To Shower or Not to Shower

I think my two-year old broke my nose.  Well at least part of the cartilage. He was trying to sneak into bed with me because he has decided that now that the baby sleeps through the night, he no longer needs to sleep at all. In his stealthy ninja pjs he scooted back really hard, head-butting me straight in the nose. I heard a pop and now it hurts when I touch it. My husband says maybe it's a deviated nasal septum, but then I explained to him that I already have this injury from the first time I attempted snow boarding. It was in Santa Fe and I was trying to cut on complete ice. Needless to say, I was unsuccessful and face planted in something unlike powder. The "friends" I went with had left me much earlier than the incident and I was escorted down the mountain by a tween in an orange vest. As I made my way into the bathrooms people were staring at me so I wondered if they could tell I was crying. When I looked in the mirror however, I realize my allure. Two black ey...

Yesterday was a particularly tough day in the Martin household so I decided to enlighten you on one of my tricks at parenting. Reggae music. So picture this: There was a point yesterday where I contemplated eating lunch while taking a shower...this being an outrageous and highly impractical idea, I realized that I needed to take a breather. Liam was on a rampage: whining, demanding, hitting, pulling hair etc. Rory was incredibly fussy, very rarely allowing me to put him down. By the time I was able to finish my workout and prep dinner, nap time was coming to a close and I had to chose between nourishment and hygiene. Hence the lunch shower.  I ended up taking a shower without washing my hair and eating a veggie patty while in the parent pick up line for Jacson. So I get Jacson from school and he was in a funk.  Wondering why I hadn't brought him a drink?  Me- we live five minutes from your school we can get one at home.  Asking if he could ...

I know racism exists.   I've experienced it and witnessed it. I remember my niece and my little brother being harassed at school because they are half black. I remember friends not wanting to spend the night at my house because they were afraid of my black step-father and the taboo of an interracial couple. I remember coming back to the states after two years in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and having to defend Muslim friends during a time when people believed all Muslims were Taliban. We have come a long way, but there will always be ignorance to conquer. My opinion of the situation in Ferguson, Mo is fairly complicated because of two facts: I come from a liberal, ridiculously multicultural background and I am married to a white, police officer. On the one hand, I know there are police officers who probably should not be police officers. That goes for any profession. I know that the cycle of poverty is much harder to break than most people of privilege could ever unders...