Sleep deprivation. Diaper changes. A shelf full of ridiculously-unhelpful parenting books. Spitup. Wails, screams, cries. Sibling rivalries, school fundraisers, sass.

Motherhood, parenthood, isn’t for the faint of heart, but it will make you feel lightheaded at times (kind of the opposite of the feeling you got when you first fell in love).

This raising kids thing is serious business, but not every minute has to be taken too seriously. A truth that, if not yet universally acknowledged, is acknowledged quite hilariously in Lela Davidson’s book of essays, Blacklisted from the PTA.

So go ahead and laugh it up.

When you’re toddler is throwing a tantrum—along a few pairs of sneakers—in the local shoe store, comfort yourself with the truth that you are allowed to have a mommy meltdown.

Lela did, and she’s not ashamed to admit it.

When you’re exhausted and secretly want (just for a day), the be the parent who puts her feet up and lets the kids fend for themselves while grazing on pantry food, remember that Lela introduced her kids to the wonders of The Delivered Pizza—and Pop Tarts.

Lela opens up the humorous family scenarios from her own life, baring more than just a great pair of legs in a shopping cart. She offers up her soul—admitting a love affair with disposable diapers, and demonstrating disdain for Barbie dolls dressed like, um, ladies of the night.

She admits to using a housekeeper (ah ha!), and even makes date night at Sam’s Club look good.

So laugh. And if you can’t laugh at your own manic motherhood moments, go ahead and laugh at hers.

Laugh because it might keep an ugly situation from getting worse.

Laugh because it’s healthy, because it’s better than getting mad, it melts stress, and opens your eyes to the joys and outrageous miracles our children are.

Laugh because on some days, it is the only thing that will Keep. You. Sane.

So get a copy of Blacklisted, and store it on the shelf with all those other parenting books. Fair warning: once you start reading, you’ll be hooked.

When you realize an hour has passed, and you haven’t checked on the children, go check the pantry.

Lela is celebrating Blacklisted from the PTA’s first birthday! And so am I.  I’m giving away a copy of her book to one of my friends/blog readers/fellow parents. For a chance to win a personalized copy, comment here and tell me the kinds of thing that really makes you laugh—the totally all-consuming, de-stressing kind of laughter (whether or not it has anything to do with your kids).

Leave your comment by Saturday, August 4, at midnight CST. I’ll choose a random winner (U.S. only, please), and Lela will ship out a book to you the second week of August.

If you don’t win, don’t worry. You can purchase your own copy of Blacklisted in paperback, or get all techy and download it on Kindle.

And for more laughs, follow Lela on Twitter, and find her on Facebook.  She’s everybody’s friend.