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Entry bubble Black Friday Commando

By: Ginger | November 28, 2008 | Category: Money

I have never gone shopping the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday), but this year my mom is visiting, so we will join the madness. Since this will be my first Black Friday adventure, mom and friends shared some shopping strategies and horror stories with me. My mom told me of the “Cabbage Patch Kids” riots of ’83 when shoppers ran through the store when the doors opened and fought over dolls. My friend, Laura, got into a smackdown over a Teddy Ruxpin on a Black Friday.

Ginger in camouflage gear ready to shop on Black FridayI’ve come to the conclusion that this won’t just be shopping; this experience will require “extreme shopping tactics.” That’s right; I will be morphing into a Black Friday Commando. Since I’m not very athletic, I think dangling from wires above my purchase targets or attempting ninja moves will only result in pulled muscles. Instead, I will be camouflaging myself to sneak around for the best deals.

If these tactics sound a little overboard, I suppose you could just stick to normal shopping procedures. Not as fun, but probably more effective. The federal government has some holiday shopping guidelines and tips. ConsumerAction.gov offers General Buying Tips, a section on Gift Cards, and if you do have purchase problems, tips on how to complain and a sample complaint letter.

Preventing Holiday Shopping Headaches, Tips for Smart Holiday Shopping, and Holiday Shopping are good resources to read prior to hitting the malls.

If dealing with crowds, payment lines, and hunting for parking isn’t your thing, here are two resources that offer some good on-line shopping tips: On-line Holiday Shopping and Shopping From Home.

My mother agrees that the camouflage will probably work, but not because it will help me sneak about unnoticed. She thinks everyone will notice and run in the opposite direction, thereby clearing a path to the cash registers. I say, “Hey, whatever works!”

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Entry bubble You. Me. Thanksgiving.

By: Nancy | November 27, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

Here we are again for the second year in a row:  You. Me. Turkey Day. If you won't ask me what I'm doing blogging all by myself on Thanksgiving, I won't ask you why you're reading a blog today instead of watching to see which balloon pops first in the Macy's Parade. Or eating a hunk of pie. Or, ideally, doing both at the same time.

Jake's already given you lots of great Thanksgiving tips from USA.gov and around the government web to help you make sure that—

Regardless of how you're celebrating today, you'll know the story of what happened that first Thanksgiving...


You'll practice safe food handling in preparing your turkey...


You'll know what to do with all those leftovers...


Yep, we've covered it all now, except for one thing—what we're thankful for here at Gov Gab headquarters:

You.

Thank you for stopping by, for reading, commenting, emailing us, and for telling your friends and your coworkers about Gov Gab.p

When we're counting our blessings today, we're thinking of you.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: nancy   thanksgiving   turkey   video  

 

Entry bubble First Ladies

By: Colleen | November 26, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

first ladyThere is one buzzword on the lips of every person in Washington right now and it's "transition." Federal agencies are awaiting word about who will be their new boss, and those who live in the metro area are renting out their apartments to the crowds of people expected for Inauguration Day.

With so much focus on trying to predict who will be appointed to President-Elect Obama's cabinet and other key offices, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the office of the First Lady and her role.

The original traditional role of the First Lady was to act as the hostess of the White House. This has changed over time, most notably when Rosalynn Carter began sitting in on her husband's cabinet meetings. Today, First Ladies are champions for causes of their own choosing and travel the world to drum up awareness for them. Soon-to-be First Lady Michelle Obama seems to be leaning towards support for military families and those trying to balance work and family life. Current First Lady Laura Bush has been an avid advocate for literacy and the promotion of reading. Some First Ladies, such as Hillary Clinton, take an active role in policy-making. Mrs. Clinton was the first First Lady to have an office within the West Wing of the White House.

Not only are the modern First Ladies working to promote causes and assist their husbands, they still continue many of the traditional roles performed by the wives of the early Presidents. These include, but are not limited to: choosing menus for events, finalizing seating arrangements for state dinners, deciding on a theme for the annual Christmas decorations at the White House, and managing the daily flow of life at the private residence of the First Family.

While the Smithsonian National Museum of American History recently re-opened after major renovations, its First Ladies exhibit is still under construction. When it reopens, be sure to check it out. Containing neat items such as special dresses belonging to the First Ladies and china used during their husbands' administrations—it's one of my favorites!

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Entry bubble Get Ready for Turkey!

By: Jake | November 25, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

I suggested a way you can work off those extra calories from your Thanksgiving turkey yesterday. Today I'm going to get you prepared for Turkey Day.

Turkey CalendarThe best way to get ready is to go to the USA.gov Thanksgiving page. Here you will find information on everything you need to get ready for Thanksgiving. The page will help you find air travel status for those of you flying, send thanks to members of the U.S. military or learn how astronauts eat turkey in space. Of course there's also tons of recipes with the usual ways to cook your turkey and some unusual ones.

I'm a big fan of trivia and I got these Thanksgiving tidbits from USA.gov:

I'm posting today in Joanne's absence while she attends to a family emergency. I'm sure if she was writing today she'd say the most important thing on Thanksgiving is to be very thankful for what you have, especially those you love.

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Entry bubble Run Off Your Thanksgiving Turkey!

By: Jake | November 24, 2008 | Category: Health

JoggerTurkey Day is this week and Nancy will be here to assist you with all your Thanksgiving needs (you need to provide your own dinner, of course). If you're like some of my friends, you're already wondering how you are going to work that dinner off your body. Might I suggest going for a jog?

It may seem like an odd suggestion coming from someone who's not a runner, but I've noticed recently that running is a good way to work off any meal - big or small. My girlfriend always wanted to run a marathon and she ran the Richmond Marathon last week. After she signed up for it in August she averaged 25 miles of running per week, along with exercises to strengthen her core. She did this in addition to her demanding job as a fifth grade teacher (seriously - not an easy job). I played the role of Mickey Goldmill by cooking, cleaning, and getting a bike to help her train on some of her longer distance runs.

She had a diet she followed during her training, but she was able to eat a lot more than usual. You may not want to train for a marathon but, at the very least, running provides a way to work off those (sometimes) excessive holiday meals. There is plenty of government information on exercise, but there isn't a lot regarding running. I did find information about running by searching Healthfinder.gov from the American Podiatric Medical Association and American Academy of Podiatric Sports. As you might imagine, running causes a lot of stress on your feet and it is important you select the right shoes. In addition to taking a look at those links, you should check with your doctor about how you should approach running to make it a permanent hobby so you can always say yes to that second helping of turkey.

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