What's motherhood really like? These moms spill the beans.

What do you know now that you wish you knew before becoming a parent? Thirty one moms -- and one dad -- tell all in a wonderful new book, The Mothering Heights Manual for Motherhood.

This collection of essays is edited by Christine Fugate, who began writing her syndicated column, "Mothering Heights," after marrying and having two kids within a 20-month period. (Just reading that sentence makes me want to take a nap. How does she do all that AND write a column AND edit a book?)

The essays are honest, and many are a hoot. My favorite is a piece by Cynthia Jenkins (aka "Sugar Mama") called "Fertilizer." (Named for the description someone gave for the taste of her meatloaf, thank you very much.)

Jenkins talks about how she had assumed she'd tackle motherhood just like her own mom did, right down to wearing big earrings and jingly bracelets. (The bracelets drove her crazy almost immediately. Who can chase kids wearing those things? OK, other than Cynthia's mom.)

Turns out each mom has to find her own image, her own meatloaf recipe -- and her own recipe for happy mothering. Reading these essays (a bit at a time before passing out each night after long days of working, running to my kid's baseball games and watching "Mary Poppins" play rehearsals), I realized that we moms really are all in this together. And reading about other moms' experiences can not only give us a good chuckle -- it lets us know we're not alone when the meatloaf's awful, the baby's screaming and the disposal just started spewing something funny-smelling.

-- Kathy Sena is a freelance journalist who covers parenting and women's issues. Visit her blog, Parent Talk Today.

We're giving away signed copies of The Mothering Heights Manual for Motherhood! Click here for your chance to win one.