The V-Word

Good Clean Love would love to thank each and every one of its Facebook followers who every day bless us with their own blessings. Though it’s been a couple of weeks, don’t think that we haven’t been noticing some of the lovely things you’ve been listing as things you’re grateful for each day. While some might think that gratitude shouldn’t be overused, these fans of ours have risen to the...

by Anastasia Strgar

About a month ago, when I was going through my own mini internal crisis, my mom showed me an article  from which Katie Couric posted some of her favorite advice. It was all really good advice, but the one that got me thinking the most was a comment made by Anna Quindlen:

“Remember Pinocchio? There is a Jiminy Cricket on your shoulder, giving the very best advice. It is you,...

by Elizabeth Spannuth

I am going through the painful process of sourcing independent health insurance. I have had group insurance for the last 10 years, so initially I was just plain confused by the terms and intricacies of each plan, as well as being shocked by the monthly premium. My insurance agent patiently explained it to me about 10 times and helped clear the fog. Then I started filling out...

by Tina Tessina

The skills couples need to keep intimacy alive in a long-term relationship differ from new relationship intimacy skills, and they’re not obvious because people don’t talk about them. Most couples need to lower their expectations of romance and glamour and raise the level of fun they have together. Regular weekly talks (I call them State of the Union discussions) keep the problems...

I spent yesterday afternoon in the haunted cell block of Alcatraz with my curious teenagers. The boat ride over the sunny bay with the glistening San Francisco skyline as background belied the intensity of what was to come. Alcatraz, now a national park, is a shrine to the maximum security holding facility, infamous for being inescapable. Here was the solution for the mobsters and incorrigible...

by Anastasia Strgar

My boyfriend, an avid golfer, is playing in a golf tournament this weekend and thus came to me in our new home the other day letting me know that if he’s practicing a lot it’s A) because he loves to golf and B) because he really wants to play well this weekend. However, he also had kept in mind that A) we’re in the process of moving in and B) didn’t want me to feel like my...

“Marriage problems are relationship problems; they are the result of how two people interact with each other. You may abandon a troubled marriage, but you will still bring the way you interact with others along with you.” -Mark Gungor

 

It has been years since I have been close to a divorce; however, I have witnessed many others from a distance over the years, mostly through the vacant expressions...

by Anastasia Strgar

I consider myself blessed that, in this day and age, I grew up with parents whose marriage is not only in tact, but on the majority of days, happy. It’s easy to give up on marriage these days because we’re surrounded by celebrities who dispose of relationships as easily as they dispose of shoes or people who have false expectations about marriage. However, I think if you look...

"Sex without foreplay is like song's reff without intro. "— Toba Beta I have been grappling with the statistic that the average amount of foreplay that couples engage in is between 1-4 minutes, as reported on a recent Dr. Oz segment. This brief duration often means missing out on the best foreplay experiences that can enhance intimacy. I don't doubt it because I have received my share of calls and emails from customers who have shared similar stories and then wondered why the lubricant didn't work.