Monday, November 19, 2007

Shopping In Style

I just saw an ad for the day after Thanksgiving sale at Kohl's. They said the store is going to open at 4:00 am! Is that insane or what?!? When I was younger I used to look forward to the Day After Thanksgiving (DAT) sales. I would wake up at the crack of dawn and brave the crowd. I would get to the department stores early enough to get the special savings ticket or whatever little gimmick that lured me there. For the last 5-10 years, I've spent the DAT at home. I just don't have the patience to do it anymore... that is until I heard this.

I was talking to a friend of mine about DAT sales. She said last year when she was shopping she ran into four women who were wearing sweatsuits and hot pink boas and having a great time. She asked them what the boas were for. They apparently have a DAT tradition where they rent a limousine to drive them to all the stores so they don't have to deal with parking. They stock the limo with mimosas (champagne and orange juice) and snacks to get them through the day. They make shopping into a party and they have a great time because they make it unique!
I don't have my limo rented for this year, but I'm seriously considering adding this tradition to my list. And, if I ever decide to wake up early enough to make it to a 4:00 am sale, I might just bring my pillow so I can get a little shut eye in the limo between stores.

Do you have any Day After Thanksgiving traditions that you celebrate? Shopping, baking, decorating? Please share them here.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Sorting Through Magazines

I was paging through some old magazines and found a few things I wanted to share. This is a list of very cool ideas that make family dinners more fun (submitted by the readers of Better Homes & Gardens).
  • Once a month, the kids spin a globe and put a finger on it. Whatever country the finger lands on, we scour the library for information. Dinner is based on the recipes we've found and each family member shares what he or she has learned.
  • On a cold winter's day, I make friend chicken, potato salad, and baked beans. We spread a quilt out in the living room, bring out the paper plates, and play a cassette tape of ocean sounds. The kids talk about the beach and what it would be like to go there.
  • We have theme dinners based on something our kids are learning in school. A dinner about the letter "B" would include broccoli, baked potatoes, beef and brownies. At dinner we would use as many "B" words as possible in our conversation.
Do you have any fun traditions to share that make your family dinners more fun. Tell us about them.