Jen A. Miller Consulting

Category: The Single Diaries

Single Girl Reads | The Rules

“No one seems to remember exactly how The Rules got started, but we think they began circa 1917 with Melanie’s grandmother, who made men wait nervously in her parents’ parlor in a small suburb of Michigan. Back then, they called it ‘playing hard to get.’ Whatever you call it, she had more marriage proposals than shoes. When Melanie got married in 1981, she freely offered this old-fashioned advice to her single college friends and coworkers like us. When you follow The Rules you learn how to be a ‘creature unlike any other’—confident, radiant, happy.”

In The Rules: Time-tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right, Ellen Fein and Sherries Schneider break down their dating philosophies on how any woman can capture the heart of the man she desires. The Rules, while not new, have survived and been passed down for several decades from one generation to the next through grandmothers, mothers, and trusted friends. The Rules may make you uncomfortable or seem old-fashioned seemingly defying everything we stand for as modern women. But the real question is do they work? As crazy as the advice may seem, is it worth taking?

Join The Single Diaries’ second book conversation as we discuss The Rules and how today’s Single Girls can apply or defy them. Pick up a copy and read by December 10th to send in questions: in the comments section of this post, via Twitter tagging @SingleDiariesXO and #SingleGirlTheRules, or via email leadingladies@toastmeetsjam.com.

We will post our discussion on December 20th, so don’t forget to come back to continue the conversation. We can’t wait to hear what you think!

November 27, 2013
Lessons in Breaking Up

Zoe Crook of The Uncuffed shares her lessons on ending relationships and why a break up can actually be a good thing.

“The only thing you need to focus on is yourself, and I promise everything will fall into place.”

Breaking up is like skydiving. Leading up to the jump you feel anxiety, uncertainty and fear. The moment the door opens you ask yourself, “What the fuck am I doing jumping out of a perfectly safe plane?!” Suddenly you want to take off your parachute, climb back in, and chomp on some complimentary nuts.

But you don’t. Instead, you jump. Suddenly you’re free and it’s exhilarating. And look at that, you landed safely with both feet on the ground in a completely different place than where you started. Sure, you may have a scrape or two and your head might be spinning but those things heal, just like a broken heart.

Whether you’re doing the breaking or you’re being broken, neither role is easy, and both people generally known deep down when the relationship has ended. What’s scary about a relationship ending is the unknown but even scarier is knowing that if you don’t jump you’re going to miss out on new experiences that are critical to your personal growth.

I’ve just gone through a breakup of my own and come out on the other side better for it. Though it has been an emotional roller coaster, I’ve figured out how to ride it out and want to share the lessons I’ve learned about moving on.

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November 25, 2013
Single Girl Reads: Catching Fire

“The bird, the pin, the song, the berries, the watch, the cracker, the dress that burst into flames. I am the mockingjay. The one that survived despite the Capitol’s plans. The symbol of the rebellion.”

Published in 2009, Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games has become a phenomenon for kids of all ages. A year and a half of anticipation after the first film in the trilogy was released, Catching Fire finally hits theaters today. Jen Smith rereads the novel and shares her take on the book’s surprising lessons in becoming Superbly Single. *This review contains spoilers.

A friend once told me that we don’t have to love an entire book, as long as we find that one nugget, that one lifelong takeaway that we can forever use to benefit ourselves. To my surprise, in rereading Catching Fire, I realized that the book offered more than just one nugget—it was a complete guide to becoming an independent girl.

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November 22, 2013
The Single Girl Thanksgiving Commandments

Thanksgiving is just a week away, hooray! The holiday is one of my favorite times of the year. How often do we make time to spend an entire day with our family, friends, and loved ones undistracted, simply enjoying a great meal and each other’s company? If you’re like me, the answer is not enough.

With the bustle of preparing for travel, hosting, and cooking it can be easy to lose sight of the purpose of it all. There are flights to book, decorations to make, and recipes to dig up. Getting it all right can put a single girl under a lot of pressure!

Of course, getting it right doesn’t have to be that complicated which is why we’ve come up with The Single Girl Thanksgiving Commandments. Read on for our countdown of the top 10 things you can do to get the most out of the holiday.

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November 21, 2013
Thanksgiving Decor Roundup

Your Go-to Guide to Get Your Home Thanksgiving Ready

We’re very excited to host our very first Single Diaries Friendsgiving this weekend. Not only will we celebrate Thanksgiving but we will also be commemorating The Single Diaries three-month anniversary. (Yay!) We couldn’t imagine a better way to honor the milestone than to bring together and thank many of the friends who have helped the site get off the ground.

The festive soiree will be hosted at my new apartment, a two-story townhouse with a large open living room area perfect for gathering a crowd. The only thing needed to turn the space into a haven of hospitality is a few decorative touches.

In hunt of some festive flare, I dug around to find my favorite Thanksgiving decorations and easy DIY crafts that I can easily pull together this week. If you’re hosting your own Friendsgiving event or simply looking to add some Autumn accessories to your space, you’ll find some good use for this Thanksgiving decor roundup!

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November 20, 2013