talking about this with your partner, consider their personality. If they are very sensitive, judgmental, critical, possessive, or jealous, then you may want to consider not telling them.

After all, if they have these traits, your relationship may fall apart before it even really starts.

If your partner has any of those traits, he can become jealous, insecure, angry, sad, or just criticize because of what you have told them.

Additionally, they may be bothered by the fact that you have been with others, and that you have done certain things with other people.

No matter of it being sex, working out together, hiking, mini golf, travel, concerts, or anything, they will have a wave of emotions about it and it will bother them.

This can be troublesome, so it is up to you to decide if talking about past relationships is an actually right thing for your relationship.

You may like to think you are a patient person, but how often do you lose your temper with your partner? Having patience means not getting angry or upset in stressful and unpleasant situations.

None of us are perfect; we cannot be patient all of the time, but once you understand the importance of patience for a healthy loving relationship, you will be a much more balanced person.

Patience is not something you’re born with; it’s something you acquire over the years, it’s a skill that you can learn and like any skill, you get better at it over the years.

See it as a sort of finesse, a competence worth developing because, in the long run, you’ll become much more serene and more in control over your relationship at home.

Here are three situations that might cause you to experience impatience and prevent you from being gentle and easy going in your loving relationship:

Have you fallen for someone who has already been married or just out of a serious relationship?

Your partner will no doubt be very hesitant to engage fully the second time around so expect things to be sluggish in the beginning. You find yourself pushing him to cohabit, and you are dying to meet his parents, but he is reluctant.

This does not mean he lacks feelings for you; he just wants to be sure that he doesn’t make the same mistake again. Although it’s frustrating, you have no choice but to be patient for that loving relationship to move forward.

If a child is involved, then you need to be cautious as well as patient when deciding what will make you happy. If this relationship is the most important to you, and you choose to follow through, then you must respect his decision to being a dedicated father. Make sure this is what you want because you will need to be very patient. Here’s why:

–The divorce from his first wife may have been settled amicably but and accept that he will still have to maintain contact with his ex and the child or children they had together. Be patient when he has to spend time with them.

– Most men like a particular type of girl so you may look like his ex. Accept that there might be some similarities and traits between you and his ex but don’t dwell on what these might be. This sort of behavior may make you look immature and insecure.

If he brings it up, instead show how patient you are by listening and making a joke of it, focusing perhaps on one of your strong points: You could ask “Is her stomach as flat as mine? “

When your professional busy lover occasionally arrives late for dinner do you get angry?

You’ve had a hard day at the office; you race home to fix a candlelight dinner because you and your partner had planned dinner for two – a quiet evening at home.

Dinner’s in the oven you set the table, you make sure you are looking your best and all ready for a romantic evening. It’s all ready for 8 o clock, the time he usually gets home, but he doesn’t show up. You try calling, but his phone goes straight to voicemail.

This is to enough for anyone to lose patience, and become angry – Hard as it, reflect for a moment before you storm out of the house and head off to your mom’s or your best friend for the evening.

Don’t forget that you fell in love with this busy guy, this bright young professional who you know has a brilliant future in his new job. He took the time to explain about his demanding job when you first met and what it would mean to his career in the years to come.

His job is important, and he needs to think of his future, this is, after all, a long-term investment.

You need to think of the future rewards and what future you intend to build together. It would be foolish and pathetic to want to pay him back when he comes home.

Just think instead, how comforting it will be for him to find you there when he comes home, how much you will help him to unwind simply by your presence. Your boyfriend has a legitimate reason for this unscheduled overtime at work; it does not mean he doesn’t love you.

What you can do if you are still in the honeymoon stage of your relationship is to be prepared for this sort of situation happening again.

Tell him how infuriating it is to be kept waiting, make sure he understands that you want to support him emotionally but that you have a life too. Turn your impatience to something positive like developing a new hobby and learning a new language.

Do you find yourself saying the following?

‘I wish he’d listen to me.’

‘Why doesn’t he take more care of his body’?

‘Why does he have to stay up so late watching television?’

What you’re doing here is judging your partner negatively, focusing on the destructive rather than the constructive. Because you lack patience, you start an argument determined that you are right and that he should be doing exactly as you want him to do. You have to win the argument so you explode just like a pressure cooker.

Remember, though, that each person has the right to his own point of view, and most important you are each on your own path of development. This means you have no right to tell him how he should be running his life if he needs to unwind by watching television and then let him. Give him his space.

What you should be doing instead is focusing on his good points, his kindness, his loyalty and his love for you. Try to be kind and gentle yourself and remember that patience will help your partner feel secure, vital for the future of your loving relationship.

Why you should develop patience for your loving relationship

Patience is vital for a loving relationship because of the long term benefits. Admittedly, it takes time, but once you learn about developing patience skills, you become a happier person.

This is what happens with increased patience:

— You become much more patient with yourself: with this new confidence, you create harmony in yourself which eventually will radiate more love and peace around you.

— Patience is vital not only for a loving relationship but also in a work situation where you might be called upon to be a team leader. Patience will empower you to build strong relationships with workmates. See patience as an investment for the future.

— You become a healthier person. When you become impatience, snap and lose your temper, the body reacts in a negative way: you may experience shortness of breath, your body becomes tense.

So, If your best friend tells you you’ve got a short fuse, listen up, she’s probably right, you lack patience, and this can have serious consequences on your relationship, whether you’ve just started dating a new guy or are already in a long term relationship.

In other words, if you can develop patience, so vital for daily life, you are on your way to power. This peaceful virtue not only makes a love relationship stronger but it also helps you achieve your personal and professional goals.