86,000 Trip and Fall Over Pets

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released a report saying that over 86,000 fall injuries occur from people tripping over their pets. You have to imagine that if this is the reported number, there's probably tens of thousands more that aren't reported. The report says that 88 percent of injuries involved dogs: falling when walking them, tripping over them, getting dragged or pulled down by them, or stumbling on a food dish or toy. For cats, the report suggests that most falls occur when the owners are chasing them (no specifics on why the owners were chasing them). Lastly, women were twice as likely to be injured as men.

Growing up with dogs, I have to admit that I too have tripped over a pooch a few times, fortunately never causing any kind of injury. Have you injured yourself tripping over your pet? Willing to share your story? Stay safe out there.

Wacky Tax Write Offs

We're rounding the final countdown for tax season. If you're getting your books squared away this weekend, be sure to read this article on the 9 wackiest tax deductions for 2009 from BankRate.com. Now, these didn't necessarily work, it's just what some taxpayers attempted to write off. For example, one accountant noted a client had a check for over $2,000 written to a gynecologist. It was classified on the business books as 'repairs and maintenance.' Another out-there attempt has been from some animal lovers. The article mentions one pet lover who claimed his dog as a dependent, another who attempted to write off the dog food for his "home security system," and yet another who claimed Fido as a landscaping subcontractor. Got to admit, these are some pretty creative deduction attempts.

What's the craziest thing you've ever been able to write off? Click here to read the complete aritcle.

Get Help from a Romance Decorator

Ready to plan the perfect romantic evening, but you're struggling with the details? You know you want Champagne and maybe chocolate strawberries, but then you go blank. That's fine. That's where the help of someone like Mary Chatman comes in. Chatman is the founder of Creations of Love, a romantic decorating company ready to romanticize your place. Creations of Love will supply all the materials and decorate with a variety of items including fresh rose petals trails, aromatherapy candles, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate truffles and more. Clients can pick the details of what they're looking for and Creations of Love will do the rest and offer a variety of packages. They currently operate in Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York. If you're out of those areas don't worry, they also offer DIY packages. Check out their website (www.creationsofloveinc.com) for more information.

When was the last time you romantically decorated (or had someone decorate) your place?

Can Having a Kid Help Your Marriage?

The short answer: No. Brian Doss, a professor of psychology and his team at the University of Denver just published their findings in the current "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology." For the study, 218 couples were tracked over an eight-year period, comparing pre-birth and post-birth behavior patterns and how the arrival of the baby directly affected the relationship between the father and mother. Sure, having a baby can bring tremendous joy to a couple's life, but for most couples, Doss found that having a first child resulted in more marital problems. He says in a video that existing problems become exacerbated with the arrival of a new child. The article states that the birth of the first baby was followed by more problems in communication, decreases in couples' confidence that the marriage would last and declines in couples' overall satisfaction with the marriage. A really interesting finding was that mothers who gave birth to girls showed larger drops in marital satisfaction. Doss thinks this may be a result of fewer husbands being involved in the childcare tasks of girls compared to boys.

This is obviously not a study that will prevent people from having kids, but for the (hopefully) few couples out there who think having a kid will wash away their existing problems, the Doss's team has determined that a new child would most likely make them worse. Read the complete article here.

Sex Therapist Explains Men

AOL interviewed sex therapist Ian Kerner asking him many questions about men. For example, Ian explains how men do like to nonsexual physical affection, then dishes on why men, then, don't cuddle after sex. He reasons that while men would like to, it's that they have other things they'd rather be doing like checking e-mail. Ian also says men find relationship routines boring--even describing it as prison. In terms of men being into porn, Ian explains it's nothing to worry about, saying "We really prefer being with an actual woman." If you'd like to read the entire interview, click here.

Don't Waste Money on These Things

SmartMoney.com has run a story of 7 things that you're wasting money on. Times are tough and we know a lot of you are looking to save a few bucks here and there. So where are you wasting money? The seven places they mention are bottled water, extended warranties, gym memberships, overdraft fees, organic produce, auto insurance, and music downloads. There's definitely money to be saved in each of these and SmartMoney breaks down an estimate of how much money you could save. There are obviously many variables to consider here. Some other items we'd like to add to this list are eating out, coffee runs, entertainment expenses, alcohol and movie rentals. Another thing is to be more thoughtful and plan ahead. For example, if you're going to run errands on the weekend, map out where you need to travel and make sure you take the most direct route. This will save not just time, but gas, which we know is money. Please go on the message boards and share your tips.

Drink With Friends...It's Good for You

Nearly 20,000 Japanese men were asked about their alcohol consumption and drinking environment over the span of more than 9 years by researchers from Osaka University. What these Japanese researchers found was that light to moderat drinking aligned with reduced risks of stroke and heart disease, and the effect was more pronounced in men with high levels of social support. One researcher believe the social support prevented unhealthy behaviors and enhancement of stress buffering. Moderate consumption was rated as less than 299 grams per week. Over 300 grams was shown to increase the risk of a stroke. Another interesting tidbit was that heavy drinkers were also more likely to not be married! So grab your spouse, find some friends and enjoy some moderate drinking. Cheers!

Outdoor Lovin'

Are you looking to add some serious spice to your marriage? Check out this website called Outdoor Lovemap. It is what it sounds like, a map of places around the world to make love. Of course, you could get into legal trouble if you're in a spot you're not supposed to be in and this website doesn't seem like it takes any of that information into account. It's basically a user-generated map that grades sites on a five-star system of privacy, comfort and legality. Each site is also given a description of the location. Last month, the site cracked 100 locations. Click here to check out the map.

10 Ways to be Happy in Marriage

Everyone has their tricks to maintaining a happy and successful marriage. The Seattle Times offers a list of 10 things you can do to be happy in marriage. Here are a couple fo highlights:

1. Talk about the important stuff. Most couples spend more time planning a vacation than they do planning for their relationship. Create a relationship vision by asking: "If we could have it exactly like we want, how would it be?"

2. Listen to the heart more than you listen to the words. Focusing on the words can lead to endless and meaningless debate: "No, that did not happen on Tuesday, it happened on Monday!"

3. Don't be a Darren Stevens. In the old sitcom "Bewitched," Samantha merely had to wiggle her nose to make incredible things happen. Darren was always trying to get her to stop using her magical powers.

Even as a little kid, I thought the guy was nuts. He could have had anything he wanted. Instead he tried to get Sam to stifle her gifts. Encourage your partner in her gifts.

4. Don't assume that just because you are married, you know how to be married. Pay attention to what works for other couples. Read all you can. Go to seminars. Find a coach. It's a lot less expensive than divorce, financially and emotionally.

We especially agree with that last item, which is why we exist. Tell your friends if they're looking for some good reading material, we're here to help.

Sex Patch for Women Doesn't Work

Procter & Gamble has created a patch called Intrinsa that increases testosterone levels in women. The patches were denied use in the U.S. back in 2004, but have been used in London. A review released on Tuesday found that the patches appear to not do much to boost a woman's sex drive after menopause and their long-term safety is unclear. The trials were conducted on 4,000 women and only lasted for six months, which is why long-term effects are still unknown. Some women did report small improvements in their sex drive, but so did others who were recieving a placebo. I guess to boost the sex drive it's back to Marvin Gaye. Click here to read the complete article.

Dr. Haltzman Talks Pros of Marriage

Click here to watch Dr. Scott Haltzman discuss with his local news team the benefits of being in a healthy marriage. Dr. Haltzman highlights many good points such as the fact that men live longer (on average up to 10 years longer, women 4 years), stay slimmer, decreased risk of heart disease, stroke, or high blood pressure, less hospital time, less nursing home time, and less alcoholism. But to get all these benefits, you need to sustain a happy marriage, which Dr. Haltzman says means thinking about what will make your partner happy and fight fair without finger pointing.

This is terrific publicity of what a healthy marriage can do, but is ruined by the hack journalist who needs to add his own commentary to the story once the clip is done playing. It's these types of comments that undercut the work done by professionals such as Dr. Haltzman and stain the attitudes of the community this "journalist" is supposed to be serving.

Beauty Really is in the Eye of the Beholder

New research shows that men process beauty on the right side of their brains, while women use their whole brain to do the job. Furthermore, when women consider a visual object they link it to language while men concentrate on the spatial aspects of the object. What's interesting is that while beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder, and beauty is processed differently based on gender, researchers who published these new findings say gender has nothing to do with what people find beautiful. While they're not sure, they conclude people may find beauty in different things based on age, education or some other factor. To read the entire article, click here.

The Modern Marriage

Barack Obama has become not just the symbol of hope for the country, but it seems also for the institution of marriage. Newsweek offered an essay a few weeks back identifying Barack and Michelle's union (married at age 28 and 31) as the new model marriage. A union that reflects marriage statistics--men and women are waiting longer to get married, first establishing their personal and professional identities--and one of equality and respect. The essay highlights the fact that until recently, Michelle's resume was more impressive and his (mayoral assistant, nonprofit exec, hospital veep) earning her a six-figure salary. And while she has stepped down (for the time being) from her professional career, their union remains on equal footing. The article highlights an incident where Barack called home to crow his Senate victory and Michelle responded by asking him to run errands on the way home. So why all the hype?

Most millennials have yet to experience marriage firsthand, and what they've experienced by proxy hasn't been particularly encouraging: a 50 percent divorce rate, a steep rise in single parenthood, a culture captivated by cheap celebrity hookups. Even America's most visible household hasn't offered much hope, veering from '50s-era subservience (the Reagans) to boomer dysfunction (the Clintons). But now the Obamas—two independent individuals who also appear to be (surprise!) in love—have filled the void. For young people who have rejected the tired "wife in the kitchen" template but resolved not to follow their parents to divorce court, it's a relief to see that the sort of marriage they hope to have—equal and devoted—can actually exist.

Of course, reflecting on past generations doesn't mean that their marriage models didn't work or weren't as fullfilling, and many of them reflect the same kind of union as Barack and Michelle's. But there's clearly been disfunction as of late considering the high divorce rate and this is a chemistry young people have never seen in the White House. This doesn't mean that it's always, "happily ever after" either. In a recent People magazine interview, Michelle acknowledges, "we have a strong marriage, but it's not perfect." While perhaps not perfect, the new first couple is quickly becoming the aspirations of domestic equality, stability and bliss.

Last Chance Marriage Therapy

ABC News video taped a couple, Kathryn and Heath (last names withheld), who are making a last ditch effort in a crash 5-hour marriage therapy session to see if their marriage can be saved. Their seems to be two big problems, his infidelity and her out of control kids from a previous marriage. This couple has bravely allowed their session to be taped and viewed. You can view clips of the first half of their session by clicking here. Just from the picture to the right, and making an assessment from their body language, you can see that this couple has a long way to go.

Money Rules for Marriage

Money issues are one of the leading causes of divorce in the country. With money issues crippling the country right now, it's a good time to review the following rules from The Motley Fool. For starters, they say you have to "have the talk." To break the ice they recommend asking, "If you had $50 to burn, what would you spend it on?" Then go into the more difficult financial questions. Another rule is to not ignore financial issues with your ex (if you're remarried). If you had a joint credit card, make sure it's taken care of. With your current spouse, they recommend not feeding each other's bad habits. Who's going to be the party pooper when you both want to purchase a new car, but know that it's not a smart financial decision for you at the moment.

It's not all negative talk on money. There are many benefits to being a financial duo. You can save on insurance, get banking deals and more. They also recommend that you get your future financial plan in order. Discuss your goals (short and long term) and then talk about how you're going to get there.