# Live a little#
# Live it up#
# Let's get the party started Never stop #
# You know that there can never be Too much good times#
# So we got just little little lit up#
- # Yeah, yeah# - # Yeah, so put on your sexy dress #
# Get on the floor and dance#
# Ooh, yeah!#
# You know that there can never be Too much #
# So we got just little little lit up#
- # Better # - # All things just keep getting better#
# Baby, you tell me you can take 'em on#
# But you're back and knocking At my door#
Guys, we are here in good old Philadelphia.
-Gorgeous! -Yay!
For Miss Jennifer Sweeney.
Tell us more.
"She's 48. She's from Glenolden, Pennsylvania,
and she's been married to John for 24 years."
Aww.
"She has three daughters.
Dana, 23, Rachel, 21 and Ashley, 18."
- Cute. - I love a trio of sisters.
Very much Haim vibes.
-Very much Dixie Chicks-- -Very much Charmed.
We're nominating our mom
because she's one of the most selfless people we know.
She doesn't take enough time to focus on herself.
She only worries about us.
Mom, do you need any help?
-No, I'm good. Thank you. -Mom!
I'm ignoring you!
The things that she will put aside in order to do for others
is what makes her a great mother.
I've always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom.
Mom!
Yes.
I wanted the Donna Reed scenario, June Cleaver.
I did all the mom stuff.
I did homeroom mom, lunch mom.
I coached their cheerleading team.
I was super mom, so I got what I wanted.
-Love you. -Love you.
I had what I considered my perfect life.
I had a perfect family, but...
Nothing is perfect.
Ready.
Good job.
In December of 2010, I was diagnosed with ALS.
My total world was shocked.
It's a neurological disease that affects your muscles.
The normal life span of someone with ALS
is two to six years.
John, he's had it for eight years.
Sorry.
Everybody takes the vows.
In sickness, in health.
Um...
She's had to live them, so...
it's hard putting her through that.
Wow.
What a terrifying thing though, to be told you've only got two years. It's amazing.
Sounds like a very strong family all around.
- Yeah. - True.
"When John was diagnosed and needed to stop working,
Jennifer jumped into the workforce, and at the same time,
she continued to run the house,
be the number one support system for her daughters
and act as John's primary caregiver.
Her family sees she's running on empty."
She's a formidable woman.
It's just a constant running from the time she gets up in the morning.
She's exhausted.
She doesn't put herself first.
We just want her to take the time to treat herself
instead of focusing on everyone else.
"So at the end of the week, Jennifer believes
she's throwing her daughter Ashley a college sendoff party."
Aww.
"But in fact...
-Twist! -...the family wants
the Fab Five to secretly help them make the party all about Jennifer."
So, guys, our mission this week is to show this mama that she is the most.
Yeah!
I'm calling Ashley.
Hi!
Oh, my God, are you guys ready for us?
-Yes! -Definitely.
-We're almost there, meet us outside. -Okay.
I think this is it.
Aww, they have the only tree on the block, y'all.
Cute!
Hello!
Come on, Tanny.
Mom! Come outside!
Hi!
- Did we surprise you? - Yes.
Nice to meet you.
- You seem overwhelmed. - It's like shocked as...
- Can we take this inside? - Lead the way, queen.
Nice!
Very chill, serene vibe here. I'm very into it.
Did you know we were coming because it's way too clean in here.
This is...
This is not clean?
- No. - 'Cause this is clean.
Jennifer's home is one of the cleanest homes we've ever been in.
But it doesn't really match her personality.
She's happy, and she's really outgoing,
and then her design is very cold.
This is the dining room.
Gorgeous.
I love that you have these directions for your family in case you should forget.
I'm laughing, I'm learning, I'm loving, I'm lasting.
What does "love and lasts" mean?
-Love and lasts! -Love and have a lasting love.
-Going and going and-- no? -No.
Ha!
I have no idea what the hell's going on.
By the end of this week, I'm gonna be really wanting to do your accent.
Are you offended by it or no?
Good luck 'cause no one understands my accent.
No one understands his either, so you're not alone.
Something in common already.
You know what's crazy? When you think about a Philadelphia accent, honey,
she's a first cousin of a British accent.
This Northeastern accent and even a Southern American accent,
they all used to be British accents,
and I just think that's fascinating.
-We're gonna search the house. -Okay.
- What do you have cooking? - A Crockpot! Meatballs!
Oh, nutty buddy bars!
- Hello. - Where are the utensils?
We usually ask if we can eat their food.
I am horrible with decor.
Like, everything will just revolve around a holiday.
-So, what holiday decor is up right now? -Graduation.
Ha! Ha! I love it.
Do you guys help partake in the cooking at all? Or is that--
We try to.
If my dad's cooking,
I'll come home from work and help him get everything set up.
My dad will take the help. My mom will not.
Why? Why is she like that?
-She needs control of everything. -She's the mom.
- She only thinks of herself as a mom. - Hmm.
- So that's all she sees. - That's interesting.
Taking care of everyone else is a distraction.
She doesn't have to work on herself because she's focusing on you.
I kind of feel like we came at the best time.
Yes.
Oh, my...
Nothing screams sexy like poop.
What's happening in here?
I guess I'm stuck in the 80s.
There's gotta be wood under here.
Beautiful wood!
If it was up to me, this would be carpet.
-This would be wallpaper. -Oh, God.
And that would be popcorn ceiling...
with glitter.
Oh.
I am speechless.
Graduation photos.
Whoops.
Don't know how to put that back up. Okay, we'll just take 'em all down.
I see crosses.
-Are you guys Catholic? -Yes.
I'm Polish. He's Irish.
- You're Polish? Stop! Stop! - Yes.
I have my babci
-and I want you to-- -Stop!
If you were to teach me anything, can you teach me to make potato pancakes?
Oh, I just got goosebumps!
My ancestors are gonna be so happy this week.
-Kielbasy and sauerkraut. -Potato pancakes. Oh, love.
- That's so good. - I love that.
- Can we investigate your bathroom? - Yes.
-I don't want to cut you off. -I'm gonna creep around in your kitchen.
We're gonna keep on talking all things Polish in a little bit.
We are not done yet.
Four in the morning, you stumble out of bed, and then what happens?
Then I get my shower.
Then it takes me about five minutes to do my makeup.
- Uh-huh. - And I pull my hair back.
Do you pull your hair back when it's wet?
-You will find out when you take the-- -Yeah, it's a little wet here.
When we put our hair back wet,
it puts too much torque on the hair so I would prefer
you let it be down on the way to work and throw it up when you got there.
Can I tell you that I love your hair color so much?
-It really is so beautiful. -Thank you.
I love that you raised three incredible daughters.
You have an incredible husband. You're his primary caretaker.
-So I get you're a busy person, -Yes.
but you can use your self-care time to give back to yourself.
Right.
Okay.
Jennifer's closet is full of color, it's full of print.
Gosh, I mean, I love a print, but my gosh.
And there's also bling.
Nope, we are not a Jersey girl, and we are not 17.
I don't think you need to put every one of your personalities into your look.
Tanny! Tanny! Tanny! Tanny!
Karamo. Oh, look how short they are.
- Would you ever wear something this short? - Yes, I'm a ho.
- I know. - Okay.
Oh, my, Mr. Brown. Oh, my, Mr. Brown!
I love that you've already put your imaginary heels on.
-Can you give us a full on walk please? -Of course I can.
You know I love a catwalk.
Watch.
Yes, work, work, work.
-Yes, queen. Yes, Bey-- yes, Beyoncé! -Pause.
Yes!
Oh, my God. Got fringe, honey.
Yeah. I like big 80s hair.
- Wow, Mommy. - If we could just perm it.
Absolutely not.
Listen to this. Girls!
Yeah.
Perm.
What about it? It's terrible.
Yeah. It's a no.
All right, this is the room I hate the most.
The room you hate the most.
I don't like cooking.
So it's no surprise that this is your best friend.
Yes.
Name me things that you make,
other than this lovely rosé meatball sauce.
Chicken with Italian dressing. Um...
You know what?
You're not as excited talking about this as you are talking about your babcias,
your Polish grandmother's food.
'Cause it was so good!
I don't know how to cook that.
You know what? It's progress, not perfection.
I just do not have the time.
I know you're busy, and your daughters are saying how much you do.
Relinquish a little bit of all this control that you have.
'Cause the center of every home, especially a Polish home,
is the kitchen.
That's where the love happens, that's where we come together.
-Yes, and I like that. -Am I right?
We're gonna make them some really beautiful Polish food this week.
I love how you dance with food.
Talk to me about the sexy in your life.
Every woman wants to be sexy.
Well, then, what's this?
Do you mean to tell me
if I don't walk around going, "Check me out," that's not sexy?
Burn 'em.
Let me tell you my concern about a lot of this.
Almost all your clothes are massive.
Yeah.
A lot of my clothes are hand-me-downs.
What's this?
I got that from my sister-in-law.
Do you wear it?
Yes, with a pair of white shorts maybe.
If you see a pair of sparkles, I want you see them and run.
-There's a lot of sparkle in my closet. -Yeah, I know.
Jennifer has so much charisma to her,
and I know that she wants to express it.
I don't think she needs loud clothing to do that.
Rachel just had a birthday, and she got this really cute shirt,
I think editing is key.
Do you shop ever, for yourself?
No.
It's a big joke.
Rachel just had a birthday and she got this really cute shirt,
and I'm like, "Ooh, can I have it?"
They're like, "No!"
-Yeah. -So...
You have neglected yourself massively.
Are you open to changing?
Oh, yeah.
Are you excited to have some attention put on you for once?
Yeah. Yes.
Is this the man cave?
As much of a man cave I can make it...
-I actually like this! -with a wife and three daughters.
-Want to sit with me, Bobby? -Sure.
Scoot over daddy.
So design-wise, is there anything that I can do to help you?
I mean, part of the reason why we have the basement set up the way it is
is because everything can stay on one floor.
I don't want to give up
any freedoms I don't have to.
- Yeah. - Like, going up the stairs and everything.
Because I know once I stop doing it, I'm never gonna get that back again.
I don't want that to happen.
We want it to be about her.
I feel guilty that they're having to go through this.
I think it's harder on the family
to know that there's nothing they can do to help.
And I think that's the biggest thing for her.
They see the deterioration, as slow as it is.
And that makes it hard.
Her way of dealing with it is...
trying to take as much control over it as she can.
And he's afraid of what's gonna happen in the future.
I mean, she's a caregiver, which of course, I get it.
You want to provide for the family, but at the same rate,
- you still want that zest for life. - Right.
She needs to let go a little
and be less frightened and all that kind of stuff.
John wants his wife to be happy.
To know that she's gonna be okay no matter what their family looks like.
No matter if he's there or not.
From what I've been hearing, it sounds like you go to work,
and then you come home
and then you wash clothes and then sleep and repeat.
-Mm-hmm. -What do you do to let go?
To let go?
Usually like, um...
How do I let go?
I do things!
-Like what? -Like work, clean.
I literally heard no time for you.
What would you think would happen if you stepped away?
They would know they can survive without me.
And why is that scary?
I don't know, I want to be needed.
It is a nice feeling to be needed.
-Do you ever ask for help? -It's my job.
-Why is that your job? -'Cause it's a mom job.
Like I don't want them to worry about this stuff.
-I'm loving this. I'm loving it. -All right.
- Hug, hug, hug. - Oh.
- Cute! - Yeah, it's falling apart.
We spend a lot of time out here.
It's definitely my little oasis.
-Why is it your favorite place? -I don't, it just...
It's outside. I can have a drink.
And it's just easier for John to get around.
I thought at this stage in our lives
we'd be going out to bars.
But instead, we hang out here.
It's like, we're not out, but we're out.
-And everyone can come to you. -Yes.
Boys!
-Hey! -Hi!
How are you feeling? You excited for the week?
- Yes, I am very excited for the week. - Good.
-You want a group huggy? -Yeah.
Group hug. You get in the middle!
We're gonna surround you with love.
There it is, go down.
# I've been losing sleep I can't get me no rest#
I really think Jennifer is so brave
watching the love of her life go through this.
I wanna show her that she can embrace being a strong rock for her family,
but she can also give back to herself
in ways that aren't too time consuming and aren't unattainable.
I really want Jen to be excited about spending a little time with herself.
She doesn't do that. Sometimes it's about looking back,
connecting her to her roots, to who she is.
# Baby...#
Jennifer up until this point hasn't known how to dress.
She's taken people's hand-me-downs.
I want her to see her wardrobe
as a thing that's gonna make her feel the way she truly wants to feel.
I want to focus on her living room and her patio.
Because her husband, his mobility isn't where it used to be.
They're having to stay home more,
so I want to make sure they're as comfortable as possible.
She really is feeling scared of losing control.
She is trying to hold on so tight.
I want to get Jennifer to a place where she can focus
on her heart, her mind, her emotions.
So that she doesn't have to keep herself in chaos.
# Oh, ain't it a shame? #
# We've got to work all night and day #
# Get ahead of the game #
# Whoa, yeah Ain't that the truth#
- Are you nervous at all? - Um, no.
-That's a lie. -Mm-hmm.
You've got nothing to worry about.
You're not excited about it because you don't like to try things on, right?
I'm not big on it.
Tell me why.
What if I pick out the wrong size? And then that's depressing.
Why is it depressing?
Well, if you think you're a size ten and you're a size 22...
- Do you know your size? - ...that is horrible.
I'm wishy-washy on it.
How often are you actually going shopping for yourself?
Last time was probably three years ago.
-Three years ago? -Mm-hmm.
Okay, sorry that just caught me. Okay.
What did you end up with?
What did I end up with?
-A pair of khaki pants, -Okay.
a pair of plain black pants.
You say "pants" really peculiarly.
I wanna play a little game. You do me, I do you.
Okay.
I'm like, so parched I need water.
I'm so parched, I need water.
Is that not good?
Very good.
Okay, you go with me.
I'm so parched, I need water.
You wanna try it in my accent?
That was your accent.
I know, it was basically your accent.
Well, you can't do that.
No, I told you.
Ever since John was diagnosed,
Jen has felt overwhelmed, and she's not made herself a priority.
-No more sparkles? -No more sparkles.
Here's my worry right now.
You would wear this, but you would add other bling to it.
You need to tone down the...
I want to show Jen that making an effort in her clothing
can actually make her feel so much better about herself.
-Do you ever wear blazers or jackets? -No.
Could we find a way to at least try it?
Yeah. I just want to look sharp.
I say I wanna look pretty.
Do you think you're pretty?
- No. - Why don't you feel pretty?
'Cause I don't take care of myself anymore.
I want...
the Jen from ten years ago, that did take care of herself.
-Mm-hmm. -Like, now I just feel frumpy.
I'm frumpy.
Okay.
Quite honestly, you're wardrobe isn't where it needs to be
because you get pieces from other people, they're not yours.
-They don't speak to you. -Right.
-So the frumpy that you see -Mm-hmm.
is because that's not who you are.
I wanna make sure by the end of this,
you don't ever use that word to describe what you're wearing.
Okay.
So I've already pulled for you.
-Are you ready to try? -Oh, yeah.
Jennifer has hit a point in her life
where she's given up on sexy.
I think she thinks that a woman of her responsibility
doesn't have room for sexy.
She can look ten-years-ago Jennifer.
I mean, Ms. Sweeney.
You look frickin' fantastic. Oh, my God.
Wow. Okay, come look at this.
Zhuzh your hair real quick.
Gorge.
Lady,
if you go back to the you've been wearing,
literally that poopy pants you were wearing.
'Cause you look so damn good.
I like this.
Good. You love color.
-You love print. -Mm-hmm.
You've got it in a much more refined and sophisticated way.
And then those shoes. I call them a transition shoe.
You can wear them daytime, nighttime. No issue.
I see me.
Good.
Oh, va-va-voom! Miss Sweeney.
-You look so sexy. -I like this. I like this a lot.
It's highlighting everything you wanna highlight.
It's giving you shape. Did we do it?
-Did we nail it? -Yes. We nailed it.
Give me a hug, forget the hands.
I've never done so much hugging and touching in my life.
We're huggers. We're huggers.
# Oh, it's a dream come true#
# It's a dream come true, oh!#
# It's a dream come true, whoa, whoa... #
- We're in Port Richmond. - Yes, we are.
-What is Port Richmond? -My home.
-Is this where you were raised? -Like four blocks down.
Wow.
Oh, my God. That smell.
It's smoky.
-Yes. -It's pork.
Mm-hmm.
Oh, wow.
-Babka. -Babka.
Kabanos. Do you know what kabanos is? It's like a drier kielbasa.
Welcome to Czerw's, how we doing?
-Hey, John. -Hey, how you doing?
So this is my dear friend Jennifer,
and we came here to just check out the shop
and learn how to make a few things.
-Yeah. -Gotta keep the traditions going, right?
That's why we're here!
We'll teach ya. We'll break her in.
I'm so excited!
Let's go.
Guys, you need some aprons, you're gonna get a little messy maybe.
You're gonna be making some kielbasy.
- I'm making my own kielbasy! - Yes!
Sorry.
Jen tells me that she doesn't like cooking.
So I'm gonna take this with very baby steps.
We're gonna put the meat in the casing.
Learn how kielbasa is made.
Learn how it's smoked.
Learn about where the food that she loves comes from.
What's this called?
Smoked kielbasas in there.
All pork, with our family's 83-year-old recipe.
With natural hog casing, which gives it that nice snap.
Oh, yeah, baby.
Come on around, Jen. Your turn.
Hold it tight.
There you go. Let it out.
- Sorry. - Ah!
A little too much pressure, yeah.
Just hold your fingers in it like this.
It's gonna come through to the casing.
Just let it flow out.
You have to be gentle with it.
I'm trying!
I'll twist it for you.
You're doing great, Jen.
- Sorry. - Gentle with the meat.
Innuendo!
- Nice job! - Switch.
All right. Got this.
Let's see how gentle you are with the meat.
Stuff it tight, there you go. Nice technique.
It's like I've done this before.
Turn, turn, you gotta help him.
We're making our ancestors so proud right now.
Great job. There.
Holy...
This is really good, isn't it?
-It's perfection. -Mmm.
I do have a vision of you making pierogis with your daughters.
Like, you have a close-knit family.
You're an incredible mother.
My mom was very stand-offish. It was always hard.
I wanna be the opposite.
You're doing your best to make sure that
your daughters don't have to experience what you went through.
Yeah, like, that was my job.
But I do want the girls to leave,
even though part of me doesn't.
You need to be needed.
They have to come back and need me for little things.
-Yeah. -Like laundry.
I'm the exact same way. I do it in my relationships as well.
I make sure the person needs me, so that they can never leave me.
I don't want John to leave me.
I just don't want this to be a fairy tale and wake up,
and they'll all be gone.
Jen is trying to deal with a terrible hand
that her and her family have been dealt.
But she cannot forget who she is in all of this, either.
I have such a tremendous amount of respect
for the way you show up for your husband and your daughters.
I just don't want you to think that
you have to sacrifice who you are.
-Mm-hmm. -Know that you're deserving
-of having that little Jen moment. -Right.
-That's important. -If there was
just a little bit more time in the day, that'd be perfect.
-Isn't that a bit of an excuse, though? -Ha ha!
The whole "I don't have enough time" is a load of crap.
Crap, yeah because--
You would just find something else to clean up
-or something else to do for... yeah. -Yes, exactly.
You have daughters who think the world of you,
-who are able to help. -Right.
And if the laundry sits for a day, the laundry has to sit for a day.
It'll sit for a day. They can get over it.
You're doing the most.
-I love being Polish. -I do too.
# What have you got to lose?#
So how's today been so far?
- Today has been awesome. - Good.
This is absolutely gorgeous.
Right? Come on, there are birds chirping out here.
Are we hiking? Because I'm gonna be--
Does this body look like it exercises? No.
Actually, it does. Sister, you got a good body, okay?
But listen, I'm more of a sit down, get a beer, enjoy...
-a house white. -So whose great idea was this?
I want to take you out to nature to slow down,
-walk... -Okay.
-...find moments for yourself. -Right.
Do you get to do this at all?
I don't do this.
'Cause I don't make time for it, first of all.
The other thing is, like,
I don't like getting stuck in my head.
I don't like silence. I don't like being alone.
Well, that makes sense. That's why you keep yourself in chaos.
It's your way of really avoiding
the emotions,
everything that's going on in your life.
To, like, not focus on the inevitable.
- I don't want to lose him. - Yeah.
And I don't have a choice.
And to me, it's like the longest, drawn-out breakup.
Because like nothing I can do to save him.
That's why you're trying to control everything else.
Her husband has ALS.
He is deteriorating in front of their eyes.
So she's keeping herself mixed in this chaos
so she doesn't have to deal with her emotions
and the fact that she can't control this.
You gotta be able to take the moment to stop and say,
"I'm releasing myself from all this chaos,
so that way I can hear how you feel."
Talk to John more about how he's feeling. You talk about how you're feeling.
I know it's hard for you to be sitting in limbo, of like...
"Tomorrow does he get worse?"
-It's hard. -Right.
I know it's not the life that you thought was gonna happen,
-but he's still here today. -Right.
I just want ten years ago back.
I want to do things me and John used to do.
But he can't do them anymore.
I don't want it to--
I don't want it in the past.
-Yeah. -I want my future.
I know she feels utterly helpless.
And it's stopping her from enjoying the present.
Though this is not the life she expected, she needs to enjoy the moments
with her daughters and her husband while he's still here.
I love a metaphor. I don't know if you know that about me.
Okay.
This is a path.
You can look back on the path and say, "I walked that and it was fun."
It was.
-Wasn't it? -Yes.
"I might not know what's going to be happening up there.
But I do know that, that was excellent."
Can you say that?
That's beautiful.
That's scary as hell.
-But I can do it. -You can do it.
I can do it.
You can definitely do it.
If you had to do a metaphor, could've done it with beer.
# Well, you say you're looking To the future...#
I got some more plants.
I clearly can't fix everything for the Sweeneys.
But from the comfortable living room,
to decking out their patio that they love to spend so much time on,
it's all about Jennifer and John being together.
# Hey, hey, whoa-oh!#
# Ahhh!#
This is our oasis, Jennifer.
This is out of my league.
But you're meant to be in a pretty gorgeous salon.
Okay.
I love your natural hair color, first of all.
I like the white in here.
I love the white there.
But then everyone's always like,
"You should go lighter. You should go lighter."
What would you say if someone said to your daughters,
"You really should change your appearance"?
To them I'd say, "Mind your own business before I punch you in the face."
Yes. This guy who I learned to do color from used to say,
"Just 'cause you're Ameri-can doesn't mean you Ameri-should."
Growing your gray out is so brave,
but it's also really beautiful.
No, I don't need to embrace your ideals of beauty.
I don't need to change who I am.
I want more silver-haired divas in the world.
This is stunning.
But I do want to do a really fierce little haircut.
I want to do a little shine treatment to give this hair some shine.
-Right. -And have you ever had
-a lash extension or heard of them? -No.
-It's like 45 minutes of quiet time. -Okay.
It's not like getting your highlights and a haircut
-Right. -and having a whole day at the salon.
You get to close your eyes and just relax.
-Okay! -Yeah.
Let's go for it.
This queen's always running, always working, always doing.
Yes, it's her time to relax.
You're so pretty.
Jennifer's been in this state of giving and giving and giving.
So this is such a good time for Jennifer to slow down
and learn how to get into some self-care
and know that that will actually better prepare her
to be the caretaker that she is.
I am taking all of this in.
- It's so hard for you to relax. - Yes.
Well, you're learning to do something that's uncomfortable for you.
But this is a good time in your life to have this lesson.
You're still gonna have some kids in the nest,
but you still can start a transition of making more time for yourself
-even though they're still there. -They're still there.
They're adults now.
-But we can-- -I gotta accept that. Yeah.
They do look up to you, and they are looking to you,
and you still do have the ability to maternally influence.
Right.
-I do need to slow down. -Yeah.
You're giving me Stacy London realness.
Yes, queen!
I need to do this more often.
You do, queen.
We're gonna let these rollers sit,
-then I'm gonna finish styling your hair -Okay.
-after we get your lashes done. -Okay.
You're gonna get such an impact.
Linerless existence while we have our lashes.
- I'm excited about the lashes. - Your lashes are gonna be really pretty.
Yes, living.
Jennifer takes to self care like a swan in water.
Yes.
She is living for this.
She is thriving.
She is serving me Jasmine and Aladdin a whole new world.
Are you ready to see the new gorgeous Jennifer?
Three, two..
one and voilà.
Wow.
Ha.
I love it.
-You can get all up in it and look. -Yeah.
-It's big. I mean, it is big. -I love big.
I wanted you to see that it can be glamorous, queen.
My God. Yes.
-Do you love it? -Yes.
I love you.
# Maybe there's a way we can survive #
# The future's on the line So let's go back in time#
They're here, guys!
Are you excited for your house?
I am freaking geeking.
-Hey, kids -Hi.
Careful... and then one more.
Just listen to the sound of my voice.
Oh, my gosh, I can already tell your makeup and hair are flawless.
- Keep your eyes closed. - Are you ready to see this?
Three... two... one.
Oh, wow!
It's your little deck.
Isn't it beautiful?
I can't...
-Yeah, you can. -Yes, you can!
Oh, my God, this is incredible.
- Like a new light fixture? - A light fixture,
planters under the window, grill.
You guys can cook out here now, too.
- Gorgeous. - You kept talking about
how this space is your little piece of paradise
- and how this was where-- -This is like an oasis now.
Yes.
-I'm gonna sit right here having my beer. -There you go!
Oh, my God, this is awesome!
- Wait till you see inside! - Come on, let's see more.
Oh, my God, this is gorgeous. This is carpet.
Because you seemed like you really loved carpet.
You wanted popcorn ceilings, and I refused.
Okay, that I can understand.
I wanted to have a beachy vibe to it.
- Like a breath of fresh air. - Oh, I love that.
Oh, my God.
A bar!
- It's a bar! It's a bar! - Of course, girl!
-I see you. I've met you. I know you. -Bobby's a man after your own heart.
- I wanted to bring the bar to you. - Oh!
Oh, my God. I am not an alcoholic, I swear.
So in here we've got new chairs, new mirror, new lights.
I love, love, love the play on, like, the darkness of the table
-with the lightness of the chairs. -Wow.
In here, some new bedding, some new pillows.
- Just zhuzhed it a little. - Okay.
Oh, my God!
Side note, your hair looks incredible.
You kept the streak. I didn't know-- I love that you didn't get rid of it.
And as you can see, we did the tiniest little zhuzh on her lashes.
- Yes! - They pop your eyes.
-They really do. -Oh, I'm so excited.
The bar and the lashes, that did it for her.
Jen,
- after we leave, there's a big situation. - Yeah.
-So for food, I have fresh pierogis. -Okay.
-Czerw's is gonna cater the situation. -Ooh!
And next thing.
-I thought we'd make potato latkes. -Yes.
- So on a simple box grater... - Okay.
...you'll just grate potatoes and grate an onion.
This is apparently how every Polish grandma makes them.
So we're gonna line a bowl like this.
-With a kitchen towel. -Okay.
And I'm gonna ask you to keep on squeezing
and get rid of as much moisture as you possibly can.
Oh, you're such a Polish mom right now, and I mean that in the best way possible.
And now some flour.
Along with the egg.
It's gonna help to be like a binder.
And I'm gonna sprinkle in just a little bit of baking soda.
- Beautiful. You are honoring your babcia. - Right. My babci.
The oil now is really heated up. The pan's been going for a while.
This puppy is ready.
You wanna salt it right after it comes out.
-Cheers. -Cheers.
They're perfect.
-Does it taste like grandma? -Yes.
My girls are going to be so excited.
Oh, my gosh.
As you can see, I got you a lot of color, I got you a lot of print.
There's no filler pieces, it's just lovely clothes.
-I wanna try this stuff on! -Good!
All right, Fives, you know the deal. You ready?
Yeah!
Jennifer Sweeney, won't you join us please, my love?
-Gorgeous! -Love that jacket!
-Into it! -Lisa Vanderpump, eat your heart out.
They're stretch jeans so she can bend.
You were dropping it like it was hot the other day. Yeah.
Get it, mama!
- Yes. Yes. - Gorgeous.
- I feel pretty. - Aww.
# Love the color Gorgeous on you #
- Tan, she looks amazing. - Gorgeous.
I wanted to give you a bold color, a bold earring.
There's ways of doing it which is still refined.
- But I think even it's calming. - Yes. I'll take that.
Tell us, what have you learned this week, my love?
-I've learned to take time for myself. -Mm-hmm.
Not worry about tomorrow.
Yeah.
Ask the girls for help.
And how to relax.
But also that relaxing is not all or nothing.
Right. It's the little things.
-Yes. -Yes! Amen.
Thank you for letting us into your home and family.
We love you.
Thank you, I love you guys more.
Give the girls and John big hugs for us.
Bye, sweetheart.
- Thank you! - Enjoy.
Head up, head up!
- Bye. - Bye, guys.
Bye, darling!
# Hey, pretty baby#
# I'm coming in With my hands held high #
We have platski, or latkes in honor of Jennifer Sweeney.
Aww, I love that.
Is it traditional to have it with sour cream?
Yes.
- Ooh, he's aggressive. - Oh, yeah.
I'm good with this little bit here. Thank you.
Just so rude.
Shall we see what Jennifer got up to?
Walter.
-You're already here! Beautiful. -Walter!
- All right. - Everyone ready, boys?
-Wait, I'm sorry but she looks amazing. -So good.
She does.
Oh, my God!
- Look at you! - You look amazing.
- I feel amazing. - Yeah?
Her daughters are blown away.
- You look so good. - You look awesome.
- Ooh, yes. - A nice long kiss.
John can't take his eyes off her.
Come on!
Whoa. This is not our house.
- Oh, my God. - Oh, my God.
Oh! This is not real life!
It's real life, girls.
What is that? Oh, yes!
I didn't even see that.
Oh!
That family loves a bar.
I was always very proud of the closet.
Saucy! Oh, my God, I love it.
And all this is my size.
Oh!
- This is mine. - All these years
I have to share my clothes with you.
Now that you've got a new wardrobe, and suddenly, sharing is no longer caring.
She actually looks pissed.
If I had mute on this, I would think I was watching Jerry Springer, honey.
-She was like-- -Unh-unh-unh-unh.
For dinner tonight,
we are having a typical Polish meal.
I'm gonna make some potato pancakes.
I love the accent. She just said "potato pancakes."
We have pierogis,
-and you guys grill the kielbasy for me. -Okay.
She's a delegation station, and she's the captain, honey.
It's amazing.
We gotta flip it.
They look good.
- We're doing pretty good. - Yes! Ignite that passion.
Mmm.
Are you gonna do that every time you walk by there now?
I cannot stop looking in the mirror.
- You look great. - Thank you.
-I missed you. -I missed you.
It was a long, crazy week.
- The way she looks at him. - Yeah.
-She loves him. -Yes, you can see that.
We don't often say it, but we're all very thankful for everything you do.
Awww.
It must be so nice for him to see the person giving him care be cared for.
I'm grateful that you guys see what I do.
But I need help.
Like, they're not kids anymore.
We gotta start treating them like adults.
Things are gonna change around here, mister.
Oh, finally.
She was running the household like she still had infant children.
These are grown women in the house, they can help.
I got a lot out of my time with Karamo.
We went hiking.
And what he was saying, what I took out of it was...
I gotta live for today.
But enjoy the beauty of the past.
Like, I tried to live in yesterday
'cause I enjoyed it so much.
And it's behind me. It was beautiful.
But I gotta live,
and not be afraid of tomorrow.
Oh.
How important is it to really say, "Let's live for today
and not worry about tomorrow"?
Because that's all the moments you have, is right now.
Especially her saying it to John, it's so powerful.
Absolutely.
-Love you. -I love you more.
We did it!
-And you didn't burn the deck down. -I know.
Brand-new deck. it's not on fire.
Oh, my gosh, they're all helping.
- Look at her, good job. - I love a good flip.
Now we're getting the party started!
- You look so pretty. - Thank you.
It doesn't look like we're in the same house.
I like the eyelashes.
Those lashes look so good.
They're extensions. They don't come off.
Oh, really?
There is all this Polish food.
And I made potato pancakes.
-Aww! -Polish people!
This is really good.
She's so happy to see her family.
I know. Yeah. The Poles, they love their families.
So I just want to thank everyone for coming.
But this is not for me.
We want to celebrate you, and everything that you do for us.
So basically, it's not my party. It's Mom's party!
Surprise!
Awww!
She deserves it.
You are the heart and soul of this family.
And you've dedicated your life to taking care of us.
You deserve to put all of that time and effort into yourself, too.
And we hope this week taught you
to see the strong amazing woman that we see in you every day.
so open and so clean,
You walk in here now, everything is just...
so open, and so clean,
and it's kind of the way I feel about myself right now.
Like...
I spent two hours sitting still
getting these freaking eyelashes done.
Aww, look at them!
And I thank you guys for every bit of support
'cause I couldn't do what I do without your help.
Everybody's.
Awww!
She's like, "You little... making me cry at my party."
My hope for people who are in a position like Jennifer
is that they don't neglect themself.
Things are not gonna fall apart if you take time for yourself.
You're too special to ignore your needs...
Queen.
To the mom who's the most.
- Cheers. - Yeah!
You're vile.
Here's the 511 on dirty martinis:
Five parts chilled vodka.
Or gin.
One part vermouth.
One part olive juice.
That's what makes it dirty.
Shaken or stirred.
And always pour into a chilled martini glass.
Finally, garnish with blue cheese olives.
Keep it dirty.
# Live a little#
# Live it up#
# Let's get the party started Never stop #
# You know that there can never be Too much good times#
# So we got just little little lit up Yeah #
# Yeah, yeah, yeah#
# Oh, oh, yeah#
# Well, everybody needs to let go And just unwind #
# That's right, yeah #
# And everybody needs to get A little crazy sometimes #
- # Well, all right# - # All right! #
# So put on your sexy dress Get on the floor and dance#
# You know you're looking good#
# So go out and have the best time Of your life #
# And don't just say you wouldn't know#
# You could, everybody should#
# Come on and live a little#
# Live it up#
# Let's get the party started Never stop #
# Whoa, yeah! #
# You know that there can never be Too much good times#
# So we got just little little lit up#