Diary of a Mother: Parenting Stories and Other Stuff [Paperback]

Christine Louise Hohlbaum (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 24, 2003

Cartoon Cathy meets Erma Bombeck in this hilarious collection of short stories that will keep you laughing and crying from cover to cover. Christine Hohlbaum reels you into the world of child mayhem as she recounts tales of life with small children. From potty-training to the magic of Santa Claus, this book tells all about the ups and downs of parenting. A splendid addition to your leisure reading list!

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Erma Bombeck may be gone, but her spirit lives on in my humor writing. Parenting in the 21st Century can be a daunting task. The world needs a reason to laugh; Diary of a Mother is reason enough to do just that!

About the Author

Christine Hohlbaum has been writing stories since she was eleven years old. Her eclectic background spans from politics, finance and marketing to creative writing and dance. The author has two children and lives with her husband near Freising, Germany.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 94 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (June 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595280404
• ISBN-13: 978-0595280407
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,196,833 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have been living in Germany since 2003. Living in the countryside, with few distractions (aside from two 'vivid' children who keep me on my toes), I have found an organic balance between work and life. In fact, they mesh so nicely I can barely tell the difference. Well, sometimes.

I became a published author quite by accident. It happened one day while at the doctor's office. The short of it is I began to see humor in the uncontrollable, such as toddlers having to pee right as you're completely unclothed at the dermatologist's. It got me to thinking about how therapeutic writing is. The more I wrote, the more engaged I became as a participant-observer in life.

Writing serves not only to communicate, but also to transform. If I can change one person's mood, thoughts or feelings with my words, I have done my job. Writing to me is the singularly most gratifying work in the world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You DON'T have to be a mother..., December 21, 2003

By 

Vera (New York City, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diary of a Mother: Parenting Stories and Other Stuff (Paperback)

This wife, this mother, this author has not one but three fingers on the pulse of life because the pulse of life for her is powerful... definitely a three finger requirement.

In this book, Christine Louise Hohlbaum allows us to witness the loving horror that is called being married with children.

For instance, a take-charge, means-business two-year old pulls down her pants and pees on the Library floor as a Mom who desperately tries to cling to a modicum of normalcy quickly browses the rack of new paperbacks.

Or the same Mom suspects she has bad breath from forgetting to brush her teeth that frantic morning and tests her suspicion by blowing on her eight-month old child and closely monitoring his reaction.

These are only a couple of glimpses into that surreal world of child rearing revealed by Ms. Hohlbaum. There are many more.

Ms. Hohlbaum describes the horrors and frustrations with so much humor that you find yourself laughing out loud. And through it all, and ever apparent, is the love that makes it all worth while.

I, personally, am single. I have no children. I own 4 plants and they don't cause any trouble. And yet I enjoyed this book immensely. It showed me the bittersweet other side.

This is a book for every single (or not) one of us.

Vera E. Chazen

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for...fathers, too!, September 1, 2003

By 

Larry Pontius "Larry" (Longwood, FL United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Diary of a Mother: Parenting Stories and Other Stuff (Paperback)

Christine Hohlbaum's stories about motherhood run the gamut from hilarious to poignant, and they each hold a special thought or lesson for the reader to take away. This Mother's diary is a great read for mothers and a revelation for fathers. A must read for both. I truly enjoyed it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks for the chuckles, Christine!, February 21, 2004

By 

Paula J. Schmitt (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Diary of a Mother: Parenting Stories and Other Stuff (Paperback)

Christine Hohlbaum's, Diary of a Mother, is a must-read for all mothers and mothers-to-be. Prepare to sit back, relax and enjoy the parenting humor that flows throughout Ms Hohlbaum's book. My personal favorites were, Stop! In the name of the law! and Desperata, and of course, To Erma with love. I can't leave out another favorite, "Thirty-five things I've seen". Last, but not least, the epilogue, where Ms Hohlbaum daydreams into the future where her children are now a bit older and off doing there own thing with friends and she sits back and wonders just where the years have gone.

I am so looking forward to this author's next book. A big "thumbs up" to you, Christine!