Tag Archives: Netflix

What “Maid” teaches us about lifting up our fellow moms

I finished watching “Maid,” the Netflix limited-series, last night, and I still find myself sobbing at random moments, while recalling the powerful, gut-wrenching scenes of the show.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

“Maid” touched on domestic violence, alcoholism, toxic masculinity and other heavy issues, which, hopefully, sparked a conversation on breaking the cycle of abuse and doing better by DV survivors, while also acknowledging that many abusers are survivors of abuse themselves.

At the same time the series was shining a light on abuse, “Maid” was reflecting the stark difference in reality for those with financial means, and those without. This point was illustrated by the incredible story arc involving the relationship between main character Alex (Margaret Qualley) and Regina (Anika Noni Rose).

The viewer is introduced to Regina, when Alex shows up to clean her massive home. We quickly learn Regina is a power player, and, so it seems, has little to worry her. Meanwhile, at this point, we have already seen Alex escape her trailer home, sleep on a Ferry Station floor, and, thanks to visual reminders on screen, try to get by with little money.

From this vantage point, Regina seems entitled and self-absorbed, and our sympathies (at least mine) were with Alex, when her DV shelter friend, Danielle, “dognaps” Regina’s dog as payback for Regina refusing to pay Alex what was owed to her.

In a stand-off between Alex and Regina, we see Alex lay into Regina for freaking out over her dog missing for a few hours, when she herself had her daughter taken from her.

Perhaps motivated by Alex’s speech, Regina does pay Alex for her work, and continues to engage her cleaning services.

In what is a pivotal shift in her story, we first see Regina hastily packing up homemade pies for Thanksgiving, while her husband urges her to hurry up, all the while questioning the need for seven pies, which, apparently are for decoration only.

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If moms were on “The Circle”

A little late to the party, I know, but I’m finally watching “The Circle” on Netflix, and I am hooked.

For the unfamiliar, “The Circle” is reality competition, which pits together a bunch of millenials in an attempt to see who’s the savviest social-media master. Contestants live in a giant apartment complex with no access to the other players, save for communication via a portal known as the “circle.” Each contestant can play as any persona they wish, whether themselves or someone completely fictional, and share photos and videos, as well as text chat.

With the players mostly being young and single, you can imagine many of the chats go in a flirtatious or even sexual direction, and of course there’s lots of scheming and backstabbing.

As I was watching the show, I wondered how I would fare in such a competition. I am a married mom of two, so I probably wouldn’t get far playing the “sexy” card.

This got me thinking: what would “The Circle” be like if it was all moms in the competition?

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Now, let’s be honest, if you’re a mom, you are probably living some version of “The Circle” right now. How many of us spend way too much time in various parenting groups, trying not to punch our screens when we read stupid comments? Or is it just me?

If they ever made a mom version of “The Circle,” they’d have people lining up to be on this show. A bunch of days alone in your own apartment, and nobody allowed to bother you?

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5 more parenting-inspired shows: Netflix edition 

I have few loves in life, my husband, my kids, and, of course, my Netflix. Give me a night with Francis Underwood or the ladies of Litchfield any day. And, while those shows are fantastic, they don’t always reflect the everyday mundane reality of parenthood. Just like I offered some parenting-inspired tweaks to some popular network programs, I thought Netflix could use some of its own.

1. Orange Is The New Food My Kid Won’t Eat 

ORANGE

Will it be oranges or will it be mashed potatoes? Tune in to each episode of this riveting drama to find out which food your child now hates.

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The truth about working from home with kids

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When I was pregnant with my first child, I decided I would keep working. My job as a writer/editor enabled me to work from home, and, while it didn’t pay a lot, it did provide decent insurance coverage for my family. My husband, then an independent contractor, also worked from home. Our ability to work where we wanted and flexible schedules, in theory, gave us the perfect scenario for keeping our jobs while raising our children.

Before my baby was born, I arranged, what I thought at the time, was a pretty sweet setup. I would work from home four days a week and come in to the office for one. I could be at home with my child and still work. On those days I had to be in the office, my husband could take care of the baby. What kick-ass parents we would be. Killing it in the workforce and as parents.

Then our son was born.

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