Gemma and Robert Hartley had been living frugally for five years when he broke down and decided he couldn’t do it anymore. They’d reduced their overall debt, which include a mortgage, credit card debt and medical bills, from $130,000 to $105,000. And supposing their incomes continued to...
Planning the wedding ceremony itself should, in many ways, be the simplest part of the whole process: The groom’s guests on one side, bride’s on the other, repeat what the officiant says, throw some rice in the air and then head off to the reception. But anyone...
More and more couples are being married by recently ordained friends or family. A recent study claims the Universal Life Church — an organization that offers “free and legal” ordinations — has ordained more than 20 million people since 1962 (including our editor-in-chief). Data from two popular nuptial websites backs this...
On the face of it, bachelor parties are barbarically simple: All you need is booze and pole dancers and you’re good to go, right? Sadly, many a best man has failed in his duties for thinking this way. There’s a ton of planning that goes into putting...
Nick Benas dreamed of being a professional Wiffle ball player when he grew up. Not a professional baseball player, mind you. He wasn’t delusional. A 5-foot-7, 140-pound high school freshman, he knew he lacked what it took to play for the Yankees. But when Benas was growing...
In this installment of our “What Makes Me a…” column, we asked 10 people what makes them think of someone as a “real funny guy.” … Tracey Sturgal, professor in communication studies at Marquette University: As a linguist, I’ve learned there are as many perspectives on humor...
Did you know dads have superpowers? It’s true: Besides the ability to unerringly find every Lego brick with their bare feet, dads also possess lightning fast reflexes. That’s according to the multiple “Amazing Dad Reflexes!!!!!” videos perennially doing the rounds, at least, in which average-looking middle aged...
“We mock the things we are to be,” noted Mel Brooks in his and Carl Reiner’s legendary 1961 comedy sketch “The 2000 Year Old Man.” Case in point: To celebrate March Madness this year, Jimmy Fallon invited viewers to tweet their favorite “dad jokes” using the hashtag...
Nature, nurture, let’s call the whole thing off. A new study monitoring interactions between fathers and their girl spawn found striking differences in the content and frequency of their interactions compared to those with their sons, The Guardian reported. Most striking: Fathers spent 60 percent more time...
When Mr. Mom hit theaters in 1983, the story of a laid-off Detroit auto engineer who’s forced into default parenthood for his three kids while his wife snags a high-paying advertising job did well at the box office, but not with critics. Roger Ebert said it was...
When you grow up poor, it doesn’t take long before you realize that there are people in the world who have more than you (thanks, television!), but they mostly seem distant, almost unreal. When you grow up comfortable, you may never comprehend that there are people who...
Phil Morgese has been a single dad since his daughter Emma was 1 year old. Of the many challenges Morgese faced, managing Emma’s hair was among the hardest. Until he learned a simple three-strand braid. Which led to a fishtail braid. And then a braided bun. And...