Make it more harmonious

Building Strong Marriages

How to Build a Strong Marriage

24 Ways to Strengthen Your Marriage

Marriage may not be as easy as you thought but, those who put effort into their marriage will be rewarded with longevity, satisfaction, and growth with the one you love.

Being the best partner possible is not always easy. At times it's not fair. At times it hurts; it can be lonely. It involves choosing to love your partner whether he or she deserves it or not. It involves continuing the initial vows you made when you began your marriage.

Here are little ways you can strengthen your marriage:

• Start each day with a kiss. Decide to begin the day with love.
• Wear your wedding ring at all times. Let it be a visual reminder of your commitment.
• Go on a date with your spouse once a week. Even if it's just for coffee, dedicate time for the two of you.
• Accept differences. Try to remember that once you thought your spouse's idiosyncrasies were cute. Your chances of changing them are slim, so decide to live with them.
• Be polite. Are you more polite to co-workers or store clerks than you are to the one you love? Practice good manners at home.
• Be gentle. Harsh words and actions have no place in your home. Choose to be kind to those you love and who love you.
• Give gifts. While diamonds are a girl's best friend, a card, a single rose, a favorite candy bar can also do the trick.
• Smile often. Put on a happy face and let it determine your disposition. Remember how meaningful the glances were which you once gave each other.
• Touch. A pat on the back or a soft caress of the cheek can show love and connection.
• Talk about dreams. Get your conversation beyond coordinating schedules and talking about the kids. Take time to talk about ideas and dreams.
• Give back rubs. Another day you'll be on the receiving end.
• Laugh together. Find something daily to share a laugh about. Life is complete with laughter.
• Do what your spouse wants before being asked. Anticipate your spouse's needs and jump right in to help. Put his or her needs before your own comfort.
• Listen. You don't have to solve problems, just be an active listener. Turn off the TV, put down the newspaper, and give your spouse your full attention.
• Encourage. The best way to give support is to encourage your spouse to do his or her best, to feel confident, or accomplish great things.
• Call your spouse. Check in with each other throughout the day - just to say Hi or I love you.
• Hold hands. Take a walk or watch TV while holding hands.
• Look your best. Comfort doesn't have to be socks and a T-shirt for bed every night.
• Apologize. Almost as good as I love you is I'm sorry, forgive me. Marriage isn't a game where you keep score. It's not important who's right.
• Ask, What can I do to make you happier? You may be surprised at how simple it is to please your spouse.
• Reminisce about your favorite times together. Talk about special times you shared, and create new times together.
• Pray for your spouse daily. Don't let a day go by without praying for your marriage, your spouse, and your family.
• Watch sunsets together. Find the beauty in life and share it.
• End each day with a hug. Decide to end the day with love.

www.weddingharmony.in

SEX AND SÈNSE

Enhancing Your Sexual Experiences Through Your Five Senses

When you think about sex, what comes to mind? Chances are, most of the images and adjectives have to do with touch and movement. Stroking, rubbing, moving. But touch is just one of your five senses-you have four others. Imagine what sexual experiences might feel like if you took full advantage of those, too. So here are some suggestions to incorporate all your senses into your sex life. Be creative and feel free add to the list below.

Hearing

• Talk with each other. Ask your partner to tell you, very softly, how your body feels as he or she touches you, how it feels as he or she strokes you. Don't let your partner do all the talking, however. Make sure you share with him or her your own thoughts about your lovemaking. Another option is to tell each other what you're going to do or what you'd like to do.
• Put on some music. Something erotic and sexy or something you both enjoy listening to. We can't tell you exactly what that is-it's whatever turns you on. You might even consider making a playlist in your mp3 player just for lovemaking!

Sight
• Dress sexy. Don't just go to bed in your ratty old flannel nightgown. Make yourself beautiful for your lover. Try a silky chemise or a gauzy peignoir.
• Act sexy. Arouse your partner through your actions. Let your partner watch as you prepare for bed, sensuously brushing your hair and rubbing cream into your skin. Or, on the far end of the spectrum, how about teasing your partner with your body.
• Play dress up. Share your fantasies with each other, then consider hitting a costume store to make them come true. But remember, all fantasies do not have to be acted upon or discussed.
• Watch a romantic movie, an erotic film or an instructive video. Non-exploitive DVDs are available.

Smell
• Take a deep breathe. Because humans emit pheromones, scents that may play a role in our attraction to one another - use them! Consider skipping the scented soap and lotions and leave the perfume and cologne bottles alone.
• Fill your room with the scents of desire. Vanilla, musk and sandalwood could work.

Taste
• Experiment with foods. There are many foods that people like to associate with sex, from oysters to chocolate covered strawberries. You may also consider experimenting with different tastes including foods that are sweet, salty, spicy, bitter or sour.
• Cook a meal together. Work together with your partner to make a scrumptious meal. Taking the time to do this may help you to focus on one another and relax. You may even want to feed each other!
• Go out for a romantic meal. Pick one of your favorite restaurants or be adventurous and find a new place - possibly one that is dark with candles?
• Have dessert in bed. Consider bringing foods into the bedroom and feed each other as part of your foreplay. We're thinking of foods like strawberries with whipped cream, crème brulee or ice cream with warm chocolate sauce.

Touch
• Close your eyes. Consider closing your eyes and relaxing so that you only focus on what you are feeling as your sense of touch heightens.
• Experience silky. Make your bed with silk or satin sheets. While not terribly practical for sleeping, they can add an entirely new dimension to lovemaking. For a more affordable option, there are also sprays that make your sheets feel silky.
  
  
  Courtesy :http://www.healthywomen.org

HONEYMOON : History and Etymology

HISTORY:

One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy .“When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him. He shall be exempt for one year for the sake of his family, to bring joy to the wife he has married.

Originally "honeymoon" simply described the period just after the wedding when things are at their sweetest; it is assumed to wane in a month. The earliest term for this in English was hony moone, which was recorded as early as 1546.

In Western culture, the custom of a newlywed couple going on a holiday together originated in early 19th century Great Britain, a concept borrowed from the Indian elite, in the Indian Subcontinent. Upper-class couples would take a "bridal tour", sometimes accompanied by friends or family, to visit relatives who had not been able to attend the wedding. The practice soon spread to the European continent and was known as voyage à la façon anglaise (English-style voyage) in France from the 1820s on.

Honeymoons in the modern sense (i.e. a pure holiday voyage undertaken by the married couple) became widespread during the Belle Époque, as one of the first instances of modern mass tourism. This came about in spite of initial disapproval by contemporary medical opinion (which worried about women's frail health) and by savoir vivre guidebooks (which deplored the public attention drawn to what was assumed to be the wife's sexual initiation). The most popular honeymoon destinations at the time were the French Riviera and Italy, particularly its seaside resorts and romantic cities such as Rome, Verona or Venice. Typically honeymoons would start on the night they were married, with the couple leaving midway through the reception to catch a late train or ship. However, in the 21st century, many couples will not leave until 1–3 days after the ceremony and reception in order to tie up loose ends with the reception venue and/or simply enjoy the reception to its fullest and have a relaxing night afterwards to recover, before undertaking a long journey.

ETYMOLOGY:

The Oxford English Dictionary offers no etymology, but gives examples dating back to the 16th century. The Merriam-Webster dictionary reports the etymology as from "the idea that the first month of marriage is the sweetest" (1546).

A honeymoon can also be the first moments a newly-wed couple spend together, or the first holiday they spend together to celebrate their marriage.

“

"The first month after marriage, when there is nothing but tenderness and pleasure" (Samuel Johnson); originally having no reference to the period of a month, but comparing the mutual affection of newly-married persons to the changing moon which is no sooner full than it begins to wane; now, usually, the holiday spent together by a newly-married couple, before settling down at home.

”

One of the more recent citations in the Oxford English Dictionary indicates that, while today honeymoon has a positive meaning, the word was originally a reference to the inevitable waning of love like a phase of the moon. This, the first known literary reference to the honeymoon, was penned in 1552, in Richard Huloet's Abecedarium Anglico Latinum. Huloet writes:

“	Hony mone, a term proverbially applied to such as be newly married, which will not fall out at the first, but th'one loveth the other at the beginning exceedingly, the likelihood of their exceadinge love appearing to aswage, ye which time the vulgar people call the hony mone.	”
—Abcedarium Anglico-Latinum pro Tyrunculis, 1552

In many parts of Europe it was traditional to supply a newly married couple with enough mead for a month, ensuring happiness and fertility. From this practice we get honeymoon or, as the French say,lune de miel [lit. "moon of honey"] Given that this etymology does not appear in the usual scholarly works on etymology, this claim is usually dismissed as a false etymology.

There are many calques of the word honeymoon from English into other languages. The French form translates as "moon of honey" (lune de miel), as do the Spanish (luna de miel), Portuguese (lua de mel) and Italian (luna di miele) equivalents. The Welsh word for honeymoon is mis mêl, which translates as "honey month", and similarly the Polish (miesiąc miodowy), Russian (Медовый месяц),Arabic (شهر العسل shahr el 'assal), Greek (μήνας του μέλιτος) and Hebrew (ירח דבש yerach d'vash) versions. (Interestingly, Yerach is used for month, rather than the more common Chodesh. Yerach is related to the word Yare'ach for moon and the two words are spelled alike: ירח.) The Persian word is ماه عسل mah e asal which has both the translations "honey moon" and "honey month" (mah in Persian meaning both moon and month). The same applies to the word ay in the Turkish equivalent, balayı. In Hungarian language it is called "honey weeks" (mézeshetek). Likewise, the Tamil word for honeymoon is "Then Nilavu" meaning Then-honey and nilavu-moon

Source : wikipedia.

MATRIMONY (SOLITAIRE)

MATRIMONY (SOLITAIRE)

This time its not related with marriage, this matrimony is a card game !!!

Matrimony is a solitaire card game: which uses two decks of 52 playing cards each. It is a difficult game which depends mostly on luck and is sometimes mechanical. It is also one of the many games where there are no clear rules but with two versions. The one described below is laid out by Peter Arnold in his book Card Games for One .

One Q♦ and one J♦ are taken out of the deck to form the foundations. As they become available during the deal, the two J♥ and the four black 10s (two 10♠ and two 10♣) are placed beside the two cards already present also form the foundations. After that, sixteen cards are dealt into two rows of eight cards each, forming the bases for the sixteen tableau piles. The foundations and the tableau may look like this:

Q♦	J♦	(J♥)	(J♥)	(10♠)	(10♠)	(10♣)	(10♣)
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16

The Q♦ is built up to Jack, and all other foundations are built down, with the Jacks up to Queens and the Tens up to Jacks, all by suit and all round-the-corner, i.e. putting a king over an ace and vice versa. The cards to be used to build on these eight foundations are those put on the piles. The top card of each pile is available for play.

Once no more moves are possible, a new batch of 16 cards are dealt from the stock, one on each pile, filling any gaps in the process. Therefore, an empty pile is not filled until the next deal. In between deals, cards are moved onto the foundations. The dealing of new batches of cards and moving cards to the foundations continue until the stock runs out. From that point, a new special process of dealing begins.

Using the diagram above as a guideline, the player picks up the cards from pile 16 and deals them from left to right, starting from the gap it leaves behind and goes from pile 16 to pile 1 if necessary. Then the cards from pile 15 are picked up and deal a card to piles 15, 16, 1, and so on until they run out. Then the cards on pile 14 are done the same. This continues until all cards from pile 1 are dealt. The player must make a point to build appropriate cards to the foundations each time after a pile is dealt. Also, a pile with only one card is left untouched because once it is picked up, it is placed back there anyway.

The game is successfully won when all cards are built into the foundations.

In both Pretty Good Solitaire and BVS Solitaire's version of the game, the jacks and the queens of each suit are removed; the jacks are built down to queens and queens up to jacks, all by suit, and all round-the-corner. Game play is the same as above, but the last batch will consist only of eight cards.

Furthermore, while the words matrimony and marriage are synonymous with each other, this game should not be confused with another solitaire game Royal Marriage.

source : Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Food & Sex..

Some Foods that help for better SEX


“There’s a growing body of evidence that some of the vitamins and components in foods can enhance sexual function and sexual experience,” says Jennifer R. Berman, MD, the director of the Berman Women’s Wellness Center, in Beverly Hills, Calif. 

Here are some of the food ingredients that have been major players in aphrodisiac history and lore, and also have modern-day science to back up their claims.

Avocados 

The Aztecs referred to avocados as, ahem, testicles, because of their physical shape. But the scientific reason why avocados make sense as an aphrodisiac is that they are rich in unsaturated fats and low in saturated fat, making them good for your heart and your arteries. Anything that keeps the heart beating strong helps keep blood flowing to all the right places; in fact, men with underlying heart disease are twice as likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED).  

Almonds

Topping my list of feisty foods, almonds have long been purported to increase passion, act as a sexual stimulant, and aid with fertility. Like asparagus (another one of my favorite sexy foods), almonds are nutrient-dense and rich in several trace minerals that are important for sexual health and reproduction, such as zinc, selenium, and vitamin E.  “Zinc helps enhance libido and sexual desire,” says Dr. Berman. “We don’t really understand the mechanisms behind it, but we know it works.”  

Strawberries

The color red is known to help stoke the fire: A 2008 study found that men find women sexier if they’re wearing red, as opposed to cool colors such as blue or green. Strawberries are also an excellent source of folic acid, a B vitamin that helps ward off birth defects in women and, according to a University of California, Berkley study, may be tied to high sperm counts in men. This Valentine’s Day, try making dark-chocolate-dipped strawberries. And while we’re on the subject, there’s a reason we give chocolate on Valentine’s Day: It’s full of libido-boosting methylxanthines.

Seafood

Despite their slippery and slimy texture, oysters may be the most well-known aphrodisiac. They’re also one of the best sources of libido-boosting zinc. But other types of seafood can also act as aphrodisiacs. Oily fish—like wild salmon and herring—contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for a healthy heart.  

Arugula (Rocket leaves) Eruca sativa

Arugula has been heralded as an arousal aid since the first century. Today, research reveals that the trace minerals and antioxidants packed into dark, leafy greens are essential for our sexual health because they help block absorption of some of the environmental contaminants thought to negatively impact our libido.  

Figs

These funny-shaped fruits have a long history of being a fertility booster, and they make an excellent aphrodisiac because they are packed with both soluble and insoluble fiber, which is important for heart health. Plus,high-fiber foods help fill you up, not out, so it’s easier to achieve that sexy bottom line—or belly.  

Citrus

Any member of this tropical fruit family is super-rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, and folic acid—all of which are essential for men’s reproductive health. Enjoy a romantic salad that incorporates citrus, like pink grapefruit or mandarin oranges, or use a dressing made with lemon and lime.  

Courtesy : www.health.com

 

Wedding Rings : Origin, Customs & Much more

Egyptians

From the ancient Egyptians, rings and bracelets were plaited from reeds that grew beside the fertile Nile River where the biblical basket containing the baby Moses was found by the Egyptian princess. Initially, rings were made from vegetation but since it required frequent renewal, it was replaced by tougher materials such as bone or ivory, and leather.

The Egyptians believed that the veins on the third finger of the left hand traveled directly to the heart. However, at that time, rings were worn more for their decorative worth than their sentimental value.

From 332 BC - The Romans 

In 332 BC, after conquering Egypt, the armies of Alexander the Great continued to adopt the notion of this "vein of love" or veno amoris and eventually, passed it on to the Romans who took on far greater importance on the finger rings.
At the time of betrothal, and as a way of binding the future bride to her future husband, the groom's family gave a ring made from iron to her. During the days when marriage was more negotiation than love match, perhaps still practiced in other cultures today, the act of giving a ring was a show of the groom's goodwill. It also serves to protecting the future bride's rights in the face of possible home-wreckers.


Christian
The use of rings in wedding ceremonies is traced back to the early part of the fourth century. However, the first explicit description of the ring’s usage seems to come from Isidore of Seville, who became archbishop of that city in 595. He wrote: "The ring is given by the espouser to the espoused either for a sign of mutual fidelity or still more to join their hearts by this pledge; and therefore the ring is placed on the fourth finger because a certain vein, it is said, flows thence to the heart."

The belief that the fourth finger (counting from the thumb), has a vena amoris–a love vein running directly to the heart–is obviously pure superstition. The annular (ring) finger shares the same "route" to the heart as the other fingers. In spite of its superstitious origin, the custom of wearing the wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand has prevailed in most Christian countries to this day.  

Early Pagan Practices

The practice of wearing a ring is also thought to stem from earlier pagan times when a man would encircle a likely woman in rope to ensure her spirit would remain under his command. Although the early Christians discarded most of the pagan customs, in 200 AD, they continued the Roman practice of the betrothal ring. The Christian betrothal rings have been found in the catacombs outside Rome. The use of a wedding ring in a marriage ceremony is first recorded in the early part of the fourth century.
During the Middle Ages, gold rings set with gems overtook iron as the most fashionable demonstration of eternal love.

13th Century Customs

In the early 1200s, Pope Innocent III decreed that a waiting period between betrothal and marriage should be observed. This created a practical need for the engagement ring. In 1217, the Bishop of Salisbury decreed: "Let no man put a ring or rush, or of any other material, upon the hands of young girls, by way of mock celebration for the purpose of easily seducing them."

16th Century Customs

The Puritans avoided the notion of wedding rings in the 1500s, as they perceived jewelry to be materialistic and frivolous. Instead, couples had to exchange more practical and useful wedding thimbles when they were married.

It was not until 1549, when King Edward VI of England officially declared the third finger as the "ring finger" and designated the left hand as the "marriage hand" in the Book of Common Prayer.

19th Century's Victorian Era

In 1840, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert handed out six dozen rings to guests, each engraved with the queen's profile, on their wedding day.

20th Century Wedding Rings

During World War II, many young soldiers chose to exchange rings with their bride so they could be reminded of their wife during the long separation.

21st Century Generation

In 2000, the world's largest gold ring is made in Saudi Arabia. It consists of more than 56 kilograms of gold.

Today, the engagement and wedding rings represent a mix of old customs, as a symbol of love and devotion, as they are of wealth, power and ownership.

Source:

Sunday Life Magazine, supplement of The Sydney Morning Herald

Related Website:

History of Wedding Rings

MATRiMONY

MATRIMONY:

       The union of man and woman as husband and wife :marriage

1. two people joined in matrimony
2. we intend to be joined in matrimony until “death do us part
3. Origin of MATRIMONY
4. Middle English, from Anglo-French matrimoignie, from Latin matrimonium
5. First Known Use: 14th century