Southport Magazine

A fun stress reliever (after the kids go to bed!)

BY: EMILY KLINEFELTER

The Holiday Season. Is here. WHAT?

Typically, the Movie Mavens would get together and write a Scene review on a Christmas movie because it only makes sense, right? Yeah, but, we decided to take a different approach to the holiday issue. We looked for a movie that would make you laugh when all things are not going as perfect as you planned. There are a lot of stressors that come with the season and we felt we needed a movie to counteract the stress. This is a good movie to put on while you enjoy a mug of, what some may believe to be hot coco but is really, straight tequila and help you laugh through the tears of stress.

We decided to warm up some special cider and put on Bad Moms!

Amy (Mila Kunis) is a great mom of two wonderful kids, a loving wife to a mortgage broker, successful business woman who lives in a beautiful home in the suburbs of Chicago. She’s gorgeous, drives a new 2016 Chrysler Pacifica, her life is perfect or so it may appear to be.

Amy finds herself on the verge of a mental break down. She learns her husband is a jerk, her kids are over stressed and spoiled, her boss doesn’t seem to understand all that she does, and to top it off the PTA President Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate) is bound and determined to make a mothers job a 1,000 times harder than it already is. Being a Mom is already a tough job, being a Mom this day in age without some kind of criticism or judgement is downright impossible, but Moms try, we try so hard to be perfect.

(Side note: I have 2 boys a 3 and 5 year old, and I don’t try to appear perfect, it’s too hard. I am a bad mom with an amazing husband and proud, ha! My co-writer however is a mom of 2 kids a son and a daughter and she is a perfect mom, but I try to ignore that aspect of her because well, it’s gross. We can’t all be perfect Jen!)

Amy has had enough of the show of being a perfect Mom. She’s exhausted! Gwendolyn and the school bake sale are the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Amy lets loose and finds companionship in two other moms, Carla (Kathryn Hahn) a single mom on the prowl and Kiki (Kristen Bell) a stay at home mom controlled by her kids and husband. The three friends join together and support each other through the stress that comes with being a mom and also a unified goal to take down the Queen Bee Gwendolyn who is vindictive and on a power trip.

We laughed so hard during this movie. It was jam packed with well-known actors/actresses like: Wanda Sykes, Jada Picket Smith and Clark Duke. It was a little vulgar however, so pre-warning on that. This movie was produced by the same men that did The Hangover. So, have that in mind when you watch it. Fun facts about the movie Mila Kunis was pregnant with her second child during and she looks disgustingly gorgeous and you could never tell and the six main actresses are all real-life mothers.

We think this movie plays as a good reminder that we are not perfect, and trying to appear to be perfect can be hindering to our children and to our mental health. With this holiday season coming up we would like to take a moment to remind you. You are perfect within your imperfections. Don’t stress out about Holiday pictures or dinners or if your kids are appearing to have perfect listening skills. Remember to make memories and have fun, let loose and drive the vintage Dodge Challenger. Expectations are the devil, just let it be and smile. You are a wonderful, beautiful, bad mom.

But, if you do find yourself getting a little too stressed out – here is the recipe to our special cider!

The Scene Gals Special Hot Cranberry-Apple Cider:

INGREDIENTS

1 liter apple juice, pure unsweetened

2 cups orange juice, pure unsweetened

1 liter cranberry juice, unsweetened

½ cup sugar, stevia, honey or other sweetener (to taste)

3 cinnamon sticks, whole

⅛ Teaspoon ground cloves

Fireball whiskey

Apple whiskey

INSTRUCTIONS

Add all ingredients to a 4 quart or larger slow cooker. Stir.

Cook at least 3-4 hours on low or until hot. Keep warm as long as needed on the low or warm setting.

*The leftovers refrigerate wonderfully and reheat just fine!

Serves: about 10 cups