A successful transition into marriage requires a good amount of work before the wedding day.

Getting married to your man is an exciting event to look forward to, but before you say your “I dos,” you need to do four things to ensure your relationship will last.

  1. Travel together

Going on a road trip will put you and your future husband in close quarters with each other for a long time. You will start to recognize different aspects of your relationship when you are stuck with him. Little annoyances, like singing loudly and off key to every song that comes on a radio is tolerable for the first 20 minutes, but after three hours in? Maybe not so much. You might discover that traveling with your man makes you or him more irritable with one another or more tolerable.

Being able to communicate during stressful conditions like getting lost or losing hotel reservations will help you solve problems together in the future when money is tight or your children have broken something expensive. If you can get through a long road trip together and look back on it with fond memories, consider it a green light for your marriage.

2. Discuss expectations

You most-likely have an expectation of how your marriage is going to operate. Perhaps you expect him to split the household chores evenly and for both of you to work full-time when you have children. On the other hand, he might expect you to stay home when you have children and do all of the household chores since you are a stay-at-home mom.

Before you get married, tell each other about your expectations for necessities like money, children, jobs and household duties. Most importantly, discusses your expectations for each other. You need to know what he expects of himself and of you. He needs to know what you expect of yourself and of him. Then compromise with one another.

3. Spend time apart

You love each other and therefore, you want to spend every moment together, but now is actually the time to spend time apart. Someone once said distance makes the heart grow fonder, which is true, but distance also make a relationship healthier. Men and women need companionship in friends and family. As much as your future husband loves you, he might not understand your need to talk for hours about everything under the moon, but your best girlfriend totally understands that need. Don’t be afraid to have a girl’s night without him.

If you don’t trust your man when he is away, you must learn to do so. Make expectations clear when it comes to talking to people of the opposite gender. Something to him may seem like a innocent action, but it could look like cheating in your eyes and vice versa.

4. Disagree with each other

If you always agree with your future husband, take a step back and think about your relationship. Disagreements, arguments and different opinions are important in a healthy relationship. Sometime down the road you are going to disagree about a course of action, so before you get married, it is vital that you learn to compromise.

5. Discuss expectations

You most-likely have an expectation of how your marriage is going to operate. Perhaps you expect him to split the household chores evenly and for both of you to work full-time when you have children. On the other hand, he might expect you to stay home when you have children and do all of the household chores since you are a stay-at-home mom.

Before you get married, tell each other about your expectations for necessities like money, children, jobs and household duties. Most importantly, discusses your expectations for each other. You need to know what he expects of himself and of you. He needs to know what you expect of yourself and of him. Then compromise with one another.

These four things will shed light on all aspects of your relationship. Understanding every side of your future husband will help your transition smoothly into your married life.

Adepeju is a girl development advocate, inspirational writer and a penultimate law student at the University of Lagos. She is passionate about the development of girls . She answers our famous #7questions below;

  1. What is your biggest fear?

I believe fear is part of life and I have a number of them. Life is full of distractions thus, my biggest fear  is to become lost in the ocean of life. That is, losing focus and losing myself.

  1. In your darkest moments, what do you do?

I like to be alone. This may be for some days or hours before i turn to my support system. Sometimes, I speak with my mum, friends or siblings.

  1. What is that one thing you will like to change about yourself?

Sometimes, I wish I could more versatile than I am at present. My strength lies more in scholastic activities than in artistic things. I wish I could be more artistic.

  1. Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

I have numerous 5 year goals.

Firstly, i want to have started my legal career in a reputable international organization. This will be coupled with my ability to compete globally.

Then, I want to have reached out to more people in need. Girls, women, orphans among others.

Similarly, i want to have multiplied my network.Then yes, i want to have travelled to certain countries in the world.

5. What keeps you going?

What keeps me going has been my hope for a better tomorrow. A number of times when I am faced with  challenges, I ask if everything will make sense eventually. With time, I have built my confidence around the belief that amidst the tempest, the ship will get to harbour.

6. What is your stand on feminism? Do you consider yourself a feminist?

Feminism started as a journey to liberate women and give them certain rights. Nowadays, what I see is women hating and competing with men. I hear so many views such as willingness to abort male foetus. The concept of feminism has now been polluted. I do not consider myself a feminist. I prefer to say that I am a Girl Development Advocate.

7. What keeps you up at night?

The thought that when things need to be done, I should not wait for others to do them. Rather, I should get them done.I am only able to sleep when I’m satisfied that jobs have been well done.

Send a mail to info@womenofrubies.com to participate in our #7questions

Elizabeth Akinola Babalola, the woman who allegedly beat her four-year-old daughter, Testimony, to death on August 21st, was remanded in prison custody following her arraignment before a Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Akure, Ondo state.

Elizabeth and her husband, Felix Babalola, who is currently at large, beat their daughter to death over claims that she is an evil child. Elizabeth rushed her daughter to the hospital after she slumped and escaped with her corpse after she was informed by the doctors that the little girl had died.

After a detailed search was launched by the police, Elizabeth was fished out from her hiding and arrested. She was arraigned in court today. The police say efforts are being made to get her husband arrested.

 

Credit: LIB

Jamie Spears, the 67-year-old father of American singer, Britney Spears, 37, is currently under investigation for allegedly abusing her son.

The alleged incident reportedly went down on Aug. 24 at Jamie Spears‘ home in Ventura County.

According to The Blast, Kevin Federline, 41, the estranged partner of  Britney Spears walked into a sheriff’s station last Sunday, August 25, and filed a police report against Jamie Spears, alleging battery on his 13-year-old son.

Federline claims his 13-year-old son and Jamie got into an argument, and at some point, Jamie allegedly put hands on him. He also alleged that Jamie broke down a door to get to his grandson and grabbed him once he was in the room.

The abuse allegation has to do with “inflicting unjustifiable physical pain on a child.”

The incident was said to have occurred the day before while Britney had custody of the former couple’s two sons in their court case with her father serving as a court-appointed monitor.

The publication also reported that investigators have already interviewed witnesses and turned over their findings to the D.A.’s Office.

The D.A. will decide whether to charge Jamie.

 

 

Credit: LIB

 

The superstar was all smiles when her husband surprised her with a birthday cake, backstage at the Made In Americafestival in Philadelphia on Monday night.

While Queen Bey’s actual birthday is today, Jay-Z decided to give his loving wife a lovely birthday cake lit up with sparklers.

In the video she shared on her social media, Jay-Z is seen holding a bottle of champagne while he cheered and encouraged the crowd to sing “happy birthday”.

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A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on 

 

Photo credit: @beyonce

 

 

Credit: Bella Naija

 

Tiwa has  cancelled her performance at the upcoming DStv Delicious Festival in Johannesburg on the 21st of September.

Sending her prayers to victims on her Twitter handle, she wrote:

I refuse to watch the barbaric butchering of my people in SA. This is SICK. For this reason I will NOT be performing at the upcoming DSTV delicious Festival in Johannesburg on the 21st of September. My prayers are with all the victims and families affected by this.

 

Credit: Bella Naija

 

The inspirational show hosted by Hyde, who’s Forbes Africa’s Head of Digital Media and Partnership, is set to air with a new partner, Nigerian manufacturing conglomerate, BUA Group.

The first season of the show featured ground breaking interviews from some of the most successful women in business across Africa including South Africa’s richest woman, Wendy Appelbaum, South Africa’s former public attorney, Thuli Madonsela and Ghanaian former first lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings.

The show looks at the incredible journey of successful female game changers and how they managed to rise to the top of their business empires or industries often overcoming incredible obstacles, Against all Odds.

The new season promises the same exceptional line up of trailblazing women. The show will broadcast on CNBC Africa channel 410.

 

 

 

Credit: Bella Naija

Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Russell Wilson, and his wife, Grammy winning singer and songwriter Ciara, have joined the ownership team of the Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC. 

This week, the Seattle Sounders announced that they were welcoming 11 new families to its ownership team. The organization has been around since 1974, but the Sounders FC made their debut in 2009, mounting a victory streak including winning the 2016 MLS cup, four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championships, qualifying for the MLS Cup Playoffs every year since its inception and leading the league in attendance for 8 consecutive seasons. 

Wilson, a six-time Pro Bowler, made the announcement via Twitter. “Football. Fútbol. We Love them both!” he tweeted Tuesday morning, along with a photo of himself, Ciara and their children in Sounders gear. “We can’t wait for our kids to grow up loving Soccer!” Wilson has been extremely active in the Seattle community since joining the Seahawks back in 2012.

 

Russell Wilson

@DangeRussWilson

Football. Fútbol. We Love them both! @ciara and I are fired up to announce we are Team Owners of the Seattle @SoundersFC one of the best soccer franchises in the world! We can’t wait for our kids to grow up loving Soccer! Family is everything!  ⚽️💚💙

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In honor of Women’s Equality Day, toy manufacturer Mattel announced their newest creation, the Rosa Parks Barbie.

Since its inception, Barbie has been a symbol of women’s freedom and rights. In 2018 on International Women’s Day, Barbie launched their “Inspiring Women Series,” in an effort “to honor historical role models who paved the way for generations of girls to dream bigger than ever before.” The new Barbie made in Parks’ likeness is the newest edition to that collection, which includes mathematician and “hidden figure” Katherine Johnson, whose 101st birthday coincided with the Parks Barbie release.

Mattel, the parent company of Barbie released a statement explaining why they chose Parks saying, “Rosa Parks was an incredible heroine of her time. She fearlessly took a risk that would help change the status quo and pave the way for future generations. Her story is an inspiring example of bravely standing for what is right in the face of adversity.”

The “Inspiring Women Series” was created after Mattel released information about the “Dream Gap,” research that shows that girls began to view their gender as inferior to boys and develop limiting beliefs about themselves at as young as 5 years old, as a result of cultural stereotypes, implicit biases and media representation. The dolls are a part of the Dream Gap Project, which seeks to raise awareness of this issue and support causes and organizations that are fighting to #CloseTheDreamGap.

The Parks Barbie was created in partnership with the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, named for Parks and her husband, who was also a civil rights activist. The doll comes with educational information highlighting the late icon’s contributions to society as well as the traditional clothing and accessories that Barbie is known for.

Anita Peek, director of the Parks Institute for Self-Development, spoke to The Glow Up about the honor saying, “[W]e hope that the Rosa Parks Barbie will spark conversations about her contributions to society and encourage future generations of girls to fearlessly stand up for what they believe in.”

Yemi Alade exhibits amazing dexterity, vocal power, emotional precision, and smooth transitions on her fourth studio album “Woman of Steel”.

She experiments successfully with a Latino vibe in “Give Dem”, while Afrobeat numbers like “Vibe”, “Nobody” and highlife gems like “Yeba”, the provocative Duncan Mighty duet “Shake” give the album that unapologetic African tone expected from the renowned Mama Africa. “Steel” boasts a modern remake of Angélique Kidjo‘s classic “Wombo Lombo” christened “Shekere”, with the iconic multiple Grammy Award winner.

In “Home”, Yemi promises to follow her love interest to the ends of the world. She sings about unrequited love on “Nobody”, assuring her love interest that no one will love him the way she does. She dives deep into the African-highlife with Nollywood mega-star, Funke Akindele on “Poverty”, rejecting the “disease” while also stressing that she is working really hard to be the richest possible version of herself while proclaiming prosperity and good health. In true Yemi Alade fashion, she also includes a Swahili version of “Poverty”.

“Woman of Steel” is Alade’s fourth studio album following “Black Magic”, “Mama Africa”, and “King of Queens”.