The Velveteen Mommy: Laughter and Tears from the Toy Box Years [Paperback]

Jennifer Doucette (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2005

Lighten your load with laughter. As a stay-at-home mom, author Jenn Doucette understands the need moms have to get away and regroup. If you need a little change of pace, some comforting conversation, a sympathetic shoulder for a tear or two, and lots of laughter to lighten your load, you'll find it all within the covers of this book. The Velveteen Mommy can help every mother become real again.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Lighten your load with laughter. As a stay-at-home mom, Jenn Doucette enjoys the smallest excuse to get away from her beloved duties, even for an hour. She calls it "running away from home to find my marbles." Over time, the everyday tension builds and the inevitable mommy mania rears its ugly head. But just about the time she threatens to superglue her kids' shoes to their perpetually sockless feet, she gets booted out of the house to find her marbles-maybe to meet a friend at a coffee shop, browse at her favorite bookstore, or find restoration at a church retreat. Whether you're a mom of toddlers or teens, you can probably identify. If you need a little change of pace, some comforting conversation, a sympathetic shoulder for a tear or two, and lots of laughter to lighten your load, you'll find it all within the covers of this book. The Velveteen Mommy can help every mother become real again.

About the Author

Jenn Doucette has spent the majority of her illustrious career as a stay-at-home mommy, creating a wealth of humorous stories to encourage parents in the toddler trenches. Away from the daily grind of parenthood, Jenn enjoys her involvement in the women and children’s ministries of her church. She lives in Snohomish, Washington, with her husband, Ben, and their three children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: NavPress; annotated edition edition (June 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576836495
• ISBN-13: 978-1576836491
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,130,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Colorful, humorous insight on parenthood, August 24, 2005

By 

FaithfulReader.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Velveteen Mommy: Laughter and Tears from the Toy Box Years (Paperback)

As a full-time, stay-at-home mom, Jenn Doucette has learned a thing or two about grace, patience and doubly dirty diapers. She makes her publishing debut on a subject she knows well: the trials and triumphs of parenthood. THE VELVETEEN MOMMY is a lighthearted, humorous look at what it means to be a mom from pregnancy to those turbulent teenage years, written not just by someone who has been there, but by someone who is still there.

The title of the book is a takeoff of the children's classic THE VELVETEEN RABBIT and highlights a simple but powerful message: God often uses the process of having and raising children not only to make us more real but also to make us more like himself. It's a fresh reminder for moms who are feeling a little worn out or tired on their parenting journey.

Few topics are off-limits to Doucette, who explores everything from childbirth to the perils of trying to potty train a toddler. She writes, "Then there's potty training. Need I say more? Being in the potty-training stage is like traveling to the Twilight Zone. The child progresses then digresses. He's trained; he's not trained. And through the entire process, you've changed your tactics so many times that you can't remember if you're supposed to give them candy or money or a spanking when they actually go in the toilet."

The author clearly isn't afraid of being "real," sharing funny adventures at the gynecologist's office as well as her more heartfelt struggle with panic attacks. One chapter tenderly shares the story of staying up until morning with a sick child while another recounts the family's somewhat regrettable decision to raise chickens. Each chapter ties into a spiritual lesson or theme that reminds women to ultimately seek God's help and wisdom. The transitions to these spiritual moments are relatively smooth and convey messages of hope and heartfelt encouragement without being preachy. This is a book that you could give to nearly anyone and find a receptive audience (assuming the person is a parent!).

Throughout the book, readers will find little lists, ideas and suggestions. For example, the list of "The Top Ten Things I Learned About Having A Baby" include entries such as "The prudence of the phrase, 'Never wake a sleeping baby.'" And "That JC Penny sends out an average of three photo coupons per week."

Doucette's writing is colorful and accessible, filled with countless little observations and ironies that come with being an American mom. She's more than willing to be self-deprecating for the sake of a laugh, and it's her humor that keeps this book rolling throughout. You just never know which way she is going to twist a phrase, expression or idea. The biggest weakness of the book is that it ends too soon --- at a mere 134 pages of reading material, it leaves readers asking for more. Yet even in such a short book, Doucette's love both for being a parent and for her children shine through.

[...]

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Refreshing Look at Mommyhood!, October 24, 2005

By 

Busy Mom (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Velveteen Mommy: Laughter and Tears from the Toy Box Years (Paperback)

Like all busy moms, I tend to forget what is important in raising children ~~ and Doucette is here to remind me! This is a lovely book ~~ inspirational and funny in some parts ~~ and refreshing. This book is a Christian book and in some ways, it can be used as a Bible Study ~~ but I read it to know that I am not alone in the trenches of mommyhood!

Written with gentle humor, Doucette writes of her own trials as a mother with three youngsters under the age of five. She writes poignantly of her failings ~~ and she writes in a way that the reader can relate to ~~ it's almost as if she's in the room with you sharing her tales of woes and joys over a cup of coffee. As a mom of two very active preschoolers, this book is my "time-out" from their demands. It is just wonderful knowing that I can be a Velveteen Mommy and still be loved by God!

If you're a mother of youngsters, I would not hesitate in picking this book up! In fact, I would run to the nearest bookstore and see if they have it in stock ~~ you'll be glad that you did!!

10-24-05

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great For Moms!, October 30, 2005

By 

Shirley Priscilla Johnson "Author/Reviewer -... (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Velveteen Mommy: Laughter and Tears from the Toy Box Years (Paperback)

It is certainly a truth that the Lord uses our everyday existence as a school of learning, so is the case in this book by author Jenn Doucette. In this work she shares the ups and downs of being a parent, the trials, the joys, the strain on patience, tolerance and strength and shares out loud what so many are screaming within, "Help me Lord!"
Lighthearted and always real, our author weaves God's wisdom into her stories bringing a sense of calm and peace in the whirlwind life of a parent. Many a mom will relate and draw encouragement and strength in reading this work from someone who knows. It's always a blessing to know that you are not alone.