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When I look at my Instagram feed, or any of my photos for that matter, there is one glaring omission. 

ME.

I've got pictures of Mazzy, pictures of Harlow, pictures of Mike with Mazzy and Harlow, but I'm almost always the one standing behind the camera. 

That's why this week, in honor of Mother's Day, I'm working with Jessica Shyba from Momma's Gone City and photographer, Ali Smith, to encourage moms to take and post photos with their kids on Instagram. Take one in a mirror, take a mom/child selfie, make your significant other take one, ask a stranger on the street, whatever it takes. Just make sure that twenty years from now when you look back at photos of your family, it looks like you weren't vacationing in Mexico the entire time.

We're giving two randomly selected winners (one on instagram and one for leaving a comment at the end of this post) a copy of Ali Smith's beautiful new photo book Momma Love: How the Mother Half Lives.

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Ali Smith spent twelve years photographing and interviewing mothers for Momma Love in hopes to depict "an honest portrayal of the highs and lows of motherhood". Her photos are taken documentary style and show moms in their real every day lives, whether they are nursing a boo-boo or shoveling food in their mouth while simultaneously holding their toddler at the table. 

Ali has somehow taken images to which all mothers can relate but are rarely captured on film.

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Flipping through Ali's book, I am struck by the wide range of mothers represented. From actress Amy Ryan discussing being a mother in youth-obsessed Hollywood to Karen Duffy's unexpected friendship with her surrogate to Kitty Stillufsen's decision to become a co-parent with her gay best friend, it's very clear that although we are all bonded by one significant trait, we each have vastly different stories to tell. 

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To participate in the challenge, tag pictures of yourself with your kids to #momma_love and tag/follow @mommyshorts @mommaloveali and @mommasgonecity. I think it will be really great to see a steady stream of selfies from different moms all on Instagram. I am so used to just seeing pictures of kids!

The winner of both copies of Momma Love (one winner here, one winner on Instagram) will be announced on Friday.

Listen-to-your-mother-imageIn addition to the book, I am giving away two tickets to Listen to Your Mother in NYC, directed by my friends Amy Wilson and Shari Simpson and featuring some of my favorite bloggers including Marinka from Motherhood in NYC, Kim Forde from The Fordeville Diaries and Tracy Beckerman from Lost in Suburbia.

I was in Listen to Your Mother last year and it was truly a wonderful experience. Similar to Ali Smith's book, Listen to Your Mother brings together mothers from all walks of life to tell stories about the one thing that unites us— parenthood.

This year, Listen to Your Mother will be playing at 5pm on Mother's Day at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Symphony Space. You can purchase tickets here.

GIVEAWAY RULES:

To enter to win a copy of Momma Love or tickets to Listen to Your Mother, please leave a comment below answering the following question:

If Ali Smith were at your home this morning to take pictures of your every day life, what moment might she have captured?

For instance, at my house this morning, she would have captured me picking the white stuff off an orange for Mazzy, nursing Harlow next to a sleeping Mike and Mazzy peaking into my shower to show me a buttered dinner roll that daddy gave her. She was very excited about it, apparently.

You must be a Mommy Shorts facebook fan or subscriber to enter. Please indicate if you are also interested in the Listen Your Mother tickets in your comment. All winners will be announced on Friday.

Good luck!