Relationships In Life

Dear Alice, Hope you can help me with this one because it’s getting awkward. My apartment’s kitchen windows look out onto another building and one of the tenants there likes to walk around his living room naked. I know because he forgets to shut his drapes most of the time. I’m always humiliated when it happens, but he doesn’t seem to learn his lesson and wear a robe.

Dear Alice, Thanks, Stuck between a friend and a large space Dear Stuck, I think you already know what to do. You’re clearly not looking for a roommate, even your best friend. Your concerns about privacy and her lifestyle are valid, but whatever your reasons, you don’t need to justify why you don’t want to let a grown woman and her baby share your space.

Dear Alice, I am living with my family in a high-rise apartment. I am new to this country, Germany. My child is three-years-old and I am having trouble getting him adjusted to this new environment, but he is doing much better than in the beginning. Our upstairs tenants have a problem with my kid crying as it is loud and echoing at times. This happens especially when my son is inside the bathroom, as it is small and opposite to the bedroom.

The bedroom is a sacred space for a relationship, but it’s about more than just a good mattress, tranquil wall color and comfortable sheets. You need also to keep consistent bedtime habits with your partner–the kind that almost dare you not to go to bed in total bliss. Here are four bedtime rules & rituals that happy couples swear by: Going to bed together is a sacred time, and a great opportunity for couples to connect and download their days.

Bride & Groom: Ashley & Ca’Ron Wedding Date: June 12, 2014 Venue: Maison La Vigne Bed & Breakfast in Hapeville, Georgia Number of guests: 6 “Don’t be afraid to go small.” That’s bride Ashley’s best piece of advice for future couples looking to tie the knot with a sweet and simple ceremony.

It’s never been easier to connect with people than it is right now. Social networks reach across the globe in seconds, and there’s a video phone in every person’s pocket, as if we’re all living in an episode of Star Trek. But for all the things that modern technology has done to make it easier to make and stay friends, there are just as many pitfalls to friendship in the digital era. How many friends do you have? A few hundred? A few thousand?

Passive aggressive refrigerator notes. Arguments about how to split the utility bill. Dust bunnies that Just. Keep. Growing. These are just a few everyday scenarios that illustrate the ways in which living with roommates can be challenging (to say the least), whether those sharing the space are best friends or total strangers. Thankfully, tech can help.

Texting may seem impersonal at times, but for many of us it’s the easiest way to stay in touch with the people we care about most of the time. And if you’re part of a tight-knit group of friends, being a part of a group text from time to time is pretty much inevitable. Those group texts don’t have to be for specific events (like planning a party for someone) — actually, being in a long-term, no-reason group chat with your friends can have some awesome benefits.

Bride & Groom: Margarita Passione + Byron Zinonos Wedding Date: September 3, 2016 Venue: Greenpoint Loft in Brooklyn, NY Number of guests: 120 This couple of high school friends turned into lovebirds some (ten-ish) years later—safe to say they knew each other pretty well by the time they decided to get married in Brooklyn last year.

Let’s preface this by stating clearly that there is absolutely nothing wrong with sex or TV. They’re both fantastic when enjoyed with a loving partner (or by yourself). But whether your relationship is brand new or you’ve been together so long you’re inadvertently starting to dress the same, building intimacy as a couple is important. And real intimacy, well, that can sometimes take more than just a little Netflix and chill.

It’s a big, exciting step in a relationship, but moving in with a partner can also be a minefield of new complications. Just ask Meredith Goldstein, the Boston Globe’s Love Letters columnist who’s been answering readers’ relationship questions with a familiar warmth and comedic candor since 2009.

Whether it’s regarding an outfit, someone’s home, or a job well done, a good compliment can leave a big—and lasting—impression on its recipient. That’s why knowing how to give a stellar compliment is a skill that we can all stand to benefit from. Thankfully, we have Myka Meier, a former member of The Queen’s Household and the current etiquette expert behind Beaumont Etiquette to call upon for help.

You may be ready for a relationship, but what about your apartment? If dating is on your mind more than ever, it may be a good time to make some home improvements. You don’t need to do much to turn your home into a date-friendly abode; a few simple changes can make a huge difference. From bedding upgrades to organizational changes, here’s how to make your apartment more relationship-ready.

Standing your ground isn’t always easy. No matter how confident you feel about something, being openly assertive with others when communicating your needs is an entirely different beast. So we called on Antonia Di Leo, licensed therapist and clinical director of Andrea Cornell Family Therapy for advice on how to be more assertive from day-to-day.

Here are some ways to honor the powerful silent types in your life this week—especially if that person is you.

Life is stressful enough as it is—so make this the weekend you stop putting unnecessary pressure on yourself when it comes to hosting. Does your house need to be impeccably clean with a three-course dinner planned and a carefully crafted evite in order to have a good time? No. Is it easy to get swept up in appearances and pretend it does? Absolutely.

Everyone shows love differently. The Five Love Languages, developed by counselor and author Gary Chapman, sum up the most common ways we give and receive love. Chapman’s theory is that every person has a primary “language” for loving, which is how they naturally show their affection to the people closest to them. Curious how your roomie or partner’s love language comes out at home?

It's natural for your heart to hurt on days like this, whether your father has died, or you feel disconnected or estranged from him.

“How was your day?” Every couple sharing an evening meal together has asked this question. It’s a fine question; you care about each other, after all, and are genuinely interested in what happened that day! But sometimes, especially for couples who’ve been together a long time, dinner conversations can settle into the same grooves night after night — work talk, complaining about the subway, what’s new with the kids.

This might be the homebody in me talking, but I happen to think date night at home is better than date night out in nearly every way. The drinks are cheaper. The clothes are comfier. And, if you have the right game, it can be a really fun night for you and your love to get competitive and cuddly all at once. Based on recommendations from Amazon, Board Game Geek, Reddit’s /r/boardgames and my own experience, here are some of the best two-player games for couples to play on their own.

I asked a woman out to dinner, to a place I’d been wanting to try. As is often the case with New York dates, we began talking logistics. The IKEA closest to me is a trek from my apartment. Hopping in a cab feels unadventurous when the Brooklyn behemoth painstakingly made sure it’s accessible by ferry. Without knowing this woman long enough to tempt a Gilligan’s Island-level fate, we chose the next best option: riding our bikes.

“There’s a pot pie in the oven made by a guy named Cookie Puss, who works at the hardware store. It’s 7 degrees outside. We have plastic hanging over the kitchen doorway to block the dust from the sander. There’s beer, and Kid Rock on the radio. We make Pigpen look clean. It’s our Detroit Valentine’s day.

Dating can be a weird experience. Meeting people is a challenge, sometimes dates you’re excited for turn out to be duds, and every once in a while you meet someone and it’s love at first sight. Not unlike shopping for the perfect furniture for your home—sometimes you have to search the internet for your dream sofa, and other times you walk into a store and it’s right there waiting for you.

Date night doesn't need to break the bank—with these ideas, you can spend quality time together without actually spending much of anything, and there's something for everyone.

Every week, it feels like Monday through Friday takes forever. Then when the weekend gets here, it whizzes by so fast it’s like it never even happened. You spend the whole week working, maybe go out on Saturday night, and then before you know it, it’s Sunday evening and it’s time to go to sleep and do it all over again. That’s why, for many people, it’s important to make every Sunday a good one—whether that means doing something fun, or being super productive.

With Valentine’s Day on the brain, love is all flowers and candy. But the truth is that relationships are hard work. The most trying point for many of them is the moment you decide to move in together. We tapped relationship expert Dr.

Book clubs are great because they make you read more and hold you accountable for doing so (no one wants to show up to a book club meeting when they haven’t actually read the book up for discussion) and they also give you an excuse to see friends more often (and for something meaningful, too). But if you lead a busy life and don’t have time to devote to reading novels all the time, a book club can be a lot to handle on top of all your work and other activities and responsibilities.

So… it’s not date night and you don’t have any major plans, but that doesn’t mean you have to be relegated to a night of watching Netflix on the couch. If you and your partner are bored of the same TV routine, there are plenty of little ways to switch it up without leaving—or straying far from—home, or putting in too much effort when you’re already tired from a long day. Need some suggestions? Here are 10 you can try tonight.

Moving in with strangers can be a nerve-wracking experience, but sometimes a necessary one; you need people to split the rent with, after all, and you might not know anyone in town or have local friends who are also looking for a new place to live. You need to know, then, that the key to turning strangers-you-live-with into close friends (or at least amicable roommates) is simple communication.

One of the most motivating things you can do, both for your cleaning and organizing efforts AND for your attitude and outlook, is to have people over now and then. Now don’t get all shy on me – you don’t have to turn into a Martha-level “Entertainer” (note the capital E) – this is simply about recognizing that you are someone who truly cares about their home.

It’s always amazing when a pal goes out of her way to show you that she’s thinking of you, so here are some ideas on how to spread those fuzzy feels yourself. If you have a Thelma to your Louise, text her just as you’re turning off your alarm clock, or live for those happy hours you have after work, then show her just how much you care!

Whether you’ve been contemplating moving in to a small space with a significant other, friend or roommate or are just curious about how two people can fit all of their stuff into so few square feet, you’ll want to check out Marni and Laine‘s illuminating answers to these small space sharing questions — you’ve probably been too polite to ask. Marni: I think we’re good at talking it out.

Oh, bless the nosy relatives and awkward acquaintances that we see this time of year. They mean well, right? They don’t want to hurt our feelings. They don’t mean to pry. And yet, oooof— navigating the holiday table can feel like House of the Flying Daggers, but instead of daggers it’s questions about jobs and housing and love interests and income and life goals and babies, all zinged at us over mashed potatoes and Nana’s famous dinner rolls.

The short answer? Yes—Millennials do make the worst houseguests, according to a recent study from HomeAdvisor. But the reality behind it is a little more nuanced than it seems. In the study, 2,000 people in the U.S. were asked to confess both their biggest pet peeves and their worst houseguest habits, from a list of 27 bad behaviors. Each generation—Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers—had a slightly different take on what bothered them most.

890 square feet isn’t exactly tiny, but with the lack of walls or doors, this high-rise jungle paradise in downtown LA has the potential to be a too-small leopard-print jail cell when two people share this space. Chris and Rory’s home is definitely giving off studio apartment vibes and is PACKED with personality, color, pattern and clothes. So how do two people with big personalities fit into a one-room home?

When you move into a new apartment building or a new neighborhood, do you try to make friends with your neighbors, or do you just go about your business? Sometimes, it makes sense to keep to yourself, but if your neighbors seem like the kind of people you’d like to get to know, it might be worth it to put yourself out there a little bit.

We all know that living in a small space has its benefits — cheaper rent, better locations and more — but sharing that small space with another person…well that can get a little tricky. Sure, there are downsides, but let’s choose to focus on the positive! These five real couples revealed what they think the best thing about sharing a small space with someone else is.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been dumped and heard the words “just friends.” We’ve all been there—and we’ve probably all used the same lame excuse to break up with someone, too. “Just friends” is such a common way to let someone down gently, but when you really think about it, it doesn’t make much sense.

This Silver Lake rental has plenty of physical characteristics to be envious of: charming architectural features, big windows and eclectic furnishings. But it’s not the objects that make this house so special — it’s the trio of creative women who call this space home. Because I secretly wish I was their fourth roommate, I delved more into their home life. Spoiler Alert: They spend typical evenings building puzzles, playing guitar and making you want to be friends with them.

Andy, Danielle and two cats share a 325 square foot studio in Chicago. Yes, you read that correctly: 325 tiny square feet. They not only do it stylishly, as evidenced by their house tour, but considering their big smiles (and the fact that they’re still living in the apartment together), they also share it successfully! I love this couple and their home, and had to ask them more questions about how they manage in so little square feet.

Joe and Keith’s Oakland apartment is impressive; it’s comfortable, stylish and full of cool art. But you know what is even more impressive? They make it work, day in and day out, living together in just 300 square feet. The guys generously gave us some of their tips on sharing such a small space… Yes Yes, not counting college dorms. Our good friends were living here before us and we had been over a few times for dinner.

The warm weather is winding down and the leaves will soon start to turn, but that’s not the only change in the air. If it feels like people are settling down everywhere you turn, don’t worry, it’s not just you—cuffing season is upon us. Not everyone feels relationship-ready come the end of summer, but if you find yourself wishing for someone to come home to, it might be time to overhaul your dating apps. With a few tweaks, you can reach profile perfection.

Like getting out of bed without your knees cracking, making friends is something that gets tougher as you get older. But here’s the thing: Everybody’s out there looking for new friends. Yep, even that really cool, funny gal you met at the supermarket checkout. So how do you go from small talk about kale to your first friend date? It’s as easy as 1-2-3: One of you has got to plant the seed that it might be fun to meet outside of the checkout line.

Q: I’m about to move into a new apartment building and I wanted to know whether leaving letters for my new neighbors would be a nice gesture or come off as weird/forward. In the past I’ve always fully intended to do a nice introduction with my neighbors, including giving them my contact info, but the first few times we’d bump into each other they or I would be hurrying off to something and we’d only really exchange names.

Though it’s universally considered a bad idea from many who have tried it before, moving in with a best friend can sometimes seem like just the thing you need in your life. All the fun you have with your best friend could be 24/7, you think! You’ll be different, you tell yourself. If you’re bound and determined to dive into a living situation with a best friend, consider these tips before you sign the lease. Of course, living with a best friend CAN be a ton of fun.

Unless you’ve been lucky enough to live in a modern wood cabin in the woods somewhere, you’ve probably had experience with noisy neighbors before in your life. Some inconsiderate intentionally, others just oblivious, it can be a bummer when your peace is interrupted by someone else’s noise pollution. Of course you can’t expect everyone to be perfectly silent all the time (and those in cities can expect a certain level of sounds all the time).