NBCs Parenthood - Everything you want in feel-good TV

“I thought I could do it all...but I can't, not now, anyway.”  This from Julia Braverman-Graham, the working mom on my favorite TV show – Parenthood (NBC, Tuesdays, 10pm/9pmCST). 

What I love the most about this show is how well it handles the REALITY of parenthood. You laugh and you cry during this one hour show. You learn things.  You enjoy.  

Julia, soon-to-be partner of her law firm, has always handled being a working mom seamlessly.  Recently, she and her husband Joel adopted an 11-year-old boy.  (They already have a precocious 5-year-old daughter who is used to being the center of their attention.) So in last night’s episode, I was so happy to see Julia losing her mind. Not in a mean way.  But in a relieved, sort of way.  The noise that the children made, the chaos in the morning. She’s trying to juggle everything.  And she’s the type that knows she can.  She can do it all!  Until she can’t.  She has a slight breakdown during breakfast that frenzied morning and she’s been slipping up at work.  So bad that the partners of the firm call her into a meeting in the middle of her son’s baseball game (Gasp! Her leaving the game shocks her large family who all lives close by and happen to have their schedules free to ALL be at this game – that’s the only thing about the show that is hard to believe.  They all get together so much,  so conveniently.  Who knows, maybe that is real but just not my reality since I don’t live close to my family.)  

 

Anyway, in the meeting they tell her, if you still want to be considered for partner, you’re going to have to give us all of you.  You can see the hurt in her face as she wagers her own identity and goals versus her role as mom.  But she knew, as we all know, you can have it all, just not all at once.  Something has to give.  So she said to them, heartbroken, but knowing she’s made the right decision, “I thought I could do it all...but I can't, not now, anyway.”  

Reality!  So many television shows, even the reality shows, have a hard time trying to get down to the root of what is so real. But Parenthood does it with finesse. I feel happier every  time I watch an episode.  You should tune in!  Relatable brings relief.

Toddler Tantrum Bumped Family From Flight

The heat rising up in your face. The tears forming behind your eyelids. The sound; piercing.

When your two-year-old has a tantrum, it can feel like the most embarrassing moment in your life. Especially when dozens of spectators surround you and your tot.  You'll try all the tricks in the book, and sometimes it just doesn't work. Your toddler has a mind of her own and she will decide when the tantrum is over.  We've all seen this in action.  When the heated moment begins, often without warning; you'll start with We don't act like that. Please be a big girl. The pitch gets higher. You try the You better stop this RIGHT NOW or you lose your [Enter: your child's favorite toy]. She's not moved. She's not listening-everyone else is. And you want to hide, but you're in charge and everyone is waiting for you to just DO SOMETHING! Your husband tries a few of his tricks.  Nothing.  In desperation, you beg If you stop crying, I'll give you a piece of [Enter: your child's favorite tasty treat]. And it feels like it lasts forever. Then you've done it; you've calmed your child down.  Or at least you think you had something to do with it.  At last, peace.

Then you're escorted off the plane.

The story of Dr. Colette Vieau and husband, Dr. Mordecai Stolk's experience on JetBlue was featured on NBC's The Today Show this morning.  What really made me feel for this family though (you can only feel so bad for a family leaving a Turks and Caicos vacation), was not so much their airline debacle, but the six minutes on live television with Matt Lauer.  If you ever have the chance to speak with Mr. Lauer on TV, chances are you're either hoping to leave the kiddos behind or you're praying they will behave extraordinarily!

Through the segment, I was holding my breath for the mom.  As pediatrician Dr. Vieau spoke about the tantrum, her three-year-old daughter squirmed and wiggled and twisted on her lap. I know this situation well.  Your child wants to be anywhere but your lap; but you're trying to hold an adult conversation at the bank, in the grocery store or even your pediatrician's office and at the very least, you want to look like you have control over this young child. But her older daugther was grabbing for her dad, reaching for his face, and even at one point worked her way down off her mom's lap to the set’s couch and was reaching for the coffee table.

Matt Lauer asked if the couple thought the experience to be mortifying which the dad quickly rebutted, "yes!" after giving a dad-voice "hey" to his fidgety daughter. Meanwhile, the culprit of the airline tantrum, their two-year-old sitting pretty on dad's lap, was behaving very well with just some little toddler talk.

This is just life with little ones.  Especially when you have a two-year-old and a three-year-old...trying to control them both is often a tricky task.

When asked what lesson was learned from this experience, Dr. Stolk stated, "Control your kids." To that I say, "pa ha!"  If a pediatrician can't "control" a child in the midst of a tantrum, who can?  Of course, there is always an end to a tantrum but how much of it is the parent controlling it or the child deciding she's done?

I think the lesson learned is that none of us are immune to toddler tantrums.  And we all survive them...no matter how embarrassing they are at the time!

The NBC Today Show segment can be seen here.

Entertain, Cook a Turkey and Remain Stress-Free This Thanksgiving!

My mom, dad and I - Thanksgiving '79

Thanksgiving can be stress-free. It just takes a little planning, a little flexibility and of course, a little lot of wine.  My mother modeled seamless Thanksgiving dinners filled with family and friends; scrumptious hors d’oeuvres and homemade desserts; laughter and love.  Not a suggestion of stress in the house.  As I grew older, I would soon realize there was a method behind the madness (or lack thereof). Over the years, I took some of her craft and some of my vision and mingled them into an overall stress-free Thanksgiving experience.

It’s 6:00am; hopefully, your kiddos are still in bed. I know mine are not, however.  They rarely ever sleep past 7:00am. And, surely, you’ve read this post long before Thanksgiving morning.  So you have already picked out a cute outfit to show off the 4 lbs you lost over the last month or so; you’ve thawed your turkey; and the chic antique-silver gravy boat you ordered has arrived just in time for your feast.  In addition, you’ve already made your cheese ball, dips, desserts and you set the table late last night before finally settling down to sleep.  So you’re up and at ‘em.  Grab your cup of Joe and have a seat, won’t you?

With your handy dandy notebook (old-school or with a keyboard), jot down what time you plan on serving your meal.  Then make a list of each dish you will serve with a column for preparation, starting and finishing times:

Meal Time: 2:00 pm

The mathematical formula goes as follows:  Ending Time MINUS Preparation Time = Starting Time.  Determine your ending time based on how long that dish needs to cool or if it should be served immediately.  When you’ve completed your list, sort by Starting Time or number your dishes in the order you need to work on them. 

Now, you’ll want to refresh your cup of coffee, maybe add some Bailey’s, and get back to the planning.  If your kids are up now, go ahead and dish out some of that breakfast casserole you made yesterday afternoon.  You made one, right?

What time do you plan on serving your apps?  And did you consider what time you need to make them disappear?  You don’t want to leave them out until 1:00pm and find that nobody has an appetite for dinner.  So savvy you should decide on an “end time” and kind of like closing time at your favorite bar…okay, your favorite bar from ten years ago…give your guests a “last call” warning before you do take the goodies away.  My advice is 2 hours prior to dinner.

It should be about 9:00am now.  Turn on your TV to NBC for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  In my home, this is a requirement.  I grew up watching this religiously and the magic drew me in and was likely part of the reason I needed to move to New York City at 22.  Depending on how big your turkey is-that’s what she said-and when your dinner will be served, will determine what time you should start cooking your turkey.  I’ve relied on Butterball’s calculator since I started my own Thanksgiving dinners several years ago and if I do say so myself; they’ve always been cooked to close-to-perfection.

My first Thanksgiving sans family...my friend Sara and I in our
cozy little apartment in NYC...after shivering at the Macy's Parade.
We knew the importance of the wine, even back then!

It’s 11:00am.  If you’re going by my 2:00pm dinner schedule, the apps are out and the majority of your guests are chatting away.  This is the time you should go ahead and pour yourself a glass of wine.  I know what you’re thinking; it’s only 11:00am.  But it’s okay…it’s Thanksgiving! 

Please don’t worry about the kids-that’s what your family is here for, after all!  They’ve come to play with and snuggle and spoil your little ones.  Use your kitchen as your excuse. “Can someone come get little Evan; I’m cooking in here!”  Or try this one, “Mom, would you mind taking little Suzy with you into the family room; I don’t want her to hurt her precious little hand on the hot stove.  I wish I could keep a better eye on her, but I’m cooking in here!”  Then duck behind an open cabinet and sip away! Everyone will understand…and thank you for it when instead of screaming at them to get out of your way, you’ll be offering them a glass.    

My husband and 3-wk-old son, Thanksgiving '08

It’s 2:00pm.  Your golden and lush turkey is center of your beautiful table.  You are relaxed.  You are thankful.  Every single person around your table are smiling and thanking you for your hard work.  Who knew Thanksgiving could be this easy! Now, let’s say grace!

*Breakfast casserole recommended by my BFF from high school, Sue MacNicoll.  She adds this comment: I have made this with raisins and dried blueberries. Never with cranberries... My favorite is with blueberries!  So good!

What tips do you have to share with other moms on how you stay stress-free when planning a big Thanksgiving dinner or entertaining guests?

For Reality in Parenting Try NBC's "Up All Night" - New Fall Lineup

You had me at “Up All Night”.  

Finally, a show that refreshingly highlights REAL life after baby.  You’ve been there.  In the midst of changing a messy diaper, you’ve grabbed for a couple of wipes just to have a seemingly endless string of wipes ribbon out like some amateur magic trick.  You’ve foreshadowed fifteen years into the future envisioning the effects of your parenting on your free-spirited teen.  You’ve felt guilty for wishing for the good ol’ pre-baby days.

Admittedly, the biggest Saturday Night Live fan EVER (this fact has not yet actually been documented), so it’s not much of a surprise that I’m digging this show.  I identified with almost every scenario in the “Up All Night” pilot while LMAO.  You’ve got Maya Rudolph (Ava) who has been cracking me up since 2000.  She plays what I believe to be a pseudo-Oprah, though that may be my reliving her SNL Oprah days.  Of course, I’m a fan of Will Arnett’s (Chris) through association of marriage to his baby mama, SNL’s Amy Poehler.  Mix in a little Christina Applegate (Reagan) - well, a lot…she is the mom we’re all relating with - an actress I’ve admired since she starred in “Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead” (yeah, I went there) and you’ve got yourself an inspiringly real and hilarious cast.  Also, all three are new-ish parents; they know all too well what really goes down between the routine diaper changes and feedings.

Mix this dynamic cast with real life parenting situations including feelings of resentment, arguments over who slept the least last night, returning to work, and even savoring the bliss between moments of pure insanity.  Just this one half-hour (maybe 22 minutes) episode gave me the most relaxing and fun TV moment I’ve had since “Lost” bid adieu to my world last spring.

They score bonus points with the peeps up in the Northeast with using the phrase “wicked hot” a couple of times.  Applegate’s character will make every mom feel okay that she thinks Matt Lauer is talking to her every morning through the television.  And the all-too-familiar hubby’s tattered t-shirt (accompanied by him reciting overplayed memories of him in that shirt) is a brilliant reflection of just about every dad out there and the stories their women have to endure.  The episode ties up as neatly as a layette gift set with the new family daydreaming of the future with their precious little one.

If you’re a mom (or dad) craving “relatable” in form of a television comedy, you’ve found it in “Up All Night”.  Wednesday night on NBC, watch the pilot here, or maybe you’ll randomly catch an episode on BRAVO, like I did.