One evening I was strapping my daughter into her car seat. With a toy in her hand I attempted to seamlessly get her arms through the straps by quickly moving the prized possession from one hand to the other. Apparently this was not a hit as she scowled at me and said in perfect contest, ‘You’re really starting to piss me off.’” (Mother of the Year: Heidi)

Some of you may have noticed the killer ad in the sidebar of the Cool Mom Guide Blog for the book “Mother of the Year, The Adventures & Misadventures of Parenthood“. I recently also got a copy of this book to read for myself and immediately got excited about writing this review.

Mother of the Year is an entertaining collection of 76 humorous stories from mothers, fathers, and grandparents who’ve survived embarrassing potty moments, road trips gone bad, school mishaps, bedroom blunders, and other parenting situations.

It’s a quick, simple read because it’s not long stories.  If you’re having a particularly rough day or just allowed your toddler to eat the dog food you know is in his mouth you can feel better knowing you’re not alone.  Mother of the Year is there for you to reassure you that yes, there is chaos and disorder in this wonderful world of parenting, but when you look back on them, you’ve just gotta laugh.

Here’s another fine MOTY moment-

“My son and daughter were arguing about how many cheeks a person has. My 8 year old daughter, Sammy, was convinced we all had 2 cheeks. My 6 year old son, Joe, insisted we all have 4 cheeks.

After going back and forth my charming Joe turned to me and said, ‘See…Mommy has 4 cheeks. Two REALLY big ones (pointing to my bum) and 2 small ones (pointing to my face).’

He won.”  (Mother of the Year: Mel)

I mean seriously, you HAVE to read this book.  Right now, I’m watching my infant chew on a fast food take out box and you know what?  IT’S OKAY.  Well, I mean it could  be better but he’s right in front of me, he’s not screaming and I’m allowed to write this review.

*Spoiler alert for my pregnant friends reading this, you may want to avert your eyes-I have three expecting friends and plan on getting each of them this as a shower gift!

I suggest you do the same (and get them for yourself while you’re at it).