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What Did You Talk About at Your Thanksgiving Table?

TresSugar — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:00:40 -0800

I'm sure a lot of Thanksgiving table conversations involved catching up, since many of us visited with friends and family we don't see that often. "How's you job?" "How was your Summer?" "How's your love life?" That can be fun, awkward, or both!

But once we know what's new, conversations can turn into engaging or heated discussions about politics, the economy, or the latest scandal in pop culture. Then again, maybe your family's like Don Draper and doesn't see the point of talking about politics, religion, or sex. What were the most popular topics of conversation around your Thanksgiving table yesterday?

Do Tell: What Thanksgiving Drama Are You Dreading?

TresSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:00:30 -0800

Ah, Thanksgiving, a time to get together with family and friends, eat entirely too much food, and dredge up drama that manages to stay dormant most of the year.

Although I'm not facing any major family stress right now, I can still predict a handful of annoyances that will flare up among the group gathering for my Thanksgiving Day feast. Strong emotions are bound to come up when family gets together, whether it's over something as silly as who gets to make the mashed potatoes or something embarrassing your mom says when she gets tipsy. What drama are you dreading this holiday? Or, if you're drama free this year, I'd love to hear your best stories from years past.

Dinner Is Over! And No Thanksgiving

Tres Community — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

This post was written by maude in the TrèsSugar Community group Awkward!.

A couple of years ago, I spent Thanksgiving at a friend's house. Everything was great, her mother had worked all day to make the perfect Thanksgiving dinner, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, homemade biscuits, and all the other classics. We all sat down to eat and some of my friend's siblings were arguing incessantly.

The mother who worked so hard, kept telling them to quit it and enjoy dinner that she had worked so hard on. Of course, they didn't and just kept at each other. So finally the mother (who can be very dramatic) stood up and grabbed a pitcher of water on the table and just started pouring it all over the table and the food. As she poured, she announced "dinner was over!" Every dish was basically watered down! YUCK! No one made a peep and just politely got up from the table. It was the end of Thanksgiving!

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Do Tell: What Are Your Favorite Thanksgiving Traditions?

TresSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:00:13 -0800

Thanksgiving is almost here, and it might just be my favorite holiday. Every year my family gets together for a big party at my aunt's house. I always look forward to the classic food like turkey and mashed potatoes, but I also love the dishes specific to my family, like my mom's spicy jalapeno cranberry sauce or the creamed onions made according to my grandma's recipe. After dinner, we all head to the living room hoping to beat our food comas with a spirited game of charades.

These are the traditions that I will be looking forward to all week. What Thanksgiving traditions do you enjoy?

Gender Roles - Love 'Em Or Leave 'Em?

OnSugar Blog — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:10:00 -0800

Here's a poll from OnSugar blog Rantings of a Single Girl.

Let's go back to the 1940s for a minute. My grandmother was married, raised a kid, ran a farm, taught school, and kept a clean house. All while my grandfather was away at war. After my grandfather came back from the war and had recovered from his wounds, they went back into their traditional roles. He ran the farm and did all the "manly" things. My grandmother raised my aunt, taught school, and still had dinner on the table by 5:30 PM every night. All while pregnant with my dad.

I'm exhausted just talking about it.

I bring all this up because I've been thinking about gender roles lately. I look at my parents. Granted, my dad still does majority of the "manly'" things around the house and my mom does the household things, neither one is afraid to help out the other. My dad does housework. My mom can swing a hammer when needed.

And that's what I like.

I'll never be able to date a guy who believes in traditional gender roles. As much as I like cooking and being in the kitchen, I don't like being expected to be there. If we have kids, I'm not going to be the one who raises them. I certainly expect their father to help out. At the same time, I don't expect him the only one who takes out the trash or fixes things when they break. I think 50/50 is a good blend.

So could you be with someone who firmly believes in traditional gender roles? Or would you rather share the load?

Want to see more? Start following Rantings of a Single Girl or start your own OnSugar Blog. Maybe your stories will be posted here on TrèsSugar!

Say What? Nicole Kidman Knows Life's All About Relationships

TresSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:30:03 -0800

“I think that we’re in the world to connect. Because that’s what you’re left with. You’re not left with your house or awards or money, you’re left with the people that you built relationships with.”

- Nicole Kidman tells Ladies' Home Journal that despite all her success, it's the special relationships in her life that are important to her. Right in time for Thanksgiving, this sort of sentiment reminds us to appreciate the things that really matter.

Can Women Have It All?

TresSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:30:17 -0800

A successful career. A loving marriage. Well-loved and well-behaved children. The promise of women's liberation holds that women can have all of this if that's what they want. But one teacher wrote in the Daily Mail yesterday that telling a young girl that she can reach the top of the career ladder and raise a family is passing on nothing more than a fairy tale. This not-so-modern woman thinks:

"The young women we are sending out into the world believe they can have it all - and, if they don't, they will have failed. And what a tragedy that is, because the truth is that modern women can't have it all. They may succeed in their careers and they may succeed as mothers, but to do both at the same time? No, that is not possible without making huge sacrifices which many will find simply too much."

Obviously life is full of compromises and trade-offs, but I don't think that means women have to choose between success outside the home and success inside the home. With a little balance, I think women, just like men, can manage both. What do you think?
Photos courtesy of AMC

Do You Get Excited to See Your Family on Thanksgiving?

TresSugar — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:00:29 -0800

Many people consider spending time with family the best thing about Thanksgiving. In our busy lives, we don't find much time to cook, eat, drink, and catch up with loved ones.

Of course, not everyone has dream families - some relatives can be rude, non-accepting, or just generally overwhelming. Since Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away, I want to know if you're looking forward to some quality family time.

5 Money Issues Every Couple Should Prepare For

SavvySugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:30:33 -0800

We talk about love and money quite a bit here on Savvy, and many of you have had a go-round or two with your significant other about the topic. In a new relationship, resolving money issues means adjusting to each other’s spending and saving styles, and coming up with a system you can both live with. But as relationships grow and change, financial situations do too, and many couples find themselves having to adjust their approach to money after years of marriage.

New York Times columnist Ron Lieber recently offered up a list of five issues that can cause financial bickering even in established relationships. To see them, along with my advice for how to address them, click away.

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Sunday Confessional: She's Jealous of Her Daughter

TresSugar — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:00:00 -0700

We're mixing things up this week and taking an anonymous confession from our new Confession Booth group for you all to weigh in on! This confessor finds herself wanting her daughter's suitor.

Am I a bad person? I really liked a guy I work with who is younger than me . . . a lot younger. I invited him over several times and we partied and we eventually became really close friends. I was really sad when I found out that he liked my daughter. I gave my permission for them to date and told them I was "OK" with it when secretly it's breaking my heart. I find myself resenting them. My daughter knew I liked him before she started dating him, so it was a very delicate situation when I found out about their feelings. This is tearing me apart.

What advice would you give her?

Make your anonymous confessions in our new Confession Booth group.