Entry bubble The Certainty of Change

By: Nancy | January 22, 2009 | Category: Home and Family

If there's one thing you can count on in life, it's change./p>green traffic light

New job. New address. New Neighbors. A new baby.

The country is buzzing with change right now and Gov Gab headquarters is busy creating its own changes too. We're working on new ways like our Facebook page and Twitter feeds to get you the information you're looking for from and about the government.

Change is even happening with me. When my boss Mary retired last month, I inherited some new things around the office that I'm pretty excited about doing, in addition to the public service announcements that I've been producing for the last 18 years.

What I'm finding though, is that sometimes you have to set something down, even if it means a lot to you, so you'll have the free hands to grasp and embrace the new thing. And that's what I have to do today, as I write my last regular Gov Gab entry.

I'm grateful that Gov Gab's parent agency, the General Services Administration has supported Gov Gab since its start as one of the federal government's first blogs. And I'm even more grateful to have been able to exchange ideas, laughs and stories with you every Thursday.

Watch out for bats, and if you see George Clooney, please tell him hello for me.  :)

| Post a Comment | View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: address   baby   change   jobs   nancy  

 

By: Jake | July 28, 2008 | Category: Fun

The other day as I was walking down the street, someone called "Jacob," and I turned to see a little boy running to the person who said my name. This happens to me a lot since Jacob is no longer a rare name—it has been the most popular male baby name for almost a decade.

RolodexEver year the Social Security Administration tallies up the Social Security card applications from the previous year and releases the most popular baby names list around Mother's Day. Though there are some limitations to their method, the most popular boy name since 1999 has been Jacob. Baby Jacob, along with most popular female name (11 years running) Baby Emily, are currently promoting SSA's retirement calculator and other SSA programs on their webpage.

If you've never checked out SSA's most popular baby name website, take a gander. You can search your own name and see how popular it has been over the years. You can search popular baby names for each year back to 1880, find popular names by state, popular twin names and look at what cities parents have named their children after. You can also find information about children's benefits and other programs benefiting children.

If you are expecting a baby, it's a great resource to consider various names. When you search on a name, SSA also shows you the popularity of spelling variations of that name (e.g., Rachel vs Raechel, Jeffrey vs Jeffery). While you are picking out a baby name, you can also check out other parenting resources available from the government.

And after all this talk of names, if you feel like changing yours, Nancy has that covered for you.

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Entry bubble Choosing Child Care

By: Sommer | March 07, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

Now that I’m about 5 weeks from my son being born my husband and I are talking more and more about the type of child care we’ll use when I return to work later this summer. We know we have a few options including using the child care center that’s in the GSA buildingbabysitter holding one baby and entertaining two others where I work (I’m on the waiting list so we’ll see if I get in!). Other options include finding a home day care, a child care center closer to home or to my husband’s job, or hiring a nanny.

I’ve been searching for resources to help us make a choice and there’s quite a bit out there. Here are some of the helpers I’ve found most useful:

I’d love your advice on smoothing the transition between staying home with my baby and returning to work. I know many of you out there must have a lot of experience since most mothers these days return to work after having children.

| View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: baby   babysitter   child   childcare   daycare   family   mother   nanny   sommer   work  

 

Entry bubble Preparing for Baby on a Budget

By: Sommer | January 18, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

The two things people mention most when they notice I’m having a baby are 1) don’t expect to sleep much and 2) raising kids is expensive. The latest government data says that a family with an average annual income of $59,300 will spend $197,700 on that child between birth and age 17! Since we’re only in the preparation stage, I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Lately though, we’ve been saving every penny so I can take some time off work after the birth. But, since there’s now a never ending listMan and woman shopping for baby cradles in a mall. of things to shop for it’s hard to save! Baby prep checklists include the crib and nursery furniture, car seat, stroller, highchair, clothes, toys and more. A friend said baby gear could cost up to $5,000! I feel like the billion-dollar-baby-products industry lurks around every corner waiting to reel me in.

Here’s what we’ve done so far to cut costs:

Who knows, maybe by cutting these costs we’ll save enough money to start a 529 plan for our son. Since we’re on a budget I’d rather he get a college education than that $800 stroller I love but he’ll never remember.

I’d love to hear any tips you have on how you saved money when preparing for your newborn! Please leave your suggestions in the comments.

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Entry bubble A New Addition to the Gov Gab Family

By: Sommer | December 14, 2007 | Category: Health

Ok, I have to fess up. Being able to "haul stuff” wasn’t the only reason we decided to get a new car in August (or paint our bedrooms, for that matter). That was when we also found out I was going to have a baby - yay! This will be our first child, so the main reason we bought a new car is because my husband is an uber-planner. To stay on track with our financial plan he determined we had to buy one 4-door, kid-friendly car now so we could buy another one next year. That way we'd both have safer cars to “haul” the new addition and any necessary accessories without completely breaking the bank.

So far I’m very intrigued by this whole pregnancy experience. I've always romanticized what pregnancy might baby be like – maybe overwhelming feelings of maternal love beaming from my body at anyone who passes by. 

Needless to say, it’s is nothing like I imagined. I’ve had it good, I must say – not too much morning sickness and now I’m beginning to feel the little kicks, and ultrasounds are always something to look forward to.  We feel blessed to be expecting a new baby but overall, it’s been a relatively uneventful experience.   A lot of waiting… (I’m very impatient.)

So, in my quest to pass the long 40 weeks and foster the maternal beam of love, I found some great information on USA.gov’s Expecting Parents page. The information on alcohol and pregnancy (no champagne for New Years 2008!), tips on staying healthy and even help with finding a name has been great. Also, USA.gov’s Frequently Asked Questions page about Pregnancy and Nutrition directed me to essential information on foods pregnant women should stay away from (no sushi or unpasteurized cheese – it’s harder than I thought!). 

I’ll keep you up to date as April nears. Everyone says the baby will arrive before I know it, but I’m not so sure. Please share any of your tips or stories on pregnancy and parenthood in the comments.  I need all the advice I can get!!

Now, if I could only find some really great maternity pants…

| View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: baby   car   family   health   parenthood   pregnancy   pregnant   sommer