dversity and crisis in our lives occur in everyone’s lives. No matter how much we may try to avoid them, there are some situations that we cannot entirely avoid and all that we can do is to buckle down, wait for it to pass through and do our best in the mean time. Adversity and crisis can bring out the best and the worst in people. This is true in romantic relationships too. When a couple experiences a crisis together it can bring out the best and worst in them. A crisis can also make a love stronger or destroy it altogether. Here are some things to keep in mind to help you keep your relationship and love intact through the crisis.

One of the first things one should realize is that nobody is perfect. Every person has his or her strengths and weaknesses. Usually it is when one is weak that a person’s darker side comes out. When this occurs it is easy to get disenchanted with your partner. As long as your partner does not engage or manifest his or her weaknesses in a manner that is harmful to himself, your family or to you, accept it and find ways on how to make up for his or weakness. Your partner or spouse should, of course do the same for you during your moments of weakness. In this way, you complement each other. When one is weak the other provides the strength to carry on until the former overcomes it.

Do not dwell or focus on your partner’s moments of weakness. This will only lead to resentment and negative feelings—both of which you and your partner cannot afford to indulge in especially since there are other more important matters to take care of. Loving a person means taking his bad side with the good. When both parties to a relationship witness each other’s weakness and manage to accept it, the bond between them will only get strong and their relationship will not only be more resilient and tougher when the next crisis comes.

In times of crisis and adversity, patience is a virtue both in dealing with the crisis itself and your partner and his or her reactions.

Remember that both of you do not necessarily think in the same way or have the same thought processes, so his or her idea of how to get through adversity and/ or resolve the crisis may not necessarily coincide with yours. Listen and calmly communicate what you do not agree with and then come up with an agreed course of action.

This will also remind both of you that you are a team and are not alone in facing the current difficulty.

Have you ever wondered which personal lubricant is best for your needs? With so many kinds to choose from, it can be a little intimidating. Which one is best for use with condoms? What if you need lube for underwater play? And what about anal play? You may not feel that it even matters, but to get the best experience from your lubricant, you need to make the right choice.

Although there are many different brands of personal lubricant, they will almost always fall into three main categories: water-based, silicone, and oil based. Each different kind is best used in specific situations.

Water-based lubricants are the most widely available. They are also the healthiest for you, easiest to clean up, and are compatible with latex and many sex toys. They do have a tendency to dry out after some time, but this problem is easily overcome by simply reapplying more. Since they are water soluble, they are not recommended for use in the bathtub, pool, or spa. They would just breakdown almost immediately and be rendered useless.

Silicone-based lubricants have many exclusive traits that distinguish them from other personal lubricants. Unlike water-based lubes, which absorb into the skin, silicone stays put for a very consistent glide. It has the feel of oil, but doesn’t have the negative effect of breaking down latex like most oil-based lubes do. Another positive feature of silicone is it’s great for anal play. With its long lasting durability, it will stay smooth and pleasurable to the sensitive anal tissue. Since it’s not water soluble, it works beautifully in the bath tub, pool or spa. Silicone lube is not compatible with cyberskin or silicone dildos. You must always cover such toys with a condom prior to the application of silicone lube.

Oil-based lubricants are the least popular of the three. They are best used for anal play and male masturbation. Oil-based lubes will irritate most women’s vaginas, so should be avoided if possible. They should never be used with latex products as they will destroy them on contact. Although oil-based lube has its limitations, it is still worth mentioning since it does reduce friction dramatically which is always a plus. Just remember to use it in the right circumstances.

So now that you know the basic differences between personal lubricants you should be able to make an informed decision on which one is right for you. The Slippery Pie carries all these personal lubricants in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Many of the lubes mentioned above have added features such as a warming effect and flavors to please the palate while you please your partner. With such a huge selection, there is no need to ever be “dry” again. Smooth things out with some personal lubricant and enjoy your sexual experiences to the fullest.

Introducing sex toys into a relationship can take both pleasure and intimacy to the next level and then some. In addition, the element of “fun” is brought into the picture, and being in a fun, playful relationship is something few couples truly achieve due to poor communication. With a sex toy, you can easily build a bridge toward fun sexual intimacy. Here are three important ways to bring sex toys into a relationship.

1. Start slow! Remember you’re building a bridge and before you can put up the foundation you need to prep the work area. Introducing any outside element into sexual relations can be challenging. The easiest prep tool to use in order to ease into sex toys, are lotions or oils. What you are doing here is simply introducing a third element into your intimate relations, and you’re starting with something simple. Once erotic oils and lotions are used, you’ve opened the door for other intimacy tools to be added in the future.

2. The foundation! You’re foundation will set the stage for further sex toy adventures, so it’s important to choose the right foundation. What you’re looking to do here is to introduce an actual sex toy into the relationship. But it has to be a sex toy which is simple, gentle, and easy. In other words your foundation sex toy shouldn’t be some elaborate contraption. You’ll easily scare off your partner. Your foundation should be basic and something easy which you can further build upon in the near future. Various ticklers and the like would be an example of a simple foundations to begin building your sex toy adventures around.

3. Avoid the Crutch! You want to avoid becoming sex toy addicted and every intimate encounter having to rely on a sex toy. That is, don’t turn a sex toy into a crutch. Use it only to enhance the relationship, not serve as the centerpiece where every intimate encounter is going to require a sex toy in order for pleasure to be achieved.

Sex toys, or intimacy tools, can be used as an automatic bridge to bring one another closer while achieving intimacy on a level never previously experienced.