This weekend, the Meanley Clan celebrated my sister's birthday at my grandma's house (Happy Birthday, Jen!!). We enjoyed lunch and cake out on the patio with my dad's side of the family, which is the Englishy, non-affectionate side of the family.

My cousin brought his new girlfriend, and, not to sound all high-schooly (because let's be honest, we cousins are all in our 30s), but he held hands with her! I've never seen him do that. There was hand-holding and arm-wrapping and I even heard the word "Honey" a few times. I was glad to see my cousin happy. It's funny … Read More

I'm married and monogamous, but not yet ready to have children. So—since neither my husband nor I like the feel of condoms during sex (it dulls his sensitivity, and I just love the warmth of skin rubbing against skin)—we rely on The Pill as our main method of birth control to keep us baby-free.

I've been taking Yaz for a couple years now, which also helps with my PMDD (also known as that crazy, dark, slightly psychotic half that emerges from the shadows every month or so). Then, the other day, I read this scary-as-hell story about how Yaz … Read More

You felt like a lucky woman when your husband offered to stay home while you went out and earned the dough, until you walked in on him chatting online with other moms as your kids are watching cartoons. Don't get mad, make quiche, says author of Eat Your Feelings: Recipes for Self-Loathing, Heather Whaley. According to her, there's nothing like stuffing your face, crying, and then looking in the mirror and saying that it's not your fault—even if it is, technically, your fault. When you've come home to find your unemployed boyfriend playing video games instead of vacuuming, try … Read More

Even when you're crazy about someone, it can often be hard to know if he or she is "right" for you. How do you know you won't feel differently in a year? Ten years? A lifetime? Deciding if you can commit to someone is a deeply personal determination, and everyone has different criteria. As in any verdict, you have to start by assessing the evidence. With that in mind, YourTango has come up with 15 signs that you're dating a soul mate. You don't have to check off all of these points to be sure about someone—but if you can … Read More

When I was leaving for college, my high school friends predicted two things would occur once I fled the nest, away from my WASP-y parents: 1) I'd become a chain smoker to complete my poetry-reading, philosophy-pondering image, and 2) I'd get it on with girls. The Frisky: Documentary Suggests All Women Are Gay

After four years at hippie-dippy NYU, surprisingly, neither of these predictions came true. Alas, while I still have no interest whatsoever in getting lung cancer, I do still have an interest in hooking up with girls. Except these days, I'm pretty much convinced it's never going to happen. … Read More

Taking a road trip with a lover is sometimes as precarious as a first date. Say or do the wrong thing—or forget to bring a proper caseload of snacks—and you're in trouble. While it's clear that some things should be utterly avoided on the road—like discussing whether dating for two months makes things "exclusive"—other major tragedies in coupledom can be avoided if you follow a few helpful tips. Lemondrop: The Most Popular Day of the Year for First Dates

From a guy's perspective, here are 10 essentials to bring along to ensure that what is intended to be a bonding … Read More

We all remember growing up to Growing Pains and Family Ties, but so much has changed since the '80s and '90s. We were in need of a family sitcom that portrays life as we know it today. The new ABC series Modern Family does just that. 

The mockumentary comedy (shot in a single-camera, Office style) explores the day-to-day stories of a same-sex couple, Mitchell and Cameron (Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet); a couple with three kids, Phil and Claire (Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen); and a multi-ethnic and generational-gap couple who are in both their second marriage, Jay and Gloria, played … Read More

If your man is unwilling to fetch you a napkin while he's up at a dinner party, does that mean the relationship is doomed? If you feel too bashful to ask your partner for help is that an indication of a shaky union? Bad Relationships May Be Genetic

Anne Hill, a talk radio host, and blogger for Huffington Post thinks so. In fact, she'll go so far as to say the three most important words in a relationship are "while you're up." Yes. While you're up.

Imagine that you are hosting a big family gathering, and after hours … Read More

Tucks of skin trickled out from a pink, tropical bikini top. My half-naked body glared back at me from the unforgiving gleam of a fitting room mirror as I modeled a two-piece suit, gripped to the grooves of my body.

It was the day every woman dreads, the day we wish we hadn't eaten that cheesecake the night before, the day we regret skipping last week's workouts, the day we subject our naked bodies to bright lights and full-length mirrors. It was bathing suit shopping day. Staring perplexed at my reflection, I tugged at the corners of bikini number twelve. Eleven … Read More

Dating someone new means learning about each other's quirky behaviors, emotional baggage, and the past experiences that have shaped both of your lives. But what if this involves a health or medical secret you're hesitant to talk about?

Jill*, a 33-year-old from New York City, knows that finding Mr. Right also means telling him that she has bipolar disorder. Though she takes medication to manage her condition, she still lives with residual symptoms: She has trouble sleeping for more than two hours at a time, and can't shake her cigarette habit—traits that she feels a date might question.

"It's the smoking … Read More