First time doing a full brisket on my offset smoker. Woke up at 4am to get the fire going, spent the whole day adjusting temps and spritzing. Pulled it at 204 degrees internal temp and let it rest for 30 mins. Sliced into it and it was perfect. Pink smoke ring, tender, juicy. Family went nuts. Worth...
My kids are in school all day, wife works from the office, and I work from home. I realized today that I haven't had a real conversation with another adult in like 4 days besides my coworkers on zoom calls. Sometimes I just sit in the driveway in my car after work just to have an excuse to be alone ...
I don't talk about this much but I was a heavy drinker for years. Like sneaking drinks at work heavy. My kids were scared of me. Anyway I hit a breaking point 18 months ago and went to rehab and haven't drank since. The change has been insane but also hard. I'm actually present now. My memory is com...
Used to think my job was to make everyone laugh and keep things light. Realized about a year ago that I was using humor as a shield. My kids didn't need another comedian, they needed their dad. So I stopped cracking jokes during family dinner and actually asked about their days. Started playing boar...
Just binged the first 4 episodes, its wild. The show keeps getting more insane every season. My wife walked in during one scene and was like what am I watching lol. Anyway if youre into superhero stuff but want something darker this is it.
Tried giving our daughter a bottle today while my wife took a break and she just looked confused and kept turning her head away from it. Eventually she took it but seemed frustrated the whole time. Is this normal? I feel like I'm doing something wrong even though I watched like 5 youtube videos befo...
She's 9 and usually acts like I embarrass her just by existing. But this morning she made me breakfast, burned the toast but I ate every piece, and said I was the best dad ever. My wife laughed and said I'm definitely paying for that. Doesn't matter, I'm riding this high for at least a month. Frame ...
Took 4 weeks with my newborn and it was the best and worst 4 weeks of my life. Now I'm back at work and my inbox is destroyed, I have 3 meetings already scheduled and my wife is handling everything at home by herself again. The guilt of leaving her with the baby and the pressure at work is crushing ...
Started doing nightly devotions with the kids about 6 months ago, nothing fancy just 10 minutes of Scripture and prayer before bed. My oldest actually asked questions about his faith yesterday that made me realize he's really thinking about God. My wife and I have gotten closer too. If you haven't s...
Been going out to the lake every Saturday at 5am for the last three months and today it paid off. Got a 12 pound largemouth on a topwater lure right as the sun was coming up. Took a picture and released her back. My buddy said I had the biggest grin on my face the rest of the morning lol. Now my kid...
Wife is going to her friend's bachelorette party this weekend so I've got the kids for three days straight. Planning a camping trip to a state park about an hour away, gonna teach my 10 year old how to fish properly, maybe make some campfire food that isn't just hot dogs. My 6 year old doesn't know ...
Was a single guy living kind of carelessly for years. Met my girlfriend, things got serious, and now I'm helping raise her two kids. I went from doing whatever I wanted to having actual responsibilities and people who depend on me. It's exhausting and amazing at the same time. I used to sleep in on ...
So I bought a barrel smoker on Craigslist and spent last Saturday learning how to use it. Made brisket for the family. Took like 14 hours and I was up way too late tweaking the temperature. End result was pretty dry if I'm honest. Going to try again this weekend and actually read the instructions fi...
My wife and I always argue about this. She says a little screen time at dinner is fine so they sit quietly. I think we should talk as a family. But then my kids are absolutely insane when they don't have it and ruin the meal anyway. What's the actual move here because we can't seem to agree and fami...
Two years ago I was paycheck to paycheck, couldn't handle a car repair without stress. Got a promotion, cut back on stupid spending, and now I actually have a real emergency fund. Still surreal. Last week my truck needed 1200 in work and I didn't panic for the first time in my adult life. My kids do...