Take a woman fresh out of college, plop her down in Silicon Valley, saddle her with a mortgage, let her ride the tech boom, give her three babies in four years, slap her with the tech bust, watch vicariously as her marriage disintegrates, end her career, and hand her a computer. What do you get? Mommy Confidential: Adventures from the Wonderbelly of Motherhood, a memoir in real time adapted from the wildly popular weblog, The Mommy Blog.
Mommy Confidential is a naked, brutally funny, endearingly honest chronicle of family life beset by disaster on many fronts. Mindy keeps her family together through catastrophic illness, four bouts of postpartum depression, financial peril, relationship Chernobyl, familial Waterloo, and job instability. All through it her sense of humor and her sharp, edgy, witty writing keep her together and upright.
“This is like a circus train wreck. It’s horrifying but I can’t seem to avert my eyes and keep from laughing.” – Lee Walinchus
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Merdith O'Brien of The Boston Herald and the Boston Mommy Blog says: I’m one of the lucky ones who had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Mindy Roberts’ (the dean of mommy bloggers) forthcoming book, Mommy Confidential: Adventures from the Wonderbelly of Motherhood.A huge fan of her blog (my gushing e-mails to her when I first started blogging are mentioned in the book *blushing* ), I had high hopes when I sat down to read Mommy Confidential, a collection of her blog entries chronicling her life as a blogger, a mom of three and then a divorced mom of three.
Well, I read it. And here’s what I think:
Reading the book is like sitting down with a close girlfriend over a cup of coffee (or, in some parts of the book, over a half dozen or so margaritas) and dishing, truly dishing, no-holds-barred (okay some barred) about our lives. From snarkiness to laughter, to melancholy and fear, and back again, Mindy provides a treat here that makes for a compulsive read. To me, reading these entries altogether, one after the other, is like having a new king-sized can of Pringles sitting on the counter next to you. And eating the entire thing.
Her book is personal. Her book is universal. And it’s real.
And, Mindy, I wish you all the luck in the world with it.
From Kaye Trout's Book Reviews:
Mommy Confidential: Adventures from the Wonderbelly of Motherhood A Memoir of Sorts by Melinda Roberts Aventine Press Genre: Parenting Memoir Rating: Very Good ISBN: 1593304358, $19.95, 502 pp.
Melinda Roberts certainly has a gift, and it’s wonderful that she’s taken the time to share it with us. Mommy Confidential is a compilation of family stories including: her children’s creative comments, a mother’s daily challenges and frustrations as she raises three active children, pursues a career, and deals with divorce and health issues. The memoir is considerable in depth and divided into seasons over a three year period–2002-2005–and then into days with catchy titles.
Allow me to quote from the back cover:
"Mommy Confidential: Adventures from the Wonderbelly of Motherhood is a naked, brutally funny, endearingly honest chronicle of family life beset by disaster on many fronts. Mindy keeps her family together through catastrophic illness, four bouts of postpartum depression, financial peril, familial Waterloo, and job instability. All through it her sense of humor and her sharp, edgy, witty writing keeps her together and upright. No, really."That pretty much tells it like it is. It’s a book you can pick up, open to any page and find something to make you laugh or to which you can relate. Mindy’s sense of humor about life and living can’t help but inspire and lighten our loads just a little.
This diarylike memoir is well-written and well-edited but considerably long. I’m certain it will appeal to all parents . . . of all ages, but particularly to mothers.
Reviewed by Kaye Trout - October 9, 2006
From Melanie Lynne Hauser, author of Adventures of a Super Mom 20 Sep 2006
"...It was like this wonderful block party. Only it was on the Internet. So I emailed many of these bloggers, asking, shyly, if I could be invited to the party.
And so many of them responded with a hearty, “Yes, and bring the cocktails.” Those are the women whose links you see to the right of my blog. And one of the first ones to welcome me with open arms was Melinda Roberts, proprietor of The Mommy Blog.
Melinda — or Mindy, as she’s known — has a loyal, snarky following, which goes with her slightly snarky blog about her life, her kids, her ex, her gourmet-cooking boyfriend. But her blog is also warm and poignant, too, as it started as a way for her to make sense of her son’s life-threatening illness early in her life. Thankfully, that son is now a healthy child who drives her somewhat crazy — as all healthy children should do to their mothers. But the blog, thankfully, has blossomed and grown. In fact, I’m happy to say that it’s blossomed and grown into a real live BOOK.
MOMMY CONFIDENTIAL: Adventures From the Wonderbelly of Motherhood is now available on Lulu.com. Mindy sent me a copy of the book; it’s just as warm, witty and yes, wonderfully snarky, as her blog. I can’t imagine having gone through what she has while still retaining my sense of humor. But she certainly has, and I recommend her book to everyone looking for a laugh, a cry, a warm fuzzy feeling - and an excuse to go gross out your children by smothering them with sloppy hugs and kisses.
So go read Mindy’s blog, and buy her book. You’ll be glad you did."
From Moxie Design Studios The Mommy Blog is Now in Print! 19 Sep 2006
Mindy Roberts has been a Moxie client since the start back in 2003 and we couldn't be more proud and excited to see the launch of her new book, Mommy Confidential: Adventures from the Wonderbelly of Motherhood. Anyone who has read Mindy's blog, The Mommy Blog, can tell you that Mindy's writing is fresh, her entries are hilarious and she's nothing if not honest!
An excerpt from her official Wonderbelly website (to which Mindy applied her own budding web design talents! woo!): Wonderbelly was an unintended pregnancy with a years-long gestation. It began as a blog, grew into a book, acquired some friends, and branched out into freelance writing and web design.
If you're a mommy-blogger, if you have kids or even if you can just relate, pick up a copy of Mindy's book. I'm sure she'll appreciate it.
Congratulations on your new adventure, Mindy!
Sean Sanczel says:
Every once in awhile, you come across a writer whose words read like you were in the conversation with them. And every once in awhile, you meet someone who has an incredible way of telling a story - someone who makes even the most mundane event sparklingly funny in the telling. Melinda Roberts is a combination of both these types.
The writing is fast and hilarious and you will laugh out loud. Melinda Roberts is the kind of storyteller who can tell a typical story and suddenly take it in a direction you never expected. Words pop out that are perfect and a surprise. And I always appreciate that.
And Mommy Confidential is not just for Mommies, either. Anyone who ever even knew a kid (or was one) will appreciate this book.
This is not your typical "oh-it's-so-hard-to-raise-kids" book. It's obvious that Ms. Roberts is a writer who loves to write, loves to laugh and loves her kids.
I highly recommend Mommy Confidential.
Sean Sanczel Creator of "Pencilman" www.sanczel.com
Christine Louise Hohlbaum says:
Mommy Confidential: Adventures from the Wonderbelly of Motherhood by Melinda Roberts is a witty, heart-breaking, and real-life chronicle of a young divorced mother of three in Silicon Valley. Her fast-crack wit will give you a benevolent case of whiplash as she moves through her days of chaos, calamity, and cuddling with her kids. Her irreverant and unapologetic take on motherhood is refreshing, making it stand out from other, perhaps more polished diatribes on contemporary parenting. The rough and tumble of raising boys is also evident, yet there is always an undercurrent of unshakeable love for the tykes who call Mindy "Mom". The reader accompanies the author's journey over several years: from daughter Daisy's first steps to her trying to save her brother from 'certain death' on the floor. High drama and deep belly laughs are guaranteed from this first-time author. I look forward to reading the sequel!
Christine Louise Hohlbaum, author of DIARY OF A MOTHER and SAHM I AM: TALES OF A STAY-AT-HOME MOM IN EUROPE, lives near Munich, Germany, with her husband and two children. http://www.diaryofamother.com
