After gobbling down a heaping slab of white meat, two helpings of stuffing, three scoops of sweet potatoes, and six not-so-slender slices of pie, you waddled away from the Thanksgiving table feeling like you were the turkey. And now that all those calories have come home to roost, you're feeling even worse. But the kids are off from school, you've got a million things to do around the house, and you're hoping to get to the mall for some of those Black Friday sales -- how on earth are you going to make it to the gym?

Forget the gym: You can burn off calories as you do your chores -- a total twofer! Here's how you can get back in shape and lose that turkey belly by the time the holiday weekend wraps up and it's time to slide out of those stretchy pants and into something a little more presentable (calories are all based on a weight of 150 pounds):

I can't believe it's Thanksgiving already. It seems as though I blinked and 2011 flashed right before my eyes. We're at the final days of November and then it's home stretch ... right into the New Year. Where has the time gone?

I turned the big 2-5 this year -- and I definitely grew up more than I ever thought I would. Hands down, I'd say this has been the most lifechanging year of my life, and it's around this time of year that it's best to reflect on how far we've come. Hopefully what I've learned will stay with me through 2012 and make me a stronger person.

I can spend hours reminiscing about old times and how I'd love to go back -- but I wouldn't be the person I am today without the life lessons I've learned along the way. So if you need a break from the turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, check out the 8 lessons I'm most thankful that I've learned.

I have a dirty little secret. I hate Thanksgiving. I know, I know. I'm a very bad person. It's a wonderful holiday about family and close friends coming together, remembering all we're grateful for. It's about cooking and eating a lovely, traditional meal shared long ago by two different cultural groups, the Pilgrims and the Indians. Or something.

But I'm sorry, I just can't get excited about having the same old food every year on a cold, gray, dark late-November day and over-eating until you feel like you're going to die. Not to mention the fact that you're so tired from ingesting all that tryptophan in the turkey and gorging on a huge meal in the middle of the afternoon that you're ready for bed by 5 p.m.

Yes, if there's one holiday I could definitely do without, it's Thanksgiving. It's really just a celebration of that deadly sin called gluttony, isn't it? But this year I've found a pretty creative way to avoid the whole thing altogether. I'm going to have a baby.

You might not normally think of Thanksgiving as a "funny" holiday, with all the stress that goes along with it. Most moms are either cooking the meal, or battling traffic to get to the meal, or trying to wrangle their kids to stop messin' with their cousins and please eat the darn meal. Like I said, LOTS of stress.

So just in time, here are some funny quotes about Thanksgiving that will give you a giggle and help you appreciate all the wonderful things around you. And as a bonus, I also give you permission to have extra stuffing and two slices of pie. You deserve it, Mama. It's Thanksgiving!

This may come as a shock and I'm not sure the world can handle this, but I'm about to disclose something really private about what I am thankful for on this Thanksgiving. Ready? Well okay. I used to date younger guys. Like much younger. And also just a little bit younger. But younger. Until of course I met and married a one-year-older guy who turned into a fantastical husband and father to our two kidlets.

It was really hard to even find a guy my own age who was single in NYC, so a sorta kinda cougar I was. I was looking for love, people! In all the young places. So when I did find him, you know, THE ONE, and we clicked, I was really thankful he wasn't Ashton Kutcher. 

Not that Ashton Kutcher asked me to marry him or anything.

Grandma DottieGrandmas cook. It's what they do. Well, a lot of them anyway. Not my mother — my kids have a grandmother that could burn a pot of boiling water. But that's an entirely different story.

Usually grandmas cook, and though not all of them are amazing cooks, the love that goes into their preparation outweighs the terribly bad slightly "off" meal every now and again. And a lot of grandmas have their dish. You know the one ... the one the grandkids clamor for.

But as children and grandchildren get older, they figure out how to cook and may just try to move in on grandma's territory, especially around the holidays. This is exactly what happened with my husband, when he was 22. And it could have really been a disaster!

If you're like me, your Thanksgiving preparations have been consumed by the big things. You've focused on things like how to brine your turkey, how to make perfect potatoes, and how to make a spectacular pie to wow the crowd you're feeding. But a few things may have slipped your list -- things like appetizers.

While there's food aplenty on this day of all days, appetizers are an important way to start the celebration ... and keep the cries of is dinner ready yet? to a minimum. Before you panic and head out to the store once again, you very well may have on hand most of the ingredients for one of the best appetizers of all times: Deviled eggs. People love them, and they're a snap to whip up with just a few basic ingredients. Here are a few varieties for you to try. 

I've got a handle on pumpkin pie, and I've now got a fab list of pecan pie recipes. But a Thanksgiving classic I've never tried baking is sweet potato pie. So this year I'm checking out recipes -- and I've already left behind any notion that sweet potato pies are even remotely healthy. Oh no. There may be beta carotene lurking within these pies, but these recipes are all about sweet, rich decadence!

The sweet potato pie being a Southern specialty, I'm looking to the authorities. All of these recipes are by food writers and cooks from the South. No slight to you, Yankees and Midwesterners -- I just want my pie straight from the source, and maybe with a side of Kentucky bourbon.