Getting married? Here’s some advice from “How to Survive Your Marriage” (Hundreds of Heads, $13.95), straight from people who’ve done it:

“My husband and I always try to look at the big picture and the long term. Dirty socks on the floor every night can be annoying, but in the relative scope of things, love and companionship, common dreams, and shared values are what matter most.”

Cathy, New York City, married 10 years



“Don’t ever keep count. Phrases like, “I’ve done the dishes three nights in a row, now it’s your turn’ or “The last seven times we’ve gone out to eat, you’ve chosen the restaurant’ have no place in a healthy marriage.”

Anthony Manuel, Kinder, La., married 14 years



“In the beginning, sit down and make a list of all the chores that need to be done, then divide them equally. DON’T just assume the woman will be doing everything. Marriage is a partnership and the work should be divided equally. My husband takes care of the yard and house maintenance, the grocery shopping and the bill paying, because those are the things he is good at. I do everything else. This system has worked well for us. We still use it to this day.”

Cheri Hurd, Littleton, Colo., married 32 years



“Take turns with the chores. Don’t just divide up the stuff that needs doing around the house and then constantly do the same stuff over and over.That gets incredibly monotonous. One week it’s your turn to do the dishes or take out the garbage, and the next week you do the laundry and load the dishwasher. Variety is the spice of life.

Bob Schultz, Hopewell, Pa., married 3 years

…Baby’s first year

Having a baby? Here’s some advice from the book “How to Survive Your Baby’s First Year” (Hundreds of Heads Books, $13.95), straight from people who’ve done it:

“Always get up before your child wakes, whether to read the paper and have coffee, do yoga, meditate. If you don’t have some alone time in the morning, your day is spent playing catchup.”

P. Suppiger, Oakland, Calif., parent to a 5-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter



“With my daughter, I lengthened the amount of time she slept at a stretch. During the day, I kept her awake longer and longer after nursing by playing with her and distracting her. Slowly she adjusted and slept for longer periods at night, too. By eight weeks, she slept through the night. I was so grateful!”

Christy, Allentown, Pa., mom to a 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old daughter



“When my kids were babies, I had my fair share of nights when they didn’t want to go to sleep. Instead of driving them around in the car like most people do, I found it easier to take them for walks in their strollers. I think it was a combination of the cool evening air and the motion of the stroller, but they’d usually be asleep before we’d walked a couple of blocks.”

Helen Reich, Dubois, Pa., mom to a 43-year-old son, 38-year-old daughter and 33-year-old son

Hundreds of Heads Books’ survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share. Visit www.hundredsofheads.com to share your advice or get more information.