Today we are giving away two books and one e-book by Lela Davidson. If you like essays that are funny and smart and media commentary and how-tos that are sassy and relevant, then be sure to check out Lela’s growing body of work. Please help me welcome Lela!
Introducing Lela Davidson
Lela is an award-winning humorist and freelance journalist who loves media and marketing. She entertains and inspires audiences in print, web, video, and television. Lela is the author of Blacklisted From The PTA and Who Peed On My Yoga Mat?, and a contributor to NBC News, TODAY Moms, iVillage, and Huffington Post. She frequently speaks about motherhood, marriage, marketing, and the challenges of being over-40 in a Botox world. Lela wrote Sexy, Smart, and Search Engine Friendly: Get Found Online Without Losing Your Mind or Wasting Your Time especially for authors, artists, and small business entrepreneurs.
Learn about Sexy, Smart, and Search Engine Friendly: Get Found Online Without Losing Your Mind or Wasting Your Time
This guide is for entrepreneurs who know nothing about online marketing and search engine technology, but know it’s important to be discoverable online.
This guide is also for people who understand how all this stuff works, but get overwhelmed by the thought of putting all that knowledge into action. My hope is that all of us would be empowered with a simple, workable plan that doesn’t take too much time away from our real pursuits, whatever those may be.
Readers of Sexy, Smart, & Search Engine Friendly:
- gain clarity where once there was only confusion about the mysterious world of online marketing.
- learn that you don’t have to be an expert, and you don’t have to spend untold nights and weekends tweaking your website.
- increase website traffic when they apply insider understanding of the ways search engines find websites.
- walk away from this guide with a simple plan—one that’s easy, effective, and doesn’t rob their core business of their most valuable resource, their time.
- develop confidence in simple strategies as they practice them, and in their own ability to maintain effort and focus for the long haul.
Anyone who markets products and services online has a lot to gain from applying the simple strategies outlined in this guide.
Learn about Who Peed On My Yoga Mat?
Lela Davidson doesn’t like to brag, but her children are clean and fed, her husband likes to cook, and she is rarely referred to as Troll Toes at the yoga studio. In other words, she’s got it all. Who Peed On My Yoga Mat? peels back the curtain on family life to show that happiness is really a matter of perspective. Between watching adorably annoying toddlers transform into text-obsessed teens, and facing inevitable moments of marital “for worse,” a girl’s got to carve out time for inner peace. As she did in Blacklisted From The PTA, Davidson shows us once again that laughing at yourself and your family is the surest path to tranquility — or at least the most fun.
Learn about Blacklisted From The PTA
Blacklisted from the PTA is an irreverent look at motherhood and the modern family. From the high chair to a vinyl restaurant booth on date night, Lela Davidson has captured life on the cul-de-sac with a husband, two kids, and the occasional pet. Whether failing at cloth diaper origami or smug in knowledge that her children have never consumed a PopTart, Lela assures parents they are not alone, and that it’s okay to laugh-at yourself, and at your kids. These are the stories of Everyparent-even if we don’t always tell them out loud. Each of these 62 essays can be read in under five minutes for a quick laugh-either with or at the author.
As a CPA on the mommy track, all Lela wanted to do was sit on the driveway and drink wine out of a box with the neighbors. Luckily, she started writing down her stories instead. Whether tackling PTA meetings, neighborhood politics, or inflation-by-Tooth Fairy, Lela exposes the humor in every awkward moment and maternal meltdown. From a trendy Seattle condo, to a tidy Arkansas subdivision, Lela shares the comic side of family life. She takes you to Mexican bars, the hockey rinks of St. Louis, ski slopes near Santa Fe, shopping in Dallas, and even introduces you to a few strippers-the novices on the playgrounds of New York City, and the pros in Vegas. Lela says what the rest of us are thinking. Her hilarious observations and subtle satire are always spot on. She’s not afraid to reveal her screw-ups, along with fleeting delusional moments of wherein she honestly believes she is the best mom ever.
I asked Lela three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:
1. Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?
Expressing myself is almost all I do. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe that I’ve been able to create a sustainable business out of writing primarily about my own experiences. It’s what I like to write and what I like to read. Whether it’s science or politics or how to make bean sprouts, if the writing doesn’t include the writer’s personal perspective, I’m usually not interested.
2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?
To me self-expression is about connecting with other people, and sometimes my dog. If I’m not writing I’m talking. I love getting up in front of a room, drinking wine with a group of my girlfriends, or just talking one on one (maybe to my dog). I need to express myself in order to figure things out. I am the person continuously in an imaginary conversation with someone. Thanks to technology, talking to yourself is so much more socially acceptable today than it was when I was a kid hanging out with my imaginary friends.
3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?
I hope that what I write shows other people they are not in this thing alone. I have been there, done that, and usually found the laugh. There are challenges in deciding what to make public when you write about your own life, as I do, because I’m not the only one in it. When you write humor, it’s tempting to go for the cheap laugh, and that can damage relationships. I don’t want to sacrifice the people closest to me for the entertainment of my readers. (Seriously, I have the BEST stories about teenagers than I just cannot tell you!) I want to be respectful of my family and friends while still expressing what I feel are MY stories. It’s a fine line to walk sometimes, and as I grow as a writer I will push it because I feel like when I’m brave on the page it gives other people the encouragement they might need to be brave in their lives. Or it makes them pee their pants a little. Either way, I’m happy.
And Now, Your Turn…
You remember how this works right?
Please read the complete rules at least once!
I ask you a question.
You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.
Please just respond once, even if you make a typo. 
Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books).
What makes you laugh? I mean what makes you really laugh? What makes you laugh so hard you can’t stop? What makes you laugh so hard that you cry and laugh at the same time?
Ready, set, comment! I will hold the drawing tomorrow and post the results here in my blog.
Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway!
And thanks for spreading the word. We will be giving away great books by wonderful women authors all month.
View the complete list of authors and books.
View the giveaway Pinterest board.
Comments on this entry are closed.
My husband makes me laugh regularly. I’ve told him he should be a stand-up comedian. It’s nice to enjoy humor from him because I tend to be too serious about everything!
In the last few years because of stressful life changes I’ve noticed my laugh meter has taken a nosedive. But it was during a very sad and difficult time when I had been dealing with my grandmother’s illness and death that my sister and I laughed to tears over the phone, and it was over trying to open the box of my grandmother’s ashes so I could save her some. I can’t remember all the details of what we were laughing about, but my grandmother’s sickness and death had been very stressful. My sister was supporting me long distance, but I was dealing with most of the paperwork side of things along with grief, false guilt, and anger. I think that the stress had worn us out so much that suddenly we realized how crazy it was that we were discussing this box and trying to open it, and it felt better to laugh than cry. I love it when suddenly life looks less bleak in the worst of times because I can see just how ridiculous it is. I’m sure my grandmother was laughing along with us.
I was trying to recall a time when I laughed to tears and nothing in recent times came to mind. I think I’m like Libby – laugh meter broke
or fell due to stresses of everyday life. But the biggest laughs these days come at the spur of the moment when my youngest and I do our little thing.
I especially love it when my husband of 20+ years says something funny or laughs at something I said. Good reminder we still have our sense of humor. We also discovered “The Big Bang Theory” this year and those brought a few guffaws.
When I get together with my mom and sisters, we stay up too late and laugh. We laugh about old “remember when” stories and about new, what the kids did/said today stories. We laugh about the jokes the come up and get reused again and again and again in the games we play. We laugh enough that the next day we all feel the unintended ab workout.
Silliness and absurdity always make me laugh even – especially!- in times of stress. And once I get started it is hard to stop! Intembrr my mom laughing like that and pretty soon we were all laughing so hard we had tears rolling down our faces and no one knew anymore what we were laughing at. To spot absurdity in the midst of a tense situation is a great way to break the tension – like when we were on a long car trip with the kids and my daughter kept nagging about something until unexploded with “what part of NO do you not understand?” After a perfect pause she said in a small voice: the “o” part…. And I just couldn’t help laughing. Definitely the best way to survive stress!
My son and I share the same weird sense of humor, so he can make me laugh hysterically! Sometimes, I can be having a rough day and and he can catch me off guard with something clever…or I see posts or memes my friends put up that hit me in a way that makes me just keep laughing for a long time. I think the Angel of Humor places those at the right time to make me feel better when I really need a good laugh! ;o)
I know this sounds odd but watching old episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm makes me laugh like nothing else. There’s something about Larry David’s “truth-telling” no holds barred which I find jarring and hysterical. I’ll add seeing my 2-year-old start to giggle also gets me going, but something about the absurdity of Curb does it everytime!
The silly, absurd and unexpected make me laugh. Julia Child using her blow torch on a tomato had me rolling on the couch for ten minutes once. I love when humor diffuses an over-serious parenting moment, and I’m especially proud on the rare occasions when I make it happen, like the time I yelled, “This is not a democracy! It is a MOM-ocracy!” and we all collapsed, giggling. Most recently, the five of us were laughing hysterically in the kitchen as the girls tried to keep my husband and I from kissing. (Because kissing is gross when you are 8, 11 and 14.) They hopped up and down and squeezed between us while my husband and I continued to dodge them without getting poked in the eye, and while trying to keep anyone from getting hurt. I laughed so hard I had a cramp in my side.
Comedians like Brian Regan, Anita Renfroe, and Chonda Pierce make me laugh so hard that I cry and laugh at the same time. Seeing others laugh at something that I think is funny makes me laugh really hard. I love doing silly things that for some reason people don’t expect from me or making other people laugh with funny stories. I love playing the game Balderdash which takes funny sounding (but real) words, has players write definitions for them, and then read them all out loud along with the correct definition. Everyone then votes on the definition that they think is real. I love to just write funny definitions to make others laugh. This makes me laugh really hard.
But comedians like Brian Regan, Anita Renfroe, and Chonda Pierce make me laugh so hard that I cry and laugh at the same time (they even make me cross my legs to keep something else from happening, if you know what I mean). 🙂
My daughter makes me laugh! She is only 3 1/2 years old but she makes me laugh until I cry normally when I am changing clothes because she likes to tickle me or tries to slap my thighs. She runs after me when I try to hide and its hard because I am just in my underwear and the more serious I get, the more she giggles and makes faces and its just craziness…but I love LOVE IT!
For me it’s not what makes me laugh the hardest, but who makes me laugh the hardest and that would be my sister. We just share the same sense of humor and of course the same background with family and friend craziness that we love to laugh at with our own unique perspective on the situation. Unfortunately it is not as often as I would like, but when we do get together it is always fun. And now luckily my son is developing the same wacky sense of humor so we share some great laughs together. And nothing is better than laughing so hard you cry. And I can’t forget to mention my friend Cheryl who is a stand up comedian – very funny times and laughs we’ve shared together.
The last time I can remember laughing really hard was in Quebec where my friend and I spent too much time shopping and were late to get back to the hotel for dinner with our hubbies so we were climbing over stone walls to take shortcuts. There was one particularly high one that I made it over but she slipped halfway up and fell back down onto the grass below. I looked over the wall and saw her laying on her back, feet and arms in the air like a turtle, with a surprised look on her face. I asked her if she was alright, and she said, “Yeah, but I think I peed my pants.” Then we both started laughing so hard I couldn’t help her up. And we laughed all the way back to the hotel and through dinner too. I hope something really funny happens again one day because it’s been much too long since I laughed like that.
What makes me laugh the most these days is pretty much any episode of “The Big Bang Theory.” I have never had a show that made me laugh that hard. I like to joke and tell people I married a guy who is a combination of the characters Leonard and Sheldon. What also makes me laugh is being in a situation where something funny happens in a setting where I’m supposed to be serious, like church or in a meeting. It never fails!
I find moments with kids and babies make me laugh so hard. It’s because there is such an innocence and wonderment from things they say and do. To top it off, they don’t even realize that they are being so funny. I further get more entertainment when the situation (to the child) is not funny to them and they are taking themselves so seriously. It’s all I can do to turn away so they don’t see me laughing which may causes them hurt or embarrassment.
I tell my partner about the funny of the day and he laughs as well, in part because I can’t control my own laugher recounting the event. It’s a good time to be had and wish for many more.
Shared memories with my sister make me laugh the hardest. We are so close, we often finish each other’s sentences. We laugh at nothing, everything, and really big aha’s we share. There’s this sort of deja vu aspect to some of our conversations, and when we both notice this deep deep connection at the same time, it sends us into big belly laughs. We’ve lived up to 2500 miles apart for almost 40 years, but we talk almost daily and share these kinds of laughs.
She’s coming to visit me next week and no doubt, we’ll lay on my bed, or play cards, or go swimming or shopping, and just laugh at memories, both from the past and the ones we’re making right now in the moment.
The beverage-out-the-nose, pee-your-pants, Oh-my-God that was so funny laughter usually makes it’s appearance after we’ve been laughing a bit – laughing enough that every little mildly amusing thing is exaggerated to the funniest thing ever. Thinking back on it, in those situations, it was my ability to let my guard down with the group, and my attitude, that led to the riotous laughter as much as the funny line or event. Alcohol doesn’t hurt.
Humor in marriage is priceless. How else could any of us survive it?
It is a gift to see the ridiculous.
Thanks for playing along, Meryl!
I hope my kids will remember all our stupid family inside jokes when they are older.
Love it! Thanks for commenting.
Angel of Humor, I like that 🙂
Where would we be without those shows that make us laugh?
Thanks, Heather, for playing along!
Thanks, Sandi.
Kids have the best sense of humor if we let them.
Agreed. Laughing and crying with the emphasis on laughing–can’t be beat.
Great story! Thanks, Mar.
Thanks for commenting!
Thanks for entering!
Must be great to have a sister like this. I have good girlfriends, but no sisters.
Yep. Agreed on all counts.
Girlfriends are great too, Lela. My sister is my best friend. It wasn’t always that way. We were sibling rivals while growing up, living at home with our parents. But now, we both say we share the longest histories, and having that lenght of connection is meaningful to us.