TresSugar

Oh Snap! Press Secretary Dodges Dunks Instead of Questions

TresSugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:05:00 -0700

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs took his turn in the the dunk tank yesterday, during a Hawaiian luau for members of Congress and their families held at the White House. In honor of President Barack Obama's home state, the South Lawn was decorated with tiki torches and palm huts, and guests were treated to a meal prepared by famous Hawaiian chef Alan Wong.

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Lessons From the Obamas: Living With Your Mother-in-Law

TresSugar — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:20:00 -0700

The first mother-in-law is digging her new White House digs, and who can blame her? After some initial apprehension, Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, is settled into DC life, attending White House dinners and Kennedy Center performances. She doesn't have to clean the house or babysit too much, but she gets to sit in on fun stuff, like reading stories on Easter.

Whether you're leader of the free world or just head of your household, living with your mother-in-law - or your mother - isn't always easy. Especially a MIL as active as Robinson, who once worked as a bank secretary, raced in the Illinois senior games into her 60s, and now practices yoga. To see what the Obama family can teach us about how to make it work, read more.

Give mom her own space. Though they live in the same (big) house, Michelle Obama told Oprah: "There are many times when she drops off the kids, we hang out and talk and catch up, and then she's like, 'I'm going home.' And she walks upstairs."
Make sure she knows the rules. Robinson says she tries not to say too much about how the Obamas are raising their kids, but when she's at their house, she follows their rules. (When they're at her house, they can follow grandma's rules.)
Don't assume you have an automatic babysitter. Yes, in-laws usually love to watch the kids, but don't book them without asking. Even Barack and Michelle have hired a babysitter when Robinson had plans.
Let her bond with the kids. Robinson reads the kids stories and drops them off at school.
But don't leave her out of the fun. Don't relegate the MIL to child-rearing duties. Marian Robinson also gets to entertain guests, attend state dinners, and check out performances by the Alvin Ailey dance troop.

Have you ever lived with your mother or mother-in-law? Share your coping tips below.
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White House Unveils Exclusive Photos on Today Show

TresSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:30:00 -0700

To honor Obama's 100-day mark as president tomorrow, White House photographer Pete Souza showed off some his favorite pics this morning on Today. A gallery will be put on the White House site later today, but until then check out the never-before-seen photos. To see the clip, read more.

Michelle Obama Dishes Secrets to White House Staffers' Kids

TresSugar — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:00:00 -0700

On Take Your Kids to Work Day yesterday, Michelle Obama took questions from 170 children, ages 7 to 14. She later called the grilling her "first official press conference."

"They asked me a ton of questions," the first lady said, "and they were hard." So what did these intrepid, young reporters find out for us?

On her dream White House job: First lady. "I think I have the best job in the White House. I don't have to deal with the hard problems every day," she said. "Because I don't get paid, I get to do whatever I want."

The worst part of the White House: Running on the treadmill every morning.

On breaking the rules: "Every now and then I have this thing that I like to do with some of my staff members," she admitted, "we sneak out, without telling anybody, and we go and test out all the fun places to eat in DC. I went to Five Guys [the burger chain] and nobody knew it." An aid later amended that this didn't mean she went without the Secret Service. Too bad!

To see what else Michelle had to say, read more.

On new dog Bo: He "likes to chew on people's feet and cause commotions. Oh, he is a crazy dog."

On no longer cooking: "I don't miss cooking," she said, "I'm just fine with other people cooking. Their food is really good."

What she'd do in the event of a major disaster: "I'd wake my husband up if it were at night. And I'd tell him, hey, buddy, you're the president, get down to the Oval Office and call some leaders."

Well, good to know!

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Pet Peeves: How Weird Can Presidents Get With Pets?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:35:24 -0700

Sounds worse than it is! But, seriously, people are crazy with their pets. Just the other day I saw a woman getting fro-yo for her dog because "he was feeling down." Anyway! Since the Obamas are getting their new Portuguese water dog tomorrow, we should prepare to see the first dog with his own Secret Service name like Rollick along with his own white house. See if you can sort the true crazy from the made-up crazy in my quiz.

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Picture It: Time to Plant the Garden

CitizenSugar — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:30:49 -0700

A jet-lagged Michelle Obama slipped on brown-and-white gardening gloves (no, we don't know where to find them) and went to work on the South Lawn's garden yesterday. With the help of 25 beshoveled schoolchildren, she planted perennials, herbs, vegetables, and fruits. If all goes well, the assistant chef said the White House could be serving blueberries by June.

World leaders are très excité for the victory garden. "How does your garden grow?" (bad translation) was the number one question she was asked abroad. "Every single person," the first lady said, "from Prince Charles on down, they were excited about the fact that we were planting a garden." Can't blame 'em. I mean, blueberries! They're like crazy expensive in Europe.

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Sexy Time! Sex Line Answers Journalists' Call Instead of Hillary

CitizenSugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 09:30:29 -0700

Hillary may never answer the 3 a.m. call she was so ready to take, but a whole other genre of late-night calls was made last night. Journalists got a sex line when the White House accidentally gave out a wrong number to a conference call with the secretary of state.

"Do you have any hidden desires?" a steamy voice asked. "Well, do you feel like getting nasty?" No! They didn't. They wanted to talk about today's NATO summit in Strasbourg, France. Reporters did eventually get through when they tried the number listed for international journalists.

No explanation from the White House - just a followup email saying "Lots of important issues to cover today!" Indeed!

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Picture It: London Calling

CitizenSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:00:30 -0700

The president and first lady departed for the G20 Summit in London this morning, the first stop in his European debut. Next up? France, Germany, Czech Republic, and Turkey.

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White House Commends Jim Cramer Roast on The Daily Show

CitizenSugar — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 10:56:23 -0700

Thursday's roast on The Daily Show made it into Friday's White House press briefing. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked if the White House believed it was the obligation of journalists to call out lies as Jon Stewart did to the CNBC host. While he wasn't sure if President Obama saw it (though he did talk him about watching it beforehand), he "thoroughly enjoyed" it. Watch his full response below.

Sasha and Malia Are Swing Set

CitizenSugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:00:40 -0800

Yesterday Sasha and Malia came home to find a fancy new swing set just outside dad's Oval Office. They "squealed with delight," when they saw it, "for almost an hour."

The bling set includes a picnic table with brass plates, etched with the names of the 44 US presidents. But the Chicago Tribune wants us to know the Obamas did not make the most lavish choice. While it includes four swings, a slide, a fort, and a climbing wall, it lacks the spiral sides, roomy lofts, and towering tents other, more decadent, sets boast.

I'd be excited if it was one swing tied from a tree (fine, that was me). I'm just waiting for pictures of the girls playing through the long afternoons daylight savings this weekend (you're welcome) will bring.

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