How To: Balance Your Significant Other and Friends

By Dee Rene, Copy Cutie

credit: 1000heads (flickr)It’s the worst: Your friend gets a significant other and suddenly you’re minus one friend? We all want our friends to fall in love and be happy, but we don’t want to lose them in the process either. Love is a balancing act. If you find yourself torn between your friends and your significant other, here are a few tips to help you keep your sanity and happiness.

Group Nights.  Playing Taboo, Monopoly, or even a round of Wii is a great way to bring your partner and friends together. Invite multiple single friends and coupled-up friends so no one feels like the third wheel. You can also find group outings outside the home as well that can be a great experience for singles and couples. You’ll get a chance to have a great time with your partner and your friends at the same time.

Keep your Commitments.  The worst thing you can hear is, “Oh you are cancelling on me, but you made time for so-and-so!” That’s one guilt trip you want to avoid. Plan your dates and your friend-dates out carefully so that you aren’t blowing off girls’/guys’ night to spend time with your significant other or vice versa. Remember that everyone’s time is valuable and it’s important to only make commitments you can keep so that tensions don’t rise.

Pulse Check.  A pulse check is simply checking in with your significant other or friends about your relationship. You don’t have to do a formal survey, but you can ask them if they feel neglected, smothered, or anything in between. Simply asking if your guy/girl or friends feel left out can help you avoid a big blowup later when all those feelings rise to the surface. If you find that either your partner or friends do feel neglected, take a step back and brainstorm how you can make them feel appreciated.

Me Time.  When you’ve got great friends and a wonderful significant other all vying for your attention, it can quickly start to feel like a tug of war on your emotions and time. Don’t forget about your me time. Part of balancing your partner and your friends is making sure that you also take time to yourself to evaluate how you are spending your time and energy. Your sanity and feelings also matter in this situation. A few hours a week to just clear your head will make you a much more pleasant person as you try to maintain this delicate balancing act.

How do you balance your significant other and your friends? Do you find it very difficult or a breeze? Share your comments and tips below! 

Top 5: Wingman Dream Team

By Kevin Murray, Suave Scribe

credit: david_shankbone (flickr)In 1992, America was represented in the Olympics by what’s regarded as the greatest ensemble of basketball players ever put together. They would go on to dominate the competition and win a gold medal in the process. There was never a team put together like that before or since. And it makes you wonder about putting dream teams together in other facets of life. 

If you could pick any five men to be your wingmen for an epic night on the town, who would you choose? Well, you want a wingman with charisma, a sense of humor, and the ability to creatively entering a group of women with a side of some serious mojo.

2013 Wingman Dream Team

John Stamos.  When you age as well as Stamos, you’re one lucky son of a bitch. My man’s like a fine wine, just getting better with age. If you want younger women, he can appeal to the 20- and 30-somethings who know him as Uncle Jessie. If you’re looking for older women, he can handle those situations too. Any guy who can just look at a chick and have them wrapped around his finger with two words is a legend. “Have mercy” indeed. 

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.  The energy this guy brings to the table is unparalleled. Dude can just walk into an arena and make people go berserk from his mere presence. Imagine you’re at a bar talking to a group of women and they ask, “You here by yourself?” You drop an “Oh no, my buddy should be here any moment.” Then boom, Rock walks in the door. He’ll have them mesmerized by his charm in seconds. She’ll be asking for your number – If ya smell what the Suave Scribe is cookin’. 

Jack Nicolson.  You want the truth? His wittiness is off the charts. Women can say anything to him and all he has to do is raise his eyebrows and spout of a wisecrack. You and Jack will be swimming in estrogen in no time. If you need someone to wrangle in the cougars, Jack’s your man.   

Barack Obama.  Is there a better orator on the planet than the president? You need a wingman for a dinner gala, the 44^th POTUS is your guy. Forget the fact that he’s the most powerful man in America –  the guy has swagger for days. He oozes confidence and he’ll always have your back. What more could you ask for? 

Justin Timberlake.  There’s no one hotter in life than JT right now. The dude’s got a new album, a smokeshow wife, and a stellar acting career to boot. Not to mention, he just hosted SNL again and nailed it. Oh, and he was in a killer boy band. You show up with JT to a nightclub, both of you dressed in a suit and ties. Game. Set. Match. Winner? You and Timberlake. No woman could resist that combo (it’s mostly JT but you’ll ride those coattails with pride). 

Have any nominations to add to this wingman dream team? Let us know below!

3 Ways to Tell Someone’s Not Into You

By Paola Hernandez, Copy Cutie

credit: greggoconnell (flickr)The best case scenario when going on a date with someone is that they’re up front and tell you that they won’t see you again. Some people might give you hints that they want the date over and done with. Unfortunately, everyone isn’t as honest as we’d like, and sometimes you need to figure it out on your own. Luckily, body language cues signal whether someone genuinely likes you.

No Smizing Allowed.  “Smizing” is when you’re smiling with your eyes and that speaks way louder than the traditional grin – the impact is way more intense. A person’s eyes have been compared to the gateway to his/her inner being. The two of you could be having a conversation and if there’s no sparkle in their eyes, there’s no interest. It’s a lot easier for someone to fake a smile with their lips than with their eyes.

Bueller, Bueller, Bueller.  You’re sharing a funny anecdote and when you finish, there’s no response. They’ll pretend to be listening to whatever you’re saying by nodding and agreeing with anything you say. If you suspect that they’re starting to tune out, do a little switch on them! Whether it’s something you saw on the news that morning or a crazy experience you had as a teenager, ask them their opinion. This will put them on the spot and make them at least be nice and give you their full attention. It might seem mean at first, but you’ll definitely chuckle when you think about it at the end of the night.

See But Don’t Touch.  At the end of the night, you give your date a hug after deciding to part ways. The hug feels somewhat forced and a little uncomfortable. When a person had a really good time and wants to see you again, the hug should feel mutual and genuine. If they don’t reach back for your hug, just wish them a good night and go on your way. Lingering and going for a handshake will just make matters more awkward and painful for you. If they weren’t interested, it’s their loss!

The art of figuring out if your date is interested in you can be tricky, but the knowledge is rewarding. Every person has a different technique for showing you they’re not interested, so put these in your mental bank for the future. The more you know, the better equipped you’ll be discovering the one person that is definitely interested in you.

Know a sign that someone gives if they’re not interested? Share in a comment below. 

Show Your Love With Dinner: 5 Date Night Meals to Cook

By Dee Rene, Copy Cutie

So you’ve already declared your love with desserts. Now, it’s time to step it up a notch.

Cooking dinner can be a great way to show your love interest how much you care. Blow the dust off the old recipe books and find a new meal, or use this as an excuse to buy a new cookbook! Tonight, design a dinner that lets your date know how much you truly care.

Here are five meal ideas for your next date night at home:

View this SkinnyScoop List

What other types of meals show your guy or gal how much you care? Share below!

Your Dating Past: It’s Only “Baggage” If You Let It Be

By Kevin Murray, Suave Scribe

credit: robef (flickr)What’s the typical outline of a person with emotional baggage?  Someone in their mid 20s to late 30s who’s been hurt badly in a previous relationship and, for whatever reason, can’t let old wounds heal. They might lie to themselves and say they’ve moved on, but in reality they can’t see a future with anyone because they’re so blinded by the past.

Let’s get something straight here though— if you’re 30 years old and don’t come with some ghosts, you’re not dating right. We all go through tough emotional break-ups – that’s life. What you chose to do with your emotions after the fact determines whether you come with clean baggage or dirty baggage. In other words, we can choose to learn from our heartbreaks or we can let them bring us down. The choice is ours.

Yes, it can often seem impossible to forget what you felt after a bad relationship. The thought of caring for someone and opening up again makes you vulnerable to getting hurt. What you need to do is turn that negative into a positive. Use your past as a learning experience and focus on being with someone that makes you happy to start. You don’t want to look back and realize you pushed away a great person because your past got in the way.

Here are five ways to clean up your baggage (and you know you’ve got some):

1. Simplify.  Narrow your past down to bullet points in your mind instead of long essays. Don’t overcomplicate the thoughts of relationships that ended. It’ll just make you go insane!

2. Lean on me.  Tell a friend or family member about anything that’s still weighing you down. They probably have their own lying around, too, and your convo can be a mini venting session for both. Just make sure you have a few drinks while cleaning that baggage – it’ll help get the stains out better.

3. Really move on.  People often bury their emotions and negative memories unknowingly, until they realize they can’t open up to the next person they’re trying to form a relationship with. Don’t just tell yourself you’re moving on from the past – actually do it!

4. Open your heart.  The best way to forget about a failed past relationship is to be in a new one so great it makes you forget everything else before it. The only way you can get to that point is to let someone else in.

5. Think positive.  Positive thoughts yield positive results. Don’t be a downer – all you’ll do is scare off every person that gets close to you. Smile! Be warm and inviting. Don’t show up to dates dragging that negativity behind you.  

If you want the other person’s best, you have to give your best. People can sense when you’re holding back. Don’t let your past relationships prevent you from moving forward!

Have any tricks to remove your baggage? Let us know below!