Excerpt and interview - Mom NEEDS Chocolate by Debora M. Coty

Captain's Log, Stardate 06.29.2009

Mom NEEDS Chocolate
by
Debora M. Coty

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 lolly gag 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!

Click here to download an excerpt (.pdf)

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And now, here’s an interview with the author!

What inspired you to write this book?

My motivation was two-fold: I saw moms everywhere who looked totally ragged out, stressed to the max, and so deep in the joy-sucking dully-funks they were unable to connect with the joy of the Lord. As a gal who’s been there, I wanted to give them a ray of hope that it is possible to crawl out the other end of the motherhood tunnel spiritually alive and kicking, and with your faith even stronger than before!

I believe humor is a catalyst for releasing the joy of the Lord into our souls; Mom Needs Chocolate has been described by a reader as “truth gift-wrapped in humor.”

Secondly, Mom Needs Chocolate is a legacy of sorts. I wanted future generations to have tangible evidence that Great-great-grandma Debbie was a real person with real faith that she lived by on a day-by-day, diaper-by-diaper basis. I wanted them to know we can truly lean on rejuvenating joy and empowering faith, even while we’re stuck in the muck of everyday stress.

Do you have a favorite chapter or story in this book?

Mercy, that’s like asking which of my children is my favorite. All the stories are incredibly special to me because they are God’s fingerprints on my life. When I have to choose only one to share, I usually go with “Even Moses Started Out as a Basket Case,” because it’s one all moms can identify with: the crazy/horrible things our kids get into and the spiritual lessons we can learn from them. After all, we’re not just moms, we’re children as well, and our Papa God is ready with open arms and unconditional love when we, too, blow it.

What would be one piece of advice you’d give to a new mother?

Draw strength from God, Godiva and girlfriends!

You’re not alone, girl – we’re a sisterhood of slightly sagging spiritual warriors. But as God reminds us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corin. 12:9, NIV)

What’s your favorite chocolate?

Holy Moley – would you like them in alphabetical order? Hmmm. I’d say the top three are Cadbury, Godiva, and Peterbrooke. But I’d never turn down a good ole’ Tootsie Roll!

You’re off the hotseat! Any parting words?

During my decades as Domestic Queen, I discovered several important near-facts of science, which I generously share in Mom Needs Chocolate:

1. The TCC (Time Contortion Continuum): That’s when the angel with the warped sense of humor manning the joystick that controls time gets a little carried away. We’ve all experienced it: Time drags on sleepless nights as we toss and turn in rumpled bed sheets but zips by in hyperdrive when company’s coming and the gravy boat hits the linoleum.

2. Theory of Negative Relative-ositiy: When someone says “My child will never...” cosmic forces kick in to ensure that your little darlin’ will perform that precise behavior for the rest of his life. Or until you end his life. It’s oh so tempting to implement the guppy technique of child management (devouring your young).

3. Volume Relativity: that strange phenomenon that occurs over the summer when your jeans inexplicably shrink in your dresser drawer to two sizes too small.

Camy here: Thanks for sharing, Debora!