Romancing Mommy: From Birth and Beyond [Paperback]

Joe Gumm (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2005

"Practical, humorous and to the point, this is the best read [my wife and I] have had together in years." Doug Wead, author of The New York Times bestseller The Raising of a President
A long time ago, in a world where men were not-so-great communicators, a husband said five words to his wife that would change his life forever. His defining statement (during her postpartum days) was: "It's not all about you."
Amazingly, that man lived to share the many lessons he has since learned. Lesson number one: "It's all about her." That man is none other than your average Joe-Joe Gumm that is. An ESPN radio sportscaster, Joe shares 150 humorous yet poignant "It's all about her" ideas that men can use to not only survive in their marriage, but also thrive within their relationship.

Editorial Reviews

Review

..geared towards the male population, but as a woman I read it.. “Someone other than my husband finally gets us" -- Tracy Farnsworth, Roundtable Reviews

Entertaining and insightful from the word go, every dad in America can relate to Joe Gumm. -- Mike Greenburg, ESPN

Practical, humorous and to the point, this is the best read [my wife and I] have had together in years. -- Doug Wead, author of the New York Times bestseller, The Raising of a President

From the Back Cover

"Practical, humorous and to the point, this is the best read [my wife and I] have had together in years." Doug Wead, author of The New York Times bestseller The Raising of a President A long time ago, in a world where men were not-so-great communicators, a husband said five words to his wife that would change his life forever. His defining statement (during her postpartum days) was: "It's not all about you." Amazingly, that man lived to share the many lessons he has since learned. Lesson number one: "It's all about her." That man is none other than your average Joe-Joe Gumm that is. An ESPN radio sportscaster, Joe shares 150 humorous yet poignant "It's all about her" ideas that men can use to not only survive in their marriage, but also thrive within their relationship. While written in a comedic tone, guaranteed to have wives and husbands laughing together and nodding in recognition, Romancing Mommy carries a deeper message. Romancing Mommy conquers the topic of how couples disconnect, and more importantly how to reconnect though teamwork, compassion, and romance. About the author: Joe Gumm spent several years at the USA Radio Network as a sports anchor and news producer before joining the staff at ESPN 103.3 FM in December of 2001. Currently, he covers major Dallas sporting activities and "gets things going" every weekday morning during "Mike and Mike in the Morning." Joe lives in Texas with his wife and two daughters.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 231 pages
• Publisher: Champion Press (WI) (February 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932783474
• ISBN-13: 978-1932783476
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #507,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hello and welcome! At this point, you're probably thinking two things: 1. "Why in the world would someone working in sports, particularly with ESPN radio, write books about romance and pregnancy?" and 2. "He really doesn't look like the testorerone-deficient man-servant I thought he would look like."

First of all, I was goaded to write my first book and forced to write the other. While working at ESPN radio in Dallas, Texas, my wife became pregnant with our first daughter. She announced one night that she wanted to have a natural birth, a birth without medication. I agreed and made it my mission to learn everything about a man's role in a natural birth. I went out and found just one book that had anything remotely written about a man's role. It was 33-years-old, written by a doctor and had absolutely nothing to do with me. Plus, it put me to sleep. So, since I couldn't find one, I wrote one. It's called From Humor to Hormones: A Man's Guide to a Pregnant Wife and a New Life (Champion Press Ltd) and will be out in April. It's a comical guide for men who need a lesson in Birthing 101. It not only covers natural birth, but water birth, hospital birth, a birthing center birth, a taxi cab birth and even a Wal-Mart birth. It covers everything a man needs to know about the whole experience, from day one to delivery. It has expert advice and stories from other men, regarding their experiences. It was the first book I wrote, but wasn't the first one that came out.

Romancing Mommy: From birth and Beyond (Champion Press Ltd), was written months later. One night at dinner, during my wife's second pregnancy, she was stressing about paint color in the baby's room. I figured the stress would be funneled directly to the baby in the womb (and certainly didn't want that), so I said to her, "You know, this pregnancy is not all about you", meaning it was also about the baby. She didn't buy it and neither did her parents, who by the way, were present. She spared my life and months later, during the birth of our second child, I realized that "IT" was all about her. I knew then that I needed to write something about other men who may suffer from the same disorder I do, MTD-Male Tongue Dysfunction.

It's a goofy, funny quick read about how other couples (believe it or not) go through the exact same experiences you and I may go through. If you're a man, it's a perfect pocket guide for those times you say or do something stupid to your wife. It has 150 ideas or tips for survival. If you're a woman, the book is all out you...literally.

Enjoy the books and feel free to write a review. I really want to know what my readers think about the types of books I write. My favorite one so far was written by a huge fan of Romancing Mommy:

"Thanks for getting my wife all riled up. She read Romancing Mommy and now she's making me do things like clean parts of the house, give foot massages and going shopping with her. Your book has ruined my life." Love and sincerely...your father.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Goofy fun. I loved it!!!, September 10, 2005

By 

B. Robidou (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Romancing Mommy: From Birth and Beyond (Paperback)

I'm a single guy that got the book because I wanted to see why a "sports guy" with ESPN credentials would write about a topic like romance. Not only did it prepare me for what to expect from my future wife, but it showed me the true meaning of self-deprication. Joe not only rips himself throughout the book on his parenting and romance skills, but gives readers the inside track on how to improve both. Women will love it because it's all about them. Men will hate it, but will find many things in common with Joe, especially when it comes to helping out around the house. I recommend it highly for those who are married, single or divorced.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Advice from Mommy's Happy Slave!, April 29, 2005

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 110,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Romancing Mommy: From Birth and Beyond (Paperback)

Joe Gumm is that rare man: He not only loves his wife . . . he wants to do right by her and his family to the nth degree.

Transformed by the experience of seeing his wife give birth using natural methods in their bedroom, Mr. Gumm decided that he should do whatever it takes to make his wife's life good.

What makes the book unusual is that he writes well from the female perspective. He must have spent a lot of time listening to his wife.

The book is filled with self-deprecating humor. Mr. Gumm knows that he married up and revels in it. He wants to do his part . . . and realizes that even that isn't good enough. You can never be too good to your wife.

I was reminded of novels I have read about the goddess-centered religions that preceded Christianity. Ms. Gumm clearly plays that role for Mr. Gumm.

There are lots of good advice here . . . and more than a few chuckles for men. If you do even 20 of the 150 things he recommends, you'll be a hero at home . . . unless your wife is extraordinarily demanding.

Some of the things are obvious: Take out the trash, fix what needs to be fixed, keep your promises, put the toilet seat down and help with the kids. Some are more surprising: Take responsibility for birth control, watch what you don't say, let her shower first or join her in the shower, send flowers when she doesn't expect them, and hide jewelry gifts inside a more practical gift.

Some of his advice will test your assumptions about who should be in charge: But it's good to think those through rather than have them become bones of contention in your marriage.

When my wife and I got married, the woman who married us advised both of us to do more than our share of making the marriage work. If she had handed me this book at the same time, she could have saved me over 20 years of learning how to do that.

Ladies, whether your husband ever reads this book or not, you'll love it. Just imagine that you are Mr. Gumm's wife! That will feel like a fantasy vacation all by itself as you roar with laughter at his humor.

5.0 out of 5 stars A good book and a big Help, December 11, 2005

By 

B.R. Robidoux "B.R." (Fort Worth, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Romancing Mommy: From Birth and Beyond (Paperback)

Joe Gumm gives a great insite on how men should treat their wives. The ideas he includes many activities that may seem like common sense in the book,however; they are things that are simple that are most commonly forgotten. Joe gives incites that are from woment themselves in the book which is probably a good source. Not only writing from a womans point of view in this book but presents the ideas in a humorous light.

After I read the book I passed it to a few friends to read it and they were uncertain of book, but came back and agreed with the that it will help them in their relationship. For me still being single some of the ideas in the book if toned down can be use in a serious dating relationship with some of them being ommited because they are clearly only for marraige.

I would recommend and married guys to read this book it will only help to imporve your marraige. Things can only get better after reading. Also Joe presents these ideas in the book in a humorous way.