Every now and then a study comes along that warms the heart. A study you swear was conducted just for you - to vindicate your current lifestyle. One example is all the research suggesting that wine and chocolate are beneficial to your health and wellbeing. Well, duh. I could have told you that without a grant.
Another such study, from of the University of Michigan, has surfaced. The gist: that couples who drink together stick together. Believe it.
The results were published in The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Series. So it seems like booze may truly light the fire when it comes to romance.
In nearly 3,000 couples over the age of 50 married for an average of 33 years (the bulk of which were on their first marriage), those who were on the same page when it comes to alcohol consumption were more likely to claim they were satisfied with their relationship. Particularly the wives.
And that satisfaction came when either both partners drank, or both abstained from alcohol.
"We're not suggesting that people should drink more or change the way they drink," said study author, Dr. Kira Birditt. "We're not sure why this is happening, but it could be that couples that do more leisure time activities together have better marital quality."
Birditt was careful to clarify that people shouldn't take the study as an excuse to drink more or change their drinking habits, notably baby boomers. (Twenty per cent of men and six per cent of women involved in the study reported "significant drinking problems.")
Liquor doesn't make problems go away. But the crux of the study suggests is that if couples are drinking together, then they are presumably letting their hair down and conversing together. Whether they are having serious talks or laughing their asses off, they are raising their glasses, spending time together and connecting. So, when taken in this context, the booze is incidental.
Still, a nice vintage can't hurt, right? So the next time you want to infuse the air around you with love, forget the candles and Miles Davis. Just head down your nearest LCBO.
RELATED: Advice on Not Getting Accidentally Drunk this Summer
It's George's birthday. You know, George - the most famous three year-old on the planet. You know, 'Third in Line' George. Royal George, son of Prince William and Duchess Kate, who is unbearably adorable despite the gentlemanly side part and the old-fart name.
Kensington Palace posted the standard unbearably cute photo of Prince George. And more than 2M retweets later, the interwebs are having a heyday marking the occasion and speculating about how George's day will go down.
Can’t believe it’s been three years already! pic.twitter.com/JFJOJtIgm6
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) July 22, 2016
Have a peek at George madness and this montage of his most precious moments to date.
Once you've cleaned the drool off your keyboard and quelled the pangs from your uterus, check out the Telegraph's humorous diary of a threenager:
George may be the most photographed baby and toddler ever, but he's still turning three so he - and his parents - are still subject to the whims and tantrums of a 'threenager."
That means finicky and demanding (pity the Nanny who forgets to cut his sandwiches into perfect triangles!). That means asking the big life questions ("Is heaven real? Why is daddy’s hair falling out?")
He'll still squabble with his kid sister, Charlotte. He'll still occasionally forget to go potty and pee on a regal carpet (one can only hope). He'll still prefer Goldfish crackers over broccoli florets. He'll still get spoiled by Granny, Aunty Pip and his badass uncle, Harry.
And he'll still get stuck wearing weird clothes that look like they were made for dolls instead of boys...
Being a threenager isn't easy, even if you happen to be Royal. I say rock it, Georgie, and enjoy the simple - relatively speaking - life while you still can.
Just when you think you've got your hands full, along comes a Kansas mom who has not one, not two, but three - THREE! - sets of twins. In two years. Yeah, do the math, then put your eyeballs back in your head.
"They call me 'Double Trouble,'" said Danesha Couch. "Every time I get pregnant, it's double-trouble." The 20-year-old has given birth to three sets of fraternal twins without a single fertility drug.
"I felt like a freak of nature," she added. "Everyone I told said that sounds impossible."
But Couch isn't bemoaning her fate. Far from it. She knows full well that some women can't have children at all, and feels grateful for her bounty. Genetically speaking, it is strange that she should win the lottery of odds three times consecutively.
And she's no stranger to tragedy. When her first set of twins - boys - arrived at 26 weeks, one son didn't make it. Five minutes after birth, Desmond died. His surviving twin, Danarius, is a thriving two year-old surrounded by girls.
One year-old sisters Delilah and Davina were recently joined by two further baby girls, Dalanie and Darla.
When the third ultrasound revealed yet another set of twins, Couch and fiancee, Jeffrey Presler reportedly turned to each other and agreed: "This is going to be crazy, but we got this."
"I said to him, 'It's time to put on our parenting pants and step it up because we've got more coming,'" Couch recalled.
While twins don't run in Presler's family, there are twins outside of Couch's immediate family.
Couch's days are filled with meals and diapers and clothes. (Imagine dressing, feeding, changing five babes... Can't even.) Cue all the jokes about starting her own sports teams, rock band, etc.
She admits there are tough days with her big brood. Couch compares her kids' personalities to a "big pot of gumbo," and each day with them to "a suspenseful movie."
"It keeps you on your toes and it keeps you guessing but it definitely keeps me out of trouble, to have babies of my own to take care of."
"My children are my heart," she said. "They're my life, and I wouldn't change my life."
That is some intense child-rearing. But you've got this, Danesha!
RELATED: How to Thrive While Parenting Twins or Triplets
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