Mom Needs Chocolate: Hugs, Humor and Hope for Surviving Motherhood [Hardcover]

Debora Coty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

What's a rundown, run-ragged mom to do? Her spirit yearns to soar, but her feet---and faith---are stuck in the diaper-by-diaper mud of everyday responsibilities. How can she de-muck when she's chronically exhausted and relentlessly robbed of abundant life by the joy-sucking dully-funks?  This offbeat glimpse of reality with a tangy twist pitched in to help busy mothers get in touch with rejuvenating joy and empowering faith! In mom-to-mom, smile-eliciting style, humorist Debora Coty doesn't lollygag around the hot topics such as enduring marriage, embarrassing children, defeating depression and grossfully (er, gracefully) aging. Unique insights and outrageous coping tips are shared alongside sisterly hugs and warm encouragement. Mom Needs Chocolate is a veritable grocery list of mud-between-your-toes issues, tackled with witty frankness and wild abandon. Young-at-heart mothers of all ages will enjoy hilarious and heartwarming stories that apply Scripture to real life and remind them how to hear God's still, small voice about blathering kids, howling pets and snarling traffic!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Your spirit yearns to soar, but your feet—and faith—are stuck in the diaper-by-diaper mud of everyday responsibilities. How can you de-muck when you’re chronically exhausted and relentlessly robbed of abundant life by the joy-sucking dully-funks? Mom Needs Chocolate will help you get back in touch with rejuvenating joy and empowering faith! In mom-to-mom, smile-provoking style, humorist Debora M. Coty paints her offbeat picture of reality with a tangy twist, and offers outrageous coping tips, off-the-wall insights, sisterly hugs and warmencouragement.With witty frankness and wild abandon, she tackles the highs and lows (and mediums) of marriage, the horror of embarrassing children, the defeat (and re-defeat) of depression, aging grossfully (er, gracefully), and a veritable grocery list of othermud-between-your-toes issues. You will glimpse the all-too-familiar in these hilarious and heartwarming stories, and remember how to hear God’s still, small voice above blathering kids, howling pets and snarling traffic!

About the Author

DEBORA COTY is a mother of two, the wife of one and the primary zookeeper of a myriad of Coty critters, inaddition to her prolific work as an internationally published freelance writer, fiction author, events speaker and newspaper columnist, Deb is a children's piano teacher and an occupational therapist who specializes in upper extremity orthopedic rehabilitation. She is the author of The Distant Shore, an historical novel for young adults. Excerpts of her published work can be viewed at www.deboracoty.com.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Regal (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830745920
• ISBN-13: 978-0830745920
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,114,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Debora M. Coty is a humorist, columnist, speaker, writing workshop instructor and award-winning author of over 100 internationally published articles and ten inspirational books. She has also contributed short stories and devotionals to numerous anthologies. Debora's passion is sharing her offbeat blend of humor and hope, wit and near-wisdom with women of all ages. As a piano teacher for twenty years, she acquired the skill of auditory long-suffering and has helped countless people as an occupational therapist specializing in orthopedics for over three decades. Mother of two grown children, Debora currently lives and loves in central Florida with her husband and desperately wicked pooch, Fenway. Visit with Debora online at www.DeboraCoty.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Truly amusing!, June 29, 2009

By 

Jennifer Bogart "@ Quiverfullfamily.com" (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mom Needs Chocolate: Hugs, Humor and Hope for Surviving Motherhood (Hardcover)

I've never been one to laugh easily. Jokes slip off me like jello on a greased dinner plate, but sometimes, just sometimes one hits me smack-dab in my funny-spot. When that happens, watch out. I don't just giggle, I guffaw, snort, wheeze, and at times collapse to the floor. I don't technically roll-on-the-floor-laughing-out-loud, I adopt more of a hunched-over-slapping-the-floor-and-howling technique. Author Debora M. Coty's devotional for frazzled moms - Mom Needs Chocolate - didn't quite take me to the position of prostrate hilarity within it's first few chapters, but it did come very close.

Having been through the trenches of motherhood and come out the other side with two grown children, Coty digs deep and pulls from her personal experiences, shortcomings, and growth. The result is a compilation of frank, and almost embarrassing episodes that illustrate the realities of mothering while pinpointing the areas many of us need work on. The 60 short, devotional chapters are designed to bring joy and spiritual insight into the lives of frazzled moms.

Each of the chapters is short enough to read during the valued reading time each mother cherishes - the five-minute bathroom break. Most entries come in between three and four pages in length including three "Faith in Action" questions for you to ponder throughout the day, or complete formally in a journal if you are able to eke out some personal time for study. The light-hearted tone of frank sharing would also lend itself well to gatherings of friends for a fun study.

As brief as each of the stand-alone devotional segments are, Coty has a knack for hitting moms in the areas where they are likely in most need of refinement. After softening unsuspecting mothers up with her funny stories, she delivers a swift one-two punch in the questions section, delivering a healthy dose of conviction. Of course, knowing that Coty herself has struggled in these areas - road rage, misplaced priorities, nutrition, and so on - helps to soften the blow so that it never comes across as high-handed.

What I most appreciate in Coty's approach is her bracing honesty. There's no vision of perfect domestic bliss presented here for us to attain, just encouragement to keep seeking the Lord on our continuing journey and a sister to laugh and cry along with. By book's end I felt like I knew Coty to a certain extent. After all, in her own words, she's baring it all:

"Hey, I even hit a few girls-only, whisper-behind-the-hand subjects like excessive boobage during pregnancy, fashion faux pas, menopause and - gasp! - bodily functions. (Ain't nothin' sacred after poppin' out a baby in front of a dozen pubescent boys in lab oats!)"

So, be prepared. In truth, Coty won't gross you out too much, unless you find descriptions of a cat with an exploding abscess unpalatable, or admissions of cellulite horrifying. She draws upon the everyday misadventures of mothering to concoct humorous teaching anecdotes from her own life, but doesn't delve into the truly disgusting.

Like its chocolaty namesake, Mom Needs Chocolate makes a great gift for moms young and old in need of a bit more lift in their lives. While reading it the names of other mothers I could bless with this resource came to mind. I'm looking forward to sharing my chocolate with others.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moms NEED this book!, June 29, 2009

By 

MyBucklingBookshelf (MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mom Needs Chocolate: Hugs, Humor and Hope for Surviving Motherhood (Hardcover)

Moms don't just need chocolate, moms NEED this book! Filled with short, easy to read chapters full of wit and wisdom, it's perfect for the start or ending of any mom's busy day. Debora uses the lessons God has taught her in just the everyday life experiences she's had - some good, some not so good - as a way to spread her message of mirth as Godly medicine. So when life is doing all it can to make you bitter, pick up this book, read a chapter or two (or more), and let Debora show you how God is right there with you through it all and that by focusing on Him can make for a much sweeter life.

5.0 out of 5 stars Humorous and inspiring look at motherhood, October 30, 2009

By 

K. Herbrand - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mom Needs Chocolate: Hugs, Humor and Hope for Surviving Motherhood (Hardcover)

If you are reading this book - get ready to laugh! It is full of humor, much of which I am sure, only a woman/mother can really understand. Like the spontaneous release of milk upon hearing ANY child cry in the story found below in the first chapter.

Each chapter reads like a daily devotion - usually starting with a scripture and ending with a prayer - and some "Faith in Action" questions. I did not sit down and read this book straight through, though it could be done. I chose to read one (or a few) a day - I just kept it accessible where if I had a few minutes and needed a pick me up I could read a chapter. The chapters cover everything from depression, piggishness and aging to God's Omnipotence, gratitude and prayer.

She talks about how (God) "wants us to be filled with His joy, not weighted down by the joy-sucking dully-funks." And I love how she describes dully-funks - "that black hole when nothing particularly bad is happening, just nothing good," or "that bottom-of-the-barrel place where your spirits are lower than chicken scratch."

I found this little book to be full of humor, wisdom, down-to-earth prayers - and it helped me to put things into perspective when I think I am the only one who doesn't always get it right. This is a very readable and relatable book and I recommend it to every mom!