When Chocolate Isn't Enough: An Inspirational Survival Guide for Moms

by Michelle Medlock Adams

Being a mother is like baking the perfect chocolate dessert--a mix of sweet, rich, and spicy with just enough salt to bring out the flavor. Some days it is all cupcakes and tea parties and others it is dark chocolate candy bars at night after the kids have gone to bed. Each day you try to say the right thing, be the perfect parent, but that doesn't always happen and that is OK. God is still in our corner, parenting us so that we can be better parents. He made us. He knows we're not perfect, and He loves us anyway.

Table of Contents
Chocolate--The Flavor of My Life
Section The Bittersweet Balancing Act...Learning to Embrace the Crazy Life We Call "Motherhood"
1. God's Got Time...Do You?
2. Juggling It All
3. Date Night--Yes!
4. Gifts From God
5. Worth The Wait
Section I Love You More Than A Thousand M&Ms...Loving Your Children Unconditionally
6. Living the Love Chapter
7. Will You Rock Me?
8. Love You More
9. Under His Covering
10. It's What's On The Inside...
Section Letting Go, Letting God, Getting Godiva...Learning to Give Your Children to God
11.God Still Does Miracles
12. Prayer Works
13. Do You Trust Me?
14. Do You Know His Voice?
Section Letting the Chocolate Chips Fall Where They May...Never Sweating the Small Stuff
15. It's a Dog-Eat-Dog World
16. Celebrate Every Moment
17. Wal-Mart Wisdom
18. Breaking the Mother's Curse
Section Chocolate Stars In Your Eyes...Striving to be the Perfect Mom
19.Nobody's Perfect
20. You Are Called and Equipped
21. Walk in Your Calling
22. Identity Crisis Solved
23. Worms and All
24. Are You a Quiet Cubbie?
Section Sprinkles of Happiness...Finding Joy in the Journey
25. Rejoice in the Lord Always
26. Blonde Faith
27.Slow Down
28. They Will Call You Blessed
29. Wah-Wah
Section Chocolate Meltdowns...Learning to Trust God When Being a Mom is Difficult
30. God is At Work
31. Weathering the Storms of Life
32. Doggone Faith
33. Hopefully Devoted
34. Life is Like a Box of Chocolates
Section Truffles of Teachable Moments...Learning Lessons From our Children
35. Dalmatian Cows and Other Blessings
36. No Hidden Places
37. Stay Near to Him
38. Pink Blanket Crisis
39. It's OK, Mommy
40. Being Toothless Isn't So Bad
Section Chocolate-Covered Conversation Hearts...Speaking Into the Lives of Your Children
41. Don't Be a Stupid Head!
42 Speak the Word
43. No Free Words
44. Are You Listening?
45. Open This When...
Section Transitions, Tears, and Turtles ...Trusting God Through All of Life's Changes
46. Give Your Children the Best Gift
47. Why'd We Have to Move?
48. Which Shoe Goes on Which Foot?
49. No More Micromanaging
50. The Most Exhausting, Rewarding Job Ever
Also with ten yummy chocolate dessert recipes!

256 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 2015

About the author

Michelle Medlock Adams is a best-selling author and an award-winning journalist, earning top honors from the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Hoosier State Press Association.

Author of over 100 books with close to 4 million books sold, Michelle is also a New York Times Bestselling ghostwriter and has won more than 90 industry awards for her own journalistic endeavors, including the prestigious Golden Scroll for Best Children’s Book in 2020, 2019 and 2018 for “How Much Does God Love You?” “Dinosaur Devotions” and “My First Day of School”. And, over the past three years, she has added several first place honors from the Christian Market Book Awards, the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, and the Illumination Book Awards in multiple categories.

Since graduating with a journalism degree from Indiana University, Michelle has written more than 1,700 articles for newspapers, magazines, and websites; acted as a stringer for the Associated Press; written for a worldwide ministry; hosted “Joy In Our Town” for the Trinity Broadcasting Network; blogged twice weekly for Guideposts from 2013 to 2015; written a weekly column for a Midwest newspaper; served as an adjunct professor at Taylor University four different years; and acted as President of Platinum Literary Services, a premier full-service literary firm for five years. Today, she runs her own children's book imprint--Wren & Bear Books--an imprint of End Game Press.

Michelle is celebrating the recent release of her books, "Dachshund Through the Snow," "Fly High," "Our God is Bigger Than That!," and "Springtime for Your Spirit."

Michelle is married to her high school sweetheart, Jeff, and they have two daughters, Abby and Allyson, two sons-in-law, four granddaughters and two grandsons. She and Jeff share their home in Southern Indiana with two miniature dachshunds and two spoiled cats. When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys bass fishing, cheering on Indiana University sports teams and the Chicago Cubbies, and all things leopard print.

You can learn more about Michelle at www.michellemedlockadams.com and by following her @INwritergirl on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest.

Reviews

[Giovanna Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t openly preach about my faith but my mama heart needed this and God knew it

[Ashley Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I'm not a mom, I was able to appreciate and relate to the various stories Michelle Medlock Adams included in this sweet devotional. And the chocolate recipes? They were just icing on the cake! I recommend this book to any woman (especially moms!) who want to stop and focus on Jesus, even in the midst of the craziness of life.

[Emily Cuba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, easy to read devotional full of short stories about the author's journey in motherhood. Every reading had a Scripture and prayer at the end. It also features some chocolate recipes.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uplifting read