Mischa Barton: CONTEST: Win an Autographed Copy of Laura Bennett's New Book! (Updated)

Tomorrow is Laura Day!

Darlings, we're so proud of our gal. Her new book, Didn't I Feed You Yesterday? comes out tomorrow and we're thrilled for her. We got an advance copy (because we are so very in the know) and we have to say, considering she's writing about a world completely removed from our own (i.e., motherhood), it still entertained us and made us laugh out loud more than once. Laura's wry (and slightly bitchy) take on things is in every sentence of this book. If you're a Laura fan, we highly recommend it. It's like having an extended conversation with her. And we should know because we've had extensive conversations with her.

Anyway, here are some tidbits for your perusing pleasure:

"Being a mom in the 21st century can be a mixed bag of ugly. There are so many opinions about the job you're doing, offered freely and yet at great cost. There are books and blogs and radio programs and mom groups and lactation consultants and magazines and on and on.

Never has there been so much accessible and contradictory information floating in the ether of parenting, and never has the concept of "my way or the highway" been so brutally administered. We have collectively micromanaged our pregnancies and written our superfluous Birth Plans and succumbed to the pressure of feeding our kids 100% organic, hand-milled baby food using a reduced carbon footprint.

These unrealistic goals have created a population of neurotic mothers whose neurotic kids inevitably end up at my house on a play date.

I have chosen a more retro approach to parenting. For one thing, I have six children, a very old-fashioned number. And by having so many, I have discovered one of the great secrets to being a perfect mother: There is no such thing."

"When I was first pregnant, 20 years ago, times were different. There were no Internet chat rooms or message boards where women felt free to demoralize other mothers. But with each child I've produced, there has come an increasing tide of perfectionism that has slowly overtaken basic human instinct.

Don't get me wrong; I like a healthy, well-adjusted child as much as the next person. But do I really need an owner's manual? Don't you just turn it on and fix it when it's broken?"

"Motherhood is the hardest job in the world. Around kid No. 4, I realized that the only way to survive it is to have a sense of humor. After all, the tragic often becomes comedic in the retelling."

So! Ready to win an autographed copy? All you have to do is this: post your definition of "motherhood" in the comments section (along with your email address so we can contact you). The best FIVE answers get NOT ONLY a signed copy of the book, BUT ALSO a t-shirt with the following Robert Best illustration:

Who takes care of their minions? This contest is only open for 24 HOURS (closing at 12:30 PM EST tomorrow), so you better get cracking.

Also, if you're in NYC, Laura's having her very first book signing (*snff* We're just so proud!) on Wednesday:

April 7th @ 7 p.m.
Borders Time Warner Center
10 Columbus Circle

If you go and you meet her, you bitches better reprezent, is all we're saying. Tell her T Lo sent you!

We'll have future book signing info as it becomes available.

UPDATE:

And the winners are...
- The unLover
- bradybutkus
- Jennifer
- nycowgirl
-   LJebsen.

We'll be contacting the winners ASAP. Thanks, guys!