Today is my younger son's 13th birthday. In honor of that, I am doing what I did for my older son and sharing my top ten list from the speech I made at his Bar Mitzvah.
Given that we're still in a pandemic, it was an unconventional Bar Mitzvah, but it still worked because it was just right for him. He's more of an introvert and wouldn't have felt comfortable doing everything in front of tons of people at shul. So we have the pandemic to thank for this simpler version of a Bar Mitzvah that was still special to him, to us, and to our family and friends. We just had a small Zoom gathering on the Sunday of what would have been his Bar Mitzvah weekend anyway. We also had his favorite food items throughout the weekend.
Without any further ado...my top 10 list about my 13 year-old:
1. He is a very musical child, but in a different way than his brother. He can sit down at the piano and teach himself how to play complicated pieces that I couldn’t even do with actual lessons when I was his age. He loves to play piano and usually it’s classical or ragtime. However, he will “Rick roll” us sometimes. He also sings really well and was in honors chorus in fifth grade. He even composes music on his computer and it’s really impressive!
2. He is affectionate and loves giving hugs and kisses. Usually kids tend to avoid their parents at this age, but he still wants to cuddle with us.
3. He is a great sibling. Even though he’s in the middle, he finds ways to bond with both his older brother and younger sister. I still remember a time his brother was sad about something and all he had to say was one word to cheer him up. And even though he and his sister tend to fight a lot, I catch them laughing and playing together too. He is even teaching her some new piano skills.
4. He loves to read. I know I said this about his brother too, but it’s true. I love being able to find him books that he will enjoy, as he is a pickier reader than most.
5. He’s really funny. Even though he’s not into theater, he was participating in improv games with his siblings and nailing the humor each time. He also cracks me up in the Passover plays he puts on with his siblings. He loves telling jokes and coming up with puns too. We even have some of our own inside jokes.
6. He’s very smart and does well in school. He’s received star student awards and has consistently been getting As in his classes.
7. He loves animals. The happiest I’ve ever seen him is when he is playing with dogs or petting a cat.
8. He’s really good with technology. He also has a curious mind and likes seeing how things work. He has strong video editing skills and has put together some cool videos in the past.
9. He’s a great conversationalist. As I mentioned earlier, he always has so many questions and I enjoy hearing his thoughts about the way things are in the world.
10. He marches to the beat of his own drum. He’s an individual and doesn’t care what people think of him. He won’t bend to peer pressure either. I mean, he won’t even watch The Princess Bride when I’ve been inviting him to do so all the time. (Is he really my son?) And it’s ironic that his Hebrew birthday is right around Purim because he refuses to wear a costume. Thankfully, photoshop has come to the rescue for our family video this year.
When he was two years old, he would tell everyone “I’m not a baby, I’m a big boy.” His teacher at the time told me how someone said "baby," and he somehow tuned into that word and walked over to tell that person that he’s a big boy. He’s always asserted himself since then and found a way to stand out, even with being the middle child.
It’s nice to be this confident, even at his current age.
My husband and I are celebrating the second of our many wedding anniversaries during the pandemic. The situation makes it hard to have a formal date or anything, but we'll try to make it memorable. This past year has been rather interesting and complex, but I'm glad we have been together through it all. In a normal year, we'd both be at our separate offices and then together in the evenings and on weekends. This past year, there has been a lot of togetherness, but it has only served to bring us even closer together. While I'd normally converse with colleagues around the coffee and tea area, I now do that with my husband in our kitchen.
Like all the other years of our marriage, my husband has made me laugh every day. This year, it feels even more important, as I've relied on that laughter to get me through this pandemic. He has definitely delivered, and then some! Here are a few things that I am okay sharing with everyone (as it is either PG or some readers will appreciate the humor too).
*For my birthday last summer, he made me a video card. He took scenes from Schitt's Creek and dubbed his voice into them to talk about my birthday. His impressions of the voices could have used some work, but he was spot on with David. Then he added a Cameo of Randy Rainbow that he found online and dubbed in my name and age at the appropriate spots.
*Speaking of Schitt's Creek impressions, he does a great job with Bob's jog walk.
*And speaking of people named Bob, he made up this character named Officer Bob and every time I talk about Degrassi, he talks about Officer Bob being on the show and lecturing the kids about doing drugs and stuff.
*A while ago, I was cooking and asked for some eggs. He brought them up but added a ping pong ball to the ones he was carrying. Then he told me to catch one of the eggs and threw the ping pong ball at me. It was startling at first, but then really funny. Even more so when he did it to our older son.
*He bought hair clippers a while ago so that we could do home haircuts. Since it was around Passover, he came up with a joke about shaving down the middle of someone's head and calling it the "Red Sea."
*He made some really funny pictures using Photoshop this year, but none are appropriate to post.
*Aside from Schitt's Creek, he really does some great celebrity impressions, especially Nathan Lane and the guy who played Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day. He still does the Milton from Office Space impression really well, along with a few Disney characters and Kermit the Frog. And he's working on Billy Crystal.
*He also does some great song parodies. He did a funny one about Iron Man to the tune of the Spider-Man theme song recently. He's the next Weird Al!
Before I go, here are some pictures from our wedding that I haven't shared before.
When my friend Sara told me to watch Workin' Moms, I was skeptical at first, thinking it would be another sitcom like American Mom. I'm so glad I was wrong about that. I was drawn in from the first episode and couldn't get enough! Initially, I had also worried that I wouldn't be able to relate since my kids are not babies anymore. However, one of the moms has a daughter who starts off close in age to my daughter, even though they have completely different personalities.
For those of you not familiar with this series, it's about these women who are in a playgroup together with their babies and they all have a variety of stressors that come with balancing motherhood and their career. Something always has to give, whether it is their romantic relationships, their friendships, their jobs, etc. Toss in some humor and mature content (do NOT watch when kids are anywhere in the vicinity of your TV) and you're all set!
I didn't know when I started watching this series that I'd be going through withdrawal by the end of season four. The show and characters are so relatable and also quirky. The dialogue is snarky and it just works perfectly for this series. Thankfully, season five is already on CBC and should land on Netflix this spring or early summer. I can't wait!
Workin' Moms has some actors from two of my favorite shows: Degrassi: The Next Generation and Schitt's Creek! Side note in regards to Degrassi, one of the main characters is named Frankie Coyne. It always makes me think of Frankie and Declan from Degrassi getting married. There's also a character named Bianca on both shows.
Degrassi actors who were on Workin' Moms: Paula Brancati (Jane) played a mom and news reporter. Jonas Chernick (Wesley's uncle) played one of Kate's clients. Elisa Moolecherry (Sydney) played someone interested in buying a house. Dayo Ade (BLT from Degrassi High) played the love interest of a side character. Two actors from Degrassi Goes Hollywood were on, as well: Paul Amos (Mick) played a client at Gaze and Mary Ashton (Hailey) played Kate's sister. A few other people from Degrassi on Workin' Moms are Jane's mom, who played a rich woman who was interested in Frankie; Mr. Hollingsworth, who played a client of Kate's; Ms. Dawes, who played the principal of a preschool, and the teacher in France, who played someone Kate was helping.
As for Schitt's Creek actors, I only recognized three, but perhaps there were more that I missed. Richard Waugh (Herb Ertlinger) played a love interest for one of the grandmothers, Tennille Read (Golf Club Manager) played Bianca (a character who comes about in season three), and Vanessa Matsui (Lisa Chung, lawyer for The Blouse Barn) played a lawyer on Workin' Moms, as well.
Jann Arden, whose music I really like, played a small role on the series as well. I had no idea it was her until I checked IMDb. Dan Aykroyd had a guest appearance too!
I'm sharing the season one trailer here and will then discuss some spoilers below that. If you haven't watched the series (seasons one through four) yet, stop at the trailer (and start watching the show, if it interests you). If you have, then keep going!
Thoughts on the main characters:
Kate: There is something utterly relatable about Kate Foster. While I can't say I would be as much of a workaholic as she is, even with my kids being much older than hers, I do appreciate what she wants for herself. And when she experienced a huge betrayal, I felt sadder about it than I usually do when someone has that happen to them. I could just feel the hurt emanating from her. Kate is someone I could easily see becoming friends with, as long as she makes time for the friendship. Since Catherine Reitman is the writer of the show, she fits in some humor about an aspect of her appearance. I can appreciate how Kate is self-conscious about it though. I can relate in some ways, as I also don't like how I smile in pictures.
Anne: Anne Carlson is probably my favorite of all the moms on this show. I love how snarky she is and how she tries to balance being a good mom with laying down the law. She's a good friend to Kate, even when she's getting the short end of the stick. I also love how she took down her nemesis.
Side note: Kate and Anne's friendship reminds me of my relationship with my best friend.
Frankie: It took me a while to warm to Frankie, but then I found her to be easily lovable. And those curls! I like that she represents the LBGTQ faction of the show.
Jenny: Jenny can be cute and charming, but then she's also manipulative and self-serving. I never know which one we're going to get and whether I should like her or not. I found out that the actress who plays her was Evie Cho on Orphan Black. It's been ages since I last saw it, but after seeing pictures, I remember her.
Thoughts on the spouses (or ex-spouses):
Nathan: Even after what he did to Kate, he still finds a way to be likable, so much that I was glad they got back together and found a way to make things work. He complements Kate really well. The fact that the actors are married in real life adds to that chemistry.
Lionel: Initially, I found him annoying, but then he grew on me and became a good support for Anne. I definitely prefer him over her first husband.
Ian: Another one who took some time to grow on me. I like how he became part of the moms group in season two. I also like how good-natured he is. I don't like how Jenny treats him.
Gisselle: I really don't like how she was so unsupportive of Frankie during her post-partum depression and then just ended up wanting a divorce. Even after that, she's rude to Frankie most of the time.
Characters I don't like:
Brad: I hate him and his dick face. It was disturbing how he abused his powers and I'm glad he finally got caught for it. I don't think anything was resolved with that situation since his lawyer put Anne in the hot seat.
Mean Nanny: For what she did to Kate, obviously. But I also couldn't stand how much she was judging Anne. Even if she was good with Alice, her job was to be a nanny, not tell Anne how to live her life.
Sean: I knew he was trouble even before Frankie did. What a scumbag!
Steve Malk: I think he was there to satirize a certain former leader of a certain country, but I still couldn't stand him anyway. I think the fact that the same actor was Mr. Hollingsworth on Degrassi aided in that.
Kate's doctor: He just has the worst bedside manner. She needs to switch doctors!
Characters who annoy me:
Juniper: She was okay in season two, but then she had to show up again in season three with that stupid haircut and a somewhat lower IQ. And screwing Frankie over was the tip of the iceberg. I'm glad she was able to help Bianca, but then she should have just moved on.
Val: She's the playgroup leader, but somehow she seems to glom onto the other moms. She had her somewhat helpful moments and I felt bad for her because her sons were such jerks, but she still annoyed me a lot.
Forrest: He was just embarrassing most of the time. I'm glad Nathan convinced him to drop his lawsuit against Kate, even before his father told him to drop it.
Disappearing characters:
Alicia: She was on during the playgroup scenes and then disappeared in season three. I always wished that she would have more time on screen instead of Jenny. She came off as this perfect mom, so it would be fun to see how flawed she is "behind the scenes."
Sonia: I thought she and Ian were going to be in a committed relationship and then she just disappeared starting in season three. What's up with that?!?
There were so many characters between all four seasons that talking about each one would keep me working on this post forever. I also didn't know where to fit some in, such as Mike, the guy who was helping Kate with her PR business and was really hot, but then turned into a bit of a jerk. Or Rosie, the assistant at Gaze, who later became Kate's assistant. She could be helpful but also really annoying, as well. Just not enough to make it to the annoying list.
If you have made it this far, what are your thoughts on Workin' Moms?
