Use Common Sense, Be Safe

I read an article earlier today that suggested not to shoot your guns in celebration of the new year. Seems reasonable. But celebration isn't the only place you should use common sense, the weather is another place to use good judgement. Click here to read an article of a man who used a cutting torch to thaw ice and wound up thawing a lot of ice when he caught his house on fire. Be safe, don't drink and drive, and enjoy your New Year celebrations! Happy New Year everyone and be sure to give your spouse a BIG kiss at midnight--then remember to do the same thing throughout the year.

Army Couple Makes Marriage Work Through 5 Deployments

Army majors Elizabeth and Mike (no last name given in the article) have deployed five times between the two of them to Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq. Fortunately, the U.S. Army has been extremely accommodating letting the two station geographically close, even if not together. Over Christmas, Elizabeth traveled to his unit, only to find he had gone to visit hers. Elizabeth says, "I left presents on his desk." The couple, having met in the military has been married for eight years and says they currently see each other about once every three to five weeks. Enough time to get their family started. Elizabeth is currently in her third trimester of pregnancy and the couple is already starting to make plans for another deployment. They expect their next move will take them to Afghanistan, but this time they wish to go separately so one can stay behind to care for their new baby. They realize that this will add a new level of complication to their marriage, but then again this couple has faced tougher challenges in the past.

Read their full story here. According to the Military Family Research Institute, nearly 13% of active-duty service members were married to another service member in 2005. Are you one of them?

Medical Myths

Your kid eating sugar will make them hyper, right? Not so says British medical journal BMJ. They say that there is no scientific evidence to support this myth and that some of it is even psychological for the parents. The journal said that when parent were told their kids had sugary drinks, they rated that they were more hyper, even though the drinks were sugar free. Other myths include the one that poinsettias are poisonous, suicides increase during the holidays, eating at night makes you fat, you lose the most body heat through your head, and that their are cures for hangovers. To read the full article with explanations on these myths, click here. So go ahead and eat up at night with that sugary dessert, but don't drink too much because there's no cure in the morning. Happy holidays!

Less Gifts This Year

Who on your Santa list is not going to receive a gift this year because of the economy? A Maritz Holiday Poll asked who's off this year's holiday gift list and perhaps surprisingly extended family were the first to go. 67 Percent said extended family were getting chopped, while 55 percent said friends and 50 percent said work associates. Click here to see the poll.

Have you removed some people off your gift list who has traditionally been on it in years past? Are you making homemade goodies instead or have other ideas? Let us know what you're doing.

Postnuptial Depression

Time magazine published an article addressing the blues couples face (particularly the bride) once their big day has come and gone. The article says 5% to 10% of newlyweds suffer strong enough remorse, sadness or frustration to prompt them to seek professional counseling. The article says some feel it and describe it as buyers remorse, others expected some magical change to happen in their relationship only to find that there's no such thing. One bride who was married in 2006 says she's found the secret to getting over the blues. She recommends newlyweds to refocus the energy that they spent working toward the wedding and now put it into themselves and their marriage, like date nights. The article also recommended:

After the vows, to defeat the postnuptial blues, doctors say, couples should get adequate rest and exercise; communicate constantly; focus on the benefits of marriage, like having a built-in support system; and start thinking about the future in terms of family or finance. Women should stop thinking of themselves as "the bride" and throw out those wedding magazines, then plan social events for after the honeymoon, so they have other parties to look forward to.

Did you experience postnuptial depression? If so, how long did it last and how did you get out of it?

Relieve Stress With Sex

This isn't new, but Self magazine recently published an article stating that sex relieves stress among other things. "Being in an intimate relationship correlates to healing faster, getting sick less often and living longer," says James Coan, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. "Good relationships offset tension in daily life." The article further says that anxiety spikes blood pressure, which hobbles the immune system. "But when you have sex, you release feel-good hormones, including oxytocin and endorphins," Coan adds. So do you need sex to relieve stress? Nope. At least according to Coan's research. Coan says kissing, hugging, cuddling and holding hands will help relieve stress.

To read the complete article click here.

Poor Get Poorer

Talk about rubbing salt in the wound. Earlier this month, the FDIC reported that bank overdraft fees of up to $38 were disproportionately affecting young and low-income consumers. Perhaps that's not too surprising. What is interesting is that nearly half of consumers pay overdraft fees each year. Also found was that large banks are more likely to process transactions from largest to smallest dollar amount, often triggering more fees. Seems like dirty banking tricks. In total, overdraft-related fees bring in $17.5 billion each year to banks and credit unions according to the Center for Responsible Lending.

Be careful this holiday season and watch your bank account, you can be sure the banks are looking for a way to make some money. Click here to read the complete article.

Sex Toy Recycling Program

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Vermont: Healthiest State in America

Hitched is headquartered in California. You know, the land of yoga, no smoking, and sunny out-door activity all year round. So some might find it surprising that California isn't in the top five ranking of the healthiest states in America. It's more shocking for many that it ranked all the way down at 24, according to the United Health Foundation. The rankings take many different factors into consideration including prevalence of smoking, drinking, obesity, infectious disease, air pollution, public health funding, immunization coverage and many other factors.

The top five healthiest states are: Vermont, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Minnesota and Utah. The worst state is Louisiana. Click here to find out where your state ranks.

'Nagging' Wife Prompts Husband to Buy Winning Lottery Ticket

A young New Zealand couple won the jackpot of $4.2 million after the husband rushed into the store to purchase the ticket two minutes before the ticket sales closed. The husband says his wife was nagging him all week to buy one so when he say the Lotto sign in the window, he sprinted in the store to make the purchase at the last minute on a Saturday night. On Sunday, the wife asked her husband to go to the store and pick up some sausage. When the husband arrived, he realized he didn't have enough money so he looked in the paper to see if he won a few bucks. Sure enough, the couple won the grand prize. When he returned home to show his wife, she replied, "but all I wanted was a sausage."

What's the most amount of money you've won?